Services

We are happy to provide house visits when required for our existing clients if there is availability. We do not perform house visits during evening surgery as we are always fully occupied with our patients at the surgery in the evening as this is our busiest time.

There are times when a house visit is not the best thing for your pet, for example when we need to use equipment based at the hospital. We will advise you if a house visit is not appropriate and we will explain why. We can also help you with transportation of your pet by pet ambulance to the surgery if needed.

We understand that if the time comes to say goodbye to your pet and euthanasia is necessary, a lot of our clients prefer this to be done at home. This will help your pet remain relaxed in their familiar surroundings. We will always do our best to arrange a suitable time to come out to you.

Please give us as much notice as possible if you need a routine house visit and we will do our best to accommodate this.

Almost any animal can be microchipped...

How would you feel if your pet strayed, became lost or worse still, was stolen?

It happens every day, and of course, if an animal can’t be identified it can’t be returned.

The solution is the “Tracer Animal Coder Microchip“,  a permanent form of identification.

Tracer is quick and simple. The tiny Tracer Microchip, encased in biocompatible glass, is injected under the loose skin of the neck in dogs and cats (in other animals the microchip may be inserted elsewhere).

Should the animal stray or be picked up by one of the local authorities, the tracer scanner will read the unique 15-digit code. The petlog secure database (accessible 24 hours a day, 365 days a year) can then identify the animal, as well as it’s owners, name, address and telephone number so that pet and owner can be reunited in the shortest possible time.

Don’t risk losing your pet, if your pet is not already chipped call to make an appointment now!

Contact our reception today 01453 542092 for more information.

Female Cat and Dog Neutering (Spaying)

The age and timing of neutering female dogs is controversial and the data is conflicting. We recommend all female dogs that are not intended to be bred from are neutered (spayed) from 6 months of age. In large and giant breeds, we advise this procedure is undertaken between the first and second heats. To see if your dog is ready to be neutered please book in with one of our Nurses for a free 15 minute, pre-neutering health check.

Bitches often present later in life with reproductive problems (e.g. breast cancer or pyometra – pus in the womb) many of which are prevented or drastically reduced by early neutering. It has been showed that spaying bitches before their first season (ie. at 6 months of age) dramatically reduces the risk of breast cancer later in life.

Female cats come into season at around 5-6 months and are highly successful at finding a mate and coming home pregnant! Therefore, we advise neutering female cats at 4 months of age.

Did you know?

• Neutered bitches live, on average, 2 years longer than those that are not!
• It is a common misconception that female pets will be better after a litter of pups or kittens – this is an old wives’ tale and completely untrue.

Dogs

We do not recommend the routine neutering (castration) of male dogs. There can certainly be benefits to castration including the reduction in wandering and general calming effect as well as health benefits in preventing testicular tumours and reducing problems with prostate. It is judged on an individual basis and typically performed once the dog is fully grown. The majority of related health problems that may occur later in life can be dealt with by castration at the time. For further advice about neutering your dog, please do not hesitate to speak to one of our vets.

Did you know?

• All guide dogs and other working dogs are castrated.

Male Cat Neutering

Tom cats that are not pedigree stud cats should all be castrated at 4 months of age. The stray cat population in Britain is growing rapidly.

• Neutered tom cats smell less
• Neutered tom cats fight less
• Neutered tom cats roam less

They are less like to acquire potentially serious infections such as FIV (Feline AIDS) or infected fight wounds and it reduces the risk of road traffic accidents through roaming. Castrating a cat will have no effect on his character.

Why Vaccinate Your Pet?

Vaccinating your cat, dog, puppy or kitten is one of the most important things that you can do as a responsible and caring owner. It will help your pet to live a long and healthy life.

These vaccines provide antibodies against the most common and contagious, life-threatening diseases that your dog or cat may come across during their lifetime. Many of these diseases either have no cure, or would involve long, expensive and often unsuccessful treatments for your pet.

When should I vaccinate?

During the first few weeks of life, your puppy or kitten will be protected from disease by immunity passed on by the mother before birth and through her milk (these are known as maternally-derived antibodies). Unfortunately, this immunity only lasts until your puppy or kitten is around 12 weeks of age. This is why it is so important to have the vaccinations completed as soon as possible.

We recommend having the first vaccination at 8 weeks old in puppies and 9 weeks old in kittens. The second vaccination is then given 3 – 4 weeks later.

Here at Vale Vets, we use one of the latest brands of vaccine for dogs called Nobivac. The main benefit of Nobivac is that puppies are able to go for ‘clean’ walks immediately after their 2nd vaccination. This means that puppies are able to begin socialising earlier which is vital as part of their development and will help greatly in later life.

After the primary course, an annual ‘booster’ vaccination is essential, providing your loved pet with continuous protection. Annual boosters are very important as, unlike humans, the effect of vaccination only lasts a limited time.

What Diseases Does The Vaccine Cover?

Cats

Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis – ‘cat flu’

• Easily transmitted from one cat to another
• Causes sneezing, fever, lack of appetite, discharges from the eyes and nose and coughing
• Even if a cat recovers, symptoms may occur on and off for life (become carriers)

Feline Calicivirus

• Another major cause of ‘cat flu’
• Widespread and highly contagious
• Causes ulcers in the tongue and mouth, sneezing and runny eyes
• Treatment is difficult
• Infected animals will continue to spread the disease to other cats, and may have lifelong problems

Feline Panleucopenia – ‘cat parvo or enteritis’

• This virus can survive for up to a year outside of the cat’s body
• Most cats will come into contact with it during their lifetime
• Causes diarrhoea, vomiting, severe dehydration and fever
• Once infected, a cat can spread the disease to other cats in the area
• Vaccination is essential for this potentially fatal disease – treatment is very difficult, and not always successful

Feline Leukaemia Virus (FeLV)

• This disease can result in a number of health problems for your cat, ranging from bacterial infections to cancers (lymphoma)
• After being exposed to the virus, an infected cat may show no symptoms for months, if not years, while continuing to affect other healthy cats
• A potentially fatal disease

Dogs

Canine Parvovirus

• Spread via infected faeces from dog to dog
• Highly contagious and often fatal
• Causes fever, vomiting, and diarrhoea with blood
• The disease can stay in the environment for many months, continuing to infect other dogs

Canine Distemper

• Often fatal and very difficult to treat
• Spread dog to dog by eye and nose discharges
• Causes fever, coughing, diarrhoea, vomiting, fitting and paralysis

Infectious Canine Hepatitis

• Spread dog to dog by infected urine, faeces or saliva
• Symptoms similar to Distemper
• Causes liver failure, eye damage and breathing problems
• Can be fatal

Leptospirosis

• Associated with rats and watercourses 
• Infected dogs can suffer from liver and kidney damage
• This disease will need a long period of treatment if they are to fully recover
• Often fatal and CAN INFECT HUMANS

Infectious Tracheobronchitis – ‘Kennel cough’

• Transmitted from dog to dog easily
• Caused by various airborne bacteria and viruses just like the human cold
• Causes a dry, hacking cough – often resulting in retching

Requires a separate vaccine given by squirting liquid up the nose

Dogs (and cats) who behave badly or display behavioural problems can be distressing and disruptive for the whole family.

We want all our owners to enjoy their pets and their pets to be happy and content.

We offer a range of services to help set new puppies on the right path and to offer advice when things aren’t going so well.

Common behavioural problems we are asked about regularly in practice include:

• Aggression (may require referral)
• Fears and phobias
• House-soiling
• Feline stress-related behaviours
• Separation anxiety
• Control problems in dogs
• Inappropriate puppy and juvenile behaviours
• Behaviour changes in senior pets

Puppy Parties

Prevention is always better than cure. Come along to our Puppy Party to give your new pet the best possible start. This gives you and your puppy the opportunity to come to the Vale Vets Practice, Dursley for a positive and fun time and to learn about settling into their new home, socialisation and training.

Different breeds of cat and dog have different temperaments and different needs and if these aren’t met this can lead to behavioural problems. Even before you get your new puppy or kitten, we advise thinking carefully about which breed will suit you and your family best. We can also give advice on how to find reliable breeders and what to look for when viewing the litter and other animals in the household.

Related Links

• Contact Details
• Register Online
• Pet Health Club

We endeavour to invite all new puppies to a one-off Puppy Party. They are held in the evening at the Vale Vets Veterinary Practice, Dursley.

This gives the opportunity for your puppy and up to two family members to come to the Practice for a positive and fun time.

We discuss socialisation, training and all sorts of puppy problems, and you get to meet other puppies and their owners.

We like puppies to come to Puppy Party after their first vaccination and before they are going out and about.

The Animal Hospital has a fully equipped dental theatre, which allows us to scale, polish, x-ray and if necessary extract teeth.

Once your pet’s teeth are covered in tartar even regular brushing will not remove it. Tartar is removed using a high frequency ultrasonic de-scaler. Teeth are then polished using a special rotating polisher with paste which smoothes the surface of the teeth slowing the rate at which tartar reforms after treatment. This is a procedure that we routinely carry out on middle aged and older pets. Where there is severe gingivitis, decay or cavities, teeth extraction may be required, using modern dental extraction techniques.

Following dental treatment, this is an ideal time to start cleaning your pet’s teeth at home and taking steps to help prevent tartar reforming. Our clinic nurse is here to give advice and discuss options which are suitable for you and your pet.

Rabbits commonly get dental problems. Diet plays a very important part in keeping the teeth “healthy”. Our vets and nurses can give you advice on diets and dental care for rabbits and other small mammals.

Pets can’t tell their owners when their teeth hurt so it is up to you to help them keep them strong and healthy. An early sign is bad breath. After a scale and polish, our nurses will show you how to clean your pet’s teeth yourself at home.

If your pet is very ill or comes to us for an operation, then you will want to be sure that they are receiving the best possible care while they are with us. We will always try to get your pet back home as soon as possible, but there will be occasions when they are just too poorly or their medication, e.g. if they are on a drip, means they will need to stay at the hospital.

Modern Veterinary Hospital

At Vale Vets, we offer all our patients a modern veterinary hospital with nurses in residence around the clock and our own vets on hand should they be needed. We have separate wards for cats and for dogs, as we believe this much more relaxing for both species.

Comfortable

Our large walk in kennels allow us to make our in-patients as comfortable as possible and, if they are able to walk about, our nurses will take them out into the grounds for regular exercise. You are able to visit your pet if you wish, although this can sometimes be unsettling if they are not ready to go home with you.

Nurse Clinics

Our nurse clinics are run by Anne Roberts, Dan White & Hannah Blake.

Anne has an interest in puppy & kitten development and weight management and is an Advanced Pet Health Counsellor. Anne runs our puppy parties at Vale and is an Associate Puppy School Tutor advising on puppy development, socialisation and training.

Dan has an interest in animal nutrition and weight management. Dan enjoys dental clinics where he educates about dental disease & oral health. Dan is also our Weight Management Counsellor and is currently studying for his accredited Certificate in Small Animal Nutrition. Dan also would like to undertake further study in Dermatology when he gets time!

Hannah enjoys puppy development and weight management clinics as well as complex anaesthesia that can come with referral surgeries. Hannah mainly works in our referral theatre monitoring anaesthetics. When consulting Hannah enjoys interacting with clients and seeing patients start and finish their journey whether it’s a growing puppy or a referral surgery patient.

General Nurse Clinics

In our general clinics the nurses can give you advice on worming, flea & tick treatments, nutrition, including weighing your pet, behaviour and training and dental care. Just call our reception team to make an appointment.

In addition to the advice clinics, you can book a nurse to:

• Clip your pets’ nails
• Administer a 2nd vaccination
• Measure blood pressure
• Change wound dressings
• Express anal glands
• Implant microchips

There may be a small charge to cover any tests or treatment that is necessary.

Weight Management Clinics

Our clinic nurse team runs free weight clinics for clients struggling with overweight pets. Obesity is likely to lead to secondary health complications such as diabetes, mobility issues and heart disease.

Our clinic nurses can advise you on diet, exercise and routine. We will score your pet’s body condition and calculate the ideal target weight. We can discuss diet and work out amounts for you to feed. The diet we would suggest will help maintain your pet’s muscle mass and encourage fat burning while keeping appetite under control.

Once your pet has started its weight management programme there will be follow up appointments so the nurses can track progress and revaluate feeding amounts to ensure your pet loses weight safely.

Puppy Parties

We endeavour to invite all new puppies to a one-off Puppy Party. They are held in the evening at the Vale Vets’ Animal Hospital, Dursley.

These parties give the opportunity for your puppy and up to two family members to come to the Practice for a positive and fun time with a calm atmosphere and no poking or prodding! We discuss socialisation, training and all sorts of puppy problems, and you get to meet other puppies and their owners. We like puppies to come to Puppy Party after their first vaccination and before they are going out and about.

Harness Fitting Clinics

Our clinic nurses are also specially trained to fit the PerfectFit harness. The design of the PerfectFit harness allows it to fit almost any size and shape of dog. The harness is also fleece lined to protect a dog’s skin from plastic clips and pieces are adjustable for loosening & tightening where needed.

Every dog will benefit from wearing a harness. Harnesses protect your dog’s throat when they pull, and it also allows you to feel more comfortable when walking your dog as you have more control.

If you are interested in getting a harness book an appointment with our clinic nurses. We offer free harness fitting.

Dental Clinics

Our clinic nurses also run a free dental clinic. We can examine your pets’ teeth and give advice on how to improve their oral hygiene. Advice could range from introducing teeth brushing to booking in for a dental procedure.

We can explain & demonstrate how to brush your pets’ teeth and we can also discuss other ways to prevent plaque and tartar build up.

If your pet won’t allow its teeth to be brushed then book an appointment with the nurse to discuss other options to minimise the development of dental disease.

Preventive treatment will reduce the health conditions associated with dental disease such as diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease and liver disease.

Senior Pet Clinics

Any dog or cat over the age of 8 years old should receive regular vet or nurse checks to help identify early signs of ageing such as weight gain, dental disease, osteoarthritis, diabetes, kidney disease and other medical conditions.

Early detection often allows us to delay the onset of ageing signs, maintain good health and an excellent quality of life well into old age.

There is no charge for the nurse consultation or for weighing your pet but should you in discussion with the nurse feel that further tests, such as a simple urine sample or blood pressure reading would be beneficial, or that your pet should see one of our vets, then there will be a charge.

Diabetes Clinics

These clinics are to help newly or already diagnosed diabetic patients. Dan will go through injecting insulin, diet, exercise, problems to look out for and general care.

We know a diabetes diagnosis can be a stressful time for owners and this clinic is aimed at helping and supporting you and your pet. Dan can also answer questions you may have regarding the condition and treatment.

It is difficult to imagine a life without our beloved pets. We like to think that they will always be with us. Sadly, we know that this cannot be so and at some point, we will have to face and come to terms with their death.

We hope our pets will gently pass away in their sleep. It would save us from having to make a very difficult decision. Unfortunately, it rarely happens this way and we then have to discuss putting our pet to sleep (euthanasia) with our vet.

Euthanasia, when carried out at the right time, is one of the last acts of kindness we can do for our pets, but for many owners the process is an unknown and therefore frightening prospect, any of our compassionate team will be willing to support you through this difficult process.

For helpful resources we recommend the following links:

• https://ourspecialfriends.org/resources/
• https://www.bluecross.org.uk/pet-bereavement-and-pet-loss

We also have trained bereavement councillors within our team who can help offer support to you. Call us 01453 542092 or if it is easier you can email us reception@valevets.co.uk 

Along with the services in the main menu, Vale Vets also offer:

• 24-hour emergency service
• Allergy Treatments
• Blood Testing
• Cancer Treatments
• CT
• Dental Care
• Dermatology
• Dietary Advice
• ECG
• Endoscopy
• Export Certificates
• General Surgery
• Insurance Advice
• Ophthalmology
• Pet Passports
• Preventative medical advice
• Stem Cells
• Ultrasound
• Worming and Flea treatment
• X-rays

And much more!