I remember, a few years ago a retired vet telling me about when he first started his practice and how it was just a case of putting a sign in the back of the car. How practice has changed! Vetting was different with farm animal and equine being the majority of the work and equipment was limited. As human medicine advances, veterinary follows closely behind and has progressed rapidly over the past 50 years, with a shift from large animal to small, companion animal work.
Setting up a vets in 2021 has been a little different, and our sign is a bit bigger. We need space to consult, space to prepare patients for surgery, a sterile operating space, an x-ray room with lead lined walls and an area to store medicines. In recent years there has been much research to improve practices to reduce stress in our feline patients. Separate kennelling and waiting space allow a barrier from their canine counterparts. It is also ideal to have a separate space for animals with infectious disease that we need to keep isolated.
So, our sign is a bit different but we very much share the same ethos of veterinary medicine and our declaration to the RCVS that ‘my constant endeavour will be to ensure the health and welfare of animals committed to my care.’ I very much hope you like our sign and we are able to provide a very high level of care.
Lucy Travers BVSc CertAVP MRCVS Highfields Vets