About

 
 

Who we are

At Ringwood Vet Clinic, our dedicated, experienced health team see your pet's welfare as our top priority.

Our doors have been open to the Ringwood community and surrounds since 1956. We care for multiple generations of loyal families who trust us with their precious pets.

We offer an affordable, high quality service that doesn’t cut corners. We are compassionate and open in our communication with you, listening to your concerns, and working together to achieve the best outcomes for your pet.

Our mission

  • Ensure all of our animals are happy and healthy, using minimal intervention where possible

  • Spread up to date information and be a reliable and relevant resource for pet owners 

  • Be a haven for all animals, including strays and wildlife. We never turn an animal away 

  • Support important animal causes such as the Pets in Peril program, the Animals Asia Foundation, the Australian Pet Welfare Foundation, Victorian Animal Aid and local wildlife carers

  • Support local (Australian/NZ) ethical pet food companies that produce premium products, including Wellbeing Essentials, Prime 100, Ziwi Peak and Organic Raw Paws

  • Reduce our carbon footprint as a business. We've installed an extensive solar energy system that powers the clinic and feeds excess electricity back into the grid. We also use Who Gives A Crap products to save trees.

 

Services

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How can we care for your pet?

We offer a complete range of medical and surgical services. Your pet’s health and happiness are our business. We take great care with each animal, tailoring flexible health plans to achieve the best outcomes with minimal intervention.

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general PRACTICE

We look after all of your pet’s core health needs:

Dentistry, Vaccinations & titre testing, Desexing, Medications, In-house blood testing & analysis, Behavioural consultations, Dietary advice & natural food products

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SPECIALIST SURGERY

All surgical procedures are done in our clinic, including orthopaedic and complex soft tissue surgery

MEDICAL IMAGING

Radiography and ultrasound

 

DENTISTRY

Preventative care, radiography and surgery

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exotic pets

Birds, rabbits, guinea pigs, reptiles…
if you own it, we’ll see it

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chiropractic

Gentle, effective techniques, including massage, mobilisation, manipulation, stretching, laser & rehabilitation. Suitable for animals of all ages

 
 

puppy school

Behaviour training and socialisation for your energetic puppy at a pivotal age.

Puppy School currently runs on Thursday nights from 6:30-7:30pm in five-week cycles.

Call Sonya at the clinic to book a spot.

Grooming

Essential care for your pet’s coat, ears and nails

 
 
 

Team

Our exceptional animal-loving crew

Your pet is in tried and trusted hands

We are highly skilled health experts intent on seeing that your pet is nurtured and gets the very best care. We want you to feel comfortable entrusting us with your pet’s wellbeing. Our diverse backgrounds bring a unique mix of skills to the clinic. Together, we make a powerful team who are devoted to animal wellness.

 

Dr Kirsty Lynch
Clinic owner & Veterinarian

Kirsty’s had a love of animals and science since she was young. Becoming a vet just made sense. Behavioural medicine is her special interest because she can educate people and speak on behalf of animals with mental health issues, while supporting their owners. Her ultimate goal is to improve animal welfare and the human-animal bond. Kirsty, a certified Free Fear Professional, hopes to cultivate a low-stress, empathetic clinic environment, as free from fear as possible, where animals and their owners can feel at ease. Kirsty has a Border Collie, Chilli, a Cavoodle, Desi, a Shetland pony, Murphy, and two horses, Bob and Jackie.

Briar Beca
PRACTICE MANAGER
& Veterinary Nurse

Briar is our Practice Manager, which brings its share of exciting challenges. Briar is seasoned in the vet and zoo industries. She is particularly drawn to caring for our exotic pets and local wildlife. In her downtime, you’ll find Briar with family, friends and her crazy Bengal cat Kai, or hiking national parks and plotting the next getaway.

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Dr Jeny Heislers
Veterinarian

Jeny has a special interest in internal medicine of dogs and cats. She’s also interested in preventative vet health and the management of geriatric patients in their twilight years. Outside work, Jeny is busy with the demands of raising a family, which includes Maddie (a Border Collie), Remy (an Australian Shepherd), and adopted stray cats, Jasper and Gibson.

 

Dr Peter Cameron
Veterinarian

Peter is our exotic animals enthusiast. He has a broad range of experience with dogs, cats, birds, reptiles and amphibians. He lives in the Dandenongs with his family and two cats, Plum and Ping. Outside work, Peter likes collecting and restoring pressure lanterns, tinkering in his shed, fishing, and exploring the Aussie bush.

Dr Colette Hester
Veterinarian

Colette is passionate about all aspects of small animal medicine, especially working up interesting cases and educating clients on the best care for their pets. She also likes surgery, and performs both routine and soft tissue procedures in clinic. In her spare time, Colette enjoys heading to the beach and socialising with friends.

Sonya Nagel
Veterinary Nurse
& Puppy School Trainer

Sonya is fascinated by dog training and behaviour. She runs our frisky puppy classes. Sonya has hand-reared many birds, kittens and puppies over the years. She finds homes for all of them, but the last puppy was too special to give up. Beans, an Irish wolfhound x, is a member of the family, along with Bosco the super Staffy, and Buzz, the ugliest cat in the world, the mischievous Devon Rex.

 
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Georgina DaubenY
Veterinary Nurse

Georgina is passionate about animal rescue, behaviour and training. She delights in building strong bonds with clients. Life is busy with her fur kids Lucy the mini Labradoodle, Leo the rescue Beaglier, and Dimmy the rescue cat, who was hand-reared from two weeks old. Georgina loves to travel, go on long walks with her dogs, and spend time with family and friends.

Clare Holmes
Veterinary Nurse

Clare has a degree in Animal and Veterinary Bioscience, specialising in Genetics and Zoology. Since becoming a nurse she has managed a busy inner city vet clinic and worked with exotic animals in Thailand, Bali and the Philippines. Clare comes from a dairy farming background and loves all animals big and small. She spends her spare time with her gorgeous rescue German Shepherd Willow and her cat Charlie.

Karine Hart
Receptionist

Karine is our part-time receptionist and has been in the veterinary industry for over 25 years. During that time, she has held various positions within the field, as well as managing a coffee cart business with her husband Jason. When not at work, Karine enjoys finding treasures at vintage markets, mastering roller skating, and looking after her Cavaliers Basil and Oscar, and Chilli the ginger cat.

 
 

Fiona Kates
Animal Chiropractor

Fiona started out as a chiropractor for humans. After further training, and driven by her love for horses, she is now a dedicated animal chiropractor. Fiona spent time as the assistant program coordinator for the animal chiropractic course at RMIT, where she studied. Through chiropractic, she wants to improve the health of pets and horses for owners who are drawn to a natural approach.

Sharon Curtis
Dog Groomer

Sharon is a professional dog groomer with a great deal of experience in the UK and Australia. She has a knack with breeding and showing toy poodles, Lowchens and Yorkshire Terriers. Sharon is a mum to three boys and three pets; a Maltese x poodle and two guinea pigs. To relax, Sharon enjoys yoga, pilates and hanging with her family.

 
 
 
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Puppy School

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Classes are on Thursdays from 6:30-7:30 pm. Call Sonya at the clinic to book a spot.

Why Puppy School?

We teach owners how to grow social, fun-loving dogs that can obey basic rules and live well alongside people and other animals. Puppies are at their most impressionable between 8 and 16 weeks of age. Any positive or negative influences introduced to your pup are imprinted in their brains, much like a young child. Puppy school is like kinder for kids. It sets them up with a solid foundation for learning and behaviour for the rest of their lives.

Sonya’s puppy classes were absolutely great,
a step above others I’ve attended, and a really valuable part of shaping my pup into a
well-mannered and responsive dog.
— Alexandra

Puppies go through a stage of vaccination (8 weeks, 12 weeks and 16 weeks). They are not fully protected against disease until about 10 days after their final shots. This means they can’t be socialised safely in public, in case of contracting the serious and sometimes fatal Parvovirus.

In a safe and controlled environment like puppy school, your pet can positively interact with other dogs and their owners, directly impacting on your pup’s character for the future.

Sonya is truly the puppy whisperer and has given us so many great tips to help train our little man. Her puppy school classes have been an absolute joy.
— Michael

What does your pup learn?

Your little rascal learns to play safely with other dogs and respond to basic commands, such as ‘sit’, ‘come’, ‘stand’ and ‘drop’, using positive reinforcement.

What do humans learn?

We teach children to be confident and in control of their puppies, who often see kids as just another puppy buddy. It is a great idea to bring your kids along to class.

Any behavioural problems, such as dominance, can be controlled with exercises that reinforce the higher ranking of humans in the household.

We teach you how to be the leader of the pack and maintain a happy, balanced family with a dog as a treasured new member.

Testimonials

Many happy pets and owners trust us

Get a feel for how we treat our brood…



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