History of The Practice

Hillside Vets was originally set up in the front parlour by Keith Ward in 1966 as a mixed Practice. The Practice moved to its present position in 1992. When Keith retired in 1998 Anne and Richard Pescod took over the surgery.

It now concentrates on companion animals, household pets and exotics.

The current building has a purpose-built extension with off-road parking comprising a generous waiting room, two large consulting rooms, pre-operation preparation room with ultrasonic dental equipment, operating suite, separate dog and cat kennels, walk-in kennels, and isolation ward. We also have ultrasound, radiography and laboratory rooms.

More importantly it is staffed with dedicated veterinary nurses, nursing assistants and receptionists that really enjoy their job. The vets love animals. Simple really. No wonder the atmosphere is great.

Emergency Service

The out-of-hours service is manned by the Practice vets. Ring the Practice (01270 625310) and an answer machine will give you the mobile telephone number of the duty vet.

We are continuing our dedicated emergency service based at Hillside. The temptation is to follow others in using a service based in Stoke-on-Trent. This would take the strain off the vets working day and night shifts and provide access to vets working solely with emergency care. However, it would mean further travelling, possibly in an unfamiliar area, to unfamiliar vets without access to case histories; and the fees would be higher.

Please be aware that whilst it may be emotionally better to have a vet race out to your house, it is unlikely to be of benefit to the patient. It will take us significantly longer to attend; and we can only provide a basic level of first aid at home. There is rarely a reason that precludes moving an animal to the practice, where a much higher and prompter level of aid can be given.

Emergency consultation starts from £80: emergency visits from £140.

We are willing to do non-emergency home visits which can be organised for mid-morning during the week. But again please be aware that we are limited in what we can do in the home, though we do appreciate that this may be the best option for the final visit.

Home visits start from £60.