Our Story
Melbourne Animal Specialist Hospital opened its doors in Ringwood in 2023, but our story began years earlier.
In 2017, Dr Ralph Webster established Better Veterinary Referrals, a mobile specialist service bringing specialist-level surgery and ultrasound directly to local vet clinics across Melbourne. It was a model built on a simple principle: pets deserve access to specialist expertise, wherever they are.
But as the service grew, so did its limitations. Without a permanent base, we couldn't offer 24-hour care for critical post-operative patients, and we had limited access to advanced imaging like CT. We found ourselves in a difficult position — regularly declining cases that we were technically capable of managing, because we couldn't guarantee gold-standard care across the entire journey: diagnosis, treatment, and recovery.
If we couldn't do it properly, we didn't think we should do it at all.
Establishing a bricks-and-mortar hospital meant we could finally offer the complete picture of care. From day one, MASH featured on-site imaging — radiology, ultrasound and CT — led by our imaging specialist Dr Natalie Webster, alongside a specialist-led emergency and critical care department providing genuine 24/7 monitoring and treatment.
Since opening, MASH has grown into a true multi-disciplinary hospital, with specialists across multiple departments including critical care, surgery, medicine, diagnostic imaging and anaesthesia, all working in tandem with our round-the-clock emergency team.
What drives us?
Exceptional patient care isn't just a goal at MASH — it's the standard we hold ourselves to every day. We maintain high staffing levels around the clock, so every patient gets the attention they need, when they need it.
We're also deeply protective of our culture. While qualifications and experience matter (and our team has plenty of both), we look for "personality hires" — people who genuinely care, who work well together, and who bring compassion to everything they do.
It's this culture that shapes the experience our patients and their families have at MASH, and it's reflected in the 5-star reviews we're proud to receive, again and again citing the care, empathy and compassion of our team.
Refer a Patient to MASH
To discuss a case or refer a patient to our Surgery, Internal Medicine, or Critical Care teams, contact us on 1800 838 787 or info@mashvet.com.au.
Our specialists are available to discuss cases and provide guidance, even before a formal referral is made.
