What are the opening hours?

Monday 8:30am - 6:30pm Tuesday 8:30am - 6:30pm Wednesday 8:30am - 6:30pm Thursday 8:30am - 6:30pm Friday 8:30am - 6:30pm Saturday 9am - 6pm Sunday 9am - 6pm

Brelades Vets

Home
United Kingdom
Dorking
Brelades Vets

Call Directions Website

We are a 100% small animal practice who pride ourselves on our compassionate care. Our main site is
(1)

We have a dedicated team of staff who will treat all animals as if they were our own. In the event of an emergency please telephone the main Surgery at Dorking, 01306 883086 day or night. The out of hours recorded message will inform you who to contact. We provide our own emergency cover Monday – Friday until 2200hrs and Saturday -Sunday 0900 hrs – 1800 hrs, after these hours our phones go to Vets Now Guildford 01483 346203 who are able to provide cover for overnight emergencies. All emergencies until 2200 hrs Monday- Friday and 0900 hrs – 1800 hrs Saturday and Sunday are seen at Dorking.

31/10/2026

Are you thinking about introducing another guinea pig or getting a rescue? The Guinea Pig Alliance have created a helpful information sheet on some things to consider to prepare for their arrival.

30/10/2026

To follow on from our last post on guinea pig health, here are some things that must be considered when owning a guinea pig.

Neutering:
We recommend neutering male guinea pigs if they need to live with female guinea pigs. Unlike other small animals, neutering male guinea pigs does not change their behaviour so it will not stop two males from fighting. In this scenario, separating and neutering both male guinea pigs then introducing them to a couple of female guinea pigs each can help manage these behaviours.
We usually only neuter female guinea pigs to help with health conditions like cystic ovaries.

Grooming:
Long-haired guinea pigs will require daily brushing to keep their coats tangle and matt-free.
Short-haired guinea pigs tend to only need weekly brushing to keep them clean and tidy.
Nail trimming may be required every few weeks.

Health checks at home:
A guinea pig MOT is essential and this can be performed quite easily at home. The ears, eyes and nose should be clean with no discharge. Breathing should be quiet with no wheezing or rasping sounds. The coat should be shiny and thick and the skin should be flake-free and non-irritated. Examine the bottom and ge***al area to ensure it is clean, this is important to reduce the risk of flystrike. Check the length of the nails and ensure there are no sores on the feet. Feel for any lumps or bumps. Keep an eye on body weight. If you notice any changes that you can’t explain then contact your vet for advice.

Take advantage of our free guinea pig checks with the nurses next week for guidance on how to check your guinea pigs at home.

30/10/2026

Our final topic for Guinea Pig Awareness Week is health. A healthy pig is chatty, with bright eyes and a good coat. However, as a prey species they will hide the signs of injury or illness so close monitoring can make all the difference between your pig making a speedy recovery or becoming very poorly. We recommend frequently checking your guinea pigs at home and taking them for regular health checks with a vet or vet nurse at least once a year. You can also consider investing in good quality insurance to help cover some of the costs of any future illnesses or injuries.

Common guinea pig health problems:
Dental disease – the teeth grow continuously and need to be constantly worn down by chewing hay or fresh grass to prevent spurs. Spurs are sharp points on the teeth that can traumatise the tongue or cheeks. Regular dental checks can identify dental disease before it becomes irreversible and a high fibre diet is the best prevention.
Gut status - guinea pig’s constantly need to eat to keep their gut moving. Stress, pain or illness can reduce food intake and slow the gut. This can lead to painful bloating. Gut stasis is an emergency and requires immediate veterinary attention.
Pododermatitis (bumblefoot) – an inflammatory condition causing swollen paws and pressure sores on the feet. It is caused by inappropriate flooring/ bedding and poor hygiene.
Vitamin C deficiency – guinea pigs cannot make their own vitamin C and must get this from their diet. A lack of vitamin C causes scurvy - lethargy, swollen joints, difficulty walking, skin bruising and sores, discharge from the eyes and nose, loss of appetite, weight loss and diarrhoea. Feeding a balanced diet including pellets (not muesli) reduces the risk.
Parasites - fleas, lice or mites. Infestations cause itchy skin, hair loss and sore scaly patches. Parasite treatment, bedding change and environmental cleaning are needed.
Flystrike - flies lay eggs on the skin and resultant maggots eat the flesh. This is an emergency and requires immediate intervention to remove the maggots and apply pain relief. The risk is higher in the summer or with pigs who have dirty bottoms.

29/10/2026

Happy Day Four of Guinea Pig Awareness Week 2026. A healthy diet is the topic today and the key ingredient of any guinea pig diet is good quality hay (timothy or meadow hay). Remember this should form 80-90% of the diet as hay is an excellent source of fibre.

What is fibre needed for?
Dental health – fibre wears down the teeth, which continuously grow throughout a guinea pig’s life.
Digestive health – fibre ensures the gut keeps moving, reducing the risk of diarrhoea, bloat and gut stasis.
Behavioural health – guinea pigs spend 70% of their time foraging in the wild so a constant supply of hay and fresh grass is essential to allow them to express this normal behaviour.

Guinea pigs can be given one cup per pig per day of suitable fresh greens, vegetables and herbs and one tablespoon per pig per day of pellets. Fresh water should always be available, and the occasional healthy treat is definitely allowed!

Suitable fresh greens include fennel, basil, dill, thyme. apple and pear leaves, dandelions and clover. Suitable vegetables include asparagus, bell pepper, spinach, spring greens, romaine lettuce, kale, cauliflower leaves and stalks, carrot tops, celery leaves, green beans and chicory.

Guinea pigs also require vitamin C because they cannot produce this themselves. Vitamin C is important for healthy skin, joints and blood vessels. It is found in good quality high fibre pellets and certain fresh greens and vegetables. This may need supplementing if your guinea pig is unwell to prevent scurvy.

We do not recommend feeding muesli diets because they lead to selective feeding resulting in an unbalanced diet that is high in sugar and low in fibre. This increases the risk of obesity, dental disease, gut stasis and flystrike. They also reduce the intake of hay and water.

28/10/2026

We hope everyone is enjoying Guinea Pig Awareness Week 2026 as much as we are. Day Three focuses on guinea pig behaviour.

Guinea pigs may be small, but they have big personalities. Understanding their behaviours will help you maintain a great relationship with them.

Guinea pigs are crepuscular, which means they are most active at dawn and dusk. However, they are awake for around 20 hours per day and only sleep for short periods. This means they need constant access to food and water, entertainment, physical exercise and safe hiding spaces. An exercise area should contain tubes, tunnels and deep hay. You could consider hiding tasty snacks in their hay, puzzle feeders or snuffle mats to keep them happy, provide lots of positive mental stimulation and encourage foraging behaviours. Let’s make sure our guinea pigs get all the love and stimulation they deserve. Share your enrichment ideas in the comments!

When guinea pigs are excited, they will run, jump up and down and may turn 90° in the air in a move known as popcorning. However, their behaviour can change if they feel scared or stressed. Guinea pigs are prey animals, so they are always on the look out for potential dangers and like to have a safe space to retreat when they feel threatened. It is a good idea to provide them with plenty of tunnels and hiding places in their housing to prevent an escalation of their behaviours as they can become aggressive and bite when they feel unsafe.

Understanding the guinea pig language:
• “Wheek-wheek” – a sign of excitement or a way to locate a friend.
• “Putt-putt” – a noise made when exploring or going about their daily business.
• Low purr – a sign of contentment and relaxation.
• Loud high-pitch squeak – a response to a threat and an indication you need to find what is upsetting them and seek to resolve it.

27/10/2026

Welcome to Day Two of Guinea Pig Awareness Week 2026! Did you know that guinea pigs are highly social animals and can become stressed without companionship? This means they need to be kept in pairs or groups to keep them happy. A neutered male/female pair or group works well (with only 1 male per group), or a pair or group of females.

It is not recommended to keep guinea pigs together with rabbits or chinchillas. They have different food and housing needs and may fight. Guinea pigs are also susceptible to pneumonia if they catch Bordetella bronchiseptica, a bacterium that many rabbits carry in their nasal cavity without any symptoms.

Guinea pigs should also be encouraged to bond with their human owners. Give them time to settle into their new surroundings when you first bring them home. Let them get used to your voice first (speak quietly around their housing) then sit near them when they are exploring and allow them to approach you. Slowly start interacting with your guinea pigs by offering food and stroking them. Remember, building a bond takes time but it will be worth it.

26/10/2026

It’s Day One of Guinea Pig Awareness Week 2026 and our focus today is the creation of an environment that allows your furry friends to thrive. Whether your guinea pigs live indoors or outdoors, the fundamentals of housing are the same - it should be draught-free, predator proof and as large as possible. A minimum enclosure size of 1m2 per pig is recommended, however a garden shed or entire room in your house is ideal to provide a separate sleeping area, exercise space and toilet area. All guinea pigs should also have frequent access to an outdoor run where they can play, forage and eat grass. If a ramp connects the hutch to a run, check it is wide enough and not too steep, or your pigs will be scared to use it.

The environment should contain multiple safe hiding places like tunnels and nest boxes where your pigs can escape if they feel afraid or seek protection from predators and bad weather. The ideal temperature for guinea pigs is 17-22°C. Outdoor pigs need to be moved indoors if the temperature falls below this and you should be aware of your central heating as this can result in overheating.

The wrong bedding can have a negative impact on health. Wood shavings, sawdust and straw should be avoided as they are rough on the paws, dusty and can increase the risk of fungal and mite infestations. Instead, the enclosure should be lined with a thick layer of newspaper covered with paper-based non-expanding litter and soft Timothy or meadow hay.

Guinea pigs like a clean environment. Throw away any wet or dirty material, including bedding and uneaten food, and remove droppings daily. As a minimum, remove and replace all the litter and bedding material weekly. Perform a deep clean monthly by removing everything from the enclosure and use guinea pig-friendly cleaning products.

If you are unsure about housing requirements and creating a suitable environment, please come in and have a chat or check out the Guinea Pig Alliance, RSPCA or Blue Cross websites.

26/10/2026

It’s Guinea Pig Awareness Week 2026! This is a great opportunity to focus on the needs of these individuals and review their lifestyle to see if any improvements can be made. We are again offering our guinea pig check ups with the nurses, and it is lovely to see so many of you have already made use of this service this month. Let’s celebrate our small furries this week!

23/10/2026

Is your dog worried or anxious? Do they freeze, shake or try to run away from loud noises like the hoover or fireworks? Do they struggle with separation anxiety? Do they suffer situational anxiety associated with vet visits or groomer visits?

Calmex is a herbal calmer that can help regulate mood and have a calming effect. It contains tryptophan which is converted into serotonin that makes you feel happier and aids sleep. It also contains B vitamins and two plant extracts selected to relieve stress. Calmex can be used long term during stressful periods. A double dose can also be given for acute anxiety, ideally 30-60 minutes before the stressful event.

We are currently offering a 25% discount on Calmex dog for firework season. Why not give it a try?

22/10/2026

KITTEN TOOL KIT : RECOVERY SUITS
Recovery suits are an alternative method of protecting a surgical site, wound or skin lesion from interference by your cat. They look like baby grows and are usually made of soft breathable fabric with poppers or a zip for easy removal. It is a good idea to get your kitten used to wearing a recovery suit to avoid any stress if one is needed in the future. Initially your kitten may refuse to move or roll around to try and remove the recovery suit. Try putting your kitten in the recovery suit for short time periods initially and use treats and praise to build a positive experience. Gradually extend the time they spend in the suit if they remain calm whilst wearing it. Eventually your kitten should tolerate or even enjoy wearing the suit and should be able to go about their normal daily life indoors.

Address

20 Knoll Road
Dorking
RH43EP

Opening Hours

Monday	8:30am - 6:30pm
Tuesday	8:30am - 6:30pm
Wednesday	8:30am - 6:30pm
Thursday	8:30am - 6:30pm
Friday	8:30am - 6:30pm
Saturday	9am - 6pm
Sunday	9am - 6pm

Telephone

01306883086

Website

http://www.breladesvets.com/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Brelades Vets posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.