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Your Pet’s Journey

What to expect when you visit Davies Veterinary Specialists

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On arrival at Davies you will be greeted by our Client Care team who will welcome you and your pet and let the vet know you are here for your appointment. They will give you some forms to complete which tell us all we need to know about your pet, especially if they need to stay in hospital.

We have separate cat and dog waiting areas to make sure all our patients feel safe and comfortable.

Your specialist will call you for an initial consultation. At this appointment you will discuss your pet’s condition, possible diagnoses and potential treatment options.

If you and your specialist decide your pet needs diagnostic tests to investigate what is making them unwell, or an operation or treatment, they will take your pet through to one of our wards to be made comfortable while we plan their investigation and care.

We have separate cat and dog wards to ensure every patient’s needs are met.

Most patients start their journey with diagnostic tests. These are tests we use to determine exactly what is wrong with the patient, so we can plan how to treat them. This may be X-rays, blood tests, MRI scans, or one of the many other sophisticated diagnostic tools we have available at Davies.

Some tests are undertaken on the ward (such as blood tests). Others require the patient to have sedation or anaesthesia to enable the tests to be undertaken (to make sure the patient is still and relaxed). You will always be informed if this is required, and be asked for your permission before tests are undertaken.

Once we have the results of diagnostic tests, and can tell what is wrong, we can plan treatment. This may be a surgical procedure (an operation), or may be medical care which will be undertaken in the ward. Some veterinary specialisms can undertake interventions (corrective treatments) during diagnostics testing, so that a separate procedure is not needed. This would be dependent on the individual case.

If a patient needs surgery, they will be taken through to our state-of-the-art operating theatre suite. You can read more about what goes on in Theatres here.

After surgery, the patient will be taken back to wards to be monitored while they recover.

If the patient’s condition does not require surgery, they will spend the rest of their time in wards receiving the required medical treatments, until they are ready to go home.

The specialist, or an experienced nurse, will meet you at the end of your pet’s journey to discharge them from hospital, and tell you how to care for them at home for the remainder of their recovery, and anything to look out for. We are available by telephone to discuss any worries following discharge (leaving hospital) should you need us.

Some patients may be seen and treated all in one day, and will not need to stay in hospital. For instance, this is the usual journey for patients undergoing chemotherapy.

Every journey is different however our promise to you is to offer outstanding care and excellent communication with you and your vet throughout your pet’s stay with us. If you have any questions please call us on 01582 883950

Linnaeus Veterinary Limited trading as Davies Veterinary Specialists 01582 883950

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