Client stories

Tucker walks with a high step, a bit of a wobble and the occasional tremble, especially when he's concentrating hard.

The two-year-old kelpie cross Siberian husky has cerebellar hypoplasia, a condition that affects the part of the brain that controls movement. It makes him uncoordinated, but it isn't painful, and it doesn't affect his mind. If anything, he's more loving than most.

Lort Smith volunteer Anastasia met Tucker on one of her shifts, and the rest is history.

Tucker now has a canine brother, Elliot the greyhound, whom he adores, and his family even moved to a bigger house to give their dogs more room.

Tucker landed on all fours, if a little wobbly.

• Jelly’s story

Our patients really do come in all sizes, including these Australian green tree frogs.

Gumby and Tiny are part of an extended froggy family, and they visit Lort Smith regularly for check-ups.

Tiny sports a spotted jacket. When he was younger, he was treated for a calcium deficiency, which left him with his adorable underbite. Gumby's favourite pastimes include smiling and dinner.

Frogs, like many unusual pets, need specialist care, and our vets are experienced with all kinds of species. Follow Gumby and Tiny on Instagram at @stickyfrogs.

• Unusual and exotic pet care
• Snake the python

Unicorn is small but mighty. The four-year-old brown rat, named by his little human sibling, came to Lort Smith with a bulging eye, lethargy and loss of appetite.

Our Unusual Pets and Wildlife Vet, Dr Tristan, found a brain tumour. He removed all of it, along with Unicorn's right eye, which the tumour was attached to.

Unicorn recovered beautifully, and was soon back to his usual affectionate self. His doting family, and their many other pets, helped him heal.

• Unusual and exotic pet care
• Dr Tristan and the owl who flew again

Metro Flinders got his name from where he was found: Flinders Street station. He was alone, scared and in a very bad way.

At Lort Smith, our vets found problems with the tops of his thigh bones that made it hard for him to stand and walk. He needed two surgeries to get back on his feet.

While he recovered, Metro was spoilt by his foster carer, Narelle. It soon became clear she couldn't part with him, and she adopted him.

His rollercoaster journey didn't go unnoticed. At two years old, Metro was named 2016 Inspirational Animal of the Year.

Clarrie was just three weeks old when he was found as a stray, with a deformed front leg.

At Lort Smith, our vets amputated the leg, and Clarrie has never looked back.

Today he lives a full life, sharing his home with three Labradors and another cat. He doesn't let three legs slow him down.

His doting family takes him for walks in the front garden on a harness, where he loves to sniff the flowers and watch the world go by.

Meet Tiramisu, the friendliest ferret you could ever hope to meet.

This sweet 12-month-old, adopted from Lort Smith, has the colours of her dessert namesake: vanilla underneath, with a sprinkle of coffee on top.

When she's not in her custom-built enclosure, she has the run of the house. She follows her family from room to room, answers to her name, and is so curious that she often runs up their legs for a closer look at what's going on.

There's never a dull moment with Tiramisu, and we don't think her family would want it any other way. Ferrets are one of the many kinds of pets waiting for new homes at our Adoption Centre.

Dozer, a two-year-old mastiff cross, holds a special title: the longest resident in the history of our Adoption Centre.

He came to our hospital after being hit by a car, with a badly broken front leg, and his family surrendered him. The leg was so damaged it had to be amputated. His other front leg was weak, so he needed a custom strengthening brace, made especially for him in the USA.

Recovery took time, and Dozer spent it in foster care with Lisa and Corey. From the start, they planned to adopt him once he got the all clear.

After 386 days in our care, that day came, and Dozer officially became part of their family.

Pooh, Panda and Piglet came to Lort Smith when their owner moved house and couldn't take them along. The three long-haired brothers had always been together, and we hoped to keep it that way.

Then a family with three young sisters walked into our Adoption Centre, and wanted all three.

Today, the brothers spend their days eating Dutch carrots and hay, with the sisters and a menagerie of other family pets for company. These guinea pigs really did land on all 12 feet.

Guinea pigs are social animals, so we often find them homes in pairs or groups.

Ginger is gorgeous, inside and out. With his luscious locks, some say he's the double of Puss in Boots.

He came to Lort Smith with a nasty wound on his ankle, and his family surrendered him. Ginger spent time in foster care while it healed, then moved to our Adoption Centre to find his new family.

He charmed everyone there. Affectionate and confident, with plenty of dog-like habits, he wasn't with us for long.

Today, Ginger is living on top of the world, in an inner-city apartment with views over the city skyline.