We are here to help you with all your petcare needs, not just when they fall ill. We call this our wellness mission.
On these pages you can find all the information you need on pet preventative healthcare: vaccinations; neutering; our nurse-led clinics; and our Pet Health for Life.
If you’re looking for something that’s not here, get in touch and our team will be happy to help you!
Nurse Clinics
Did you know that we offer nurse clinics to help you keep your pets healthy?
Veterinary nursing is a recognised profession and the qualification is awarded following years of training and exams. This means that you can trust the advice of our nurses when helping you to care for your pets when you come to see one of us, or if your pet stays with us. Not every practice employs fully qualified and registered nurses. We are proud to be a nurse training centre, and take pride in our nursing team and their skills. This is why we can offer you a range of nurse-led care choices, where you can access reliable support in looking after your pet. Have a look through these pages to see what we can do for you.
Our nurse clinics are focused on keeping your pet well with preventative healthcare. We believe that is it important for you to be able to access care from us, not just when your pet is unwell or injured, but also in maintaining health. We offer daily nurse clinics at all of our surgeries 2pm-6pm and additionally at Scraptoft 9am to midday on Tuesday. They can help you with new pet advice, parasite control, weight clinics and more.
If you would like to book an appointment to see one of our nurses, please call and speak to one of our receptionists.
Weight Management
Keeping pets healthy is our aim and one way we help you is by offering Weight Watchers clinics. These are run by our highly skilled nursing team*.
As with managing our weight for our own health, there are many benefits to managing your pet’s weight too. Maintaining an ideal weight helps with keeping joints healthy and reduces the risks of associated diseases such as diabetes mellitus.
Sadly, for many reasons, weight gain amongst pets is common and is probably the biggest welfare issue that we face in this country with our pets. You can come to our nurse clinics either to help you keep your pet at an optimum weight, or, if your pet is already overweight, we can help you with managing safe and controlled weight loss.
Pet weight gain after neutering
Certain factors will increase the risk of weight gain in your pet and neutering is one such factor. A change in hormone balances following neutering changes your pet’s metabolism, which makes them more prone to weight gain. Our nurses will advise you on reducing the portion of food your pet receives after neutering, along with giving you other tips.
Pet exercise factors
Seasonal risks are the same with pets as they are with us. During the longer days and nicer weather, we are out and about more and this often includes extra walks with our dogs. Cats also tend to spend more time outside during this time of year but the dark, wet and cold nights are not so inviting, leading to reduced exercise for all of us. If you would like to talk to our qualified and understanding nurses about how manage your pet’s exercise and weight around the year, our nurse clinics are there for you.
What will the nurse do in a weight clinic?
- First, we will weigh your pet and use body condition scoring to determine if they are overweight and if they are, by how much.
- The nurse will talk to you about their routine and give you tips on how you can help increase their exercise while at the same time, possibly recommending a change of diet to help facilitate a safe, controlled weight loss program.
- Changing diets is not always required so this will be discussed on an individual basis. If a special weight loss diet is advised, we will usually recommend Hills Metabolic, Hills r/d or Waltham’s Obesity diet as we have found these to suit most patients.
- The nurse will monitor your pet and we will keep a record of their progress until they reach their target weight. We may also ask to take a photo to share on our Facebook and Twitter pages!
A Veterinary Nurse weight consult is FREE if a bag of pet food is purchased at the same time as the consultation.
Nail Clipping
Has your dog got long nails or is your cat sticking to the carpet? They may need a pedicure!
Although you can cut your pet’s nails at home, some pets have dark nails making it difficult to see where the blood supply (quick) is, so you may prefer to let our nurses do this for you.
Some dogs hate getting their nails clipped. Be reassured that our experienced nurses are very caring and gentle at all times. If your dog is very nervous and you are worried about this, please talk to us so we can discuss options for you that may include sedation to make it a less-stressful situation for your pet – and you!
To book your pets pedicure, please give us a call.
Pet Nutrition Advice
There are many reasons that your pet may require dietary advice. From choosing the correct food for your new puppy, kitten or bunny to advising you about nutritional needs for pregnant dogs or cats; our team of dedicated nurses are just the people to help you.
Our nurses can also advise on the dietary management of disease. If your pet has been diagnosed with a medical condition that would benefit from a dietary change, your vet may advise you to speak to one of the nursing team. They will not only be able to explain the changes needed to your pet’s diet and the benefits of doing so, but they will also help you transition your pet to the new food. Our nurses have a wealth of experience and tips up their sleeves to help you!
If you think you would benefit from this service, please give us a call to arrange an appointment.