Dragon Vets – Prestbury Park

The team at Dragon Vets feel that they have the right mix of highly trained staff, investment in cutting edge equipment and techniques and above all a true understanding of how important pets are in people’s lives, so that they apply care and compassion to every case that they see.

All staff have to fit in to the friendly environment, and understand what it is like to own and love animals. The clinical team make decisions based on what is right for the individual pet and his or her family, not based on what equipment and techniques are available. What is important is bringing all the options to the pet and selecting what is best

Dragon vets is a tier 2 RCVS accredited practice based in purpose built premises at Cheltenham Racecourse with unlimited free parking. Everything is under one roof; the out of hours service for emergencies and hospitalised animals, Dragon Vets takes the stress out of urgent situations and inpatients stay in one place. Furthermore, there are separate cat and dog wards, which has been shown to significantly reduce any stress or anxiety involved for hospitalised animals.

The team of 10 vets and 20 nursing and support staff is dedicated to staying up to date. Alan Lack is the only vet in practice in Cheltenham to hold a Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) Advanced Practitioner Qualification, which not only means that many involved investigations can take place without referral, but that the clinical bar of the practice is raised, so that vets and nurses constantly strive for excellence in all areas. Alan is now working towards a second post graduate clinical qualification, and 3 of the other vets, Becka, Julie and Ollie, are also working towards Advanced Practitioner Status.

Investment in minimally invasive equipment

With the animal in mind the practice has invested in non or minimally invasive equipment: up to date digital x ray facilities, ultrasound including heart monitoring equipment, flexible and rigid video endoscopy, laparoscopic equipment for performing keyhole surgery and most recently the fabulous CT scanner. Research studies have shown that key hole neutering of female dogs, known as spaying, results in 60-70% less pain and faster recovery times than traditional spay techniques.

The practice has multiple trained veterinary nurses many of whom have further interests in areas such as surgical nursing and canine behaviour. The free of charge nursing clinics are a fantastic opportunity to bring animals in to the practice regularly and keep tabs on weight, diet and preventative health care. The nurses also run puppy parties which start a puppy’s socialisation with other dogs and are great for advice on training and health.

This practice is Vetsure Accredited. Find out more about The Vetsure Network.