Tahlia Felix
Pet ICU Nurse Tahlia Felix has always been drawn to helping animals, recognising the strong bond between pets and their owners from a young age. However, it was the experience of losing her childhood best friend, Bunky the Cocker Spaniel, that really motivated her to help other sick or injured animals.
After working for a couple of years in a general veterinary practice Tahlia felt like there was something missing. She had heard about emergency medicine when the other vets and nurses were chatting about it but never really gave it much thought. It wasn’t until her final year of university that she discovered Animal Emergency Service and was given a placement to complete six weeks of practical work, that Tahlia discovered emergency veterinary care. Tahlia fell in love with the fast-paced, challenging environment straight away, with its unpredictable-ness certainly keeping her on her toes!*
Tahlia loves nursing patients who are extremely critical. In particular, she finds ventilator cases, sepsis cases, or cases where patients are having major electrolyte abnormalities such as Addisonian crisis, or diabetic ketoacidosis cases fascinating. “I love the problem-solving aspect of each case, as no two cases are ever the same! It really gets me thinking outside of the box. It is incredibly rewarding when you overcome the curveballs the case throws at you. It is even more rewarding when you watch that patient walk out of our front doors happy and healthy, and into the arms of those who love them. That is the reason I do this job”, Tahlia explains.
One of the best parts of working in the Pet ICU team for Tahlia is the bonds that are formed among the team. “Being such a small team, we all share the same goals! We are constantly encouraging each other to move out of our comfort zones and learn new things. I love how supportive we are to one another, we’re almost like a little family,” tells Tahlia.
Tahlia believes the bonds the team forms with their patients make a world of difference to their care and recovery. “We know how stressful it is for owners when they have to leave their fur baby in a foreign place with complete strangers. When we form these bonds with our patients, it becomes apparent to the owners and it really helps to put their mind at ease. I believe this is how we offer the best care to our patients”, Tahlia explains.