Health Exams

At The Animal Hospital, our focus is on preventing illness and disease. To best prevent illness, we recommend that your pet undergo a complete health examination at least once a year. This can be in conjunction with an annual booster vaccination, although more frequent exams are encouraged, especially if your pet reaches 7 years of age.

During an exam, we perform a “nose to tail” examination of your pet. The information we collect during an exam allows us to spot the signs of disease and illness and treat them before they can adversely affect your pet’s quality of life. The health examinations allow us to establish a baseline level of your pet’s health and this information helps us treat your pet more effectively if he or she comes in for emergency treatment.

Importantly, these examinations help us establish a relationship with your pet. During an exam, we get to know your pet and learn about his or her lifestyle, personality, health risks and other important information. Examinations are an excellent opportunity for you to learn more about your pet’s health.

Consultations are run by appointment, but this should only be used as a guide. Occasionally additional time may be needed for an individual case or we may be presented with an emergency, which takes priority.  When this happens we will endeavour to get back on track as soon as possible.

Vaccinations

Vaccines are the cornerstone of your pet’s preventive health care plan. Many diseases once fatal to pets can now be prevented through the use of vaccinations. We provide vaccinations for dogs, cats, rabbits and ferrets. We advise that your pet receives an initial course of vaccinations and thereafter annual boosters.  For more information please go to FAQs.

Parasite Prevention and Control

Parasites aren’t just a pain for your pet – they can harm you and your family, too! External parasites like fleas and ticks and internal parasites like roundworms, and hookworms are zoonotic, which means they can affect people as well as pets. Our staff members are knowledgeable about flea, lice and tick prevention. We offer a variety of worming, flea and tick control products, including Milbemax, Frontline, Advocate and Practic. Flea and worming treatment is a necessary part of animal care and we advise that these treatments are given routinely. For more information please go to FAQs.

Neutering

Neutering your pet is the responsible thing to do. It helps to prevent many behavioural and health issues and eliminates unwanted puppies/kittens. For more information go to FAQs.

Nurse Clinics

We have very experienced staff at the Animal Hospital and we like to utilise them as much as possible. Our nurses are on hand to give advice on many different aspects of pet care, including puppy and kitten care, feeding, worming, flea prevention, microchip implanting, nutrition advice, weight loss clinics and post operative checks. If you have questions regarding these clinics please ring our reception.

Dental Care

Dental care is essential for people and it is just as important for our four legged friends. Along with regular brushing and feeding the correct diet, regular dental check-ups is advisable. Plaque and tartar buildup can lead to serious health problems for your pet. For more information go to FAQs.

Microchipping

Pet identification is paramount and we highly recommend implanting a small permanent identity chip.  For more information please go to FAQs.

Laboratory Testing

Laboratory tests are an essential tool in diagnosing many conditions.  Certain blood tests can be performed quickly and efficiently on our premises such as checking liver and kidney function.  Screening very ill or elderly patients prior to sedation or general anesthesia allows us to modify treatment where appropriate.  We often send tissue specimens etc. to an external laboratory for analysis and once we receive results we will discuss them in depth with you and recommend the next steps in your pet’s care.

Medications & Prescription

After a consultation or a stay in hospital many pets may be going home with medications. We stock most medications and therefore can prescribe them without delay and with no additional effort on your part. Repeat prescriptions if required are made available.

There are many occasions where a vet may prescribe a pet long-term medication for a chronic condition.  The vet will advise you on how often your pet needs to be seen, as this will differ with the specific condition. But in these situations medications can be dispensed between visits. We would ask you to give us 24 hours notice for repeat prescriptions by email or by phone, as this allows us to have your medication ready for you to collect at our reception.

Referrals

We pride ourselves on being able to deliver most of your pet’s veterinary care, but from time to time we may need to refer your pet to a specialist, If this occurs we will do our best to get you an appointment as soon as possible.