Ardene House cares for all pets - large or small, dog or cat, exotic or bird, and offers an extensive range of services.

Our RCVS accredited hospital facilities at Kingswells allow us to carry out medical and surgical veterinary care, personalised vet and nurse health clinics, acupuncture, in-house laboratory diagnostics, digital radiographic imagery, ultrasonography and video endoscopy. The hospital hosts two extensive surgical operating theatres, a dental suite, pharmacy, separate intensive care and isolation units, and individual cattery and kennel wards.

Our branch practice situated within the Bridge of Don Asda shopping area is a prime location with extensive car parking available. At Bridge of Don we carry out personalised vet and nurse health checks, diagnoses and treatment of medical cases including acupuncture. It hosts an in-house laboratory and pharmacy and can provide emergency treatment. Further diagnostics, hospital treatments and surgical procedures are carried out within the Kingswells Hospital.

We know your pet can become ill or suffer accidents at any time. To make sure you have access to high quality care when we are closed, we have chosen to partner with Vets Now, the leading provider of Out of Hours care.

Routine Care

Ardene House offers complete healthcare for all types of companion animal, from routine vaccinations through to tailored diet and nutrition advice for your individual pet

We offer appointments throughout the day for all your pets’ needs. When you book a consultation with a vet or nurse you will get a full 15-minute consultation which means you have plenty of time to tell us all of your concerns. We also work hard to ensure you can see the same vet every time you visit us. Appointments can be made by telephone or at our reception desks.

We offer a full vaccination and booster service for all dogs, cats and rabbits. Our vets keep up to date with emerging diseases and make sure our recommended vaccines are the best available.

Emergency Care

When you have animals, emergencies happen. Unfortunately, they are part of life. Ardene House Vet Practice is here to help you and your pet.

We know that emergencies (of any kind) are very stressful for both you, your family, and your pet. It is our goal to help you in any way that we can. Our staff is dedicated and well trained to handle emergencies of all types.

One thing we would ask you to do is please call ahead, 01224 740700, so that we are better prepared to take care of your pet when you come in. 

We are dedicated to providing 24/7 care to your pets, 365 days a year. We will always see your pets as quickly as possible during our opening hours.

Outside our opening hours emergency cover is provided by the specialist Emergency Care providing Vets Now from our hospital premises at Kingswells where a vet and veterinary nurse specialising in emergency care are waiting to be of assistance throughout the night. Please call them for free emergency advice or to get an immediate emergency appointment; Monday to Thursday this services runs from 8:00pm to 8:00am, and Friday from 7:00pm to 8:00am Saturday. The weekend cover is from 4:00pm Saturday through to 8:00am Monday.

Preventative Care

The majority of the advice we provide relates to preventative care and keeping your pet in tip-top condition. Having qualified and trainee Veterinary Nurses who between them have a wealth of knowledge and experience, allows us to run a number of clinics to help and support our clients with the care of their pets. Apart from helping your pet, a nurse-led consultation can also help you as a number of these clinics are free or charge or have a reduced fee compared to that of an appointment with a veterinary surgeon.

Nurse appointments can be made for some general check-ups, tick removal, clipping nails and administering medication; we also recommend them for routine wound checks and suture removal, dressing checks and changes, and post dental checks. Our nurses administer the 2nd and 3rd puppy vaccinations, give advice, as directed by vet, on flea and worm treatments, and provide a range of free advice consultations including organising regular puppy parties.

Health Promotion - Weight Clinics

 Our registered veterinary nurses offer free weight clinics. Let us help you to maintain a healthy body weight for your pet, where we will assess your pet’s body score, condition and measurements before recommending an individually tailored programme of exercise and diet to get your pet back to peak condition.

Neutering

Neutering your pet is one of the best things you can do for them. When you neuter your pets, you give them a better chance at a happy life! They often live longer because they are less likely to run away, get in fights, or get hit by cars. They are less likely to get certain types of cancers. Females are less likely to get pyometras and other deadly diseases. Males are less likely to spray and have other behavioural problems.

Here are Ardene House we would be pleased to help you neuter your pet. If you have any questions or would like more information on our neutering services, please contact us.

Identichip

It is a legal requirement for all dogs in Scotland to be microchipped and registered with an approved database by the time they are 8 weeks old. There are no exemptions with regard to age. Failure to microchip your pet could result in up to £500 fine.

An “identichip” is a tiny microchip, about the size of a grain of rice, designed to be injected under an animal’s skin. Each chip carries a unique identification code which can be scanned using a small handheld device. Vets, dog wardens, rescue charities and other organisations dealing with lost pets are equipped with these scanners. At implantation by straightforward injection, the owner’s details and identichip code are registered for life at a central database. When a chip is scanned in a lost pet, the owner’s details can easily be found.

Under the regulations, if you do not get your dog microchipped and keep your details up to date, then you may be liable and to pay a fine of £500. Don’t forget to change your details if you move house. The microchipping regulations do not affect the requirement for collars and tags as part of the Control of Dogs Order 1992.

Although for now it is not a legal requirement for cats to be microchipped, we highly recommend that cats are microchipped too; it really is the best method to help you become reunited should they go missing.

Repeat Prescription

You can order a repeat prescription by telephone. Please give us at least 24-hours’ notice to allow us to order any medication that we do not have in stock. We follow UK guidelines and all pets on repeat medication must be seen and checked by a Vet at least every 6 months. You will be charged a consultation fee for a medication review.

Written prescriptions, where appropriate, are available for a small charge should you decide to purchase your medication elsewhere.

Hospitalisation

Our in-patients are monitored and cared for 24/7 by vets and nurses, with Vets Now taking over responsibility to monitor their care when our practice is closed. Consequently, there is always at least one vet and one nurse on the premises at any time.

Our hospital has separate intensive care and isolation units, and individual cattery and kennel wards; We are particularly proud of our kennel ward where all kennels are “walk in”. Animals are typically moved into isolation if they display symptoms of (or have been diagnoses with) a particularly contagious disease such as parvovirus diarrhoea or cat flu. Rabbits and exotics requiring hospitalisation are admitted to our isolation unit. Effective barrier nursing is observed to prevent patient cross contamination by staff.

Surgery

We have a large prep area where animals are seen and examined prior to being admitted. There are two operating theatres where a wide variety of surgical procedures are performed.

All anaesthetised animals are monitored by a fully trained member of our nursing staff, using pulse oximetry, ECG and capnography where necessary.

Digital X-Ray

If an x-ray is necessary, this usually requires a sedative or light anaesthetic to keep your pet safe and still. This will mean leaving them in our care for a few hours. We have the most modern digital x-ray facility giving us very detailed images. The clarity of these images helps us in our diagnosis as well as being able to visually explain the problem to you, the owner, and discuss the most appropriate treatment plan for your pet. Successful treatment and management of disease relies first and foremost on accurate diagnosis.

State-of-the-art imaging at Ardene House Vet Practice

Computer Tomography (CT) Scanning is most commonly associated with human medicine but over the past few years, it has become increasingly common in the veterinary world. Taking detailed x-ray images of your pet, the procedure works in the same way as it does for humans – and offers the same benefits, if not more!

Why we would recommend a CT scan:

To visualise your pet clearly – Our CT scanner allows us to look closely at your pet’s organs, muscles, bones or other internal body parts in order to better identify the cause of potential problems – these may be fractured bones, tumours or many others.

To obtain incredibly detailed images within a matter of minutes – A CT scan can produce slice-like images of the entire patient, from any angle. Our software can then reconstruct the slices into a 3D model of the concerned area so your pets don’t have to sit through x-ray after x-ray – it’s all achieved in one relatively short session.

To make surgery more efficient – Once your pet has had a CT scan, our view of the problem will be more accurate and enhanced. It will help us identify, for example, where a tumour is growing and where we need to operate, often-minimising surgery time. CT scanning is also an incredibly useful tool for pinpointing conditions like metastasis (secondary tumours) or helping to decide if a tumour has or has not spread.

A better understanding – With pets who have broken bones or are suffering from orthopaedic abnormalities, a CT scan offers us a clearer picture of what’s going on, and therefore an improved understanding - which leads to a more applicable and successful treatment plan, and a happier pet!

How they work:

Picture a large, rotating donut…

CT scans for pets work in much the same way as they do for humans. The most significant difference is that your pet will most likely be sedated before the procedure. This ensures that they stay still; sedation also frees them from the potential stress caused by having to be placed in a particular position and remaining still during the process.

We will then place them onto a bed, which moves slowly through a motorized x-ray source, rotating around the circular opening of a donut-shaped structure (known as a gantry). The rotation means that we receive images from all angles. The scanner then processes the x-ray images; we can view them individually or compile them into a 3D on-screen model, so we can see a 3D picture of a particular organ inside your pet or view a cross-section of their body e.g. across the abdomen or chest.

The procedure usually takes 10-20 minutes and is incredibly safe. Usually the vet and nurse will perform the scan from a separate room; monitoring your pet’s welfare throughout.

If you’d like to know anything else about diagnostic imaging or about our CT scanner, don’t hesitate to get in touch – especially if it relates to any concerns you may have about your pet.

Tel: 01224 740700, email ardenekingswells@ardenehouse.co.uk

We are now able to offer laparoscopic surgery (better known as keyhole surgery). We have a dedicated operating theatre for this type of surgery, which has specialist equipment. It involves passing a camera and specialised instruments through tiny incisions in the body wall.

This is a minimally invasive way to undertake procedures such as bitch spays, biopsies and abdominal investigation. The incisions are considerably smaller, 0.5 – 1.2 cm compared to the 6 – 15 cm for a traditional spay wound.

The biggest benefit of this type of surgery is the recovery time, for example bitch spays using open surgery would normally need two weeks restricted activity after surgery. With a laparoscopic spay, the resting period is 2 to 3 days. The pain levels are lower and there are generally fewer post-operative complications. Your pet would not need a buster collar or pet shirt.

The spay procedure can only be carried out on dogs over 7kg, and should be done 3 months after a season, or at 6 months old. There is a higher cost to this type of surgery, however our Pet Health Club members are eligible for a 20% discount.

There are risks to any surgery, and our vets would explain all aspects of undertaking this surgical procedure to you. If you would like to find out more, and book your animal in for a consultation, please call our reception team on 01224 740700.

Dental care is very important for our pets, though many owners do not realise just how vital it is. Dental disease is more than just bad breath and discoloured teeth, it can cause many health issues, including heart disease, liver problems, and kidney disease and is the most common infectious disease of our pets.

80% of dogs and 70% of cats over three years of age suffer from some form of the disease and require dental treatment. This makes it the most common pet health issue among our pet population.

 Even though it is so common, and harmful, owners often don’t realise just how important it is to take care of their pet’s teeth. Owners need to brush their pet’s teeth and give dental chews. It is also important to have your pet’s teeth checked by a vet regularly; professional cleaning under anaesthesia might be recommended as we can reach areas where you are unable to reach with a toothbrush at home.

Owners are often unaware that their pets have a problem or are indeed in pain. The majority of dental problems are treatable and nearly all are preventable. If you are concerned that your pet has some signs of dental disease, or would just like one of our qualified veterinary nurses to look at your pet’s teeth, contact us today. We can schedule a professional dental cleaning if your pet needs one.

If your pet was seriously sick or injured and required major surgery and/or an extended hospital stay, would you be willing to spend £1,000 or £5,000 if required, or £400 per month for long term medication? If your answer is yes, but you’re worried about how you would afford it, then you should at least look into purchasing pet insurance.

If you already have insurance and are considering changing insurance companies, please give this considerable thought as changing policies after a condition has occurred can lead to exclusions on the future policy.

Insurance is peace of mind for all those unexpected expenses involved with pet ownership.

There are many insurance companies available and we recommend all clients make full enquiries before purchasing any insurance product.

More advice about Pet Insurance.

Just like humans, as our pets age, their health needs change and it is important for owners to watch them closely to make sure that they remain healthy. This is especially true with cats, who hide their illness well. Sometimes, by the times that you realize that your cat is sick, it is too late.

We offer a number of old age checks and can detect and treat a number of illnesses before they become a problem for your pet.

Diet is especially important for senior pets; their needs change so a senior diet should be fed and it is also important to feed a high quality food. Many pets start to get picky as they age so it is very important that owners monitor how much their pets really eat.

Regularly examinations are also important and we recommend at least 6-monthly health checks. As your pet ages it necessary to keep an eye on their weight and body condition. Our vets and nurses may be able to notice a problem with your pet before you do!

Regular blood work with a urinalysis should be done to review certain values as this will help catch any problems early; ensuring that your pet’s kidneys and liver are working properly. They can also highlight early signs of other potential problems.

Arthritis is a very common problem with older pets; treatment is improving yearly. Arthritis cannot be cured but can be managed successfully and we have many different options to make your senior pet more comfortable.

If you have any questions about the care of your senior pet, please contact us today; one of our dedicated staff will help you answer your questions.

Golden Oldies for cats aged 11 years or over

These appointments are for senior cats, and include a questionnaire, blood pressure reading, weight check and urine analysis and they are free.

As our pets get older a number of conditions can develop. The aim of these checks is to catch any disease process or aging changes as early as possible before any overt clinical symptoms may have arisen. This allows us to treat or support a patient at the earliest stage of a problem.

Our puppy and kitten care at Ardene House is second to none. We use modern generation vaccines to provide the best possible protection and our vets perform full health checks before vaccination.

Our registered nurses provide free monthly puppy and kitten check appointments up to the age of 12 months. During these appointments the nurse will discuss a range of topics with you and answer any questions you have so that you can become a confident pet owner.

As any caring cat parent knows, a routine visit to the vet is anything but routine. Regular examinations are the right thing to do, but try telling that to your cat. Stress levels run rampant; emotions are on high. This can be especially true for senior cats that are showing signs of changes in their behaviour. If only there was a way to help tame the entire vet experience. The following steps should help you plan and prepare the next time your cat is due for an appointment.

Carrier Tips

Be sure to always use a carrier, or substitute with another safe container for safe transport.

If your senior cat keeps refusing to enter the carrier, help get your cat acclimated to it by placing it among your home’s everyday environment. Place any treats, favourite toys or blankets inside to make it more comfortable and inviting for your cat. And be sure to keep them inside once your cat enters.

Top-loading carriers are less stressful for your senior cat, as they allow for easier removal. And if needed, your cat can be examined while remaining inside the carrier.

Car Ride Tips

Don’t limit car rides strictly for visits to the vet. Start taking your cat on regular rides in the carrier to help your cat get used to the motion and the surroundings of your vehicle.

Avoid feeding your cat for at least one hour before transport to keep your cat from getting carsick.

Surgery Tips

Give your cat a treat or verbal praise to reward good behaviour in both the waiting room vet/nurse consulting room.

Always speak in a soft voice to help your cat remain calm.

Never resist a trained veterinary professional from handling your cat. This will raise your cat’s anxiety and may cause her to bite or scratch.

Be sure to discuss with your vet or nurse ways to make your next visit even more comfortable for both you and your senior cat.

Cats over the age of 8 – 10 years old should have a health check every 6 months so that problems can be detected early and the maximum done to help our aging cats. (The same goes for dogs too)

Kitten Checks

Take advantage of our free monthly kitten checks to help get your pet used to travelling to the practice and being handled.

We have vets and nurses who have experience with exotic pets and hold extra qualifications in caring for these species.  We can provide general care advice to help you keep your pet healthy, and more specific help if your pet is ill.  We are happy to see all exotics species including but not limited to rabbits, rodents, birds, tortoises, snakes, lizards and amphibians. 

Services include:

• Husbandry advice
• General health checks and screens including parasite checks
• Nail and beak trimming/shaping
• Dentistry
• Blood sampling
• Imaging: X-ray, CT and ultrasound
• Surgical facilities

Good husbandry (the correct environment and diet) is vital to health in our exotic pets and many of the health problems we see are due to inadequate husbandry.  We encourage owners to utilise our General Health Checks where we can examine your pet and discuss in detail any improvements needed to keep them healthy. 

Our veterinary hospital at Kingswells now has its own CT machine, which is available both to our own clients, but also to those referred to us from other veterinary practices. Scans are performed by trained staff, and we use recognised RCVS radiographers to give us detailed reports on the results of the scan, which will be used to identify the best treatment options.

We are pleased to be supported in our clinical work by specialist veterinary surgeons who work with us at Kingswells. This means that your pet has access to some of the best referral facilities in Aberdeenshire should one of our Veterinary Surgeons recommend a referral consultation for your pet. You do not have to be a client of Ardene House to take advantage of this expertise; if you are concerned your pet is not responding to treatment please speak to your vet about referral to a specialist.

We are pleased to be able to offer specialist pain management, cardiology and dermatology.

Our visiting veterinary surgeons in these areas are:

Fergus Coutts – Pain Management

Craig Devine  - Cardiology

Marcel Kovalik – Dermatology (skin conditions)

Call us if you would like to discuss the options with these visiting vets.

Are you having problems caring for a terminally ill pet at home? Does your pet have a medical condition that is painful or causing poor quality of life? Are you afraid that your sick or elderly pet is suffering?

Deciding when your pet may need hospice or euthanasia, or “putting your pet to sleep”, is a very personal and private decision, but that doesn’t mean you have to make this difficult choice on your own. Our hospice and humane euthanasia services are conducted with respect, compassion, and care. Before you struggle through one more day with a sick, elderly, or terminally ill pet that is suffering, call us to learn how we can help.

Our staff of compassionate, caring professionals can help you through this painful experience. We will offer hospice services and will work with you to ensure your pet’s comfort and dignity during his or her last days and final moments. Do you have any special requests? Do you have questions about care of your pet’s remains? We can help you with these concerns and will make every effort to accommodate your wishes at this very difficult time.

There are several options for handling of your pet’s remains; probably the most common choice today is cremation, with or without the ashes returned.

Grieving for your pet can be a very sad and difficult experience; the following may be of help:

My Family Pet - Coping with the Death of Your Pet

My Family Pet - Helping Children Understand Pet Loss

The Blue Cross also offer a bereavement support line if you would like to talk to someone. The number is 0800 0966606.