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Opinions on Companion Care Vets ( Pets at Home).

Sue&Smokes

Young Bun
Hi,

Just wondered if anyone uses 'Companion Care' Vets ? ( in Pets at Home Stores). If so, wondered how you would rate them, has anyone had any really good or really bad experiences with them?? Would anyone generally recommend them as being good rabbit vets??

Also, if anyone has any good vet recommendations for rabbit savvy vets in any of these towns or surrounding areas, would love to hear!!

Market Drayton/Shrewsbury (Shropshire)
Stafford
Crewe
Stoke-on-Trent
Chester

Many thanks!
 
Sorry I have no experience of using them, but I didn't want to read and run.

Someone with an answer to your question will no doubt be along soon.:thumb:
 
Not too impressed very basic service.
Very friendly but not very professional only used them
for 6 months.That was in Cramlington near Newcastle.
 
The vets are separate to pah and it really depends on the individual vets, some are rubbish and some are brilliant. I know that they are open all weekend which is a major plus but they will only be open when the store is I think.
 
I'm assuming it will depends on the individual vets who work there, maybe ring around and ask if they have any exotic specialists?
 
I'm assuming it will depends on the individual vets who work there, maybe ring around and ask if they have any exotic specialists?

this, if they have an exotic specialist theyre more likely to be good vets. (for rabbits)

though saying that i don't rate the companion care vets that ive heard about.
my cousin used to go there when she stayed in Ayr.
Dexter the mini lop had constant runny eyes, and blocked tear ducts.
they never checked his teeth or any xrays or diagnostics in the 5 times he was taken there and had his tear ducts flushed.

when i got him to my vet he had dental spurs that had lacerated his tongue.

obviously it will be different in different practices.
but if you try them and aren't happy then don't waste any money with them.
they were also more expensive than my own vets.
 
I use them and pay 12 per month for both buns and that includes nail clips and annual vaccinations for vhd and mixi and they also get flystrike protection too.
I have just got back from there actually and saw the vet for the first time who was lovely and really did seem to know a good amount about rabbits.
I think though, if I knew that something potentially serious of life threatening was wrong with one of them I would take them to another local vet who is a rabbit specialist. Its not that I don't trust companion care, I just want the best for the buns :wave:
 
We have one that has opened a practice in our town but not inside a Pets at Home. I have heard good and bad from people that have used them. As someone has already said there will be good and bad depending on who you see.
 
Companion care is essentially a franchise, so each practice is owned by its head vet/s, they are really buying into a brand and have to comply with certain corporate things (opening hours, branding etc) but essentially the day to day running and clinical management of each practice is pretty independent. So as others have said, it's not possible to make any assumptions at all about the quality of them as a chain, as the chain doesn't really exist from a clinical point of view.

I use my local companion care and they are definitely the best vets locally. The best vet in my opinion left recently and is setting up her own branch in another nearby town so I will swap there when it opens. For me it works really well as I work long hours during the week so the ability to have an appointment on a weekend for routine and follow up issues is an absolute life saver. It's not something I would factor in over and above the quality of the vets, I'm just lucky that it works out very well for me - but I have heard about other companion care practices where I wouldn't take my pets, so it is definitely down to the individual vets.

Incidentally, vets 4 pets is now part of the same 'chain'.
 
The one near me is very good but mine have only been neutered and had their vaccinations so cannot judge their rabbit knowledge. They gave very good information and advice though :thumb:
 
I don't have any experience of companion care but I take my rabbits to stone veterinary centre (abbey street,stone). They also own the Island Vets in Stafford think there is one in Lichfield too. They have been quite a few times as one of my rabbits has had a few dentals. They always manage to see you if they are full and they are open for a few hours on a Saturday at either branch and for a hour on a Sunday morning so have never found the need for emergency vet call outs! They are priced fairly too! Hope this helps sorry for the rambling!
 
Many thanks for the replies and for the vet recommendation in Stone, Hazel!! If there are any other good rabbit vets to be recommended in any of the other areas I mentioned previously, would love to hear of any more!!

Thanks again!!
 
The Companion Care in Plymouth was satisfactory, I think they are a separate business to PAH but they obviously have a kind of symbiotic realationship. Someone coming in to buy hay may see the cheaper prices of the vets and register. Same thing if someone leaves the vets and sees something they want to stock up on while they are out.

Anyway I had Pebbles neutered there and he recovered well. I also go there for their injections as it is cheaper then my other vet. However if Rosie and Pebbles were to come down with something serious I would probably take them to my other vets as they are very professional and I trust them more.
 
I think we're very lucky with our vets in P@H in Orpington. The head vet Stefan is wonderful with our rabbits and is technically very good I feel. He is also prepared to admit if he is not sure of something and will ring around other vets to find out out. The other vet Ellie is such a kind lady too - and just as knowledgable. They know us pretty well there now with having 6 buns:oops:. Their nurses are very experienced and thorough too with examinations - and use their common sense too. We had Sheldon in there a couple of months ago - he showed the signs of stasis at home so I whipped in straight away - they kept him in for observations, but instead of keeping in one of the kennels, they let him run around at the back so they could see how he was behaving (they were very quiet that day though).

I think like any vets - you get ones and not so good ones.
 
My Companion Care practice has a good vet, and a bad vet.

One of the vets there told me to syringe feed Blossom, although I insisted there was something different about her not eating. She went back in next morning as she wasn't any better, and it wasn't till early afternoon someone phoned to say they had done an x-ray and she had a blockage. I took her to D1ck vet and within 20 minutes of me leaving her, they called me because her tummy was so swollen that all her organs were being pushed up by it, and she was pretty blue. She was pts :cry:. I still blame the vet for telling me to syringe feed.

Then I took Bubble in to see another vet about a lump. They told me it was cancer and they would need to operate. They would also need to dig around and find where the "stalk" went. The vet didn't think his chances were good. I took him to D1ck vet a few days later as the lump seemed to be getting smaller. They said to leave it and see what happened and that they thought it was the wrong thing to operate. The lump went away itself.
 
Haven't used them myself as they're a pain to get to without a car, but thought I'd mention that all the ones down here subscribe to the rwaf, might be worth checking if your local ones do.
 
sammy h

:wave: haygate vets in wellington, Telford are excellent. I took my male netherland dwarf there to be neutered last summer. They routinely kept Alfie in overnight to be monitored because of the risk of anaesthetic to bunnies. This stay, his medication and an aftercare follow up appointment were all included in the price which I think was only around £60. The staff were so caring and compassionate. Both the veterinary nurses and vets seemed very bunnie savvy. There's a decent car park right outside the front entrance and everything appeared to be well organised. I will definately be taking my buns there this year for their vaccinations. Good luck.
 
Great to hear all the input regarding the 'Companion Care' vets, many thanks to everyone who has commented!! Thanks Sammy for the recommendation for Haygate, Wellington is pretty close to where I live, so will certainly check them out!! :)
 
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