The Onderstepoort Veterinary Academic Hospital sees well over 30 000 patients a year, and while the majority are dogs (who are after all, man’s best friend), creatures ranging from Amazon parrots to Zebras cross our doorway for treatment. All are important to us, whatever their cost or value, and all receive the best possible patient care that our multi-disciplinary team of specialist veterinarians, veterinary nurses and students can provide. Some are sweet and loving and creep into our hearts. Others are aggressive, mean and even dangerous, and we are frankly relieved to see them go (and we count our fingers again just to make sure they’re all there!). A few are extraordinary or just downright strange, but all come to us to be healed, and we never willingly turn any animal away. So we thought you might enjoy us ‘telling tails’ about a few of our patients...

	Damon - The dog who sees for two Damon – Damie to his ‘mum’ Adele and friends - is a nine year old black Labrador guide dog. Earlier this year, Damon became lame in his right hind leg. After x-rays and hip surgery at a private vet practice, Damon’s lameness did not fully resolve and so he was referred to the OVAH for further treatment. Read more

	A camel in the camp In August 2010 the OVAH admitted an unusual patient to the Production Animal clinic. A camel living on the East Rand in Gauteng, had semi-collapsed and could only get up with assistance. Read more
	Inka the Argentinian maned wolf The OVAH not only has clinics for dogs and cats, horses and production animals, but is also home to the busy Bird & Exotic clinic owned and run by Dr Dorianne Elliott. So it is not unusual to see owners walking into the hospital with snakes, bearded dragons, pet monkeys and colourful parrots, but the arrival of an Argentinian Maned Wolf is a rarity indeed! Read more
	A horse of a different colour... Horses are bred in various shades of grey. But the animal confined in one of the Equine clinic stables recently was more than just an unusual shade of grey – it wasn’t a horse at all, but a white rhino with a typical rhino-grey hide! Read more
	Jack, the free-wheeling Dobe James has owned Jack since he was a puppy in 2006 and recalls that Jack quickly grew into a magnificent male Dobermann who became the ‘alpha’ dog in the family. Read more