Our Services

Preventative Healthcare

 Consultations for Specific Concerns

 Investigations, Tests and Procedures

Education and Advice

Vaccinations

Neutering

Endoparasitic Treatments

We recommend Milbemax wormers for dogs and cats. Both are available at the surgery.

There are a huge range of worming products, which can be bought from a variety of sources. The veterinary products are are more effective than those the alternatives. More information about worming can be found here.

If you would like to receive reminders by email or text message that you pet is due for worming go to here.

Ectoparasitic Treatments

We recommend Advantix for dogs and Advantage for cats. Both these products protect against fleas for a month.

Advantix is also an effective prevention against ticks. It repels ticks, mosquitos and sandflies; they do not have to bite your dog to be killed by Advantix. This prevents exposure to many serious diseases. It is most effective against these parasites if applied fortnightly.

Radiography (X-rays)

Allowing a look at the internal organs, and particularly bones and joints. Normally an anaesthetic is needed because the patient has to stay very still.

 

 

 

Blood Sampling

Blood samples are taken looking for anaemia or infections and can also measure how well the organs are working.

Blood samples can be taken from most dogs and cats whilst they are held by a nurse – there is usually no need for a sedation or anaesthetic.

 

 

Ultrasound

Ultrasound is used to look at internal organs such as the heart, liver, spleen, kidneys and bladder. This investigation can generally be done without an anaesthetic, although we do need to clip a small amount of hair.

 

 

 

Microchipping

A microchip is about the size of a grain of rice and is implanted under the skin in the scruff of the neck by injection. The chip has a unique code number which is recorded on a national database. It is read by a bar code reader which is passed over the back of the neck.

If your pet goes missing, is brought in as a stray, or is involved in an accident, we can read the chip number and contact you to tell you that your animal has been found. Many rescue organisations and the dog warden also have microchip readers. 

 

 

Nutrition

Dental Procedures

Many older pets suffer from dental disease, although this often goes unnoticed by owners. The signs to look for include:

  • reddening of the gums
  • yellow or brown deposits forming on the teeth
  • worn or broken teeth
  • bad breath
  • change in eating habits eg eating with their head on the side, or only eating certain types of food
  • behavioural changes – your pet becomes grumpy, withdrawn, miserable or just quiet.

If your pet is showing any of these changes, then please make an appointment to have their mouth examined.

We have a state of the art dental system, identical to those that the dentists use on our teeth, combining ultrasonic scaler, high speed dental drill, polisher and water-wash and air-flush system. We can clean teeth and extract diseased, painful teeth. Once the teeth have been polished, we apply a special gel which prevents recurrence of tartar.

Cat-only Clinics

The FAB Cat Friendly Practice Scheme aims to help cats, owners & veterinary staff alike achieve less stressful and more successful visits to the practice.

 

 

We offer cat-only clinics every Wednesday 2-3pm.

Please book an appointment.

Nurse Clinics

Book an appointment with a fully qualified nurse for:

  • Microchipping
  • Vaccine Health Checks
  • Older Pet Healthcare
  • New Pet Healthcare
  • Nutritional Advice
  • Weight Monitoring
  • Dental Care & Advice
  • Worming & Flea treatments
  • Nail Clipping
  • Post Operative Checks
  • Stitches Removed

Pet Passports

All of our Veterinary Surgeons are DEFRA registered LVIs, meaning that they can all perform the tests and complete the paperwork for pet passports.

In order to take your pet abroad to an eligible country and bring it back again, avoiding quarantine, you must complete the following in order

  • Microchip your pet
  • Vaccinate your pet against rabies
  • Have a blood test taken confirming that your pet has satisfactory immunity
  • Collect your completed pet passport

The process takes at least seven months from the vaccination until your pet is eligible to return to the UK, so travel needs to be planned in advance.

Your pet must also receive worming and flea treatment from a vet in the country you are visiting before they can return to the UK.

More information about Pet Passports can be found at the DEFRA Website.

The pet passport system is changing dramatically in January 2012, with animals able to travel far sooner after their vaccination. Here is the latest advice leaflet from DEFRA. Please contact the surgery for more details.

Pet Insurance Information

We advise all our clients to consider the benefits of pet insurance. In most cases it is advisable to insure your animal as soon as you get them, before they experience any health problems.

If you would like to discuss a policy for a particular animal, please contact the surgery.

Did you know 1 in 3 pets may require unexpected veterinary treatment each year? (source Petplan) Whilst advances in veterinary medicine mean we can do more for your pet, treatment costs can soon mount up. We recommend Petplan insurance to all our clients to help cover unexpected vets bills.

You may be surprised to hear that you are more likely to claim on your pet insurance than your car or household policies (Allianz Insurance plc). In fact, in our experience if you are one of the few people who don’t need to claim on your pet insurance you really are very lucky indeed!

It’s important to be aware that not all pet insurance is the same. Some policies limit the amount of time or money that you can claim for. Don’t just shop around on price alone.

At Ash Veterinary Surgery we recommend Petplan insurance for the following reasons:

• With Petplan’s Covered for Life guarantee your veterinary fees cover is renewed each year no matter how much you claim.
• Petplan doesn’t place exclusions at renewal on their Covered for Life policy so on-going conditions such as eczema continue to be covered by the policy.
• Petplan won’t increase your premium or excess just because you make a claim.
• Petplan is a pet insurance specialist so they understand the animal market and work closely with vets, charities and breeders.

To find out more about the different types of pet insurance look here.  It sends you to a Petplan site, where there's lots of very useful information about all different kinds of pet insurance, not just their policies. 

For four weeks free insurance for dogs, cats and rabbits with Petplan, click here.

 

 

Client Education Evenings

We have organised a number of interesting and educational evenings for clients on topics including First Aid and Firework/Noise Phobia. Other less formal client education demostrations have included X rays, Ultrasound, Endoscopy and Exotic Pets.

Members of staff have given presentations to many interested groups including veterinary societies, breed and species organisations, school classes, boy scouts and guide groups.

If there is a topic which interests you, or a group you would like us to speak to, please contact the surgery.

Behavioural Consultations

We offer Behavioural Consultations for a variety of species to help with a range of behavioural problems.

All our veterinary behavioural programmes begin with a consultation and examination by a veterinary surgeon. This ensures that there are no underlying medical problems which are contributing to your animal's abnormal behaviour. A lengthy history will then be taken and appropriate advice and medication offered.

In some cases further investigation such as blood tests and X rays may be required.

Often behavioural treatments involve changing your behaviour towards your pet, rather that medication and this requires committment and investment of time. Such treatments can be incredibly rewarding when this pays off.

All our nurses and vets can offer general advice on common training and behaviour problems, but if they are concerned about your pet they will internally refer you to a Rachel Thomas a vet with a special interest in animal behaviour.

We are happy to accept referrals from other veterinary surgeons for a second opinion on a behavioural problem.

Endoscopy

An endoscope is used to investigate the windpipe, oesophagus, stomach and bowels. An anaesthetic is essential for the comfort of the patient and to prevent damage to the endoscope.

 

 

Skin Tests

Many different types of skin tests can be performed at the surgery.

These include

  • skin scrapes
  • hair plucks
  • skin biopsies
  • food and environmental allergy blood sampling 
  • diet trials

 Blood Pressure Monitoring

Kidney failure and overactive thyroid glands are common problems in older cats. These can cause high blood pressure, leading to further kidney damage and other problems such as blindness. This procedure is carried out with the animal fully conscious often in the consult room.

Dogs with certain kidney problems also need to have their blood pressure regularly monitored.

In both dogs and cats, medication can be used to treat the underlying cause of the high blood pressure and also to reduce the blood pressure itself.

 

ECG Analysis of Heart Function

ECG traces can give a wealth of information on the function of the heart, showing us irregularites in heart rate and rhythm and demostrating enlargement of cardiac chambers.

In most cases this is performed without sedation or anaesthetic.