Medicine and surgery, by a team that knows your pet.
The care of a local practice. The capability you’d expect from somewhere bigger.
When your pet needs more than a routine check-up, you should not have to repeat their history to a stranger or drive across Newcastle to a referral centre you have never been to. Most of the medicine and surgery your pet will ever need can be done here, by the same team that already knows them.
That includes day-to-day medical cases like gastrointestinal upsets and hormone conditions, on-site diagnostics including ultrasound and full in-house pathology, routine surgery like desexing and lump removals, and a visiting orthopaedic surgeon who comes to us for the complex cruciate procedures. If a case really does need a referral centre, we will tell you, and we will help you get there.
What we look after, and how.
From a medical workup to the procedure that follows, your pet stays with the same team.
Internal Medicine
The everyday medical cases we manage are the things you actually see at home. A dog that ate something it shouldn’t have. A cat that has stopped using the litter tray. An older pet that is drinking more water than usual. With full in-house pathology and ultrasound on-site at Cardiff, we can investigate most of these properly, in house.
Surgery
Most pets will need surgery at some point, and most of the surgery they need can be done by us. Routine procedures like desexing and lump removals are part of every week. For some orthopaedic procedures that need a more advanced surgical skill set, we bring a visiting orthopaedic surgeon to our theatre, rather than referring you elsewhere.
What we can do without sending you somewhere else.
In-house pathology
Full Abaxis chemistry suite, IDEXX bloods at Cardiff including SDMA testing for early kidney disease, urine analysis, coagulation testing and slide imaging.
Ultrasound at Cardiff
On-site ultrasound for abdominal scans, so a workup for an older pet or an unwell cat does not need to wait for an external referral appointment.
Digital radiography
General digital x-ray at both clinics for chest, abdomen, orthopaedic and dental imaging, plus digital dental radiography on-site at Cardiff.
Soft tissue surgery
Desexing, lump and mass removals, abdominal exploratories, bladder surgery, wound repair and a wide range of routine soft tissue procedures.
Visiting orthopaedic surgeon
A visiting orthopaedic surgeon attends Cardiff for TPLO and TTO cruciate procedures, with surgery and recovery handled here at the clinic.
Hospital ward & IV support
A day hospital at both clinics for pets that need to stay for fluids, observation or a longer workup, watched by the team through the day.
What happens before, during and after the anaesthetic.
A general anaesthetic is one of the things pet parents worry about most, and it is one of the things we take most seriously. In healthy pets, serious anaesthetic complications are uncommon, but every anaesthetic is carefully planned, monitored and supported from admission through to recovery.
Pre-anaesthetic check
A thorough physical examination before any procedure, with pre-anaesthetic blood profiling highly recommended for every pet and standard for those aged seven and over.
Multiparameter monitoring
ECG, capnography, pulse, temperature and blood pressure on every general anaesthetic, watched by a dedicated nurse from induction to recovery.
Warming & fluids
A bear hugger keeps body temperature steady during the procedure, and every surgical patient is on intravenous fluids to support blood pressure and recovery.
Pain relief for every patient
Pain relief is part of every surgical plan, tailored to the procedure. Comfort is not an optional extra, it is how good surgery is meant to be done.
If you are nervous about an upcoming anaesthetic, talk to your vet. We are happy to walk you through exactly what will happen on the day, what we will check before we go ahead, and what to expect when you pick your pet up.
Frequently asked questions
The things people ask us most.
We do desexing, lump and mass removals, and a wide range of soft tissue surgery in-house. For orthopaedic surgery, we handle procedures like fracture repair and amputations ourselves, and we bring a visiting orthopaedic surgeon to Cardiff for TPLO and TTO cruciate procedures. Cases that need overnight critical care, advanced imaging like CT or MRI, or highly specialised surgery are referred to AREC at Broadmeadow or SASH at Tuggerah.
The overall anaesthetic risk in a healthy pet is low, and the steps we take to minimise it are set out in the Anaesthesia and patient safety section above. There are a couple of things you can do to help on the day. Fast your pet from about ten the night before, but leave water available. Drop them off calmly, a long goodbye tends to wind them up more than a quick one. We will ring you when they are out of theatre and again when they are ready to go home. If you are anxious beforehand, ask the vet to walk you through it. We would rather you asked.
We recommend pre-anaesthetic blood profiling for every pet, and it is standard for pets aged seven and over. It picks up things you cannot see on the outside, like early kidney or liver changes, so the anaesthetic plan can be tailored to your pet rather than to the average pet.
Your pet is monitored by a nurse in recovery for around twenty minutes, until they are sitting up and stable. Most patients are taken for a walk and offered something to eat before going home. Pain relief is part of every surgical plan, and so is the post-operative recheck, usually between forty-eight hours and a week later depending on the case.
Cost depends on the procedure, the patient and what they need on the day. For anything significant, you will get a written estimate before we go ahead, so you can see what is included and ask questions. If something changes during the procedure that affects the cost, your vet will phone you before doing it, not after. We offer GapOnly for insured pets, plus Afterpay and VetPay for everyone else, so a bigger bill can be spread out.
Wherever possible, yes. We are a small team of eight vets across two locations and we know our regulars. Even if the vet on shift on surgery day is different, your pet’s full history goes with them through our shared records. You will not have to start from scratch.
Got a lump, a limp, or a pet that just isn’t right? Let’s take a look.
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Family owned since 1968 · Independent · GapOnly, Afterpay & VetPay available