Veterinary clinic celebrates 25 years of success
With a staff of five veterinarians, one of whom is a registered specialist, the clinic services a wide and diverse clientele covering all species and with clients as far afield as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Ghana, Swaziland and Zimbabwe.
LYDENBURG – The willing doing the impossible for those incapable. This is exactly why Sterkspruit Veterinary Clinic is 25 years old in March.
This clinic is not only passionate about their patients and their owners, but it also has one of the richest histories in town. In 1994 Sterkspruit operated from a small purpose-built building in Burger Street.
As the practice grew, the building was enlarged, but by 2007 was no longer able to accommodate the growing staff and services provided by the vets.
In April 2007 Sterkspruit Veterinary Clinic was moved to its present premises at 57 Kerk Street where the old house, dating from 1887, had been extensively renovated with the addition of a large modern clinic and hospital wing. The ambience of the original building was retained and now stands as a historical beacon in town.
The clinic has a stable and happy staff component. Most have been with the clinic for many years and are well known to their clients. It is unique in providing the only registered aquatic veterinary specialist service in South Africa, in addition to the comprehensive service provided to their petowning and farming clientele.
Sterkspruit is a mixed practice providing care and medical assistance for all animals. This clinic also boasts a state-of-the-art blood machine that can provide a diagnosis within one hour. The clinic is well equipped for radiology (X-rays), orthopaedic surgery (implantation and internal fixation (plates, pens, screws etc) and complicated soft tissue surgery.
Sterkspruit also offers
• Consultation for sick animals
• Soft tissue and orthopaedic surgery
• Diagnostics (X-rays and ultrasonography)
• In-house laboratory
• Hospitalisation
• Autopsies
• Farm and stable visits for ambulatory call- outs
• All hours emergency service, seven days a week
• Dairy herd health and production consultation
• Beef herd health and production consultation
• Cattle oestrus synchronisation
• Sheep flock health and production consultation
• Bird general veterinary consultation
• Fish disease and aquaculture consultation
• Fish export certification
• Koi quarantine and disease surveillance
• Fish histopathology
• Crocodile consultation
• Wildlife general veterinary consultation
• Raptor orthopaedics and general rehabilitation
Professionalism, outstanding service and a love of the job are just some of the aspects that attribute to the success of the veterinary clinic. Sterkspruit would like to extend their gratitude towards all their loyal clients over the years.
Wow facts about the clinic
It was founded by David Huchzermeyer and Philippa Colly on March 1, 1994. Both veterinarians came from veterinary families and moved to Lydenburg in 1986 due to Huchzermeyer’s interest in fish and the many fish farms in the vicinity of Lydenburg.
Jac Brink joined the clinic in 2009 after working as a veterinarian in the United Kingdom for almost four years. Hestia Brink similarly worked in the United Kingdom before later joining the clinic on a part-time basis.
After first obtaining an agriculture degree and working in the livestock and agriculture sector for a number of years, Brian Chester Browne left a veterinary practice in Pretoria to join Sterkspruit in 2011.
The clinic’s clients are served by a highly-qualified and experienced team of veterinarians that between them hold 10 degrees and a combined experience of 113 years.
With a staff of five veterinarians, one of whom is a registered specialist, the clinic services a wide and diverse clientele covering all species and with clients as far afield as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Ghana, Swaziland and Zimbabwe.
Before moving to Lydenburg, Colly gained extensive experience working with livestock in the Eastern Cape and has provided invaluable advice to small stock farmers around town. As an author, she has contributed a chapter on sheep diseases in the internationally recognised standard reference book Infectious Diseases of Livestock with Special Reference to Southern Africa.
She has also contributed to a book on sheep and goat diseases. David Huchzermeyer has published more than 20 scientific papers in international journals and has co-authored a book chapter on aquatic bio-security.
Following the mass die-off of crocodiles in the Kruger National Park in 2007 and 2008, Sterkspruit became involved in the investigation of the cause of this tragedy. Huchzermeyer’s research team was able to provide the answers to this environmental calamity.
In 2013, Huchzermeyer was awarded a PhD from the University of Pretoria and received the Researcher of the Year Award from the South African Veterinary Association in recognition for this work. As part of his work at Sterkspruit Veterinary Clinic, David Huchzermeyer has provided training in aquatic animal health to veterinarians from various countries for the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, for the World Organisation for Animal Health, the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and various other institutions.
He is currently an extraordinary associate professor at the University of the North West, in Potchefstroom, where he periodically lectures to researchers.
