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Specialist Services

Nuclear Medicine

Gladesville is a referral centre for Nuclear Medicine in Sydney and Australia-wide.

Dr Max Zuber has developed an expertise in this modality which has many clinical applications and we have on site the only small animal-dedicated nuclear medical veterinary facility in the southern hemisphere. We also have on staff Jane Jovani, a qualified Nuclear Medicine Technologist, who before joining us at GVH worked in the human Nuclear Medicine field.

Nuclear medicine is a relatively new diagnositic technique where radio-isotopes are injected into the body to study various organ functions. Images of these functions are recorded using a gamma camera. Larger doses of radio-isotopes are also given as a form of radiation therapy to treat some forms of cancer.

We have areas of particular interest at Gladesville. The first of these is in the diagnosis and treatment of hyperthyroidism in cats where we now have experience in over 1500 cases of this disease. Thyroid cancer in the dog is a relatively rare and often fatal disease but treatment with radioactive iodine can often halt the progress for extended periods of time.

Bone cancer or Osteosarcoma in dogs is a devastating disease with a very high mortality rate. While cures for this disease are elusive we have been using a radioisotope Samarium 153 to successfully alleviate the pain and temporarily stop the tumour growth in some dogs.

Lameness in dogs in particular can sometimes be very difficult to diagnose accurately and performing bone scans in these dog can often highlight the problem where normal radiographic techniques have failed.

More on Nuclear Medicine

Acupuncture and Trigger Point Therapy

Dr Pam Short and Dr Mark Hocking are qualified veterinary acupuncturists and we regularly use acupuncture and trigger point therapy as an adjunct to conventional western medicine.

Dr Short is a past executive member of the Australian Veterinary Acupuncture Association. She has spoken to many veterinary and lay audiences on the use of veterinary acupuncture and has been a practical examiner for the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society.

Hyperthyroidism

Hyperthyroidism is a disease often found in cats over 10 years of age. Over the years the frequency of Hyperthyroidism has increased. The cause of the disease is not entirely understood, but some common signs are loss of weight, an increase in appetite and change in temperament.

Other specialist treatment:

We regularly utilise the expertise of visiting specialists in ultrasound and radiology and for those cases that require other specialist opinion we engage the services of a wide range of experienced specialists.