For repeat medication requests, please order at least 24 hours in advance by emailing us at medicines@ovg.co.uk or by telephoning 01458 832972. You will be requested to pay prior to collection.

Our current opening times can be found here

We are a nation of animal lovers. Never has this been so apparent than during, or since, the coronavirus pandemic. In 2022 UK pet ownership had reached 62%, equating to 17 million UK households having a pet. The last few years have brought home to many of us what truly matters and relationships, including the furry variety, have played a significant role in getting us through what has been for many, a challenging time. The love we receive and give to our furry, and sometimes not so furry, friends has helped so many with loneliness, depression, and isolation.

Our Glastonbury branch was established in 1939 by Charles Grunsell and Dennis Nicholson being one of a number of Orchard Vet branches in Somerset at that time. In those days, operations were performed from a house on a kitchen table; so much has changed since the early days. Orchard Vets has seen our service through so many changes and challenges over the last eighty years, however, these last few years have allowed us to re-evaluate our priorities.

Until recently, many of you will be aware that Orchard Vets was a mixed practice, dealing with not only pets but also farm animals. However, to allow us to concentrate on giving our clients and their pets the best possible service, in July 2023 we released the farm side of the business so that we could focus on the pet side and became a solely small animal practice. We continue to be independent and can now concentrate on maintaining high practice standards, including focus on some of our certifications including feline friendly and rabbit friendly status, and providing our own out of hours emergency service.

It is with great excitement that we announce the next stage of our journey with our community. We would like to welcome new clients but equally look forward to seeing more of our existing clients, whilst reassuring them that we have made these changes as we have their pets’ best interests at heart. We want you to know that, as pet owners ourselves, we want you to feel that you are in the safest of hands, with the knowledge that the level of care and attention we give your pets is the same level of care that we would expect our own pets to receive.

 

Full terms and conditions can be found here.

 

We are busy preparing for an Open Day on 16th March and we ‘d love you to come join us on the day.

And you can’t have an open day without a dog show, to show off your favourite pooch, can you?

Classes include:

  • Best fancy dress
  • Loveliest lady
  • Most handsome hound
  • Waggiest tail
  • Monty Carlo game

Alongside this, you may be tempted to enter your dog into an obstacle course where they can show off their skills, jumping and weaving or try and sit still in our photo booth….either way, participating or watching will be fun!

If you’ve never been behind the scenes before you may be interested in taking part in our scavenger hunt, where you can make your way around the practice, solving clues along the way and have the opportunity to watch demonstrations of some of the equipment we use in veterinary practice.

Not forgetting our feline friends and small furries – we’re holding a competition especially for them so send us a photo (reception2@ovg.co.uk) and we’ll display as many as we can on the day and choose our favourite (prizes to be won!).

Children are also very much welcome, we will have face painting, an activity area and careers information for any young inspiring vets and nurses.

Our open day will run from 1pm and 4pm, refreshments will be available and any proceeds raised will be donated to The Cats Protection, Hounds for Heroes and Search & Scan.

 

 

Please click on the following link to access our latest newsletter which includes guidance on;

  • Cold weather aches and pains
  • Winter fleas
  • Microchipping for cats which becomes compulsory from 10th June 2024
  • Rabbit advice
  • Winter weight alert!

Winter 2023 newsletter 32233-PDF

Has your dog been vaccinated in the last 15 months?

We appreciate these things can get missed due to busy times, holidays or maybe financial pressures.  Suddenly you realise the vaccination has lapsed and to get good immunity your pet needs to have a full course of vaccinations.  The vaccination covers your best friend against a range of potentially life-threatening diseases, including distemper, parvovirus, leptospirosis and hepatitis.

With this in mind, we are running a SPECIAL OFFER from now until 31st March 2024 providing a full course of primary injections at the price of a booster where you can SAVE you up to £26 on the usual cost!  The discounted cost of the vaccines will be £57.78.

This means your pet will receive two vaccinations, four weeks apart and will include a full clinical examination by a veterinary surgeon.

The offer is available for dogs over 18 months and who have not had a vaccination within the last 15 months.

To book an appointment for this money saving initiative go to https://www.ovg.co.uk/online-appointments/ or give us a call on 01458 832972 where a member of the team will be happy to help.

 

Full details on your pet’s vaccinations can be found here.

VACCINE AMNESTY – TERMS & CONDITIONS

  • The Vaccine Amnesty at Orchard Vets will run from 01.02.24 to 31.03.24 and at this time is available for dogs only.
  • The first vaccination must be booked in and given before 31.03.24 to qualify.
  • Available for dogs over 18 months of age, who have not received a vaccination in the last 15 months.
  • The vaccine amnesty offer is a way to get your pet’s vaccination status back up to date at a minimal cost whilst also benefiting from a health assessment.
  • Full vet health assessment means a physical examination of your pet by a veterinary surgeon.
  • All consultations are by appointment only.
  • The vaccine is a course of two injections which are required exactly 4 weeks apart* (please bear this in mind when making an appointment). Annual boosters are advised in subsequent years to keep your pet protected.

*It is the pet owner’s responsibility to ensure the recommended two vaccines required are given within the recommended timescale to get full immunity.

  • The diseases the vaccine protects your dog against are distemper, parvovirus, leptospirosis and hepatitis.
  • Full payment is required in at the time of the initial vaccination.
  • This offer cannot be combined with other offers unless specified here.
  • This offer cannot be exchanged for a cash alternative.
  • Rabies vaccinations are not included.
  • Canine/Kennel cough vaccinations are not included.
  • Should you wish to join our pet Health Plan at the same time as this vaccine amnesty this is possible, and a further discount will be applied.
  • This offer may be withdrawn at any time.

 

For all you rabbit owners out there, here is a winter newsletter published by the Rabbit Welfare Association providing top tips for keeping your bunny warm this winter.

 

The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS), the governing body of all practising veterinarians in the UK, has recently updated the legislation regarding the prescribing of medication to pets.

This legislation requires veterinary surgeons to carry out a physical examination of the pet every time a controlled medication or antimicrobial medication (antibiotic, antifungal, antiviral or prescription anti-parasitic medication) is prescribed. This is a crucial step towards ensuring responsible antimicrobial use and reducing our impact on the wider issues of global antibiotic resistance and decline of insect populations.

For anti-parasitic medications only, we are able to assess the pet’s lifestyle risk and need for ongoing preventative care, and prescribe them the product for a full 12 months, to be collected as needed. Our team is currently working hard to make sure parasiticide prescriptions are up to date for all our existing patients. However, if the need arises during that 12 months to change products, a physical examination will be required. For all other long term prescription medications, our usual policy of requiring an examination every 3-6 months will continue to apply (depending on condition).

The full guidance from the RCVS can be found on: ‘Under care’ – new guidance – Professionals (rcvs.org.uk)

We appreciate that this may cause some frustration if you feel that this has led to your pet needing to be seen more quickly than it otherwise would. We have tried very hard to ensure that this is not the case wherever possible, but it is very important that pets on any ongoing medication are re-examined at a regular interval to ensure that they are still on the correct product, the correct dose, and are not suffering with any side effects. All consultations for ongoing medication also include a full physical examination from the vet which is very beneficial in detecting any changes to their health at an early stage.

For our latest newsletter, click here

Topics include

  • Troublesome ticks
  • Firework fears
  • Pet insurance
  • Autumn awareness
  • Ticker troubles
  • Caring for your pet’s teeth

Following on from the proposed new laws, laid out in parliament on the 31st October 2023, if uncontested it will go ahead in England and Wales from the 31st December 2023.  Follow this link  for further information.

We invite you to take part in the following survey undertaken by the competition and markets survey (CMA):

Take part in the survey: CMA Survey

The recent spike in pet ownership and the current economic climate have combined to focus pet owners’ minds on how they access veterinary care, the clarity and transparency of the information provided about that care and who is providing it, and the cost of that care…

The CMA review needs to gather as much quality information as possible to establish an accurate picture of the market… An informed, detailed and accurate CMA Review is in the best interests of our industry as well as the pet owners and pets we serve.

The survey closes in mid-October.

We invite you to join us at Orchard Vets for a charity afternoon to raise money for The Cinnamon Trust and Search and Scan Somerset.

Saturday 14th October 1-4pm

 

  • Practice Tours

  • Children’s activities

  • Meet the team

 

CAKES – SANDWICHES – CREAM TEAS – TEAS/COFFEES AND COLD DRINKS AVAILABLE

 

 

Each month we introduce you a pet of the month which we think you’ll find interesting. Maybe for its condition, its bravery or perhaps just for its character.

Do you think your pet deserves to be recognised as Orchard Vets pet of the month?

To be considered please email us at info@ovg.co.uk explaining why you think he or she is deserving, a recent photo (max 5mb in .jpg or .png format), a short biography and your pet’s favourite activity or place. Sadly, we won’t be able to publish all requests and there aren’t any prizes, only bragging rights should your pet be chosen!

 

 

 

Click on this link to get up to date news and pet advice for Summer 2023.

Topics include:

  • Summer itches
  • Booster alert
  • Rabbits teeth
  • Ear problems
  • Summer advice
  • Anal gland issues

Click on this link to get up to date news and pet advice for Spring 2023.

Topics include:

Advice for puppy and kitten owners – getting off to a good start

  • Kennel cough
  • Can you pinch an inch (pet weight management)
  • Lungworm alert
  • Miscrochips

To view our Winter newsletter, please click on this Link

Topics include:

  • Worms – what to look out for
  • Dental disease
  • Winter survival guide
  • Caring for your senior cat
  • Winter flea alert

Christmas hazards

The John Lewis ad is out and Michael Buble is on the radio. This can mean only one thing…Christmas is coming! It is a time when most of us indulge a little, and we don’t want our pets to feel left out. Some surveys suggest that around 90% of pet owners buy their furry, feathered or scaly family members a present, and almost 20% spend more on their pets than their mother in law. Some of those presents include tasty treats, but as ever, we wanted to give everyone a quick reminder of the treats that dogs or cats shouldn’t have, as some can cause serious health problems.

Chocolate

Most dog owners know by now that chocolate is a big no-no for dogs. One of the ingredients, theobromine, can cause a rapid irregular heart beat and seizures and toxicity can be (though thankfully rarely is) fatal. Theobromine is more concentrated in dark chocolate than milk, especially good quality cooking chocolate. There isn’t any in white chocolate, but the sugar and dairy content could still cause a tummy upset, so best to stick to chocolate substitute drops made specially for dogs! Don’t forget how sensitive dogs’ noses are, so if you gift chocolate to a pet owning friend remember to warn them to keep it out of reach and not under the tree!

Grapes, raisins and currants

In some cases, grapes or raisins can cause dogs to become severely unwell, even going into acute kidney failure. With Christmas cakes and puddings being baked at this time of year people often have more of these products in the kitchen than normal, and we’ve dealt with a few cases of dogs having thieved the entire stock! Luckily all have been dealt with simply as the owners have presented them as soon as they ate the raisins. Unfortunately, it’s not known exactly what makes grapes and raisins toxic, or why some dogs appear to be severely affected by only a very small amount, so we recommend keeping all mince pies, Christmas cake and Stollen well out of reach – so they don’t end up stolen!

Alcohol

Alcohol affects dogs and cats the same way as humans, but due to their small size, much more quickly and severely, and alcohol poisoning might develop. Most pets won’t readily drink alcoholic beverages due to their unpleasant taste (remember how horrid your first glass of wine tasted?) but sweet mixers could disguise it, so make sure drinks are also kept out of reach.

Onions and garlic

Onions and garlic aren’t highly toxic, but ingestion of very large quantities can lead to tummy upsets or destruction of red blood cells (anaemia) so they are best avoided.

Bones and leftovers

Although table scraps aren’t toxic, they can cause some problems if offered to pets. Cooked poultry bones splinter easily into sharp fragments which can damage the mouth or gut, so aren’t a suitable treat. Very high levels of fat in meals can also lead to pancreatitis for pets, which could potentially mean a lengthy hospital stay suffering with nausea and vomiting, and severe abdominal pain. A little bit of lean turkey meat is probably ok as a treat (if there are any leftovers!) but hold the skin and gravy. Oh, and just like humans, dogs eating sprouts can produce some fairly toxic gases of their own, so you have been warned.

Other Christmas hazards

A Christmas tree in the corner of a room can be too much temptation for cats and kittens and they might try to climb it, possibly leading to injury to themselves or family members. Tinsel looks like a great fun toy too, but if eaten can cause severe gut problems as it attempts to pass through, acting as a linear foreign body and needing emergency surgery to remove. Chewing on Christmas light cables could lead to electrocution (cats, kittens and puppies and pet rabbits find them particular temptation) so best keep them unplugged and prevent unsupervised access to the tree!

Lilies

Flowers are often gifted but beware that lilies are poisonous to cats. All parts of the lily are poisonous and even a small amount of lily pollen can be enough to cause kidney failure.

Outdoor pets

Consider moving rabbits and guinea pigs to a warmer location such as inside a shed. Insulate hutches and allow for plenty of bedding to snuggle into. Check their water twice daily in case it freezes over.

Help…!

No matter how careful you are, accidents do happen. If your pet is injured or unwell over the Christmas period, we don’t advise attempting to treat them at home, since some human medications can be very dangerous to pets. Contact the surgery on 01458 832972 for advice, or information about how to contact the duty vet for an out-of-hours emergency appointment.