Services

At Roebuck Veterinary Group we offer a complete package of health care and advice for small animals.

We welcome pets of all shapes and sizes including guinea pigs, rabbits, cats and dogs.

These are some of the services we provide:

    Vaccinations
    Flea and Worm Treatments
    Micro-chipping
    Neutering
    Health Checks
    Repeat Prescriptions
    Pet Passports
    Operations
    Insurance
    Home Visits
    Diets



Vaccinations

Dogs and cats

We strongly recommend annual vaccination for dogs and cats to protect them from a number of deadly diseases. As part of our commitment to offer the best and most up-to-date treatments available, we recommend Procyon vaccine for dogs and Pentofel vaccine for cats. They are the very latest in ‘all in one protection’ and a single injection each year will give your pet the best protection there is.

Free puppy/kitten packs giving advice on all the different aspects of owning a new pet are issued with the first vaccination. Free booster reminders will be sent out to your home to remind you nearer the time when your pet’s booster vaccination and health assessment is due.

If your dog is due to go into kennels, attends dog training classes or even has contact with other dogs in the local park, we recommend vaccination against infectious bronchitis (kennel cough). This vaccine lasts for 6 months.

Rabbits

We recommend yearly vaccination from 2 fatal diseases - myxomatosis and Viral Haemorrhagic Disease (VHD). The myxomatosis vaccine can be given from 6 weeks of age and the VHD vaccine from 12 weeks. We offer a combined package if you have both vaccines within a certain time scale, with a reduced cost. The veterinary surgeon will also give your rabbit a thorough health assessment and answer any concerns you may have. If you live in a high disease risk area we recommend vaccinating your rabbit against myxomatosis every 6 months.

Flea and Worm Treatments

We have a wide range of flea treatments to ensure that your pet and your house are kept "flea free". Our staff will be happy to advise you on which treatment is best suited for your pet.

It is very important that your pet is wormed regularly. As puppies and kittens are more prone to having worms we recommend monthly treatment until they are 6 months. After that they should ideally be dewormed 4 times a year, especially if they scavenge or (in the case of cats) do a lot of hunting.

Micro-chipping

Having your pet micro-chipped is a simple and relatively inexpensive procedure that can make the difference between a lost pet coming home and being 'lost' forever, the first check we do when a 'found' pet is brought in to us is to check for a microchip, if the pet has one we can immediately re-unite the pet with its owner.

Neutering

Unless you intend to breed from your pet, we recommend that all pets are neutered as soon as they are old enough. This not only prevents unwanted litters, but reduces the risk of them developing serious illnesses and often has a more calming effect on their behaviour.

Dogs

Depending on the breed, male dogs can be neutered from 6 months of age. Female dogs (bitches) should be neutered 3-4 months after the start of their 1st season (which will vary depending on breed and size).

Cats

Both male and female cats can be neutered from 5 months of age.

Rabbits

Both male and female rabbits can be neutered from 4 months of age.

Health checks

We offer free health checks for puppies and kittens, plus adolescent and senior pet health checks.

Repeat Prescriptions

For pets on long term medication, we do ask to see them every 3 - 6 months. This is a legal requirement, but it is also important in our clinical management to ensure that there are no adverse reactions and that the dose is correct.

Between these examinations we are happy to provide repeat prescriptions, however, to try to ensure that your waiting time is kept to a minimum, it is helpful if you can phone us 24 hours before the medication is required to give us some time to prepare it.

Pet Passports

Most of our veterinary surgeons are LVI approved meaning they are qualified to issue Pet Passports.

We offer a “Pet Passport Starter Package” which includes having your pet microchipped, vaccinated against rabies, having a blood sample (a minimum of thirty days later) which is sent to a special approved laboratory to check that a sufficient antibody (immune) response has been achieved, and finally the issuing of the passport. After this the rabies vaccination and passport will need to be updated every two years (every year for cats). Exceeding the renewal date by even one day will result in your pet having to repeat the whole blood test procedure.

Operations

For routine operations pets are admitted between 8.00 and 8.30am. They are examined and given sedative and painkilling injections to prepare them for their anaesthetic.

If they are more senior animals (in general dogs over 7 years old or cats over 10 years old) or if they have any pre-existing illnesses we recommend pre-operative blood tests prior to the surgery to check your pet's kidney/liver function in case special precautions such as intravenous fluids are required. These blood tests are available for all pets - sometimes it is reassuring to have this extra peace of mind.

We use "state of the art" anaesthetics and specialist monitoring equipment to ensure that your pet receives the safest and best care possible.

The veterinary surgeon or nurse will contact you once the procedure is completed and your pet is recovering from the anaesthetic. Routine neuterings, lump removals and dentals can then go home later that afternoon/evening whereupon a nurse will advise you on the post operative care for your pet.

Insurance

Unfortunately there is no NHS for pets and the best available care can prove to be expensive. For this reason we strongly recommend that all pets are insured throughout their lives. The cheapest policy is not always the best so it is advisable to choose carefully.  Information packs are available from reception to help you choose the best policy for your needs.

Home visits

It is always preferable to bring your pet to one of our surgeries where we have all the equipment and trained staff available. If however you are unable to travel, a home visit can usually be arranged on weekdays.

Please note that there is an extra charge for this service and if possible visits should be booked before 10.00am.

Diets

It is essential that a balanced and nutritious diet is provided from the very beginning of your pet’s life through to their twilight years. This is why we recommend Hills Science Plan Diet; the very best in companion animal diets.

We also stock a wide range of prescription diets from both Hills and Waltham’s as these play an increasingly important role in managing a wide range of diseases.