Facilities& Services

The services we provide are vast; some of these are described below:

House Calls can be offered. By arrangement animals can be collected and returned to the practice in the animal ambulance.

24 hour Emergency Service : there is a veterinary surgeon and nurse on call for emergency treatment 24 hours a day 365 days of the year. Your call will be answered by the vet so immediate advice can be given. Please note there is an additional charge if your animal is seen ‘out of hours’.

Clinics: Nurses offer advice covering a broad spectrum of issues. In addition each of our nurses has a specialist area of interest and offer free clinics. These areas include behavioural and training problems (Nurse Trish Helme), Dental advice (Alex Garrett), Geriatric advice, weight checks and nutritional advice (Linda Mosely). If you are interested in any of these services please make an appointment to see the appropriate nurse.

Free Puppy Parties: we organise monthly "puppy parties" which gives your puppy a chance to socialise with other puppies, be introduced to the practice and give you some insight into owning a puppy.

Repeat Prescriptions can be ordered; these have to be authorised by a vet before being dispensed. Please order the medicines 24 hours in advance of collection to allow for this.

Pet Travel Preparations: Vaccinations necessary for pet travel are available and assistance in filling out Pet Travel Scheme forms can be offered by Alex Garrett a nurse familiar with the process.

Some of the more specialised services we are able to offer are described below:

Endoscopy : An endoscope is a fibre optic light which can be passed through the mouth or nose to allow examination of the nose, mouth, trachea (wind pipe) and oesophagus (gullet). This procedure involves the animal having a general anaesthetic. It can aid diagnosis, allows for affected areas to viewed, biopsies to be taken accurately and easy removal of foreign material.

Ultrasound uses high frequency sound waves that are above the range detected by the human ear. These waves travel through the body and bounce back off solid organs, the sound waves are detected and a black and white picture is formed. White areas denote solid objects while black areas denote fluid. It is a painless procedure which does not carry any radiation risk. Sedation and anaesthesia are often not required. It uses include pregnancy diagnosis; examination of the size, shape and consistency of internal organs and examination of abnormal free fluid in the chest or abdomen.

Blood Pressure Monitoring : This is the same technique as used by doctors. A cuff is inflated around the animal’s limb until the artery is occluded at this point the pulse disappears, the cuff is slowly deflated and the pressure when the pulse is detected equals the blood pressure. Unlike in humans we cannot detect the pulse by listening for it with a stethoscope. Instead we have to use a Doppler ultrasound probe.This technology is relatively new and allows quick, painless and accurate measurements to be taken. This measurement is important because, as in humans, a high blood pressure can have serious implications on the animal’s health and there is effective treatment for high blood pressure. Animals that may be particularly at risk of high blood pressure include cats with overactive thyroid glands, renal or cardiac disease. Recent studies suggest it may be beneficial to test all cats over 12 years old. Normal blood pressure in dogs and cats is 135-180 mmHg.

In-house Laboratory : Our laboratory allows us to perform blood tests and get results rapidly. We have both biochemistry and haematology machines. The first provides measures of kidney and liver function it can also be used before an anaesthetic as a health screen. The haematology machine allows us to check white cell counts (indicators of infection) and red cell counts (decreased in anaemia and other disease states). Urine specimens can be tested instantly and can be helpful in diagnosis of disease. We use a microscope to confirm presence of mites in present in skin disease and to look at cells in blood or biopsies.

Hydrotherapy : We have a close relationship with the local hydrotherapy centre and are happy to provide referral for both rehabilitation and pleasure swims.
For more information try herefordcaninehydrocare.co.uk

Osteopath who treats animals : Alex Probert has recently joined our staff to offer her experience working with animals, please contact us for further details. (Photo gallery of Alex at work)

Veterinary Ophthalmologist : This service is useful for those animals which require any referrals for eye complaints, Tim Knott, a specialist in this field is available upon referral from your vet.