Nexus Emergency Vet Hospital co-founder and medical director Dr Jaclyn Gosliga and her husband, hospital director Dustin Fromm, say they wanted to challenge how emergency veterinary care was delivered when they opened their first clinic last year.

“The minute a pet is admitted to hospital for overnight care, people often get really upset. They don’t want to be separated from their pet. They worry [about] what’s going to happen,” Gosliga said.

“We just wondered whether [emergency vet care] could be done better or differently, and maybe some of the community would resonate with the idea. So that was really the core of it,” Fromm added.

That idea underpins the emergency hospital’s open-concept treatment areas that mean owners can stay with their pets throughout examinations, treatments and even overnight stays, rather than waiting behind closed doors during non-operative care. Owners can order in food and there is a dedicated family lounge “for humans who need a little reprieve”.

“Essentially, we’re never gonna ask you to leave. If you want to be bedside with your pet, you’re more than welcome,” they said.

Instead of traditional receptionists, there are ‘pet family liaisons’ as primary points of contact and Gosliga claims the business is the first vet hospital in Australia to fully embrace open-concept care.

There is a free online nurse chat where owners can speak with a nurse 24/7 to ask questions and discuss concerns about their pet.

One patient Gosliga particularly remembers is Sabrina, a four-year-old fox terrier, who spent five days at the surgery.

“[Sabrina] was a small little pup. Her family was essentially by her side as much as they physically could be,” she said.

“They bring Sabrina back occasionally now when they come by, just because they were so appreciative and want us to follow Sabrina’s story. It’s so sweet.”

For Fromm, that relationship works both ways, with the Nexus team developing close connections with the animals they treat — from birds and bearded dragons to dogs weighing up to 50 kilograms.

“[The staff are] getting more reward for the effort they’re putting in — they’re seeing the smiles, hearing the gratitude, and getting emails from people who love the concept and are so appreciative of the high-quality care we’re providing their loved ones,” he said.

The clinic also treats species such as reptiles and birds that can be difficult to place in emergency or overnight care.

“The bond that people have with their pet snakes, for example, or their reptiles, can be just as strong and just as beautiful as with a standard pet like a cat or a dog,” Dr Gosliga said.

For Gosliga, that bond is ultimately what makes the work worthwhile.

“The reward that I get from going into work every day and building that relationship is just being able to help. It doesn’t matter if it’s a cat, a dog, a snake, or a rabbit. I just love being able to help the family, particularly when no one else will or can,” she said.