Abbey House Veterinary Hospital

Abbey House Veterinary Hospital: a five-site practice across West Yorkshire

Abbey House Veterinary Hospital operates a network of five veterinary locations in West Yorkshire: a 24-hour hospital in Morley and clinics in Rothwell, Cleckheaton, Kippax and Halton. The practice presents itself as a leading veterinary practice in Leeds and a recognised name in West Yorkshire veterinary care, and states that it has served pet owners in Leeds and the surrounding area for more than 40 years.

The Morley site functions as the group's hospital and emergency base. It is staffed around the clock, 365 days a year, and handles both first-opinion cases and referrals. The other four locations operate as clinics, with veterinary and nurse appointments available at all five sites.

Emergency and out-of-hours care

Emergency care is centralised at Morley, where the out-of-hours team is described as always ready to attend urgent cases. The practice markets this service as Leeds Emergency Vets and states that it is open 24/7 for emergency pet care. The hospital's emergency line is the same number used for the Morley clinic and hospital.

Referral services and clinical specialities

Several of the practice's veterinary surgeons hold additional qualifications that allow them to accept referral work, both from within the group and from other practices. The referral services listed are:

• Intensive care unit
• Small animal surgery
• Internal medicine
• Diagnostic imaging
• Computed tomography

The Morley hospital is described as fully equipped for all surgical and hospitalised cases, and the practice highlights the skill and expertise of its veterinary surgeons as its primary asset alongside the facilities.

Facilities and equipment

The hospital's facilities include hospitalisation, operating theatres, digital X-ray, ultrasound scanners, flexible and rigid endoscopes, an in-house laboratory, an intensive care unit and a dental suite. Three of the clinics — the text names Kippax and Halton — have operating facilities for neutering, routine surgical procedures, X-rays and in-house laboratory tests. All clinics hold fully stocked dispensaries for dispensing medication.

Services offered across the clinics

The practice runs both veterinary and nurse clinics at its five locations. The service list covers:

• Consultations and veterinary nurse clinics
• Microchipping and vaccinations, with separate dog and cat vaccination schedules
• Parasite prevention and treatment for fleas, worms and ticks in dogs and cats
• Neutering for dogs, cats and rabbits
• Dental care for dogs, cats and rabbits
• Weight management for dogs, cats and rabbits
• Repeat prescription requests
• Senior pet wellness clinics and annual health checks
• Emergency care and a guide to the ten most common emergencies
• Laser therapy and laparoscopic (keyhole) surgery
• Exotic pet care
• Start-of-life guidance for puppies and kittens

The practice also offers a preventative health plan called Pet Health for Life, presented as everyday preventative care intended to protect the pet and the owner's budget.

Accreditation and history

According to the practice, its Morley hospital achieved the highest tier 3 accreditation following inspection by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS). Abbey House was founded in 1977 as a small family-run practice in Morley. In 1980 it opened two additional clinics in Rothwell and Cleckheaton, and in 1992 the main site moved to its current location at 52 Commercial Street in Morley. In 2001 Tom Clarke and Lisa Davies took over the partnership on David Slinger's retirement, after both had worked as veterinary surgeons at the practice for several years.

Clients, students and organisation

The practice publishes a client testimonial describing its care in positive terms and maintains a news section with advice articles on topics such as heat safety for dogs and cats, summer parasites and pet hydration. It also runs a student information hub covering veterinary EMS students, veterinary nursing students, school students and potential graduate scheme applicants, and lists current vacancies. Abbey House Veterinary Hospital is part of Linnaeus, an affiliate of Mars, Incorporated.