Services and Facilities

At the Barn Veterinary Practice our aim is to give our clients access to a complete range of healthcare services for the benefit of their animals, from routine nutritional advice, preventative healthcare to 24 hour emergency care for the critically ill.

Reception

Reception is usually the first point of contact with the Practice, either by telephone or on arrival.  Our friendly, trained reception staff at both surgeries, are able to deal with and advise on many aspects of your pet’s care, or where appropriate hand the matter over to one of our veterinary surgeons.

Both our surgeries offer a range of diets and pet accessories, many of which are on display in the reception/waiting areas.

Clients’ car parking is available at both surgeries.

Reception is normally open from 8.30 am to 7 pm on weekdays, 9 am to 12 noon on Saturdays, and at Ashcroft Road surgery from 10 am to 12 noon on Sundays.  Outside these times and on public holidays contact should be made by telephone should emergency attention be required.  You will be directed via our emergency answering service to the duty vet. 

Consultations

Veterinary consultations are normally arranged on an appointment basis for your convenience.  Our consulting rooms are well equipped with diagnostic equipment. Patient records are available instantly in any room in the practice via our networked computer system, ensuring that records should always be accessible at both of our surgeries.

Nurse Clinics

Our Veterinary Nurses are happy to arrange mutually convenient appointment times at which they can see you with your pet to address a wide range of preventative healthcare issues.  These clinics cover such areas as weight reduction and control, dental care, flea and worm control, healthcare for the elderly pet, mobility clinics for arthritic or convalescing pets, as well as some post operative checks, stitch removals and dressing changes.  Nurse consultations are in most cases offered free of charge.

Visits

If circumstances make attendance at the surgery difficult we are able to provide home visits.  As these can take a considerable time, where possible it is helpful to book these as far in advance as you can to allow us to plan our day.  Remember that many cases can be dealt with much more efficiently at the surgery where we have more equipment, nursing and treatment facilities to hand.  While the majority of horse patients are attended to at the premises where they are stabled, we do see equine patients at the Copdock Surgery.

Pet Passports & Export Certificates

Our vets who hold the appropriate DEFRA ‘Official Veterinarian’ (OV) status are able to advise you on and issue pet passports should you wish to take your pet abroad to countries qualifying for the Pet Passport Scheme.  We are also able to undertake the appropriate certification for animals being exported to countries outside the Passport Scheme.

Diagnostic Facilities 

• Laboratory Facilities

Both our surgeries are equipped with laboratory facilities to assist with diagnosis and monitoring of patients as efficiently as possible.  Computerised blood analysis at both sites can offer a wide range of blood tests with results often available very quickly.  When appropriate this also allows rapid pre-operative blood checks to be performed on patients prior to anaesthesia and surgical procedures.

• X-ray and Ultrasound Scanning

We have a dedicated diagnostic imaging facility, offering high quality imaging with automated processing plus a modern high specification ultrasound scanner.

• Endoscopy

Using fibreoptic instruments we are able to look at otherwise inaccessible areas such as the inside of the stomach or intestines.

• Electrocardiography and blood pressure monitoring

Instruments are available to perform these procedures which can form an important part of the investigation and monitoring of heart diseases and certain other conditions.

Surgical and Inpatient Facilities

Our inpatient wards offer a range of accommodation to cater for the range of species and breeds to which we attend with hygienic, modern, warm, insulated kennels appropriate for small mammals up to giant breed dogs.  Stabling is available for equine patients.  There is a separate isolation ward for treatment of infectious cases.  For patients requiring critical care we offer a range of facilities such as an incubator, oxygen therapy and accurate metering of intravenous fluids via infusion pump.

Dedicated operating theatres are provided at both surgeries for sterile surgical procedures.

Surgical facilities include:- 

• Electrosurgery
• Cryosurgery
• Thermostatically controlled heated operating table top to reduce body heat loss.
• Modern anaesthetic monitoring equipment displaying:-

ECG (electro cardiography trace)
Blood gas levels (Oxygen and carbon dioxide)
Blood pressure
Body temperature

• Modern safe anaesthetic agents

We routinely use anaesthetic agents chosen to keep any anaesthetic risk to a very low level, and to ensure a quick smooth recovery from anaesthesia with minimal after effects.  Prior to anaesthesia, all patients undergo a veterinary examination and, where appropriate, blood tests may also be performed.

• Dentistry

Both Surgeries are equipped with dental machines to enable us to delivery quality dental care to our patients.  As most dental procedures in animals require anaesthesia, patients are normally booked in for dentistry as day patients.