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Services

At Mill House we offer a complete range of services

As well as treating animals when they are ill, and providing routine vaccinations and neutering, we offer a whole range of other services to keep pets healthy. Many of these services are informal and a number are free.

Click on Nurse Consultations for more details.

We also stock a wide range of premium and special diets, health care products and quality accessories at discounted prices – in fact all you need to keep your pet healthy and happy. Our premium foods are covered by our price promise – and all food is unconditionally guaranteed – your pet likes it or we buy it back! All our staff are trained in pet health care so are able to help with any health query you may have – do take advantage of this expertise!

Our referral services, such as acupunctureimaging, dermatology referral, emergency and critical care and heart and respiratory work-ups, are all available directly to our own clients at the hospital.

In an emergency

Always telephone first – we can get vital equipment ready for you, and advise you what to do. It is almost always best to transport casualties to the surgery as this is quickest, and our life support equipment will be ready to hand.

Our Services

  • Admissions & Hospitalisation
  • Consultations
  • Dentistry
  • Diagnostics
  • Home Visits
  • Looking after our Golden Oldies
  • Nurse Consultations
  • Operations
  • Ophthalmology
  • Out of Hours and Emergencies
  • Prescriptions
  • Travel Clinic (Animal Health Certificates)
  • Vaccinations
  • Imaging
  • Wellness Screenings

Admissions & Hospitalisation

Our five wards are centrally heated day and night. All pets are given soft Vetbeds to lie on and receive personal nursing care. Cats and rabbits have their own separate wards, as we understand that they can be worried by noise and the presence of dogs. We have large kennels for giant breeds and incubators and warm air beds for small and intensive care patients. Pheromone diffusers are used constantly to provide a calm atmosphere. We are an accredited and inspected RCVS Hospital, meaning that our standard of care meets the requirements of our regulatory body at the highest level.  Nursing staff are on the premises at all times.

You are very welcome to visit your pet and discuss progress as often as you wish, and we will make every effort to make your pet’s stay as comfortable as possible. We understand how worrying it is to leave your pet, so do ask any questions as they arise and let us know of your pets’ likes and dislikes.

Consultations

Consultations are by appointment, to reduce waiting times and stress to our patients. Sick patients are always seen the same day, and we have no waiting lists for any procedures. Surgery times are 8.30am – 6.30pm Monday-Friday.

We have a dedicated Cat Clinic throughout the week, so your cat can be seen without waiting in reception with dogs and other animals.  Click here for more about Cat Friendly Practice.

Uniquely, we charge a ‘case fee’ rather than a consultation fee – this means that your follow up veterinary examinations for the same problem are free of charge for the following eight weeks – offering real peace of mind and saving you money. Additional treatments and procedures are charged for as needed.

Our Pet Health Club offers you huge savings across the year, to keep your pet and your finances in tip-top condition. For more information on the savings and benefit’s speak to a member of our team today, or visit our Pet Health Club page.

Dentistry

We are very proud of our dental facilities, which mean we can easily x-ray your pet’s mouth before and after procedures for a thorough assessment of the teeth, as recommended by veterinary dental specialists.  Often, pets have hidden areas of infection, tooth root loss or damage to the base of the tooth (neck lesions) which may be impossible to see without an X-ray.

Pain relief and comfort are paramount, we use dental nerve blocks to make our patients as comfortable and painless as we can.  All of our patients will need a general anaesthetic for dental extractions and scaling, we use the same monitoring that we use in theatre for maximum safety.

Keeping your pet’s mouth healthy is an important part of general health care, as well as keeping their breath sweet!  Our qualified Vet Nurses will demonstrate the importance of regular brushing and help you with how to brush, what to use and the best food and treats to maintain healthy teeth. They also offer regular dental checks, and we sell everything here that you need.  Book an appointment and make your pet smile!

You can save 10% on dentistry simply by joining our Pet Health Club. Click here to find out more.

Diagnostics

Getting to the bottom of your pet’s problem quickly is vital at any time of day or night.  Our diagnostic lab upstairs has a range of advanced equipment for blood testing. We are able to examine your pets' blood cells, look for markers of medical problems such as kidney and liver disease and measure blood gases and ionised calcium, important for critical care and cancer patients. 

We frequently perform cytology examinations which helps us plan surgical treatment. Small needle samples can often be taken which we scan in-house with our cytology scanner, allowing us to identify anomalies before surgical intervention. We have the option to access expert veterinary consultants around the world to obtain fast reports on specialised cases for our critical patients.

Urine tests are offered free at booster vaccination, we can also look at skin, hair and faecal samples.

We use externally validated quality assurance systems to quality control our machines, keeping them in tip-top condition to aid the treatment of your pet. 

Our Pet Health Club offers you huge savings across the year, to keep your pet and your finances in tip-top condition. Click here to see what you could save.

Home Visits

We are happy to visit pets at home, but we cannot bring all our surgery equipment with us, and some patients are more difficult to handle at home as they are protecting you. If transport is a problem, we have a list of taxi companies willing to transport pets. Please contact us for more information. If you do need a visit, please book it before 9:30 am.

Outside of normal hours (after 7:00pm and before 8:30am and at weekends) we cannot guarantee to be able to provide a home visit which would leave the hospital unmanned unless a sick or injured patient really cannot be moved because of its condition. We will, however, do everything we can to accommodate your wishes.

Looking after our Golden Oldies

From the age of 7 onwards, our pets begin to age and this is when they can develop all sorts of health issues, such as

  • Kidney or liver disease
  • Canine dementia
  • Dental problems
  • Arthritis
  • Raised cholesterol levels

In our Golden Oldies Health and Wellness Clinic you will receive a 30 minute consultation with one of our Registered Veterinary Nurses, this will include:

  • A dental check
  • Advice on feeding, joint supplements and dental care
  • You will benefit from reduced cost diagnostic tests – including geriatric blood screen, thyroid screen (cats), blood pressure and urine analysis
  • Our nurse will also interpret your answers from the senior pet questionnaire below
  • An opportunity to talk about any concerns you may have for your pet

This is a preventative health care consultation.  If your pet is unwell, please make an appointment with one of our veterinary surgeons.

Before your visit, complete and submit our cat or dog questionnaire ready for interpretation.

We offer a 10% discount on all geriatric screening to members of our Pet Health Club. Click here to find out more.

Nurse Consultations

Our Consulting Nurses are all qualified and registered experienced vet nurses. Telephone for an appointment to see them – they will give you the most up to date advice for your pet. Seeing one of the nurses is a great way to ensure your new pet, or faithful companion is in top condition, they are a fountain of knowledge on lifestyle advice.

The following clinic appointments are free of charge:

  • Advice before choosing a new pet
  • New puppy and kitten checks and advice
  • Monthly puppy and kitten development and weight checks
  • Pet Nutrition

To find out more about our Confidence Clinics and Weight and Wellness Clinics, simply click here.

Members of our Pet Health Club can enjoy 6 monthly health checks and 25% off selected Royal Canin and Purina food.  Together with all year flea and worm treatments. Click here to find out more.

Operations

Operations are performed under strict sterile conditions in theatre, with full monitoring by a professional nurse during the operation and recovery period. Modern anaesthetics are very safe, but we offer blood tests before surgery to detect any problems which may increase the anaesthetic risk.

We also perform keyhole (laparoscopy) surgery, and we are delighted to offer this gold standard option for a speedier recovery for your pet – please ask for details of laparoscopic bitch spays and other procedures.

There is much more information about anaesthetics and common procedures, such as neutering (female spays and male castrations) in our Advice FAQ section.

We offer a 20% discount on neutering for all members of our Pet Health Club. Click here to find out more.

Ophthalmology

Dr. Michael Morter obtained his Post Graduate Certificate in Small Animal Ophthalmology in 2017 from the British Small Animal Veterinary Association and Nottingham Trent University.  He is also an Advanced Practitioner in Veterinary Ophthalmology.

At Mill House, we offer a dedicated ophthalmology service for our clients and we welcome cases referred to us by another veterinary surgeon.

Services

Full ophthalmic examination including use of specialised equipment such as tonometry, slit lamp biomicroscopy and ultrasonography.

More advanced treatment and surgery for conditions such as corneal ulcers, eyelid lumps and prolapse of the nictitans gland (‘cherry eye’) and entropion (inward folding of the eyelids).

Out of Hours and Emergencies

Accidents and emergencies – we are always here when you need us!

Our own qualified vets and nurses are working in the hospital 24 hours a day. With personnel on site in the hospital at all times and a sophisticated range of intensive care equipment, comfortable wards and experienced professionals, we have everything to hand for your pet’s needs in an emergency – whatever the time – day or night.  As an accredited and inspected RCVS Hospital, our standard of care meets the requirements of our regulatory body at the highest level.

In an emergency call 01553 771457. We do not use answering machines or forwarding services unless we are out on an extreme emergency – your call will be answered by an experienced veterinary professional.  Our treatment facilities, such as X-ray, ultrasound, laboratory and sterile theatres are ready for use at any time.

It is always best to bring your pet down to the hospital in an emergency. Phone first for advice, particularly if you are worried about moving your pet. Outside of normal hours (after 6:30pm and before 8:30am and at weekends) we cannot guarantee to be able to provide a home visit which would leave the hospital unmanned unless a sick or injured patient really cannot be moved because of its condition. We will, however, do everything we can to accommodate your wishes.

For security reasons, always phone first before bringing your pet to the surgery. 

See our emergency advice page for specific help and our hospitalisation page for more about leaving your pet with us.

Prescriptions

Please allow 7 working days for repeat prescription orders to be ready for collection in practice. 

Repeat prescriptions can be ordered by email, post or phone. 

Prescriptions are available from this practice.  You may obtain medicines from ourselves or ask for a prescription and obtain these medicines from another veterinary surgeon or a pharmacy.  A prescription may not be appropriate if your animal is an in-patient or if immediate treatment is necessary.  A fee of £24.00 incl. VAT is charged for each prescription.

We may prescribe medicines only following a clinical assessment of an animal under our care, and must prescribe only the minimum amount necessary for the treatment of the case.  You will be informed, on request, of the price of any medicine that may be prescribed for your animal.

The general policy of this practice is to re-assess an animal requiring repeat prescriptions for medicines at least every six months, but more frequent checks may be needed for many cases.   Re-examinations for the same condition are free of charge for eight weeks following an initial case consultation, after which the standard consultation fee is £80.00 with a discount for common small species.

Travel Clinic (Animal Health Certificates)

Taking your pet abroad or preparing to move away with your pet or export an animal from the UK?

Jumping through all the legal hoops and certification correctly can be very daunting. There are also additional risks to your pet from parasites and diseases that can be encountered abroad that are not in the UK. For more information on the parasites, diseases and recommended treatments of the country or region you are travelling to we recommend you visit the European Scientific Counsel Companion Animal Parasites Map (ESCCAP) here.

An appointment with one of our OV certified vets will help you go through all of the requirements to travel abroad and will help you plan the process. The rules have changed post BREXIT and the requirements vary depending on where you are travelling to. We would recommend downloading and reading our travel clinic leaflet here before you go.

You can save 10% on the cost of Animal Health Certficates by joining our Pet Health Club. Click here to find out more

Definitions of dog, cat and ferret are now provided to prevent the transport of wild animals. Owners of Bengal and Savannah cats and Wolfdogs will need to consult AVHLA.

We would recommend calling for an appointment with one of our OV certified vets in good time to discuss all of the requirements as travel abroad can involve some lengthy preparations.

Being well informed is vital, it is your own responsibility to ensure that you comply with all requirements and regulations for each country you visit but we will be here to help you navigate these requirements.  More information can be found via the links below:

Further information

PETS (Pet Travel Scheme) Helpline: 0370 241 1710, email pettravel@ahvla.gsi.gov.uk or the DEFRA website.

Vaccinations

We only use proven and safe vaccines at Mill House and tailor vaccination and timing to your individual pet’s age, lifestyle and risk profile. Vaccinations include a health check by our vet and are an opportunity for you to discuss any concerns you may have. Pet Health Club members are offered free urine tests at booster time too – just bring a fresh urine sample in a clean container. Please call us on 01553 771457 if you need more advice on how to collect a sample.

We recommend that puppies and kittens start their vaccination course at 8-10 weeks, with the second vaccination given from 12 weeks of age onwards. We strongly advise against finishing vaccination before 12 weeks of age due to the high Parvovirus risk in this area.

Vaccine overdue? Don’t worry - we run a permanent ‘Vaccine Amnesty’ – this means that if our vet decides that your pet needs a new primary course of two injections to bring immunity back up to normal, the second vaccination will be free of charge.

Rabbits are now protected with just one injection for Myxomatosis and Viral Haemorrhagic Disease (VHD) – it lasts for a whole year too.

Book an appointment online here or click on the following links for more information on dog vaccinationcat vaccination or rabbit vaccination.

Vaccination course or booster vaccinations, Kennel cough vaccinations and nail clipping are all included in our Pet Health Club plan. Click here to find out more.

Imaging

Our modern digital radiography suite is available for use 24 hours a day. Our powerful x-ray machine can image any pet from a small reptile or bird to the largest St Bernard.

Because we see so many chest cases, our machine has to be capable of taking very fast exposures. The x-ray table has specific attachments for accurate positioning which is so important for examinations such as films taken for the BVA/Kennel Club Hip Dysplasia Scheme.

To comply with Health and Safety Regulations, patients are not held for x-rays, and so films are usually taken under anaesthetic or sedation, unless this would be life-threatening. Accurate positioning is vital for high quality diagnostic films. Do talk to us about sedation for routine x-rays such as for the BVA/ Kennel Club Hip Dysplasia Scheme. Unlike a human hospital, there are no waiting lists for operations or x-rays, so if your pet requires an x-ray, we can usually offer an appointment within a week or two of our recommendation.

Mill House Referrals Imaging Service

In addition to digital x-ray and ultrasonography, we now have a Siemens CT scanner on site.

We carry out our CT scans under anaesthetic or sedation and your pet can come home the same day.

A CT scan has a number of advantages over x-rays.

1) It gives much more detailed information, for example nodules in the lungs are picked up much earlier on CT scan (when they are 1-2mm) compared with x-rays when they need to be much larger for detection (5-7mm).

2) Images can be generated very quickly reducing the anaesthetic or sedation time

3) 3D images can be generated and it eliminates superimposition

4) Very small differences in density can be differentiated on CT leading to superior quality images.

We are able to report back CT images with 4-6 hours for an emergency. The standard turnaround time is 4 working days.

We will often use a contrast agent when we are scanning to improve the soft tissue detail. In most cases this is very safe but if your pet has underlying heart or kidney disease we may advise that we do not perform contrast studies.

What conditions is CT commonly used for?

  • Elbow and joint assessments
  • Ear disease
  • Ocular disease
  • Nasal problems
  • Lung and chest problems
  • Screening patients for spread of cancer
  • Spinal problems
  • Complex fracture assessments

Wellness Screenings

Wellness Screening is recommended in healthy adult cats over the age of 7 and dogs over the age of 5 (over 3 in giant breeds), that are not currently showing any signs of illness or disease. The service is a comprehensive medical MOT which aids in the early detection of disease and helps them to live happier and healthier lives. Your pet will receive a detailed health check from one of our trained veterinary nurses who are also able to give you tailored lifestyle advice.

These Wellness Screens are a complete package which includes a physical exam, a complete clinical history, blood pressure measurement, urine testing as well as blood testing for common organ function-related disease such as kidney disease, liver disease, diabetes, high blood pressure or overactive thyroid (cats only).

These screens are just £85.00 so present exceptional value for money, with our pet health club members receiving a further 25% off! For more information, please click here for cats or here for dogs. 

NB. If your pet is showing any signs or symptoms of disease or any abnormal behaviour, you should have a checkup with your vet first, as we will not be able to perform a wellness screen.