Hi,
I’m Dr Seina
Veterinarian, Award Winning Entrepreneur, Mum and passionate about all things pets.
I have always been passionate about animals and helping them live their best lives.
Over the past three decades I have helped hundreds and thousands of pets from all across the world do just that, through preventative care, medicine, surgery and education.
Since opening my own clinic in 2012 I have also now developed a deep passion for the people who help our pets - ensuring Veterinarians and Veterinary Nurses alike have opportunities, a job they continue to love, learn in, and have a continued passion for.
I am a wife, mum of two amazing daughters and one gorgeous step son. Ally our senior schnoodle, Freddie my cheeky Mini Aussie Shepherd and our 2 crazy cats Carlos and Theo make up my fur family (if you don’t count my hubby) - they keep me sane and crazy at the same time! When I’m not working and teaching my team, I love hiking, running, travel and cooking and eating delicious food!
My story
Without sounding cliched it was always my dream to become a Veterinarian (apart from a short time when I was 10 and wanted to be a hairdresser). I always loved having Pets around me and I am a strong believer that children need pets. Pets help develop a sense of responsibility in a child, but for me, even more importantly is that they are a source of unconditional love, a source of incredible intuitive empathy & are an amazing source of emotional support - just like a furry psycologist.
After finishing high school, I went straight to Melbourne University and completed my Bachelors Degreee in Veterinary Surgery and Medicine in 1993. Uni days were long (I still have exam nightmares every November) and holidays were few and far between with farm/rural placement and then clinical placements.
After growing up in the city, I quickly discovered that waking at dawn to pregnancy test or perform caesarians on dairy cows definitely wasn’t for me, however I loved the other side of rural Iife, working on sheep and cattle stations, getting to know the farmers and their deep connection to the land and their animals.
This connection to land, and a wonderful opportunity to work in the town I was born gave this city girl the opportunity to move bush, and one of my very early jobs was working in a wonderful mixed practice in Mildura. This was my first job where I really learnt the value of a great mentor and having an amazing team around you. We would typically see horses, cattle, sheep, ostriches, wildlife, dogs and cats. It was not uncommon to be treating monkeys, foxes, brown bears, camels, goats, pigs, snakes, lizards and even a very grumpy old lion from The Golden Plains Zoo. I wrote articles for the Sunraysia Daily, had a stint on the ABC radio “vet talk” and was the track vet for thoroughbred, harness and greyhounds races. This was a real “James Herriot” practice and I loved it.
Long hours many on the road and lots of after hours eventually got the better of me and after 4 years I came home to Melbourne, continued study in small animal surgery and continued to build my experience and skills. Prior to starting my own business I was very lucky to get to see the back end of running a veterinary business and gained a lot of managerial and business experience and knowledge.
Always wanting to be in control of my own destiny - it was a chat one afternoon in the small clinic office where both myself and my now business partner - the very talented Dr Ashleigh Long were working that changed the direction of our lives. Thornbury Vet Hospital was born out of a need to create a space where staff, clients and pets were happy, and pets were looked after as if they were our own. What has surprised me, is that I have really enjoying the business side of running a Veterinary Hospital, I love the challenges of seeing my business grow and and taking on new opportunities as they develop.
Thornbury Veterinary Hospital
At Thornbury Veterinary Hospital we help save animals, we enable them to live happier, better quality and longer lives. We help people who love their pets in what can often be one of the most exciting or most stressful times for them.
We feel so lucky to be able to do what we do. To us, being a Vet is not just a job, it’s an ongoing commitment and dedication to your best friend, in whatever way you need us.
Our philosophy is to treat your pets like our own - because we care and know how much they mean to you, just like our pets mean the world to us too.
My long-term colleague, Dr Ash and I opened the privately owned Thornbury Vet Hospital in 2012, since then the practice has grown steadily and we are now an award winning practice with a team of 8 Vets and a passionate team of 12 experienced Veterinary Nurses who have cared for over 20,000 pets in our local Community. As a team, we all have different stories as to why we have worked so hard to get into the veterinary industry, but essentially for everyone, it all boils down to the simple fact that we love caring for animals and the people that love them.
Pop down and say hello, we love meeting the people and their pets.
Find out more at www.thornburyvet.com.au
The Happy Dog Hub
The Happy Dog Grooming and Wellness Hub was born out a desire to further help dogs and the people who love them. When we asked our clientele what additional services they needed, the overwhelming response was the need for high quality dog grooming plus complimentary natural pet therapies.
Coming from a Veterinary Medicine background, The Happy Dog Hub provides a boutique grooming and wellness experience for your dog. We work in collaboration with you to help your fur babies live happier, healthier and longer lives. Our extremely qualified and experienced Staff ensure your dog will be pampered and have a wonderful spa-like journey! Be it for a full groom, de-shed, aromatherapy bath, coat tidy, walk, nurse health care consultation, Reiki, Relaxation or Remedial massage!
Our Purpose is to take the burden off pet parents and help bridge the gap between Veterinary Care and Home Care. We want you to be involved in your dog’s wellness journey and in collaboration with the right health care team we get can get your dog feeling comfortable in their skin, look great and putting their best paw forward.
Find out more at www.happydoghub.com.au
Giving
In 2012 I had the pleasure of working and volunteering my skills and time with Darwin Animal Doctors a charity organisation that worked in the Galapagos Islands doing education and Desexing programs with domestic pets within the archipelago. It was an incredible time, I met some fantastic people, we did a lot of good and certainly helped and the wildlife of the islands by reducing the impact of the domestic species.
I have volunteered helping injured wildlife after the Black Saturday bushfires and for Pets In The Park, giving my time to help the homeless people and pets of Melbourne.
As a team at Thornbury Vet Hospital we donate our time and resources to help injured wildlife, and donate $1 per consultation to various charities chosen by our staff this year alone we have given over $4000 to charities such as The Black Dog foundation, Oscars Law, Dress for Success and Plan International.
Being a mum
It is every mums challenge to balance work life and family. When I had my babies, prior to maternity leave payments, within 3 months I started back at work doing nightshift to help support my family, while I gained some great experience, it was definitely not easy. Thornbury Vet Hospital was then opened when my girls were 7 and 10, it was a big challenge balancing school, after school activities and the long hours needed to be dedicated to a new business. I am proud that I have shown my children what hard work, dedication and drive can achieve. I hope this is a lesson that sticks with them for life and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for my family and my kids.
What’s next
While I think I will always identify as a “Vet’, I have been either in the consultation room or at the surgery table for 30 years and am now looking for towards the future. I am always on the look out for collaborations and keen to talk to any like minded business owners. I am passionate about supporting the teams who support the pets and help clients.
Want to chat?
I’m always looking for new partnerships and opportunities and am available for conversations to share my experience, knowledge and learnings to date, be it on what it is to be a GP Veterinarian, or on building an incredible business with a great team and fabulous culture.
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