Pets
AnimalMatters Our monthly look at the issues concerning you and your pets with Alex Dallas of the London Road Veterinary Centre...
SMALL BITES W
Practice perfect! need an eye test soon, but my problem is I don’t know which opticians I should go to. And that’s despite loads of television and radio advertising, and even direct mailings. I’m still left unclear how to select an optician based on anything other than the price and the deal they offer. For me, the eye test and presumably the ability of the professional carrying it out is a given and doesn’t help my choice. This is the same problem veterinary practices have, trying to clearly differentiate themselves from other vets. As far as the public’s concerned, we’re all vets and therefore have the same abilities, skills, equipment and procedures. However, as vets we know we’ve worked hard to excel in certain areas, and invested financially in our premises and expertise, but we struggle to inform clients of this. At the London Road Veterinary Centre and at the Hollies Clinic, we take particular pride in our approach to anaesthesia and surgery. We use lots of pain relief before, during and after our operations, and we take great care with an individually-calculated pre-
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medication, which is tailored for each and every patient. We use intravenous fluids widely for all sorts of procedures, and the nursing and handling of each pet is carried out by our team of trained nurses. What does all this jargon mean? Well, it means a much safer and more humane experience for your pet, which is, of course, what you would want and expect. At the very least I’d want to know my pet would be monitored on oxygen throughout the operation and be administered more oxygen directly if needed. However, not everywhere is using these techniques – or using state of the art anaesthetic machines and monitoring. So how can pet owners appreciate what’s happening behind the scenes, when they don’t fully understand the procedures and can only compare vets by price, like me with the opticians? Well, here’s a couple of tips. Look at a practice website or their Facebook photos, and take a look at the facilities and level of standards that may be apparent. Do they have x-ray, dental equipment, ultrasound, a laboratory? They’re all vital in diagnosing and
e only launched our Pet Health Plans in July, but lots of people are already liking what we’re offering. It can sound a bit too good to be true, but it really does mean that ALL the routine costs of pet care are covered by a monthly fee – saving on the total, attracting special discounts and spreading the overall costs. Why are we giving local pet owners such a good deal? What’s the catch? Well, quite simply, there isn’t one! It’s just that we want to look after and retain our loyal and valued clients and attract new customers – that’s why we introduced the Pet Health Plans. We also like to think that with them, you’re able to give your pets the best possible care – and products – without finance being a problem. If you want to know more about Pet Health Plans, visit our website at www.makeyourpetsmile.co.uk and download a helpful brochure – and why not also check out our operating theatre facilities by clicking ‘Services’?
SMALL BITES treating your pet’s health problems and ensuring they stay fit and healthy. Visit the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons’ website at rcvs.org.uk for more information about Accredited Practices and the services we offer. Secondly, don’t just ask for a price for a procedure, but ask what that involves in terms of pain relief, anaesthesia, monitoring, and nursing staff involvement. You may not understand all the jargon but you may get a feel for the level of care your pet will be receiving. Right, I’m now off to check out some optician’s websites!
London Road Vets
@LondonRoadVets
www.makeyourpetsmile.co.uk
LONDON ROAD 25 London Road, King’s Lynn telephone: 01553 773168 e-mail: info@lrvc.co.uk HOLLIES Paradise Road, Downham Market telephone: 01366 386655 e-mail: info@holliesvetclinic.co.uk
KLmagazine August 2014
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