Facilities

The welcoming and disabled access friendly reception area is run by Head Receptionist Rachel; a bright and airy environment climate controlled for the comfort of you and your pet.

As well as “checking in” for appointments or operations we will always be available for advice or help. There are walk on scales for dogs to allow weight recording – important for drug dosages and weight management. Cats and other smaller pets are weighed in the quieter surroundings of a consulting room. There are three zones of seating to give pets (and their people!) enough space and privacy and a wide range of toys, treats and veterinary food is available to browse.

There are five generous consulting rooms – also climate controlled. Clinical records are kept on an intelligent computerised database allowing for easy access throughout the building.

If your animal is unwell the vet will ask some questions, perform a thorough examination and a treatment plan will be agreed. If the appointment is a routine vaccination there will still be a thorough examination – often problems that are discovered before an animal is unwell allow a pro-active approach to disease and often better outcomes. The nurses have their own consulting room from which they manage their own clinics – including behaviour, weight management, puppy/kitten development and many other services

We have a dedicated climate controlled operating theatre to allow us to carry out a wide variety of procedures.

Having been anaesthetised and prepared for surgery your pet will be moved into theatre and onto a special table where piped medical gases are also provided. An experienced nurse or vet is directly responsible for the close monitoring of your pet, once anaesthetised so that the surgeon can concentrate on operating. Once completed your pet will be moved back into the prep area for recovery.

The treatment room is the hub of the practice – many of the other rooms are arranged around this central area to allow for simple workflow

In this area animals will have blood samples taken, be put onto drips, be anaesthetised and recovered and have minor procedures carried out

Dental disease is common and often overlooked

Thats why we have a dedicated dental suite equipped with a special dental table, dental X-ray unit and air driven power tools – just like your own dentist uses. It is also vital that we keep the nasty bugs associated with dental disease away from the more sterile parts of the practice

Oral care is vitally important. Dental disease causes discomfort and is responsible for a wide range of other medical conditions…..as well as causing smelly breath!!

We have invested heavily in our imaging suite

We have the very latest dedicated X-ray machine and digital processor to allow us to quickly get the highest quality images – X-rays are helpful particularly for the assessment of trauma patients, chest and orthopaedic problems.

We also have a high end colour doppler ultrasound unit – ultrasound is particularly helpful at assessing heart and abdominal problems and diagnosing pregnancy.

Video-endoscopy allows us to use a camera to visualise in difficult to reach spaces – commonly in the oesophagus, stomach, small intestine or nasal cavity. Samples can be obtained and foreign objects can be removed – all in a minimally invasive manner. Your pet may have an X-ray or ultrasound carried out conscious or under sedation or anaesthesia depending on the situation and animal’s comfort. The images are then assessed to help to formulate a diagnosis. Images are stored both on the units and on your pet’s clinical records to help monitor disease.

Vital in the aid of rapid diagnosis…..

In the laboratory blood and urine samples are processed . For critically ill animals we use an in-house blood analyser which gives us results in minutes.

The most used piece of equipment is the humble microscope – as a practice we have an active interest in cytology – the study of cells. This is very helpful in diagnosing the nature of lumps and bumps.

We see a lot of ear and skin disease  – virtually all of these cases are treated on the basis of what we see under the microscope – knowing what we are dealing with means we can treat things properly.

We have a well stocked pharmacy

This is where all medicines and preventatives are stored – in a temperature and humidity controlled environment.

Any repeat prescriptions normally require 24 hours notice and can be requested here

The dog ward is situated just off the central prep area and is where dogs are kennelled for both day surgery and as hospitalised patients that need care day and night.

The majority of the accommodation is based on huge glass fronted walk-in kennels although smaller, cosier kennels are available for smaller dogs. If your pet stays with us we will strive to make sure individual preferences for diet, bedding and comforters are met. There is also a private visiting room so that you can visit and spend time with your pet. We have a large enclosed exercise area to the rear of the building in natural woodland to allow animals to safely stretch their legs.

Cats are not small dogs!!! They would also not appreciate being housed in the same room as their natural predator – the dog.

For this reason cats have their very own bespoke ward that is climate controlled and sound insulated. Rabbits and other pets are also sensitive and can be housed in the same ward as cats – we are careful, however, that rabbits cannot see cats as this can cause stress and associated problems. As with dogs we stock a wide range of foods to accommodate the (often!) particular tastes of individual cats. A plug-in pheromone device (Feliway) is used to keep stress to a minimum and there is a play area for hospitalised patients to stretch their legs and enjoy a bit of petting.