Dr Adrienne is a Melbourne based palliative care veterinarian with a passion for delivering peaceful at-home end-of-life care. 

Dr Adrienne grew up on a farm and was surrounded by animals right from the beginning. She loved observing things and helping on the farm, including lambing ewes and carrying buckets of calf milk. A true animal lover, Dr Adrienne told her parents when she was only four that she was going to be a vet when she grew up, and so the learning began. Dr Adrienne graduated from Charles Sturt University in 2015 and her veterinary career began in mixed practice in South Australia. Throughout her career, Dr Adrienne has experienced caring for companion animals, farm animals and wildlife throughout Australia and New Zealand bringing a wide scope of expertise and experience to her role with Sunset Vets.

Veterinary special interests: 

Pain management and quality of life. I like to ensure that owners have as much information as they need to understand their pet’s condition. My goal is to empower owners to make informed decisions around treatment ensuring that no matter how much time we get with our animals, their quality of life is optimal.  

It always starts with one:

Snoopy – he was a grey and white moggy and I was attached to him from the moment he entered our family. We had something of a love-hate relationship when I was very young but as we both matured, we seemed to grow into each other’s presence. He was a special cat who even tried to help us bring the sheep in from the big paddock – he was better than some of the farm dogs I’ve worked with. He also loved the smell of chlorine and would bury his face in my hair when I got home from swimming so he could get his fix. I loved going to find him in the garden when I got home after school (and later university holidays), and I was always hopeful even after he died that I might find him in his favourite spot when I went to look for him.

What else are you passionate about?

I love being outdoors, spending time in the garden with my animals, training my dog and exploring the lovely trails in my area. I am also a keen swimmer and teach kids to swim at my local pool.

What do you love about Palliative medicine?

Palliative medicine is a wonderful branch of veterinary medicine that allows us to provide the best possible care to those animals who need a little more care.

Words you live by:

Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that. – Martin Luther King Jr.