Services

Emergency/Out of Hours Provision

There may be occasions when your pet requires emergency treatment outside of our normal opening hours.  We are proud to be working in partnership with The Willows  Veterinary Centre Emergency Service.  The Willows offers our clients a friendly, highly trained and caring team who are available during the night, at weekends and Public Holidays.  Their centre is at Highlands Road, Shirley, Solihull, B90 4NH.

If your pet needs emergency care, please call us on 0121 783 2327 or 0121 783 7158.  If it is ‘out of hours’, our answering machine message will direct you to call The Willows on 0121 712 7070.  They will make arrangements with you so that your pet can be seen.

The fees for an ‘out of hours’ consultation at The Willows are £177.96 before 11pm and £226.36 after 11pm.

Click on the link for more information about The Willows Emergency Service.

In Patients at The Lodge Veterinary Centre

Any patients that have been hospitalised with us will continue to receive nursing care from our own staff on a 24 hour basis.

Prescriptions are available from this practice at a fee of £20.75 including VAT per prescription, per item.  Please note that any prescription can only apply to ONE individual pet.

You may obtain Prescription Only Medicines, Category V, (POM-V’s) from your veterinary surgeon OR ask for a prescription and obtain these medicines from another veterinary surgeon or pharmacy.

Your veterinary surgeon may prescribe POM-Vs only for animals under their care. A prescription may not be appropriate if your animal is an in-patient or immediate treatment is necessary.

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 animals requiring repeat prescriptions every 3-6 months, but this may vary with individual circumstances. The standard charge for a re-examination is £43.00 including VAT.

Further information on the prices of medicines is available on request.

Due to Department of Trade and Industry and Veterinary Medicines Directorate Regulations, we are unable to credit clients for any medicines returned to us. We are happy to dispose of them safely for you free of charge.

Referrals

There may be occasions when your pet requires referral to a more specialised centre.  Referral Practices can often offer much more sophisticated treatment options than general practitioners as they will have a wealth of skill, expertise, experience and more advanced equipment.  Referral disciplines include: Orthopaedics, Opthalmology, Medicine, Neurology, Oncology, Surgery and Diagnostic Imaging.  We are extremely fortunate to be within an hour’s drive of several excellent Referral Centres across the Midlands region.

If your pet requires referral, the Vet will discuss all of the options, including obtaining estimates of costs, prior to sending your pet’s history.

Pet owners with Insurance may need to check with their Insurance Provider prior to referral and may be required to submit a pre-authorisation or attend a specific referral Practice.

Second Opinions

Sometimes, as pet owners, we do not always agree with the diagnosis, prognosis or treatment options offered to our pet.  In these circumstances, some clients may choose to request a second opinion.

Second Opinions can be provided internally, by a different Vet in the same Practice, or externally, at a completely different Practice.

It is in your pet’s best interests for the Vet who is providing a second opinion to have full access to any previous clinical history or diagnostic test results prior to examination.  This ensures that the Vet does not unnecessarily repeat tests that have already been carried out, and gives an indication for deterioration or improvement in clinical symptoms.  Formal consent for your pet’s history to be transferred between Practices is required.

Seeking a second opinion does not mean that you will no longer be registered with a Practice, unless you choose to transfer

Vaccination is one of the most important services that this practice offers. When we vaccinate your pet we are helping to protect it against many potential fatal diseases. Further when we see your pet for its puppy or kitten vaccination or its booster injections we use this opportunity to perform a thorough examination, give advice on diet, flea and worm control. It is also an occasion for you to ask any questions that you may have about your pet’s health.

Sadly thousands of dogs and cats are lost or stolen every day. To help prevent this we recommend and offer a safe and simple microchipping service.  This involves inserting a microchip the size of a grain of rice under the skin.  In puppies and kittens this may be done at 10 – 12 weeks.  Adult pets can be microchipped at any time.  You will need to book an appointment with us.

The microchip number and pet details are registered on a central computer database, allowing your pet to be identified and reunited with you as soon as possible.

Compulsory Microchipping of Dogs and Cats

Since April 2016 it has been a legal requirement for all dogs in England over 8 weeks of age to be microchipped.

It will also be compulsory for all owned cats to be microchipped by 20wks of age from 10th June 2024.

Please ask a member of the team if you have any questions about microchipping your pet.

Many pet owners choose to have their pets neutered and it can play an important part in safeguarding their future well being.  Cats should be neutered at 6 months of age to prevent unwanted preganacies in females or inappropriate spraying in tom cats.  Bitches can be spayed at 6 months or in adults it is best to wait until 3 months after their last season.  Male dogs can be neutered from 6 months onwards.  We will always be happy to help and advise you.

At The Lodge Veterinary Centre we offer a range of flea and worm treatments. Dogs and cats should be wormed at least every 3 months for their own health and for public health reasons. If you have young children and you pet is a “hunter” you may even need to worm more frequently. Our staff will be happy to advise you on worming your pet.

Routine flea prevention is also recommended and there are many different products and regimes available to ensure that your pet and your house stay flea free. Again we are happy to advise you on all flea products available.

Recent studies have shown that over 40% of domestic dogs are overweight. Obesity in our pets predisposes them to serious health problems such as diabetes, arthritis and respiratory problems. We provide regular weight clinics at both surgeries with our qualified nurses were we can suggest and monitor weight loss programs for you pet.

Following Brexit Negotiations the Pet Travel scheme has been amended.  It is still possible to take your pet abroad and re-enter the UK without quarantine as long as you follow the most recent guidelines.  It can be time consuming and expensive to arrange for your pet to travel but the vets at our surgery are happy to explain the procedures and costs involved.

Useful links

• DEFRA Pet Travel Scheme
• Taking your pet abroad

July 2023 UPDATE

PET TRAVEL GUIDELINES

If you wish to take your pet (dog, cat or ferret) abroad and return to the UK without it having to undergo quarantine after 1st January 2021, please ensure that your pet meets the following criteria:

Travel to EU countries and NI:

1. Microchip
2. Rabies Vaccination (administered at least 21 days prior to the issue of  the Animal Health Certificate and when your pet is at least 12wks old) and then kept up to date with booster vaccinations per the manufacturer’s guidelines, before the period of validity expires
3. Animal Health Certificate (no more than 10 days prior to travel, which allows re-entry into the UK within a 4mth period)
4. Echinococchus Treatment no less than 24hrs and no more than 5 days prior to travel to the following countries : Northern Ireland, Eire, Malta, Norway, Finland
5. Echinococchus Treatment no less than 24hrs and no more than 5 days prior to return to the UK from all other EU countries
6. Please note that the GB Issued Pet Passport will no longer be a valid document from 1st January 2021.

Your pet will need to have regular Rabies vaccination boosters and will have to have an AHC issued each time that you leave the UK.

Each time an AHC is issued, the appointment will take approximately one hour.  Clients must attend the appointment with the following items on every occasion:

• The Pet(s) who will be travelling
• The Rabies Vaccine Certificate(s) for each animal travelling (or old Passport if the Rabies Vaccine has been recorded there)
• The registered keeper according to our records who will be signing a declaration of travel
• The address of the property you will be staying in, unless you are travelling to multiple locations/countries
• The first country of entry into the EU

Failure to arrive with any of these items will mean that the AHC cannot be completed and in busy periods we may not be able to rebook your appointment.

Animals travelling on valid EU passports must have their Rabies vaccinations done in the country that the passport was issued.  UK Vets are not allowed to administer/update Rabies vaccines in EU passports.  If the Rabies vaccine has lapsed then the EU passport is no longer a valid document and an AHC is required for exit from and re-entry to the UK.

Travel outside EU Countries:

Each country outside the EU has different requirements for the import of pets.  Please contact the Practice as soon as you are thinking of travelling abroad with your pet so that the most up to date advice can be given.  A minimum interval of at least 6wks is usually required in order to meet the various guidelines, except for Australia which requires at least 6-9mths planning.  You will also need to contact the Import Department of the country to which you will be travelling for additional permits.

Please do not hesitate to contact the Practice if you have any queries, or go to the link below for further guidance.

www.gov.uk/guidance/pet-travel-to-europe-after-brexit