The Animal Hospital At Murdoch University — Local services in Murdoch

My dog got into fight with my other female dog on heat and his front left leg got injured pretty bad. He lost a lot of blood and I sent him to Murdoch Animal Hospital asap as my regular vet clinic has already closed for the day. Firstly, as normal procedure the animal hospital will ask you to sign an agreement form so they can cover their asses and let you know the fee ranges (example $1500 to $1800) you'll get charged and that you'll need to pay deposit to proceed. That's all sounded fine and promising at first that your dog is in a good hand. The first veterinarian at hospital I dealt with said to me my dog has a few lecerations and might need surgery to stitch his wounds and insert drain tube. The surgery fee is included in the higher fee range ($1800) which I have already signed for in an agreement form. He also recommended my dog to stay over night so he can examine my dog better and I agreed to let my dog to stay overnight. At around 11pm I called the hospital to see how my dog was doing. The same vet told me my dog is doing fine and he doesn't need any surgery or stitches and can be picked up the next morning. So I was able to sleep peacefully that night. The next morning another vet called around 6.30am telling me my dog needed to have a surgery and he would die if he doesn't have one soon. And I was told I will need to pay $2000 to $3000 for the surgery. I pointed out that I've signed the agreement which stated surgery is included in the fees. And I questioned the vet why my dog wasn't stitched up or had tube put into his wounds while he stayed over night? First the vet told me they can't operate surgery on my dog because they needed to wait and see whether his wounds were getting better or not. Then the vet also said the wounds have gotten worst overnight and there's no surgeon during the night to operate on my dog and only those with life threatening injuries then the day surgeon would come in the night do the operation. I asked the vet I want my dog to be released from the hospital around 9am so I could take him to my regular vet clinic. I had enough with this hospital and dealing with different vet each time telling me different things about my dog and trying to get me to pay more thousand of dollars. I love my dog like my own child and I am willing to spend a lot of money for him if that would help him ease his pain, fix his wounds and especially save his life. Nothing has been done to my dog while he stayed overnight and I still had to pay $1300+ to that animal hospital. All they've done was dressed my dog's wounds and bandaided his leg. Even told me I would have been charged $600+ more and they are doing me a favor for charging me only less. They even made him walked out of the hospital with his leg limping really badly. I took my dog straight from the hospital to my regular vet clinic for a surgery. As soon as my vet saw my dog he ordered his nurses to carry him in a stretcher into the clinic. Murdoch animal hospital sent details of what they done to my dog over night to the clinic. My vet was so disappointed at the hospital because they didn't stitch up my dog or inserted drain tube in his wound but still charged a lot of money for nothing they have done for my dog. He told me he will stitch up my dog straight away and I can pick him up at 5pm the same day. He charged me way less around one fourth amount of what hospital was asking for. And he done a great job! I wouldn't even give a star to this animal hospital but I have to so I can write a review. They don't care about your beloved pets they only care about getting your money! I will never go back...

I recently visited Murdoch Vet Hospital after my dog, Daisy, was diagnosed with a heart hemangiosarcoma during an ultrasound (USS). She was referred to their oncology department, and while our initial appointment was scheduled for mid-October, the hospital called back a few hours later to bring the appointment forward. When I asked why the appointment was expedited and whether Daisy’s condition was acute, the staff avoided giving a direct answer, instead advising us to take her to the emergency department if her condition deteriorated. This lack of clarity left us anxious and uncertain.

On the day of the appointment, the oncologist spent over an hour discussing Daisy’s diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment options. We were presented with two paths: chemotherapy, which wouldn't cure her but could prolong her life for a few months with potential discomfort, or palliative care. The prognosis with chemo was grim—less than four months—and we were advised to consider euthanasia sooner rather than later to prevent Daisy from experiencing a painful death. After careful consideration, my partner and I decided against chemotherapy, as Daisy had already endured many surgeries in her life, and we wanted her remaining time to be as peaceful as possible.

A few hours after the consultation, the oncologist called back, saying she had reviewed Daisy’s USS images with a radiologist. They suggested the tumor might not be located in the right atrium, which could mean it was not the most aggressive type of cancer. She recommended another USS or possibly a CT scan to confirm the tumor’s location. I was incredibly frustrated at this point—why hadn’t the oncologist reviewed the initial USS images before our consultation? It made me question whether this would have even been reviewed if we had agreed to chemotherapy during the consultation. The situation started to feel very commercial, as though they were pushing for expensive scans and treatments.

What upset me even more was the response when I asked if the USS could be done without sedation. I was concerned about the toll sedation would take on Daisy’s heart, especially given her condition, and I offered to hold and calm her during the procedure. However, they refused, stating it wasn’t possible due to their back-to-back appointments. Feeling like I had no other option, I reluctantly agreed to book the USS/CT scan, even though it added to my stress and Daisy’s discomfort.

From the time I booked the appointment to the aftermath of the consultation, I felt poorly informed and unsupported. The entire experience was emotionally draining—I couldn’t sleep, eat, or work because of the anxiety and lack of clarity. Thankfully, Daisy’s regular vet stepped in and offered to perform a USS without sedation, confirming the tumor’s location. While the prognosis remains the same, I now have a clear plan: to monitor Daisy’s condition, manage her symptoms with medication, and ensure her final days are as comfortable as possible. I feel relieved to know her regular vet will help us when the time comes to say goodbye.

This is just my personal experience. I acknowledge that Murdoch Vet Hospital has advanced equipment and a skilled medical team, but I wouldn’t recommend them unless you are planning to pursue chemotherapy or aggressive treatment. For us, the focus is on giving Daisy a peaceful and dignified end-of-life experience, and I didn’t feel that Murdoch Vet Hospital aligned...

I think that most of the staff at the Murdoch Animal Hospital love animals and do their best to care for them. Well, I would like to believe that anyway. My views on the Institution itself is not as kind – it’s a money making machine.

Vulnerable owners of sick pets have to pay at least 50% of the cost of treating a sick pet prior to any diagnosis. We had to pay a deposit of $3,500 although we were not aware at that stage what treatment was necessary. An MRI scan would reveal all, but unfortunately our beautiful Rottweiler, Suu Kyi lost the use of her limbs on Saturday morning, 14th January 2023, which was not convenient for the MRI Operators at Murdoch – they do not work on weekends, consequently prolonging the anguish of vulnerable pet owners and delaying urgent treatment of their beloved pets, not to mention the increase in boarding costs. A further deposit of $5,000 had to be paid 2 days after the initial deposit of $3,500 and after the MRI was carried out just in case surgery was required. I also notice that a $4.60 Murdoch Guild fee was debited to my credit card, without my permission, a small amount I must admit but it’s the principle of the matter that counts. We paid the Murdoch Animal Hospital $9175.85 in total, without any surgery being carried out.

Our beautiful Rottie was returned to us 6 days after admission, in a poor state and suffering from severe diarrhea. She was diagnosed with Wobblers Syndrome, a disease of the spine. Rather than surgery, physiotherapy for a 2 week period was recommended first. Her condition deteriorated even further 2 days after her discharge from the Hospital and had to be taken back there. We were advised then that she had contracted Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) an infection probably caused by a urinary catheter inserted in her while being treated at the Hospital. She had no such infection prior to being admitted there and was in a worse state of health when we picked her up 6 days later. We paid a further $334.30 for recommended blood tests and a prescribed general antibiotic, which did not help at all. It appears the blood test results took 5 days to arrive and revealed that the antibiotics previously prescribed would not cure her infection, a different/stronger medication was required at a further cost of $329.80. In the meantime, our pet’s condition deteriorated even further, the new medication was prescribed too late and it had also caused her to vomit badly the day after taking it. That was the last straw – we had to sadly end our pet's suffering that day, Saturday 28th January 2023, she was only 6 and a half years old.

Guess our Rottie Suu is just another statistic and guinea pig as far as the Hospital is concerned. I am disappointed indeed to receive no response to my message left for Brett, the Vet in charge, advising him that I had to make the ultimate, heartbreaking decision to end her suffering - it's hard to come to terms with such indifference, but looks like I will have to accept it - it...