Practice Tour
When you arrive at our hospital our customer service team will be there to greet you at reception. From there you will move through to a room you are probably most familiar with – the consult room where our veterinary surgeons and nurses will examine your pet and discuss their needs. Often this is all you will see and it is usually from this point on that our hospital may be more of a mystery to you.
There is “that” door at the back of the consult room that leads to —- who knows where?
In this hospital it leads to a large open plan room that we call the prep room. As you can imagine, it is used for a variety of activities, from preparing patients for surgery in our theatres or x-rays, to undertaking dressing changes and minor operations. All of the other primary rooms lead away from this central preparation room.
We have two small animal theatres; although they are called “small animal” theatres, they are each large enough to accommodate the largest dog, or even the occasional lion! Do read about Tiny the lion – he is quite a star.
In the sterilisation room – where all of the instruments are cleaned, sterilised and sealed ready for their next use, scrub suits (for our staff to use during surgeries) are also stored here.
We have two hospital wards one for cats and the other for dogs. By having the two wards, we are able to reduce the stress that some cats experience when they are close to dogs. Within these wards we are able to accommodate anything from a hamster to a Great Dane. We also have an isolation unit available for patients with suspected infectious disease where barrier nursing techniques are used to minimise the risk to other patients.
We also have a Radiography suite and x-rays remain an important part of our diagnostic facility.
We have a powerful human-style machine, which can x-ray the thickest part of the biggest dog (or tiger!). The automatic processor means we have a finished picture within 2 to 3 minutes.
Our extensive practice laboratory is located on the first floor and it contains equipment that will allow us to perform most routine blood tests quickly and efficiently. In the lab we also examine skin samples (skin scrapings), urine samples (urinalysis), faecal analysis and cell-typing (cytology) often with same day results.
In the same building we also have the equine theatre where operations, including major abdominal surgery for colics are routinely undertaken. Leading from the theatre is a padded room for safe induction and recovery from general anaesthesia plus and from there an examination room with stocks, particularly for use with the radiography equipment.