Dr Brett Russell
Veterinarian BVSc
Brett joined our team in 2016, he moved from South Africa with his wife and two sons, to join our hospital. Brett grew up in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Brett's father was a vet, avid bird fancier and breeder and was renowned as the first avian vet in South Africa. Brett's formative years were spent helping look after the 100 aviary breeding setup, ranging from finches to large parrots, as well as spending time in Bryanston Veterinary Clinic (South Africa's first avian practice and referral clinic), which his dad ran from the same premises.
His love of playing with other peoples' pets led him to follow in his father's footsteps as a small animal and avian vet, which culminated in him taking over the practice when his father retired and where Brett continued as the resident avian vet, honing a mass of experience and knowledge. The average day saw him treat around twenty birds, ranging from finches and parrots to wild birds, with even a few ratites(ostriches and emus).
Brett also played a large role in the rehabilitation of the local birdlife in Johannesburg, having looked after Freeme, South Africa's premier wildlife rescue & rehabilitation centre, since its inception 17 years ago. This involved seeing a few thousand native wildlife, primarily birds, passing through the facility.
Brett's avian experience includes all aspects of medicine and surgery, including major orthopaedic and abdominal surgeries as well as endoscopy. He recommends and performs annual checks, including blood tests, on his avian patients as a means of optimising their health and well-being.
Brett has presented at a number of congresses in South Africa including a paper at the world anaesthesiology congress in Cape Town. He has also been an external examiner at the University of Pretoria Veterinary School.
Brett is an experienced small animal clinician seeing birds, dogs, cats and small furries.
When not following his passion for animals, Brett's time has been absorbed by his family and his love of playing golf and hockey.