Services

Here at Birch Vets we are able to offer a wide range of routine surgeries including neutering (spays and castrates), mass removals and dentals. We also offer more advanced surgeries such as exploratory laparotomies (for example looking into the abdomen to remove foreign objects) and cruciate ligament repairs (surgery to stabilise the knee joint).

Routine surgeries are performed by our skilled vets Monday to Friday 9am to12.30pm. An initial pre-op check will be need to be made with a vet prior to any routine surgery. On the day of the surgery in most cases a nurse will admit your pet between 8.00am and 8:30am. This appointment is a chance to discuss the planned surgery, ensure you understand your consent forms and for us to check that your pet is generally fit and healthy for their procedure. Please allow at least 15minutes for this appointment. Once you are happy with the consent form and the details of the procedure being performed, we will take your pet through to the cattery or the kennels and get them settled into their own kennel/cage with a comfy bed.

All of our staff are fully trained in providing the best care for your pets. All patients are closely monitored throughout their operation and during their recovery period. Close monitoring and care, helps to minimise anaesthetic risks and ensure your pets are well taken care of from the moment they are left with us, until you pick them up again.

In most routine surgeries, sutures are hidden within the skin allowing them to dissolve when the tissues have healed, this also minimises the risk of patients chewing out their sutures during the post-operative phase and keeps your pets comfortable. In some cases sutures are unable to be hidden, and they will need to be removed by a nurse or a vet 10-14 days after the procedure. We have a variety of products to stop your pets from being able to lick sat their wounds, like pet shirts and comfy collars.

We ask for 48 hours for prescriptions to be processed. The vet will need to see your pet every 3-6 months (depending on condition) to be able to prescribe your medication. This is to ensure your pet is well enough to keep taking the medication and ensure no dose changes are required.

We have an x-ray machine in house and are able to take great quality x-rays to be reviewed within minutes.

We also have an ultrasound machine which allows us to image soft tissues. When we scan patients with the ultrasound machine, we can see if there are changes to the size or shape of organs, whether there is fluid or gas build-up, whether there are tears in ligaments, or masses and help us reach a diagnosis of diseases.

We have inhouse blood testing facilities, which means, for lots of different cases we can get your results within the hour. We also regularly send blood tests to our external laboratory for comprehensive and complex testing.

We have a modern blood pressure monitor and Tonometer to measure eye pressure.

At our clinic, we aim to make your cat’s visit as stress-free as possible and create an experience for them that feels calm and safe.

We have a separate waiting area for cats. We would recommend placing cat baskets on the benches beside you and holding them securely as placing them on the floor can make them feel anxious. We use feliway spray, releasing feline friendly essential oils on blankets provided to place over your cat carriers to help them settle in after a potentially stressful journey here.

We have a separate cat ward, with classical music playing and feliway diffusers on all day to help relax our feline patients. Cats are unable to see other cats in the kennels which helps them to feel less threatened. Cats in our care have special hides in their kennels so they have the option to perch and hide.

All our vets and nurses are well educated in the safe handling of cats and we actively seek to decrease their stress and promote cat welfare. Three of our nurses have additional qualifications in feline nursing and behaviour to make your feline friends feel as happy as possible during their stay.

Bad breath is not normal. It could be due to tartar build up but this can also cause damage to other organs too.

Just like humans we recommend that you brush your pets’ teeth daily, with a toothbrush and specially formulated toothpaste.

When needed we can give a general anaesthetic to clean and remove any teeth that have root exposures. This will leave your pet pain free, and lovely smelling breath!

If your pet has an emergency during surgery hours, please telephone the practice immediately and we will do our utmost to attend to you at the earliest opportunity.

If your pet has an emergency when our practice is closed, please ring our out of hours provider Chestergates on 01244 853823

We have a good size dog ward, with several large walk in kennels for our bigger patients. We have a separate Cattery, with classical music playing and feliway diffusers on all day to help relax our feline patients. We have an area outside, which is enclosed that allows us to walk your dog’s whilst they’re with us for the day.

We also have a separate isolation unit to hospitalise any potentially infectious patients.

We do no offer overnight care here on the premises, but we have an excellent out of hours hospital which our patients can go to if they need monitoring throughout the night. This is Chestergates based in Chester about 30mins drive away.

Several of our vets have undergone additional training to become “Official Vets” allowing them to examine your pets before travel and complete the paper work required for abroad trips. This paperwork includes Animal Health Certificates (AHC) required for European pet travel. More information on pet travel can be found on the government website https://www.gov.uk/taking-your-pet-abroad

Here at Birch we understand the importance of puppy socialisation, and how it helps their development. We truly believe that positive encounters during a trip to the vets, will stop them from having a fear of coming in.

We run free puppy parties at our Thingwall branch, if you are interested then please contact reception and they can get you booked in.

Here is a photo of our puppies at play!