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• 24/7 Out of Hours Emergency Service

  • Accidents and emergencies do occur and are stressful situations

  • We provide our clients with a 24/7 emergency service so you will usually see a familiar person experienced in treating exotic pets during these stressful times

  • Vets wishing to refer Exotic Pets as an emergency can call 01692 407126 to be directed to the vet on duty

 

• Consultations

  • Routine and non routine consultations for all exotic pets with a longer consultation time to allow full assessment of husbandry as well as complete examination of your pet and discussion of treatment options and prognosis

  • Consultations include pre and post hibernation checks as well as regular dental checks for small mammals

  • Nurse Clinics are also available for general advice, healthchecks and claw clipping

 

• Vaccination

  • Available for Rabbits against Myxomatosis and Viral Haemorrhagic Disease 1 and Viral Haemorrhagic Disease 2. All of these diseases are usually fatal. 

  • Vaccination can be performed from 5 weeks old and lasts 12 months 

  • All three diseases can be spread by fleas and mosquitoes so it important not to forget house rabbits

  • Annual vaccination includes a thorough clinical examination to detect any problems

  • Annual vaccination for Myxomatosis and VHD1 is FREE OF CHARGE to VIP Rabbit Club members

  • Ferrets can be vaccinated against Distemper, please contact the surgery for more details

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• Microchip Implantation

  • Microchips are a vital part of tracing ownership should exotic pets stray or get stolen and be presented to any vet, police or RSPCA

  • We stock mini-microchips are able to implant microchips in all species

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• Surgical Treatments

  • 2 dedicated operating theatres with full monitoring equipment including ECG, blood pressure, pulse oximetry, capnography and temperature control with heated operating tables

  • Keeping your pet safe is our priority so our anaesthetic protocols are tailored to each patient and include Sevoflurane (a gas anaesthetic used in human paediatric surgery)

  • Whenever possible (even for routine surgery, unlike many practices) intravenous catheters are placed

  • Pets are monitored throughout surgery and recovery by our qualified nurses, not lay staff. 

  • Although spay and castration are classed as “routine surgery” we believe we should still provide the best available care for your pet and as part of the neutering package we include pain relief following the surgery to ensure your pet is comfortable during their recovery and a post operation check up. 

  • Orthopaedic surgery ​including fracture repair

  • Microsurgical equipment and electrocautery make surgery possible in even the tiniest species

  • Facilities for surgical procedures on fish and aquatic species are available

 

• Sevoflurane Anaesthetic

  • Gas anaesthetic used in human paediactric surgery

  • Many practices do not use Sevoflurane, however, whilst no anaesthetic is completely risk free we believe Sevoflurane is one of the safest anaesthetics for exotic pets available

  • Anaesthetic protocols are tailored to each patient to make them as safe as possible

  • Intravenous catheters are placed whenever possible and all pets are monitored by qualified nurses (not lay staff) during surgery and recovery

 

• Reproductive management

  • Many exotic pets suffer from reproductive problems, whether you have an “egg bound” bird or tortoise with retained follicles, we are here to help

  • Our facilities and experienced staff mean we can diagnose and treat many reproductive problems and offer advice on prevention of future problems

  • Spay and castration can be performed in most species of exotic pet both to control breeding, prevent future reproductive health problems and reduce the risk of mammary tumours in rabbits and small mammals

  • Neutering packages include pain relief following the surgery as well as placement of an intravenous catheter whenever possible as we believe in keeping your pet as safe as possible

  • We are able to perform ferret vasectomies and stock hormone implants to aid management of egg laying in birds, a safer option than surgical neutering in these species

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• Hospitalisation

  • Birds, Reptiles and Small mammals such as rabbits, guinea pigs and rodents are easily stressed and have very specific requirements depending on their species

  • Our dedicated Exotic Ward offers a range of housing suitable for all species including large kennels for Giant Rabbits, various style and type of perches for parrots and birds of prey and heated vivaria with UVB lighting for our reptile patients

  • We stock a range of recovery diets suitable for each species to ensure the correct nutrition to aid recovery

  • To minimise stress out exotic ward contains vision panels and remote camera monitoring to enable supervision without constant disruption and stress

  • Hospitalised patients remain at the surgery overnight, cared for by the vet and nurse on duty. There is no requirement to transport them elsewhere for overnight care

  • You are welcome to visit your pet during their stay with us, this can usually be arranged at a mutually convenient time

  • Boarding - We recognise the difficulty finding suitable care for exotic pets during holiday periods so under some circumstances we can offer boarding for exotic pets. 

  • Oxygen cage and Nebulisation are available to assist in treatment of respiratory disease

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• Nail and Beak Care

  • We are able to cater for anything from routine nail clips to beak management including repair of fractured or deformed beaks

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• Dental Care

  • Our dental machine incorporates a mechanical diamond burr to enable us to provide the best dental care for rabbits, guinea pigs and small mammals

  • Dental x-rays help assess the extent of damage, tooth root disease and aid in tooth removal and dental abscess management.

  • Advanced dental treatment including apicoectomy - a procedure to stop tooth growth whilst leaving the tooth in position to reduce overgrowth of the opposing tooth and aid eating

  • We are happy to perform routine dental checks to detect and help prevent problems occurring

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• Diagnostic Imaging

  • Digital x-ray producing high quality images of the largest sulcata down to the smallest fish and lizards

  • Produces quality images quickly to minimise the anaesthetic time

  • Ultrasound machine including Doppler ultrasound to assist imaging the heart

    • Our ultrasound machine makes it possible to biopsy some areas of abnormal appearance without the need for surgery.

  • Endoscopy - our 4 video endoscopes allow investigation of the gastrointestinal, respiratory and urgenital systems often allowing foreign body removal and tumour biospy and removal without the requirement for surgery ​

  • Onsite CT Scanner allowing advanced imaging including tumour staging, surgical planning, dental assessment and disease investigation

  • ECG machine specifically made for exotic pets and used to monitor and detect abnormal electrical impulses of the heart

  • Blood Pressure Machine used to monitor blood pressure especially important for senior pets and pets under general anaesthesia. Our machine has been specifically made for us due to make it suitable for the wide range of species we treat

  • Doppler Monitor for monitoring heart rate in species where a stethoscope is difficult to use eg tortoises

  • Pregnancy diagnosis and monitoring ultrasound scans and neonatal care for all specie​s

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• Laser Therapy Unit

  • Assists treating inflammatory and painful disease including osteoarthritis, spinal pain and wounds reducing the need for medication and therefore reducing potential short and long term side effects​

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• Luxury Pet Hotel

  • Caring for cats and small mammals (including rabbits) whilst owners are on holiday allowing peace of mind that pets are receiving the best possible care from qualified vets and nurses during their stay 

  • Pets on long term medication are also welcome!

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• Memory Garden

  • Located to the side of the surgery our memory garden offers a peaceful and tranquil environment to sit and contemplate treatment decisions as well as remember loved pets who are no longer with us

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• Nutritional Advice

  • Many problems in birds, reptiles and small mammals are due to inappropriate diet causing deficiencies or excesses of certain ingredients

  • Our staff are happy to discuss the most appropriate diet for your pet. 

  • Many of these diets are stocked within the practice as are a range of nutritional supplements for pets under a time of stress or disease. 

  • By choosing the correct diet many health problems including dental disease, low calcium, reproductive and respiratory disease can be reduced or avoided

 

• Laboratory

  • In House Laboratory to cater for many of the requirements of exotic pets

  • Many parasite infections can be diagnosed in-house including coccidia, mites, fleas and worms

  • We can then provide the most appropriate treatment for your pet to effectively and safely treat the problem

  • Our Blood analyser only requires 0.1ml of blood making it possible to run blood tests even on small budgies or lizards

  • Rapid patient-side monitoring and diagnosis

  • Microscope examination of faeces / mutes, blood smears and urine, including crystal detection.

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• Care Sheets

  • Available for many species of exotic pet

  • We are happy to offer advice before and after purchase as we believe “getting it right first time” avoids a lot of health problems later in life

 

• Education Events

  • In house Lecture Suite for Continued Professional Development Lectures on Exotic Pet medicine and surgery to other local vets and nurses as well as client education events