Both our branches are open between 8.30am and 6.00pm Monday to Friday. We are also open in one of our branches each weekday evening until 10.30pm and from 8.30am to 6.00pm Saturday and Sunday. The evenings and weekends alternate between the two branches so we are open in Ebbw Vale on Monday and Wednesday evenings and Abergavenny on Tuesday and Thursday evevenings. As the weekends alternate between branches too, the Friday evening will be open in whichever branch is on that weekend. This makes it easier for us to offer a continuity of care for any patients that need to stay in over the weekend.
We have appointments at various times of the day and in the evenings, our receptionists will discuss with you to arrange a time that works for you.
Yes, in general we do ask everyone to make an appointment to see the vet or nurse. This allows us to keep waiting times to a minmum and ensure we have the appropriate staff available. If your pet has been injured or has an acute emergency do make your way down as quickly and safely as you can. In these cases if you are able to call us before you leave or on your way then plesae do so, this again helps us to ensure we can attend to your pet as quickly as possible when you arrive. The most important thing in these cases is for you and your pet to stay safe so please only call if it is safe to do so.
It is very difficult to say how much it will cost in any particular case as there can be so many variables, if you have any concerns about cost please let the team know, they will do their best to advise but often the first instance is a consultation to determine the issues, during which our team will advise you of any options and costs.
If your pet is in one of our Membership Clubs you will receive a range of discount depending on the Club you have chosen. We are a membership only practice for all new joining clients so please take a look at our Memberships page for further details
Please be aware that we try to keep our prices all inclusive as much as possible, to keep it simple for you. This means that we won't charge you extra for minor procedures needed with in a consult such as clip nails or anal glands, etc. Neither will we charge extra for a nurse procedure if it needs to be done by a vet for some reason. We we estimate for a surgical procedure will will aim to include all the items you need, or give you a price range or upper limit if there are things we can't predict.
| Consultation and Examination | £53 |
If it is during our opening hours please call if you can and our team can advise you on how to help your pet and get them to us safely. Even if you are already on your way to us it helps if you are able to call ahead if it is safe to do so, this ensures we can attend to your pet as quickly as possible when you arrive.
If it is during the night or times when we are closed, please call our usual branch numbers Abergavenny 01873 857544 or Ebbw Vale 01495 305465 and you will be put through to a Veterinary Nurse. They will take details of your situation and give any advice they can straight away.
During the evenings they will contact our branches to call you back to arrange a phone call or consultation with the vet.
After 10.30pm Monday to Friday or 6.00pm Saturday and Sunday they will direct you to Vets Now in Newport if your pet needs immediate attention. You can find their details and directions HERE
We understand that the reason our clients have insurance is often because they know they may not be able to afford a large expense suddenly and unexpectedly. With this in mind we can offer direct insurance claims in some cases. This means that you will pay us the policy excess (often £100-150) and we will then claim the remainder of the costs directly from the insurance company. You must be aware that there can still be other costs for you to pay at a later date as many policies will carry an additional percnetage excess that we cannot calculate, or they may exclude items that we have claimed for.
It is important to understand that this puts a financial burden on the practice as a business and we reserve this for cases where there is a sudden large expense and you are unable to fund that yourself in the short term. For chronic cases with ongoing costs, for smaller amounts under £250, or if you are able to pay in full then we ask that the payment is made at the time of treatment as is our standard policy, and that you claim the money back from your insurance company yourself. We aim to process all claims as quickly as possible to reduce any financial impact on you.
Our policy is for payment to be made at the time of treatment. As we are not a registered credit provider any provisions we make to spread costs are legally limited. We understand that financial factors can be a huge worry when your pet needs care and we will do everything we can to support you. We would always ask that you let us know of any finincial constraints as soon as possible and our team will do their very best to find a solution. Our vets will discuss all options of treatment in detail and let you know what costs are invloved, in many cases there are lower cost options that can keep your pet comfortable and safe.
We also aim to make access to veterinary care as afforable as possible by offering our WAG Club Membership which includes all your consultations for just £10/month. This means that you can come and see a veterinary professional whenever your pet needs it and they can give early advice on how to help your pet and any costs involved. Early intervention by seeing a vet or nurse sooner rather than later is much more like to keep the costs of treatment down as well.
If your pet is behaving out of the ordinary, especially if they seem quieter than normal, are more aggressive or restless, or are refusing to eat or drink. then it is always best to give us a call. Our team can take details over the phone and advise whether it seems likely you need to see a vet or nurse. If they are still unsure or you want to get more information, one of our nurses can see your pet and do a further examination and get all the details form you. They can then give more accurate advice or refer directly to the vet if they feel it is necessary.
You can also use our Pet Care Advice page to check your pets symptoms or get more information about a range of conditions. Our Symptom Checker will allow you to enter your pets symptoms and get advice on whether they need to be seen or not, and if so how urgent it is.
Pets are very good at recognising when we are distressed so it is important to stay calm as this will reassure them that everything is ok. If you want to bring a favourite toy or blanket that is fine. Make sure that you can keep your pet secure, dogs must be on a lead and cats and other small animals should be in a secure carrier. This is important for the saftety or your pet and our other patients, even if you know how your pet is going to react you can't predict what other animals will be around and they may be very stressed.
It's a good idea to make some notes about your pets symptoms or any questions you want to ask so that you don't forget when the time comes, there can often be a lot to think about. When you arrive you can usually bring your pet straight into the waiting room, but if you or your pet are happier to wait outside or in the car that is fine, just pop in and let the reception team know that you have arrived and they will let the vet know.
Many pets are nervous to come to the vets and we are used to handling them. We always aim to make their visit as stress free as possible but for some of them there is little that will make them feel brave. Staying calm and acting normally yourself can go a long way to reassure them that everything is ok. When you call to book your appointment, let our team know that your pet is nervous and they can try to arrange a quiter time to visit, or make sure it is a time you are most likely to be seen promptly.
For the more nervous pets we will adjust our procedure to make them as comfortable os possible, sometimes this means seeing them outside or in the car, or sometimes they trust us more when you are not with them, they suddenly view us as their surrogate caregiver. In extreme cases we can prescribe medication for you to give at home that will make them feel more relaxed when they come here.
This is not currently something we do routinely, but we are more than happy to discuss your needs and carry out titre testing if you wish. The vets will discuss the options with you and make you aware that we cannot reliably titre test for all diseases. But as long as you have all the information we can work with you to ensure your pet is protected.
