The Ralph Veterinary Referral Centre

Our History

In 2008, our hospital founder Shailen Jasani, a Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care specialist, helped to treat an adorable rescue cat called Ralph, after he had been hit by a car. They went on to share a home together for two years before Ralph sadly passed away in 2010.

In 2014, when Shailen embarked on his journey to set up a new and very special veterinary referral centre, it felt only right that as a lasting tribute to the wonderful Ralph, the hospital be named in his honour.

Shailen’s vision is now a reality!

The Ralph is very much a passion- and vision-driven hospital founded on a strong organisational culture and authentic core values.

Our Core Values

Our core values are what lie at the heart of who we are and what we do. They are vital to how The Ralph operates day-to-day, how we care for the patients we treat, and how we work with one another.

Anaesthesia

Many of the animals that visit The Ralph will need investigations (e.g. a CT or MRI scan), operations, or other procedures. We need our patients to be still to perform these as safely and effectively as possible. Sometimes we can achieve this using sedation alone. But often our patients will need general anaesthesia under which they lose consciousness, relax and do not feel pain.  Besides general (whole body) anaesthesia, we can also provide more targeted anaesthesia to smaller areas. We refer to this as local or regional anaesthesia.

We understand that pet carers worry about their companions having a general anaesthetic. This is especially so when the animal is older, very sick or has an existing condition such as heart disease. Modern veterinary anaesthesia is very safe but, of course, not risk free. At The Ralph we will do everything we can to minimise the risks.

Under the guidance of our team of Anaesthetists, Giorgia Marchese, Eva, Andrew, Matt, and Robyn we offer the latest techniques to ensure first class care. Our Anaesthetists will review the patient’s medical history and perform a pre-anaesthetic examination. They will then create a tailored anaesthetic protocol. Once we have anaesthetised the patient, we watch them very closely. Sophisticated monitoring equipment supplements close attention by our experienced team. We keep a detailed record for every patient. This includes the drug protocol used and their vital parameters (e.g. heart rate, breathing, temperature) throughout their anaesthetic. This close attention continues during recovery until the patient is fully awake.

We have a range of state of the art anaesthetic machines at The Ralph. In our surgical theatres, the anaesthetic machines have a built-in ventilator. This allows us to breathe for patients who cannot breathe well enough on their own which can occur for various reasons.

Analgesia

Analgesia means ‘loss of pain sensation’. Virtually every patient that we sedate or anaesthetise receives pain relief according to their individual needs. This is often started soon after admission and continued throughout their stay as well as following discharge. There are a variety of pain-killers (analgesics) available for use in dogs and cats. Our Anaesthetists can also perform procedures such as epidurals and nerve blocks. They help to ensure that all patients under the care of The Ralph are as comfortable as they can be.

Our Anaesthesia + Analgesia service is a core service at The Ralph. It supports many of the other clinical services to provide excellent and compassionate care.

Have you seen our general anaesthesia animation? Created especially for pet carers to help them understand more about their pet’s condition and to prepare for the recovery post-surgery.

Cardiology

Our Cardiology Service cares for patients with heart conditions including those that were present at birth (congenital), those that develop with age (acquired), or those that cause disturbances in the regular beating of the heart (rhythm disturbances, arrhythmias or dysrhythmias). The majority of these conditions can be diagnosed by performing an ultrasound of the heart (echocardiography), electrocardiography (ECG) and radiographic evaluation of the cardio-respiratory system (chest x-rays). Treatment of heart conditions is provided either by medication or by performing “key-hole” interventional procedures called catheter interventions.

At The Ralph, our Cardiology Service provides investigation and management for all types of congenital and acquired canine and feline heart diseases. These include but are not limited to:

• Heart Murmur Clinic for Puppies and Kittens (find out more below)
• Diagnosis and management of acute and chronic congestive heart failure
• Congenital disorders (including patent ductus arteriosus, aortic and pulmonic stenosis, dysplasia of the mitral and tricuspid valves, ventricular septal defects and other anomalies)
• Chronic degenerative valvular disease in dogs (i.e. mitral valve disease)
• Canine and feline myocardial (heart muscle) disorders (i.e. cardiomyopathies and myocarditis)
• Pericardial diseases (i.e. pericardial effusions and cardiac neoplasia)
• Feline arterial thromboembolism
• Cardiac arrhythmias
• Recurrent falling and fainting (“collapse”)
• Canine and feline pedigree heart testing (breed-specific health screening)

These are facilitated by an extensive range of specialist equipment – including colour and spectral Doppler Echocardiography, digital thoracic radiography, 6- and 12-lead digital ECG recording, 24/48 hour ambulatory ECG (Holter) monitoring, Implantable Loop Recorders, High Definition Oscillometry Blood Pressure Monitoring and Interventional Cardiology (including pacemakers, PDA occlusion, balloon valvuloplasty).

Our Outpatient Cardiology Service provides the veterinary community with access to advanced diagnostic facilities and supports with their investigations. We currently offer an outpatient service for electrocardiography (ECG), Doppler echocardiography, and 24/48h ECG Holter monitoring. The service includes a written report with the results and recommendations which is sent directly to the referring vet, who will subsequently discuss clinical management with their clients. These services are available for patients whereby a full case referral is not required. To book an outpatient appointment, or to discuss the suitability of patients for this service please contact us.

Heart Murmur Clinic for Puppies and Kittens

The specialist-led Heart Murmur Clinic at The Ralph investigates heart murmurs in otherwise asymptomatic cats and dogs under 6 months of age. Using advanced diagnostic equipment, our Cardiology team assesses the cardiac-health of patients. If a congenital heart defect is diagnosed, we will provide recommendations for a care plan to improve the patient’s long-term wellbeing, including minimally invasive cardiac procedures.