Practice Tour

	Great Teamwork The practice is made up of a team of exceptional individuals who all strive to work together to make coming to BHVC a really enjoyable experience. We all work very hard when we are here - the practice at Beech House is open from 8am until 8pm Monday to Friday and open every Saturday 9am to 1pm. We also do our own Emergencies Out of Hours but everyone also works hard to have fun.....
	Anaesthesia We know that surgery and the resulting anaesthetic is a worrying time for you and your pet. We will try our very hardest to reduce your anxiety by reducing the risks involved to a minimum. This is why we strongly recommend regular healthchecks, pre-anaesthetic blood testing and using only the safest, licensed anaeshtetic agents. During the anaesthetic, one of our highly experienced nurses monitor your pet's heart rate and if appropriate blood pressure; the respiratory rate; the amount of anaesthetic given with the oxygen flow rate; the details being recorded on a anaesthetic monitoring sheet . We use monitoring equipment as an adjunct to help maintain the most steady level of anaesthesia whilst using the least possible amount of anaesthetic. Using such an anaesthetic protocol, we therefore endeavour to bring about the swiftest possible recovery and - in most cases - your pets can be discharged to you the very same day.
	Hospital Wards We are very lucky to have separate wards for Dogs and Cats & Rabbits - to reduce stress and make their stay as relaxing and condusive to recovery as possible. The Hospital Nurses make a real fuss of in-patients and with ward rounds held by the vets and the nurse on duty, we can ensure that the most appropritae treatments can be given to ensure their recovery as quickly as possible. We have piped oxygen to all cages and fluid therapy infusion pumps to provide accurate flow rates and dosages of medications.
	Operation and Anaesthesia Procedure Please ensure that you arrive on time for your Admissions Appointment, bringing cats, rabbits and small rodents in a secure basket or cage, and dogs with a collar and lead having had the opportunity to go to the loo without getting muddy or wet. We ask that you please follow the instructions below.
	For Dogs and Cats: Take food away at 21.00 hours on the evening before admittance but water must be freely available at all times Ideally, your pet will have been wormed within the last three months and given flea treatment within the last one month prior to visiting the hospital.
	For Rabbits and other small rodents: Keep food and water freely available request that they continue to be fed and watered as normal. Please call us if you are unsure about anything or would like further information.
	What happens next? When you bring your pet into the hospital, we will weigh him/her. The Admissions Nurse will run through the consent form with you and answer any questions that you have. Please ensure that you read the form carefully before signing, having checked that all your details are correct and that you have completed the phone number where you can be contacted. We perform a complete physical examination to look for any existing medical conditions that might complicate the procedure or compromise your pet’s health. However - as in human medicine - whilst the physical exam is important, it cannot provide a complete picture of a pet’s physical condition. Consequently, we recommend pre-anaesthetic testing. The pre-anaesthetic testing provides an insight as to what is occurring internally. This testing could uncover health concerns that cannot be detected from the physical exam alone and abnormalities in body systems – particularly the liver and kidneys - can have a major influence on how your pet responds to anaesthetic drugs. These pre-anaesthetic blood tests will give us invaluable information. We will contact you with the results of the examination and inform you of any abnormalities found on pre-anaesthetic testing and how therefore we wish to proceed.
	Pre-medication If we are happy with the results of the pre-anaesthetic testing, your pet will then receive an injection to reduce anxiety (tranquilizer) and provide pain relief (analgesic). This is known as pre-anaesthetic medication (pre med). After allowing 30 minutes or so for your pet to become slightly sleepy, we will then administer the general anaesthetic.
	General Anaesthesia The general anaesthetic agents that we use routinely in the hospital are called Rapinovet and Isoflurane. These are modern, short acting anaesthetic agents with an excellent safety record which were first developed for human patients. In fact, over 90% of humans are anaesthetised using these drugs. They are much “kinder” to the vital body systems such as circulation, kidneys and liver and are rapidly cleared from the animal’s body thus minimising the risk of side effects. Your pet will make a smooth, rapid recovery from the anaesthetic and be bright, alert and steady on its feet much sooner. Which of course means that the amount of time spent in the hospital is kept to a minimum!
	Anaesthetic Monitoring Each anaesthetic is monitored by a Qualified Veterinary Nurse (QVN) or - under the supervision of a QVN – by a Student Veterinary Nurse (SVN). The Nursing team monitor the Heart Rate and if appropriate the Blood Pressure; the Respiratory Rate; the amount of anaesthetic given with the oxygen flow rate; recording all these details on a Anaesthetic Monitoring sheet. We will aim to contact you after the procedure is completed, to inform you of how it went and also to give you an update on your pet’s recovery. We will give you a time when your pet will be discharged and a member of our clinical team will give you all the necessary information regarding post-operative treatment and after care. There will always be a degree of risk associated with anaesthesia and surgery, but we are confident that we have taken all possible precautions to ensure your pet’s safety and continuing well being. An information booklet on caring for your pet after the operation is available from reception.
	Sterile Operating Theatre We are very proud to have two theatres for surgery, one for dentistry and a diagnostic imaging theatre, all with piped oxygen. We perform our most involved and complicated surgery in our sterile theatre, such as surgical removal of foreign bodies from patient's bowels; removal of tumours; liver surgery, ear, nose and throat surgery but also all of our bitch spaying.
	Dental Theatre We are really proud of our dental facilities. Of course, all this can only be used effectively with the accompanying veterinary dental skill, experience and knowledge and we are very confident in saying we can help your pets to have a gleaming smile!
	Dental X/Ray Machine We were the first practice in the UK to have a veterinary dental x/ray machine and have continued to expand our range of dental instruments and kit. We now have two dental x/ray machines, two ultrasonic descalers, two low and high speed drills and even a table top x/ray developer. We are delighted to announce that the British Veterinary Dental Association are using these facilities for training other vets from around the country this weekend. This is great news such that other vets are now wanting to improve their own dentistry.
	Referral Dentistry Lisa, having worked in the practice for three years, now provides dental and oral surgery referrals for us. Her skill and experience means we can provide you with the highest standards and most modern techniques, including root canal treatment, endodontic surgery and prosthetics. We can also call upon her to perform major surgery to cut away jaw tumours in order to provide a better quality of life for longer
	Training at BHVC Our team is made up of highly qualified, experienced professional staff. The practice is committed to their continued development – both personal and professional – through post-graduate training, both in-house and externally. Each member of the team is encouraged to develop their own personal skills and interests within the practice. At present, our areas of special interest include internal medicine, dermatology, orthopaedics, soft tissue surgery, dentistry and oral healthcare for life of our dogs, cats and rabbits. We are an RCVS listed Training Practice so that students nurses can train to become Qualified Veterinary Nurses. We are a recognised Investor in People business. As a result of our belief that training is so beneficial to all of us, including you as clients, please be aware the Practice is closed every Wednesday from 1.00-3.30pm for staff training and development.
	Puppy Playschool Puppy Playschool classes are designed to be fun and a great way to socialize your puppy. You will meet other owners and their pups and Jane, who runs them, will run through everything you need to know to help your pup get off to the best start in life, learning the facts about how to keep them happy and healthy. They are held on a thursday afternoon at Beech House over a course of five sessions.
	Ultrasound Suite We are very lucky to have our own Ultrasound machine which we can use as and when necessary but since this field of veterinary medicine is so specialised, we are delighted to share the services and ultrasound machine of Andrew Holloway, a Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Diplomat in Veterinary Diagnostic Imaging
	Ear, Nose and Throat Surgery Geoff is a world-specialist in this field. He taught Simon, Liz and Jamie at Bristol University Vet School and we are delighted to be able to call upon him to operate on practice's cases
	Dermatology Referrals Simon is one of the few veterinary surgeons within the boundaries of the M25 who holds a recognised further qualification in Dermatology, the RCVS Certificate in Veterinary Dermatology. He has been involved with referrals in and around London since 1997, perfroming the most basic coat brushings to the more involved intradermal testing for skin allergies.
	Film Work at BHVC John and Jamie Crittall have been responsible for ensuring the welfare of animals used in filming since the late Seventies. John was one of the original ‘on set’ vets, looking after the first Andrex puppies. Jamie learnt the ropes from his father, John, whilst training at vet school on the set of "Gorillas in the Mist".
	Film & TV Credits include: Between them, they have many movies, commercials and TV programmes under their belts. • Gorillas in the Mist • Manchild • Legend of the Tamworth Two • You Bet
	The Media World Our well-pet centre in Shepperton is very handy, ensuring excellent back up whenever they are called to work at the Studios. Jamie is now the Chairperson of ACTA (the Animal Consultants & Trainers Association) and helped Skillset to introduce NVQ levels 2 and 3 Qualification for people wanting a career working with animals in the Audiovisual Industries. John and Jamie's combined experience covers small animals, livestock and zoo animals.
	Commercial Credits Include • Tiscali • BT • Persil • Andrex • Dime Bar • British Gas • NTL • Penguin Chukka • Coors Brewers