106 Parraweena Road,
Miranda NSW 2228
Specialist in Small Animal Medicine
BVSc (Hons), FANZCVS (Small Animal Medicine)
Dr Karina Graham is a registered specialist in animal internal medicine.
After working in specialty practice for eight years as a veterinary nurse, Karina completed a Bachelor of Veterinary Science (Hons) through Sydney University in 2006. She then completed an internship in surgery and medicine the following year and proceeded directly into a residency training program required for specialist qualification in small animal medicine through North Shore Veterinary Specialist Centre.
She also undertook additional externship training at the University of California, Davis, in cardiology and neurology in 2010.
Later that year, she attained membership to the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists, and she obtained a Fellowship to the College in 2013, permitting her to become a registered specialist in small animal medicine.
For Karina, there was no doubt in her mind that she would dedicate her life to caring for animals. It’s what drove her initially to become a vet nurse.
“I absolutely loved being a nurse, but I found myself constantly wanting to do more and more. So, it was a natural progression for me to study veterinary medicine.”
After Karina graduated in 2006, she chose to specialise in small animal medicine.
“I was working in referral hospitals and I found the cases I saw and the medical challenges incredibly exciting. My medicine mentor at the time, Richard Churcher, gave me an internship and then a residency, and I completed my specialisation in 2013.”
Aside from her love for animals, what Karina loves most about medicine is the challenge of trying to solve a puzzle for a sick animal, to help heal it and improve its life. And she also wants to help people, other pet owners, like herself, for whom their pets are a part of the family.
“I’m a hugely empathetic person and that’s what really floats my boat – being able to help pets and the family that loves them.”
Karina keeps abreast of the most innovative, world-leading developments and brings them into her own practice.
Major passions for her are interventional radiology and laser-assisted techniques because they make surgery less invasive, shorter and safer.
“Laser surgery means patients can be in and out in a day procedure and not have traditional open surgery, with less complication, better success rates and overall better care for the animal.
Our new animal hospital has a dedicated interventional radiology and laser-assisted techniques service. This includes urology, vascular procedures, intra-arterial chemotherapy, chemo-embolisation techniques and other laser-assisted, minimally invasive procedures. These are used for cancer treatment, some urinary treatment and respiratory treatment.
I’ve taken additional training in this area and I’ve introduced some of these techniques in Sydney.”
When a pet owner walks into a hospital with a sick animal, you can see the fear and anxiety written all over their face. That’s because hospitals can be overwhelming in those situations, with all the busy activity, noise, machinery and other sick animals.
“But it doesn’t have to be this way. And that’s one thing we’re dedicated to making a difference with our hospital. We want to abolish people’s fears. We want every patient and owner who walks in to be comfortable – not anxious, not scared and to be pain-free from the beginning.”
for specialist veterinary treatment
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