Facilities and Services

We offer a wide range of services at our Ludlow and Tenbury surgeries.

Consultations

We have 15 minute appointments on weekdays and Saturday mornings (Saturday morning at Ludlow and Tenbury only) to listen to your concerns about your pet and gently and carefully examine them. This also allows us enough time to discuss illness and treatment options. We have an appointment system for our consultations. This means that (except in the case of an emergency taking priority) we should never keep you or your pet waiting for too long.

Cat Friendly Practice

We are a silver standard cat friendly practice. This is a qualification accredited through ISFM (international forum for feline medicine) which means we have achieved a high standard of cat specific health care. The scheme is designed to cater for cats' specific needs and recognises that cats are unique animals and not simply 'small dogs'.

By being cat friendly we aim to make your cats experience at our practice as stress free and caring as possible.

Being a cat friendly practice means:

We provide a cat-only waiting area, this is a quiet space where you can wait with your cat away from the sight and sound of dogs. It has raised areas to place your cat basket on and towels to go over the top to reduce your cats' stress levels as much as possible.

We have a separate ward in our hospital area which is kept as quiet and with as few dogs as possible to help make your cat's stay more relaxing. We have some larger kennels for cats staying overnight and provide a perch and hiding places for any in patients.

We have two dedicated 'cat friendly advocates' at both sites (see our separate 'cat advocates' page for more information) to ensure we adhere to the cat friendly guidelines.

We ensure all our staff do regular training related to feline medicine on a yearly basis so we have up to date knowledge on treating our feline patients.

All staff are trained in handling cats in a cat friendly manner, this means no scruffing unless absolutely necessary, taking our time and being as gentle as possible.

In pictures

For more information on being a cat friendly practice and what this means please see ISFMs website: https://catfriendlyclinic.org/cat-owners/what-you-should-be-looking-for/.

Rabbit Friendly Practice

We are a silver standard rabbit friendly practice. This is a qualification achieved through membership to the RWAF (Rabbit welfare Association and Fund) and by adhering to their strict guidelines which means we cater for rabbits specific needs and our staff are experienced in rabbit medicine and routine surgery.

Here at Teme Vets we recognise that rabbits often require very different treatment and husbandry compared to cats and dogs and as a prey species should be kept seperate from them whenever possible. By being a rabbit friendly practice we aim to make your pet rabbits' visits to us as calm and safe as possible.

Being a silver rabbit friendly practice means:

We try to seperate rabbits from predator species as much as possible to reduce stress

We provide hospitalised rabbits with foraging material and hiding areas and encourage them to be housed with companions

We use tailored anaesthetic and pain relief protocols specific to rabbits

We routinely neuter, vaccinate and perform dental work on rabbits

We have specific vets and nurses who are listed via the RWAF online on 'the Rabbit Friendly Vet List' as having a particular interest in rabbit medicine and who do regular training related to rabbit medicine on a yearly basis so we have up to date knowledge on treating our rabbit patients.

Out of hours

We provide 24-hour emergency cover for your pet. Out of hours we usually consult from our Ludlow surgery.

Surgical procedures

Routine, exploratory and more complex surgical procedures are performed at all three sites e.g. neutering, dentistry and soft tissue surgery. Our dental equipment is modern allowing us to complete extractions, ultra sonic scaling and polishing.

More advanced surgical procedures such as some orthopaedic surgeries are performed at Ludlow only. We also have access to Orthopaedic specialists Dr Stewart Bedford and John Davies and Cardiology specialist Dr Mark Overend, who visit us on a referral basis when required. Only trained staff monitor your pet’s anaesthesia, this could be a registered veterinary nurse (RVN) or a student nurse under the direct supervision of a vet.

Diagnostics

We have an In-house laboratory at our Ludlow and Tenbury surgeries providing us with almost instant results. An advanced digital radiography suite is also available in Ludlow and Tenbury wells. Upgrading to the use of digital imaging makes this process much quicker making it safer for your pet. In addition like photography we can zoom in on different aspects of the image which can assist with diagnosis. We also have Ultrasound technology in Ludlow and Tenbury wells. We use this non-invasive technology predominantly for pregnancy scanning and investigation into abdominal or heart disease.

Our wards

We have comfortable hospital wards to provide full day patient facilities in Ludlow and Tenbury. Our nurses look after the patients during the day providing them with everything required to help speed up recovery: medicating, washing, exercising or providing physiotherapy and plenty of TLC Patients requiring longer and more extensive hospital stays are centralised in Ludlow, with your permission we will generally transfer them for you. While we appreciate that the hospital environment is not the same as being at home we only recommend it in the interest of your pet, we keep them stress free, comfortable and play music if it helps. We have specific cat kennels off the ground ensuring they are draught free; we have dog kennels of varying sizes and walk in kennels for the larger patient.

Pet Health Plans

These are designed to help you budget for your pet’s preventative health care but are not instead of insurance. For more information on our Pet Health Plans and to sign up please click here.

Pet Physiotherapy

Teme Veterinary Practice is now offering an exciting new service: physiotherapy and rehabilitation for your pets.

What is physiotherapy?

Physiotherapy or physical therapy is an evidence-based profession with scientifically proven methods, which aims to restore, maintain and promote normal function of musculoskeletal structures, and thereby contributing to a good quality of life.

In the rehabilitation of patients with musculoskeletal diseases, soft tissue injuries or after orthopaedic surgical procedures, the focus is on relieving pain, enhancing recovery, preventing compensatory issues and minimizing subsequent functional disabilities. Rehabilitation is recommended after ligament reconstruction, fracture stabilisation, and joint or spinal surgeries.

As a maintenance treatment, the therapy contributes to weight management and to keeping the patients fit and healthy. In this case, the aims are to improve posture and stability, to maintain normal muscle mass, flexibility and good range of motion in the joints and to prevent injuries and the further progression of existing impairments. It is mainly employed in young or geriatric patients and in patients with chronic or degenerative conditions where surgical solutions cannot be considered. It is of particular benefit to the many older arthritic patients we see and is an important adjunctive therapy alongside anti-inflammatory drugs and joint supplements.

Physiotherapy can also assist by improving fitness and performance and reducing the risk of injury in competing and working dogs with specific exercise plans, tailored to the individual. Within the treatment plan, the goals are to build power, strength, endurance and speed.

Nurse Clinics

Nurse clinics are available throughout the day and some of our nurses have special areas of interest. Find out more about nurse clinics here

Pet passports.

Travelling with your pet is becoming more and more popular. We can provide you with everything you need. Please speak to us if you are thinking of travelling with your pet.

Home Visits

In an emergency, it is always better to bring your pet to the surgery where we have full facilities and the staff at our disposal to care for your pet. Valuable time can be wasted in us coming to your home only to then transfer your pet to the hospital. We do appreciate that sometimes it is not easy or possible for some owners to get some pets to us. In such cases, we will do home visits whenever possible. Please call the surgery as soon as you think this may be required and we will make an appointment.

Home visits for end of life are understandably the most commonly requested house calls and we will always try and organise this service for our clients to be at a convenient time and with as much dignity and comfort for your pet as possible.

End of Life

This decision is never an easy one and we will support you in every way we can, for us it is the final treatment we can provide and one of the kindest decisions that you as an owner can make.

Whilst you are coming to terms with the decision we are here to help you in every way we can; you may find a quality of life scale useful to help you with your decision making. Please ask us to send one to you.

This can be a very stressful and difficult time and we want to help you in every way we can, where possible it can help to discuss your options and make decisions ahead of the appointment. Please call the surgery if this is something you would like to do. If there is no-one available to speak with you immediately, then we will ring you back at a mutually agreeable time.