Frequently Asked Questions

HSR is a referral only hospital. In order to book an appointment with us, you first need to take your pet for a consultation at your local veterinary practice, who will assess your pet’s condition and consider if referral is deemed necessary. In many cases, your local practice will have the expertise and equipment to treat your pet’s condition effectively. However, in more complex cases, they will suggest referral to us if they consider this to be in your pet’s best interests. As is the case in human medicine, you may also request a referral, and in such instances your local practice will usually be more than happy to arrange this for you. Ahead of your initial consultation at HSR, your referring vet will send us all the medical history we need; we will then contact you directly to book your appointment and begin your referral journey.

Before bringing your dog for an appointment, please speak to one of our Client Care Assistants to let them know of any concerns, we will then be able to discuss a plan of action after conferring with the hospital team. In certain cases, we may be able to assess your dog in the car park; this can help ease the stress of being in an unfamiliar environment.

Once you have had an in-person consultation with one of our specialists or physiotherapists, they will then be more than happy to give follow-up advice over the phone if required; you may also send us photos and video footage to assist with any future advice. Please note that, not all advice can be given remotely and may require further physical examination.

We are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Our Client Care Team are available from 08:00 – 20:00 on weekdays and 08:00 - 16:30 on weekends.

In emergency cases, surgery will often be performed the same day. For routine cases, we will book in necessary surgery at the earliest availability, after the consultation.

Yes, you are very welcome to have check-up appointments and follow-up x-rays performed at your local veterinary practice. We are always happy to review these x-rays for free if your vet would like our input. We do advise owners to bring their pets back at HSR around the six-week mark where possible, so that the surgeon can physically examine their patient to see how they are getting on.

We usually keep our patients in for one night following routine surgeries. This is so that we can monitor their condition and comfort and administer any necessary pain relief. Length of stay in the hospital is dependent on the procedure performed and the pet’s recovery; more complex surgeries, such as total hip replacements and spinal surgeries, often require additional hospitalisation.

Staying at the vets is rarely easy for pets, which is why we have paid great attention to the design of our kennels and dedicated cat ward. Each kennel has a glass door, enabling pets to stay in a bar-free atmosphere, including our extra-large walk-in kennels. The lighting and ventilation systems provide as much natural light and fresh air as possible to keep the environment fresh and relaxing. We have set aside quiet kennels for more nervous patients and have installed a Sonos™ sound system for those pets who prefer to have the radio on for background noise. We have a modern, glass fronted lift for dogs who are unable to climb stairs, to allow easy access to other areas of the hospital.

For orthopaedic cases, we generally look to obtain our own radiographs as we can then calibrate them to our specialist equipment here at the hospital, which is an important factor in surgery success. Our radiographs are taken with surgical correction in mind, this requires very specific angles and image quality that is not always achieved by the images taken at referring veterinary practices.

Recovery rates vary for each patient and depend on a variety of factors such as, the type of surgery performed, and the standard of aftercare provided. We have our own rehabilitation team at HSR who can tailor a recovery plan for your pet alongside the clinical team. This plan will provide you with the assistance you may need once your pet returns home and is beginning their recovery process. We will also provide personalised discharge instructions to each patient once they are discharged from our care, aiming to guide you through the initial recovery process.

Whilst you will have already had a consultation with you referring vet, our specialists require a physical consultation to assess your pet with a specialist’s perspective; they will need to acquire information that has likely not been provided by your referring practice. This is vital in determining a plan for investigations and treatment for your pet. It also allows time for you to have any queries answered that your referring vet was unable to advise on.

Fully qualified, recognised veterinary specialists are analogous to Consultants in human medicine.

To become a specialist, which is recognised as the highest level of qualification available within the veterinary profession, candidates must undergo several years of extensive training under the direct supervision of other recognised specialists and pass an exam which is extremely demanding and takes place over three days.

Prior to your consultation with one of our specialists, they will study your pet’s history that your referring vet has provided us with.  During the consultation, the specialist will have a thorough discussion with yourself regarding your pet’s condition, prognosis, treatment options, and make a plan that suits you and your pet going forward, should you elect to have treatment here at HSR. This discussion can often take up to an hour and provides an ample amount of time for you to relay any concerns or queries you may have in regard to your pet’s condition. Following the consultation, your pet may then be admitted for further investigations and or treatment. Alternatively, you can go away and think about your given options before proceeding further.

When booking in appointments, we recommend that your pet is brought to us on an empty stomach, therefore having no food past midnight the night before the appointment (water is fine to be given). This is to give you the option of conducting further investigations (such as imaging) on the day on the appointment, should they be deemed necessary, and if we have the availability to do so. This is discretionary and up to you as to whether you would like any investigations to proceed. Should you wish to go away and think about it before admitting your pet to the hospital, that is also absolutely fine; we will not proceed with any plan without your full understanding and consent. Should you have any concerns regarding this, please speak to our friendly Client Care Team.

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Depending on the nature of investigations or procedures required, your pet may need to be anaesthetised or sedated. This involves administering drugs that make the animal “sleepy”, provide differing degrees of pain relief and muscle relaxation to allow the procedure to be performed safely for both staff and animals.

Whether sedation or anaesthesia is more suitable for your pet, depends on the type of procedure, the temperament of your pet, concurrent diseases your pet has, how painful a procedure could be and how immobilised and relaxed your pet must be. Each sedation or anaesthetic is specifically prepared for each individual patient.

Your pet will monitored by one of our anaesthetists and theatre nurses the entire time, until they are fully recovered. After this, they will receive a lot of TLC from our ward nurses, who will continue to monitor them until they leave the hospital to ensure they are comfortable and progressing as expected.

Your pet will generally be starved for around 12 hours before receiving sedative or anaesthetic medication (specific correspondence is sent to you before your appointment). The reasons for this are outlined below. After their assessment by the anaesthetist, your pet will receive a first dose of calming drugs once in the theatre preparation area of the hospital. Depending on how calm your pet is, he or she will either have a cannula placed in order to administer this dose, or receive an intramuscular injection to allow venous cannula placement. To reduce the risk of infection, a fur must be shaved, and the skin prepared aseptically before this cannula is placed. In some cases, where your pet may be very anxious during vet visits, we may prescribe calming medication for your pet to take the night before and the morning of the appointment.

How sleepy he or she becomes following the first injection of calming drugs, depends on the type of drug and the dose given (see below for the difference between sedation and anaesthesia). If your pet is being sedated, drugs are administered until the desired level of immobilisation and relaxation is achieved. If your pet is being anaesthetised, additional drugs are administered until a tube can be placed in their airway (trachea) to protect the airway and deliver oxygen and, depending on the anaesthetic protocol, anaesthetic gases. During the anaesthetic the animal is not consciously aware of its surroundings, and preparation for the investigation or surgery can commence.

Your pet will be kept as warm as possible during the procedure or investigation. Once the procedure or investigation is concluded, drug delivery is stopped, to allow the animal to recover from the effects. Depending on the drugs administered, a reversal agent may be given to speed up the recovery process. If your pet was anaesthetised, we wait until it regains “control” over its airway before removing the breathing tube. Once he or she is awake enough to eat and drink, we will offer food based on their dietary needs we will have discussed with you during their admission to hospital.

Almost inevitably, your pet will remain slightly “sleepy” after it receives a sedation or anaesthetic, even if reversal drugs have been given. You may notice he or she is a bit quieter, and perhaps less interested in food if being discharged on the same day as having a sedation or anaesthetic (for outpatients only).

If your pet is deemed to be “too sleepy” to return home the same day, we will keep them under observation for the night. If your pet has undergone a complex procedure, or is sick, requires additional observation or pain relief, the hospital stay will be longer, and this will be discussed with your consultant during the admission process and subsequent phone calls.

Sedation and anaesthesia can be considered part a continuum, during which the animal is increasingly unaware of its surroundings and what procedure it is undergoing. Sedated animals can still move their limbs, turn their head, blink, and protect their own airway (maintain a patent airway and swallow). Anaesthetised animals do not blink when their eyelids are gently stroked, they cannot swallow, and their muscles are totally relaxed: they require a tube in their airway to protect it from aspiration (regurgitated stomach contents) and to keep the airway unobstructed. This emphasises why it is important your pet does not eat before its anaesthetic or sedation: you will receive specific instructions before you attend for your pet’s appointment.

The deeper sedation becomes, the closer the animal is to being anaesthetised. The same drugs could theoretically be used to sedate or anaesthetise an animal: the difference lies in the drug dose and administration technique used. Anaesthesia and sedation therefore share many possible risks, which your consultant will go through with you while obtaining informed consent for the animal to undergo sedation or anaesthesia.

Whilst sedated or anaesthetised, patients at HSR are monitored closely using state-of-the-art multi-parameter monitors. These give an indication of the blood haemoglobin saturation of oxygen, the carbon dioxide and inhalational anaesthetic gas an animal breathes out each breath, its blood pressure, electrical heart activity and rhythm and body temperature.

At HSR, we use specialist anaesthesia equipment to deliver inhalational anaesthetic gases and oxygen, while syringe drivers and fluid pumps are used to precisely administer injectable drugs. Dedicated anaesthesia workstations with integrated ventilators allow carefully controlled mechanical ventilation of anaesthetised animals while monitoring pressure in delicate airways where required.

Records are taken and interpreted under the supervision of our Anaesthesia team. The team works closely alongside our other specialties within the hospital to develops tailor-made anaesthesia and pain relief plans for patients under the care of all clinical disciplines in the hospital, ensuring first class care for all our patients.

Each anaesthetic plan is based on a detailed review of patient medical histories, a pre-anaesthetic examination of the patient and liaison with the specialist requesting a procedure. Based on this, the anaesthetist in charge of your pet creates a protocol, considering his or her needs as well as any challenges potentially arising during an investigation or surgery: ensuring patient safety and comfort are paramount throughout the stay at HSR.

Anaesthetists have significant input into the care of critical care patients requiring intensive care and play an ongoing role in adjusting your pet’s pain relief or advising on how to keep your pet calm in the postoperative period, both as an inpatient or an outpatient at HSR. Your pet will only be allowed to come home, once we and you are confident any remaining pain can be adequately managed at home with you.

A CT scan, also known as computed tomography scan or a computerised axial tomography (CAT) scan, is a computerised x-ray imaging procedure that generates cross-sectional images, or “slices” of the body. Once a number of successive slices are collected by the machine’s computer, they can be digitally “stacked” together to form a three-dimensional image of the patient. This allows for easier identification of body structures and for accurate surgical planning.

Unlike x-ray, a CT scan can differentiate between different types of soft tissue and thus can be used in the investigation of a wide range of non-orthopaedic diseases. CT scans are also particularly useful in oncology cases, both in delineating the extent of a primary tumour and in assessing for metastatic disease. With the administration of an intravenous contrast agent, a ‘contrast’ CT can detect subtle regions of pathology within a wide range of body tissues.

A CT scanner uses a motorised x-ray source that shoots x-rays as it rotates around the body. Special detectors are located directly opposite the x-ray source and each time the x-ray source completes one full rotation, a computer then produces a 2D image or a ‘slice’ of the patient. In a 16-slice scanner there are 16 detectors and thus each revolution acquires 16 slices simultaneously.

When a full slice is completed, the image is stored, the motorised bed moved forward incrementally and then the process is repeated to produce another image slice. This process continues until the desired number of slices is collected. A full body CT can be acquired in less than one minute in most patients.

Image slices can be displayed individually, which allows the region of interest to be viewed without with any superimposition of other structures. This is invaluable in orthopaedics and at HSR we routinely use CT scanning in the assessment of elbow dysplasia, specifically with regard to the diagnosis fragmentation of the coronoid process (FCP). CT is also the gold standard for the diagnosis of humeral intercondylar fissures, a problem commonly seen in Spaniels and Labradors.

Individual images can also be ‘stacked’ together by the computer to generate a 3D image of the patient. These reconstructed 3D images can then be rotated and be viewed from any angle. They, in turn, can be used to make custom implants and cutting guides using sophisticated computer software and 3D printing technology.

• For assessment of complex anatomic areas such as the skull or spine
• Planning of complex fracture repair
• For soft tissue and oncological cases
• Investigation of diseases of the thorax and abdomen, as the rapid acquisition of the images negates the movement artefact that would occur during an MRI scan.

Using ionising radiation, X-rays or radiographs are two-dimensional high-resolution images used to assess bone and joint diseases and malformations. A beam in the form of an X-ray is directed over the area of the body under investigation. The soft tissues are unable to absorb the radiation, whereas dense tissues such as bones absorb the radiation and thus produce an image.

Radiographs are very advantageous and accurate in orthopaedic workups and are generally the first diagnostic imaging tool used before other modalities like CT or MRI scans. Radiographs also provide a fast and cost-effective method in diagnosis.

• Orthopaedic problems: limb deformities, lameness and fractures
• Diagnosis of bone tumours
• Assessing the abdomen
• Checking organs
• Viewing changes in tumours or tissues such as tumours, cysts or stones

We tailor each session specifically for your pets’ requirements, as our treadmill has adjustable water height, speed, incline, and decline options. Prior to your pet’s session, we will do a full assessment, including a walk-up to assess movement and review gait analysis. We then shower your pet and apply a suitable harness before entering the treadmill. Our team provide a hands-on approach throughout the session, which enables us to assess patients and put them at ease. We are also able to assist in limb placement and use resistance bands to aid gait re-training and strengthening. Post-session aftercare includes a warm shower using natural shampoo followed by a towel dry, or optional blow dry, and lots of cuddles!

Patients can leave sessions feeling mentally stimulated; alternatively, they may feel an increase of energy and excitement. Please keep your pet calm and make sure they are kept gently mobile throughout the rest of the day to prevent possible re-injury or any muscular stiffness.

A session will last for 45 minutes, which includes assessment, showering pre and post session and drying, plus our handover with you.

Our water is heated to 30°C.

We use chlorine as a disinfectant to keep the water clean and test the water multiple times per day to protect both your pet and the hydrotherapists from any risk of infection.

We advise no feeding within TWO hours prior to a hydrotherapy session. If medication is required with food, we do allow for a small amount to then be given, but it should be avoided where possible. No feeding until half an hour after your pet is home and settled. 

The hydrotherapy session will take the place of ONE of your pet’s walks for the day. Please do allow for a short toilet walk before arrival.

• Conservative and post orthopaedic and neurology surgery.
• Hip and elbow dysplasia.
• Cruciate ligament rupture/repair.
• Patella luxation.
• Degenerative myelopathy.
• Spondylosis.
• Arthritis and mobility issues.
• Fitness and weight loss.

• Skin/eye infections.
• Open wounds.
• Urine infections.
• Tumours (unless for palliative care).
• Patient is non-weight bearing.
• Contagious diseases.
• External skeletal fixators.
• Sickness and/or diarrhoea.

Hydrotherapy is a form of therapeutic exercise which is carried out in warm water. Hydrotherapy relies on the many properties of water, which all have effects on the tissues of your pet and how they move. The warmth of the water will help to relax your pet’s soft tissues, reduce pain and allow for a greater range of movement of joints.

The buoyancy of the water allows your pet to exercise in a partially weight bearing environment, which reduces the concussive forces through their limbs, allowing them to move through greater ranges of motion with reduced pain.

The hydrostatic pressure of the water provides enhanced proprioception to pet’s paws and limbs and assists in blood circulation and helps to reduce swelling and pain.

The resistance of the water will help to strengthen muscles, and the turbulence of the water caused by movement will also aid in proprioception, stability, and strength.

Hydrotherapy initial consultation is £76.49, and a hydrotherapy follow-up is £63.69.

This will depend on the terms of your insurance policy and how the insurance company defines hydrotherapy. Check with your insurer to clarify your policy and check if you need to get pre-authorisation for hydrotherapy.

This is dependent on your vet and their referral. If your pet is a postoperative patient, hydrotherapy can usually start a few days after stitches or staples have been removed.

It is a common thought that most cats are averse to water. However, through applying appropriate hydrotherapy techniques and modifying handling to feline behaviour, many cats have adapted successfully to hydrotherapy. We have had many positive results when rehabilitating cats using the underwater treadmill. 

We will allow time for your pet to relax and become accustomed to the environment during their sessions. Some pets who appear to dislike water, can take to hydrotherapy very well; especially with our hands-on approach, lots of praise, reassurance, toys and treats for motivation.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a type of scan that uses strong, static magnetic fields and radio waves to produce detailed images of the inside of the body. This is achieved through aligning the usually randomly orientated atomic nuclei of hydrogen atoms in the patient’s body.

A radio frequency (RF) pulse is then applied, forcing the spinning hydrogen protons to wobble. Once the RF pulse is turned off, the wobbling of the hydrogen protons generates a small electrical signal. The signal is detected by RF coils, which need to be positioned as close to the anatomical area of interest as possible. The rate at which the protons return to their equilibrium state distinguishes different bodily tissues.

MRI is able to distinguish subtle differences in the physical make up of body tissues and so provides detailed, high-resolution images of internal structures.

MRI is able to image through bony structures and so is the treatment of choice for image of the spine, spinal cord and brain disorders.

With the use of various ‘sequences’ MRI can be used to detect many different disease processes such as inflammation, haemorrhage and with the addition of appropriate contrast agents is invaluable in the investigation of neoplastic processes anywhere in the body.

MRI can be more cost-effective than combining various alternative diagnostics, is safe and non-invasive.

Diagnosis of spinal cord compression and spinal cord injury

Brain tumours

Tendon and ligament injuries

Investigation of seizures

Vestibular problems

Neck and back pain

Nasal discharge