Veterinary hospital invests £250K to improve facilities at flagship site

A Warwickshire veterinary group has invested a quarter of a million pounds to improve facilities at its flagship site.

The £250,000 investment by Avondale Vets in Warwick has seen it become one of the first general practices in the country to have its own CT scanner.

The scanner means the veterinary hospital can now provide more in-depth diagnostics for patients without the need for referral to a specialist.

Whereas a traditional x-ray will only display in 2D, the CT scanner – which stands for computed tomography – gives a detailed 3D image and a full cross-section of the patient.

The CT scanner can be used to diagnose a wide range of routine and more serious conditions, from ear and nasal problems, to diagnosis of cancer and assessing injuries after major trauma.

Avondale plans to have the scanner, which features the same technology used by hospitals throughout the UK, up-and-running by May.

Veterinary surgeon Mark Taylor said: “Very few primary sites in the UK have this technology. With more serious cases, we would normally be looking to refer the patient to a specialist referral centre such as Willows.

“However, this significant investment in our service at Warwick means we can offer a more in-depth service to our clients and their pets from their regular vet.

“The CT scanner is a very powerful diagnostic tool and gives us a lot more scope for all types of diagnostic work.”

This latest investment comes shortly after Avonvale announced it was spending £50,000 on new laparoscopic spaying and endoscopy equipment at its Stratford practice.

Avonvale is benefiting from being part of the Linnaeus Group, one of the UK’s leading veterinary service providers.

Linnaeus has an ongoing investment programme of £10m across its growing number of practices within the group, including practice expansions, investment in new state-of-the-art equipment and in expanding the number of vet and nurse professionals.

“This expansion in services has allowed the clinic to grow their team further and provide additional staff training,” added Mr Taylor.

“It’s all part of a continued programme of investment across all of our sites to give the best possible service to our clients across South Warwickshire.”