Dr Claire with Athena, her Abyssinian, in 2018

Dr. Claire Flaherty BSc BVMS (Hons1) MANZCVS (VECC)

Emergency & Critical Care Veterinarian:

Dr Claire originally hails from Adelaide but Canberra has been home since 2013.  

Dr Claire has more than twenty years experience as a small animal veterinarian, graduating from Murdoch University in Perth as a mature age student in 2000.  For the first 11 years Dr Claire worked in Adelaide in general veterinary practice, developing interests in soft tissue surgery, dentistry, feline medicine, behavioural medicine and working with Guide Dogs for the blind.  Dr Claire owned a general veterinary practice in Adelaide for nine years, where she was known to many of her patients as “Auntie Claire”, or even “Auntie Dr Claire”.

However, at the beginning of 2013 Dr Claire decided to pursue her interest in veterinary emergency & critical care (ECC).  She left her practice in Adelaide and moved to Melbourne for 2 years, working in ECC and general veterinary practice.  Unhappy in Melbourne, Dr Claire moved to Canberra, initially to work at the then after hours emergency centre in Fyshwick.  For the next 4-5 years Dr Claire lived in Canberra and commuted to work blocks of night shifts in Sydney in a large, 24 hour veterinary specialist and emergency centre. During this time Dr Claire passed her examinations in veterinary emergency & critical care and was admitted as a Member of the Australian & New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists. Next she was lured to Hobart to work in Tasmania's only after hours emergency centre.  After a year there Dr Claire returned home to Canberra, happy to be back with her friends in the city she loves.  

Dr Claire quite happily describes herself as an "ECC nerd".  She loves the challenges of problem solving difficult cases while ensuring her patients receive the best care available and supporting her clients through these difficult times.  After many years of working in busy emergency veterinary hospitals Dr Claire was ready for a change.  So often people would phone the hospital in the middle of the night, distressed that their pet was sick or injured and they were unable to come to the hospital. Sometimes people would arrive in the middle of the night with a very sick or badly injured pet and they had no other option but to wake their young children and bring them in as well. Dr Claire decided to provide a mobile veterinary service that utilises her advanced training in veterinary ECC, but also allows her to do the fun stuff, like playing with healthy young pets having health checks and vaccinations.

When Dr Claire moved to Canberra in December 2013 she had five cats and a dog.  Sadly, she now only has two cats:  Cilla, aged 17, and Jadzia, aged 15. She hopes to get a dog in the not too distant future, but for now shares her neighbour's dog Malbec, an energetic Border Collie x Poodle.