Facilities & Equipment 

Our range of modern facilities and equipment surpasses many larger veterinary practices.

Operating Theatre for Sterile Procedures

Both surgeries have fully equipped operating theatres with a wide range of surgical instruments, theatre lighting and equipment. We routinely carry out the majority of surgical procedures including some orthopaedic operations, as well as soft tissue surgery.

Anaesthesia

Again both surgeries have the most up to date general anaesthetic machines with a variety of circuits to suit any animal from an 80kg St Bernard to a Hamster weighing no more than 80gms.

We monitor our patients constantly during anaesthesia using pulse oximetry which gives an audible and visual indication of heart rate and oxygen saturation of the blood. We can also monitor blood pressure when required and listen to the heart very directly via an oesophageal stethoscope.

We use a variety of anaesthetic agents according to species, size, age and health status. Patient size permitting we routinely insert an intravenous catheter which allows the administration of anaesthetic agents and provides the safeguard of intravenous access during the procedure.

Preparation Room

In our separate prep. room animals are anaesthetised, clipped and have their skin cleaned and disinfected prior to surgery, thus avoiding contamination of the sterile theatre. We also do non-sterile procedures such as dentistry and cleaning of contaminated wounds, etc in this area.

Dental Unit

We have air driven dental units at both surgeries comprising of high and low speed drills, ultrasonic descaler and polishing equipment. Dentistry is almost always done under general anaesthesia, this makes it a much more pleasant, less painful procedure for the patient and allows for both thorough and detailed dentistry.

At Hexham we also have a dedicated dental X-ray machine which enables us to make more accurate diagnoses.

Radiology

As well as the dental X-ray unit at Hexham, both surgeries are equipped with modern, powerful X-ray machines which allow us to radiograph even the biggest dog. At Hexham we have recently upgraded to a digital imaging system which gives images of exceptional quality. The traditional X-ray system at Stocksfield is combined with an automatic processor which makes for a much quicker development time. At both surgeries we regularly Xray dogs for the BVA Hip Dysplasia and Elbow schemes.

Practice Laboratory

Both surgeries have in-house laboratory facilities which allow us to do rapid blood tests, with results available in less than half an hour, as well as microscopical examination of skin scrapes and hair samples, urine and other body fluids.

Our blood analysers enable us to measure the various blood cells differentially (Haematology) as well as various substances such as enzymes in the serum (Biochemistry). We are thus able to build up a profile of your pet's state of health as well as diagnose a number of significant diseases.

We also offer pre-anaesthetic blood profiles primarily to check liver and kidney function prior to a general anaesthetic. This minimises the risk of anaesthetising an apparently well pet that may have an underlying and undetected problem, particularly in the older animal. If we detect a potential problem we may choose to modify the anaesthetic regime appropriately or decide to defer the procedure to allow for further investigation.

Hospitalisation Wards

Our kennels are made from a plastic material which affords comfort and warmth without compromising cleanliness and hygiene. All pets are given a clean a Vetbed - a washable fleece-like blanket.
We have an isolation facility for any animal with a potentially infectious disease.

We find that the majority of pets do better post-operatively at home, and it is usual practice for your animal to go home the same day as admission.

Pharmacy

We stock small quantities of a wide range of medications, so that treatment can begin immediately. We have a daily delivery from our wholesaler, so non-emergency medicines can almost always be obtained the following morning.

We are able to provide prescriptions if you should choose to obtain your pets medication from an alternative source.