Caring for all of your animals, at all times.

Pet Services

We offer a complete range of services and facilities to provide the highest standard of care

Phone (01423) 862121 to book an appointment or find out more.

Puppy & Kitten Vaccinations - Full Course

Protect your newest family member with a full initial course of vaccinations

Every vaccination course includes a full health check, 5 weeks free pet insurance with Agria*, free monthly follow-up checks with our nurses (until 6 months old).

We'll also advise you on feeding, worming & flea treatment. Ask us about our health plans - you can save even more.

* free insurance offer is not available to animals already insured

Diagnostic Facilities

The most important diagnostic tool we possess is the experience of our team of four full time veterinary surgeons, who between them have a combined total of almost 50 years of front line veterinary care. In many cases, this experience alone is sufficient to diagnose your pet's problem and recommend a suitable course of treatment. In more complex cases our veterinary surgeons have a large range of modern diagnostic techniques and equipment at their disposal.

Our diagnostic facilities include:

The latest DIGITAL X-ray technology
Ultrasound with colour Doppler
Endoscope
Laboratory for the testing of blood and urine samples
Electrocardiography (ECG)
Blood pressure monitoring

Dentistry

Dental problems in pets are much more than just a cause of bad breath.

Lack of dental hygiene is a preventable cause of pain and illness in pets. The bacteria living in the tartar on a dog or cat's teeth cause periodontal disease, weakening the teeth roots. The bacteria are also in constant battle with your pet's immune system. The long term effects of this battle can lead to damage to your pet's internal organs - especially the heart and kidneys.

Rabbits and guinea-pigs often have problems associated with overgrown or deformed teeth. These can lead to difficulty in eating, abscesses and osetomyelitis.

We provide:

Routine dental checks
Advice on preventative dental care (brushing & specialist diets)
Routine trimming of rabbit's and guinea-pig's teeth
Ultrasonic removal of the dental calculus that builds up on your pet's teeth
Polishing after the removal of calculus to slow the build-up in the future
Filling of cavities
Extraction of teeth that have severe periodontal disease or cavities that are beyond repair

A Welcoming Environment

It's important that you and your pets feel comfortable.

Our reception area, waiting room and consulting rooms are spacious and air conditioned.

All consultations are by appointment

We don't want to keep you waiting or have your pets feel overcrowded. So when you give us a call, our friendly receptionists will book you an appointment.

Routine and Preventative Healthcare

Free health checks for puppies & kittens that are too young to start their vaccinations
Worming advice
Routine vaccinations for dogs, cats and rabbits
Kennel cough vaccination for dogs
Flea prevention advice
Dietary advice

Age related problems can reduce your pet’s quality of life.

As your dog or cat gets older, health problems can start to develop. Our nurses run clinics for older pets to check for the early onset of problems so that our vets can start treatment before it's too late.

Surgical Facilities

We have two modern, well equipped operating rooms each designed to meet the needs of different types of surgical or diagnostic procedure. Our absolute aim is that the anaesthetic should be as safe as possible for your pet. Unlike some practices, we do not reserve the safest anaesthetics for only ill or weak patients - we use the safest anaesthetics we can for all patients. Whilst anaesthetised, your pet will be continuously monitored by a vet or one of our nursing staff. Pulse oximeters are routinely used in both rooms to monitor anaesthetised patients.

Our surgical facilities include:

Piped gas anaesthetic systems in both rooms
Pulse oximeters in both rooms
A heated operating table in the main surgical room
A draining shower table in the secondary room (for those messy jobs)
Pre-anaesthetic blood tests can be taken the same day with the results available to the vet before the anaesthetic is given

Most surgical cases and investigations are treated as “Day Patients” so that they can return home the same evening. Occasionally your pet may be hospitalised for further treatment and observation.

All of our patients are monitored throughout their surgery by the vet and also a member of our nursing staff, who will continue to monitor your pet until discharge.

All patients undergoing surgery receive medication to control pain. In many cases you will be given pain controlling medication to administer to your pet at home after the surgery.

Microchip Implants & Pet Passports

Microchips are small glass beads approximately the size of a grain of rice. Inside the glass bead is a coiled antenna and a microchip which in response to a weak electronic signal from the microchip reader will transmit a unique identification number. Microchips are implanted under your pet's skin by means of a simple injection. This can be easily done in the consulting room. They are a valuable aid in the attempt to reunite lost or stolen pets with their owners.

Dogs and cats travelling abroad (including Northern Ireland) from Great Britain now require an Animal Health Certificate for each journey. For some countries they also require a tapeworm treatment before travelling. A rabies vaccination is also required more than 21 days before travelling.

The Animal Health Certificates are complex documemnts that take a considerable amount of time to complete. They need advance planning and are certainley not something to be left to the last minute. To enable us to collect all of the relevant information we need to start the process, we have produced an application form for owners to complete and send to us. You can click here to download the Animal Health Certificate Application Form.

Click here to visit the government's website for full details

Health Checks for the Older Cat

Older cats often develop problems such as high blood pressure, kidney disease or an over-active thyroid.

Cats have an extraordinary ability to hide signs of these illnesses. This is because in the wild the cat can be either prey or predator and if it shows signs of weakness it may attract attention. Thus, preventive care and routine health checks are even more important in picking up early signs of disease as your cat reaches the mature life stage (7 years old and upwards).

Click Here to read more about age related problems that affect cats and to find out what can be done to help your cat.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture can be used very successfully in veterinary medicine, either on its own or alongside along side conventional Western medicine.

Acupuncture is the placing of needles into various areas of the body to evoke a healing effect. Veterinary acupuncture is over 2,000 years old. Veterinary surgeons in ancient China observed that, when pressed, certain pressure points on an animal’s body relieved pain in a given area or reduced signs of generalised ill-health. It was later discovered that a better effect was produced if these points were penetrated by a needle.

Click here for more information on veterinary acupuncture

Euthanasia & Cremation Services

Regardless of the circumstances euthanasia is almost always a difficult subject to contemplate. However, if you are well aware in advance of the options available and the costs involved, you will be better able to make the correct decision for you and your pet when this choice has to be faced.

Unless it is an emergency situation you can decide on the location for euthanasia.

At home – This will involve the least disturbance to your pet as it will remain in familiar surroundings but it is not always a feasible option. Many pets are more easily handled at the surgery where everything is to hand including experienced staff. Euthanasia at home is also a more expensive option as it incurs a visit fee.

At the surgery – At Forest House we often use a separate consulting room which has a more comfortable and informal atmosphere. There are easy chairs and you will not feel at all rushed during this difficult time. You will be asked to sign a consent form to state your wishes regarding euthanasia and possible cremation. Your pet will be handled sympathetically by experienced staff and will usually be placed on a comfortable and soft surface on the table. The vein will be exposed by clipping away some hair on the leg and then a concentrated anaesthetic will be injected. You can stay with your pet as long as you wish afterwards.

Many owners are not sure whether they should remain with their pet during the procedure – it can be a very distressing time. This decision can only be made by the individual.

It is important to ensure that the welfare of your pet always comes first.

Some people wish to take their pets home and bury them in the garden. We can provide coffins for this. For some this is not an option. Cremation is provided by Ashes Pet Crematorium near Thirsk who are an excellent company and if the owner wants the ashes back then an individual cremation is guaranteed. Owners can attend if they wish