Equipment

Diagnostics

Your pet will receive the greatest possible care throughout diagnosis, treatment and recovery

If your pet has an unexplained problem, you want it to be dealt with quickly, efficiently and effectively. You want the most suitable vet to see your four legged friend so that you can trust the most accurate diagnosis is made and treatment given.

At Bay Vets our teams are made up of dedicated and enthusiastic individuals who are passionate about animals. As well as highly skilled surgeons and nurses, only the most advanced diagnostic and surgical equipment will be used to get your pet back to their best.

We have a great number of facilities at Bay Vets that enable us to diagnose, treat and care for your furry friend. They include:

Sterile procedures are completed in modern, well-equipped theatres, with separate spaces allocated to conditions for best infection control. We also have an isolated dental suite for oral procedures where modern equipment has been invested in to provide high-quality services. It is important to separate dental and soft tissue and orthopaedic treatment areas to avoid cross-contamination.

We are able to separate species to best increase their well-being during any stays with us, a few hours in the day or over-night. Lancaster is staffed 24-hours, with a dedicated night nursing team of Registered Vet Nurses seeing to every need and want of our inpatients.

Our Milnthorpe branch houses our Computerised Tomography (CT) Scanner wherein 3-D images of the inside of the animal’s body are generated via a non-invasive process involving radiation (X-Rays). From the scan we can determine shape, size, density and texture of animals’ bones and organs. This enables us to formulate the best plan going forward.

Chris Fellows BVMS CertVC MRCVS, Advanced Practitioner visits regularly to perform advanced diagnostics and monitoring of animals with heart and cardiovascular conditions. Heart Murmurs, Arrhythmias, Congenital Cardiovascular Disease, Episodic Collapse and Syncope can be investigated, a treatment plan created and monitored via methods including Electrocardiography (including Holter monitoring) and Echocardiography (including colour Doppler).

As well as our own team having additional certifications and access to modern ultrasound equipment, used to assess internal structures and guide sample-collection where required, Vet Practice Support’s Ben Griffin GP Cert (Cardiology) BVetMed MRCVS, Tamara Beatriz Lugo Ferreira GP Cert (Diagnostic Imaging) MRCVS and Roger Wilkinson MA VetMB CertVD CertSAM PgC (Cardiology) MRCVS visit to support our in-house Vets with state-of-the-art equipment and advice.

Endoscopy involves passing a small camera into body cavities to investigate and potentially take samples. As well as our own team having additional certifications and access to modern equipment, knowledgeable individuals from Vet Practice Support and expert Chris Fellows BVMS CertVC MRCVS visit to support our in-house Vets with state-of-the-art equipment and advice for complex cases.

We have state-of-the-art digital radiography in-house, with all qualified team members trained in safely obtained the best images of bones, joints and internal structures as required. We also offer a free X-Ray interpretation service to our referring Vets; advising first-opinion clinicians of possible diagnoses and treatment options based on images they have presented to our referral team.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is used to create an image of both bone and soft tissue within the animal’s body via magnetic fields and radio waves as opposed to radiation. Conditions involving spinal issues, inflammation or infection can all be detected via this diagnostic tool. We have regular visits from the mobile Burgess Diagnostic Unit.

Like endoscopy, arthroscopy involves passing a small camera. This time into the joint capsule. Diagnosis and treatment can then be carried out based on what is visualised. Osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) and coronoid disease are examples of conditions treated this way.

Patients’ blood and urine results, their blood pressure, carbon dioxide and oxygenation levels, temperature, blood, urine and other sample results and more parameters provide useful information when creating a diagnosis and must be monitored for changes whilst the animal undergoes procedures. Our lab is equipped with the most modern machines to provide a comprehensive dataset to the clinician. Our monitoring equipment allows us to track and detect changes rapidly in a patient’s condition. Combining this with our team’s thorough knowledge and wealth of experience, our patients receive the best care possible.

We have a Class IV therapeutic laser which can be useful in a range of conditions from arthritis to ear disease. A beam of laser light is emitted which deeply penetrates tissue without damaging it. Laser energy induces a biological response in the cells called ‘photobiostimulation‘ which leads to increased circulation, reduced inflammation, therefore increased speed of healing and reduced pain. Laser is only available at our Morecambe surgery.

Prescriptions are available from this practice

You may obtain Prescription Only Medicines, Category V, (POM Vs) from your veterinary surgeon OR ask for a written prescription.

Your veterinary surgeon may prescribe POM Vs only for animals under their care.

A prescription may not be appropriate if your animal is an in-patient or immediate treatment is necessary.

You will be informed, on request, of the price of any medicine that may be prescribed for your animal.

The general policy of this practice is to re-assess an animal requiring repeat prescription every 3 months, but this may vary with individual circumstances. There is a charge for a re-examination.

Please give us 48 hour notice for preparing your prescription

When more than one type of medication is needed, a separate written prescription for each item, is required. There is a charge applied to the first written prescription and a reduced charge for any further items requiring a written prescription that is requested at the same time.

This fee reflects the amount of time spent producing a written prescription and is in accordance with government guidelines.

Do you have any questions?

Lancaster practice
01524 32696

Morecambe practice
01524 410867

Milnthorpe practice
015395 62770

Caton practice
01524 770615

Your pet will receive the greatest possible care throughout diagnosis, treatment and recovery

If your pet has an unexplained problem, you want it to be dealt with quickly, efficiently and effectively. You want the most suitable vet to see your four legged friend so that you can trust the most accurate diagnosis is made and treatment given.

At Bay Vets our teams are made up of dedicated and enthusiastic individuals who are passionate about animals. As well as highly skilled surgeons and nurses, only the most advanced diagnostic and surgical equipment will be used to get your pet back to their best.

We have a great number of facilities at Bay Vets that enable us to diagnose, treat and care for your furry friend. They include:

Our lab is well equipped and has some of the latest haematology and biochemistry analysers for rapid on-site blood test results. This means that we can diagnose and treat your pet quickly.

Before your pet is anaesthetised we can offer a pre-anaesthetic blood test, which can give the vets a lot more information allowing treatment to be tailored to the individual patient.

Radiography involves passing x-rays through a subject to expose a special photograph. Dense structures, such as bone, allow less x-rays through than softer tissues. This is reflected in the image produced when an x-ray is taken.

We have x-ray facilities at our Lancaster and Morecambe surgeries; including state of the art digital x-ray machines.

Obtaining high quality images rapidly helps us to reduce the amount of time your pet is anaesthetised or sedated.

Ultrasound is the use and analysis of sound waves passing into and reflecting out of the body. This non-invasive procedure allows us to look at your pet’s internal organs.

Ultrasound scanning is commonly used for pregnancy diagnosis (as in humans), and examination of the heart, liver, kidneys, spleen and other organs.

Animals rarely need to be anaesthetised for ultrasound examination which is particularly advantageous to sick or old animals.

We also work with a referral ultrasonographer who can see tiny detail deep inside your pet without the need for invasive surgery.

By using long bundles of fibre optic cables we are able to look directly inside your pet’s body. Endoscopy is particularly helpful to view or biopsy parts of the body that are hard to reach; for example, the stomach, bowel and respiratory tract.

We can also use endoscopy to remove some types of foreign bodies from the stomach.

Taking electro-cardiograms (ECGs) is a non-invasive procedure that measures electrical impulses across the heart. ECGs are useful in diagnosis and monitoring of heart disease.

Assessing blood pressure is a useful measurement to help prevent problems in older pets, especially cats.  We also use it to assess the cardiovascular status of a pet during anaesthetic. We especially advise monitoring blood pressure at least once a year in cats over 10 years old.

Our operating theatres are used for all sterile procedures such neutering, lump removals, exploratory surgery and orthopaedic operations. Your pet will be carefully monitored by our trained nurses throughout the duration of their operation and whilst recovering.

We use rapid acting anaesthetic and sophisticated monitoring equipment to enhance safety and recovery from anaesthesia.

We have a Class IV therapeutic laser which can be useful in a range of conditions from arthritis to ear problems. A beam of laser light is emitted which deeply penetrates tissue without damaging it. Laser energy induces a biological response in the cells called ‘photo-bio-stimulation ‘which leads to reduced pain, reduced inflammation and increased speed of healing.

We have warm and comfortable kennelling and cattery spaces at all of our surgeries to keep cats and dogs separated and relaxed whilst they recover. We also have isolation facilities for animals that need to be kept on their own, and plenty of space outside at  all our branches for dogs to play, toilet and stretch their legs.

On weekends and Bank Holidays, pets requiring hospitalisation are looked after at our Lancaster surgery.

If your pet has to be hospitalised for a period of time we are happy for you to visit by arrangement.

Prescriptions are available from this practice

You may obtain Prescription Only Medicines, Category V, (POM Vs) from your veterinary surgeon OR ask for a written prescription.

Your veterinary surgeon may prescribe POM Vs only for animals under their care.
A prescription may not be appropriate if your animal is an in-patient or immediate treatment is necessary.

You will be informed, on request, of the price of any medicine that may be prescribed for your animal.

The general policy of this practice is to re-assess an animal requiring repeat prescription every 3 months, but this may vary with individual circumstances. There is a charge for a re-examination.

Please give us 48 hour notice for preparing your prescription

When more than one type of medication is needed, a separate written prescription for each item, is required. There is a charge applied to the first written prescription and a reduced charge for any further items requiring a written prescription that is requested at the same time.

This fee reflects the amount of time spent producing a written prescription and is in accordance with government guidelines.

Do you have any questions?

Lancaster practice
01524 32696

Morecambe practice
01524 410867

Milnthorpe practice
015395 62770

Caton practice
01524 770615