What We Do

Vaccination is one of the most important things that we as pet owners can do for our pets. Our general guidelines can be found here for dogs and cats. Our vaccination appointments include a thorough health check, allowing you to also raise any health concerns with the attending veterinarian. It also allows us to detect age and breed related illnesses early, bettering our chances of ensuring a long and happy life with your beloved family member. Vaccinations are strictly by appointment.

Sterilisation involves surgically removing the ovaries and uterus in females (also known as spaying) and the testicles in males (also known as castration) in dogs and cats. Each patient undergoes a wellness examination before the procedure, which is followed by sedation and a full anaesthetic. After the procedure patients are nicely tucked into bed and monitored until fully recovered. At Cottage Vet we pay particular attention to individual care, correct sterile technique and comprehensive pain management.

Annual routine health checks are essential. Animals age at least seven times faster than humans and diseases need to be screened for and detected early to ensure that our pets live a long and happy life. Each patient is examined from nose to tail, paying attention to body and coat condition, heart and lung health, signs of joint pain and arthritis, and any other concerns that you may have.  These appointments are also a great opportunity to investigate breed and age specific problems.

Obesity has been shown to decrease life expectancy by up to three years in dogs. Therefore, Cottage Vet provides free weight checks and weight management consultations to any pet. We have specially trained staff that will check Sally and Edgar’s body condition, establish their ideal weight, and develop a patient specific plan to achieve it. Together we can embark on a journey to optimise health and ensure a long and happy life for your pet.

The most common complaint from families is that Jack has suddenly developed stinky breath, which makes those doggy kisses less appealing than they could be. We can give Jack his winning smile and minty-fresh breath back with our fantastic dental equipment, toothpastes, brushes and gels. Dental health checks are advised on an annual basis from 3 years of age, with a full dental cleaning every 2 – 3 years. Home dental care is encouraged and includes regular brushing, using dental rinses, and using dental cleaning chews. Cottage Vet stocks a wide range of products aimed at home care. Please feel free to ask us for more information!

You never think it will happen, until the day it does…the gate was left open and Buksie is gone! Microchipping is safe, easy and the best way to ensure that Buksie is reunited with his family. A microchip can be implanted within minutes and no sedation or anaesthetic is required to do so. The microchip is size of a rice granule and is implanted using a needle. It is no more painful than a regular injection. Once it has been implanted we will register the microchip on the central database and your details can be easily accessed should your pet be brought in to the vet. Book an appointment today to have your pet microchipped, it will take only minutes and save much heartache.

Grooming is not just about looking and feeling good, it’s about good health too and our groomers are professionally trained to take the best care of your pets. And for those difficult babies that stress so terribly, we can offer sedation by our vets to make the experience stress free.

Saying goodbye is never easy and exporting a pet to another country can be very stressful for owner and pet alike. We can assist with the export requirements for your pet, including microchipping, vaccination, blood tests and health certificates. Every destination country has their own specific requirements and it can take a few months to prepare your pet’s documents for export. Be sure to make an appointment to discuss the process with the vet as soon as you become aware that emigration is on the horizon.

Cottage Vet is equipped to handle emergencies, from broken bones to all sorts of bites, including snake bites (we are one of the few practices that stock antivenom).  Emergencies DO NOT require an appointment and will be seen upon arrival to assess the seriousness of the situation so that we can take appropriate action.

Whether it be a sore paw, sniffle, sneeze, runny poo or itchy skin, we offer general consultations on dogs, cats, funnies, furries and featheries. General consultations are by appointment, which helps to minimise endless waiting to be seen by the doctor. Please phone 021 856 2746 to make an appointment.

Patients needing hospitalisation are housed in individual kennels with comfy blankets and beds, cared for by our fantastic qualified veterinary nurse. Environmental control helps to keep your furry family member more comfortable whilst they are on the mend. We also pay close attention to ensuring that patients get optimal nutritional support, loving care and attention.

A full in-house laboratory enables us to perform blood tests quickly and efficiently at a fraction of the cost. This decreases the waiting period and helps to get Fluffy an accurate diagnosis, on the right medication and back home to her family as soon as possible.

Imaging allows us to see inside the body without having to make a cut. It can provide vital information and is one of the most useful aids in making a diagnosis. Digital x-rays and ultrasounds (sonar scans) are performed on site. We also have access to CT and MRI scans.

All the vets at Cottage do routine procedures. These operations include spays, neuters (for dogs and cats), wound management and small growth removals. All of our vets are also able to perform emergency surgeries to treat conditions such as uterine infections (pyometra), intestinal obstructions (enterotomy and gastrotomy), burst diaphragms, splenic bleeding, and open chest and abdominal wounds.

Dr Morné has a special interest in surgery, with skills and equipment to deal with any orthopaedic surgery. Mending broken bones (with plates, screws, external fixators or pins), fixing cranial cruciate ligament tears and re-aligning a luxating patella (floating kneecaps) are just a few of the surgeries commonly performed. Surgeries are performed in a state of the art operating theatre, with sterile equipment.

Advanced surgical procedures and soft tissue surgery include complicated growth removals; plastic surgery and skin flaps; liver, kidney and bladder surgery; and surgery of the chest (thorax). Dr Morné is one of only a handful of surgeons that can perform the following procedures:

1. Implanting stents for tracheal collapse (collapsing windpipes)
2. Artificial bladder sphincter (valve) placement for incontinence (leaky bladders)
3. Radical surgery of the nose in cats for squamous cell carcinomas (skin cancer).