Dr Shane Simpson BVSc(Hons), GCM(VP), CMAVA
http://www.karingalvet.com.au/
From a young age Dr Simpson knew he wanted to be a veterinarian. As a child growing up in the northern suburbs of Melbourne he kept all manner of pets including dogs, cats, fish, birds and of course assorted reptiles and amphibians.
After completing his V.C.E. at Penleigh and Essendon Grammar School he completed two years of a Bachelor of Science at the University of Melbourne before heading north to Brisbane and the University of Queensland Veterinary School.
In December 1996 all that studying paid off when he graduated with a Bachelor of Veterinary Science with First Class Honours.
Literally 4 days after graduating he headed home to Melbourne and took up a position at Karingal Veterinary Hospital as an associate veterinarian. Dr Simpson began his career with an intitial interest in ultrasonography but after spending several years developing his veterinary knowledge and skills he began to be drawn back to his childhood passion for exotic and unusual pets, in particular reptiles and amphibians. In early 2001 he decided to place a pair of Central Bearded Dragons and a couple of Green Tree Frogs on display in the waiting room of the newly rebuilt Karingal Veterinary Hospital. The rest, they say, is history...
Almost immediately he started to receive calls from reptile owners asking if he treated reptiles and amphibians. Dr Simpson quickly realised there was a need for the provision of high quality veterinary care for these often ignored pets. He set about increasing his knowledge base in several ways such as attending conferences both in Australia and overseas and reading as many reference books, articles and journals as he could. Over the next 10 years his case load of reptiles and amphibians steadily increased to a point where he is now one of the busiest reptile vets in the country.
In 2011 he launched "The Reptile Doctor" brand and with it a highly successful Facebook page and YouTube channel. It is now a department within Karingal Veterinary Hospital dedicated to providing high quality veterinary care for reptiles and amphibians.
Dr Simpson regularly lectures to fellow veterinarians, veterinary nurses and reptile keepers on assorted topics relating to reptile and amphibian medicine and surgery. In addition he regularly contributes articles and other material to reptile magazines, veterinary journals and websites as well as being an active participant on several online forums and Facebook pages dedicated to reptiles and amphibians. He is a consultant veterinarian for a number of reptile shops and aquariums, wildlife shelters, reptile demonstrator businesses, wildlife parks and large commercial collections. Dr Simpson is a member of the Australian Veterinary Association, The Unusual and Exotic Pet Vet Association, the Association of Reptile and Amphibian Veterinarians and the Victorian Herpetological Society.
Outside of his interests in reptile medicine and surgery Dr Simpson is a co-owner of Karingal Veterinary Hospital, Aspendale Gardens Veterinary Hospital and Ballam Park Veterinary Clinic. He is a former committee member of the Australian Veterinary Practice Management Association and founding board member, past President and current board member of the Australian Veterinary Business Association.
His collection consists of three Central Bearded Dragons, a Coastal Carpet Python, a Murray Darling Carpet Python, a Green Tree Python, a Woma Python, an Eastern Water Dragon, a Murray River Short Neck Turtle, several Eastern Long Neck Turtles and a number of Green Tree Frogs.
