The Shire Veterinary Services

31/05/2026

📍Microchip reading is free.
Visit any vet practice and a member of staff will check your pet's microchip.

26/05/2026

⚡️We just had a power cut at 11 am.⚡️
Awaiting further information on power restoration. Unfortunately, we are unable to answer the phones for now.
We will continue to see our appointments as usual today.
We will update you as soon as we have more information.

24/05/2026

Hot summer day tomorrow.☀️
Hope you all have a great day!🌞

23/05/2026

Good morning!!!☀️☀️☀️
We love sunny days. 🌞
We hope you enjoy the next few warm days. Time for cold drinks in the garden!
Please, remember to keep all your pets cool, too.
Heat stroke is really dangerous and is often fatal.💔

18/05/2026

Meet Tonka, the gentle giant.🥰
At 71 kg body weight he is by far our largest patient.🐾
Our vet, Cristina, for comparison.🤭

14/05/2026

We had a visit from the local pre-school today.
It was lovely to see the children in our practice.
They even used the stethoscope to listen to their own hearts.🩺❤️
Hopefully, we have a few vets en route there.🐾
(Hope we were not too scary...😁)

02/05/2026

01/05/2026

That time of the year has come when the minimum wage increases and all the suppliers increase their prices as well.💷
To be able to continue offering you our personalised service🩺, we will be aligning our prices to reflect the increase in the cost of running our little business.
For any information, please call us on 01652 250 225 or visit our website www.theshirevets.co.uk.
We are grateful for your continuous support.

(Picture of our vet Mihai proudly wearing a little hair bow he found on the floor. Just to warn you he may still be wearing it next time you see him.😂)

23/04/2026

We didn’t think much about this… until the timing couldn’t have been worse 👀🐾………

It’s time for: 🩺 Vet Sense — From the Consulting Room

With Cristina & The Team at The Shire Veterinary Services - Proud Friend of the Park

Each month, practical, professional advice from the people who see real dogs and real concerns every single day.

Calm guidance.
No internet myths.
Just sensible insight to help you care for your dog with confidence.

We (Andy & Tracey) can actually speak from experience on this one.

We’re so glad we insured Holly from being a puppy — because when she fractured her leg, it happened right as we were opening a new business.

Without insurance, that situation could have been very different.
One thing we’ve learned since is how important it is to understand your cover properly.

For example, we now know we’ll need to stay with the same insurer to keep her injured leg covered going forward — as switching could mean it’s classed as pre-existing and not included.

Every situation is different, and what works for one person might not work for another… but having a clearer understanding definitely helps.

So, The Shire Veterinary Services team came up with the idea to share some general guidance based on what they see every day 👇

Hi Everyone, Cristina here

Let’s talk pet insurance! 💷🐾

We are not insurance brokers, so we won’t recommend any specific company.

This is simply what we have learned over time — sometimes the hard way — and wanted to share.

Veterinary care is private healthcare, and insurance can be a helpful way to manage unexpected vet bills if something happens.

Some treatments can run into the thousands — and that’s not something most people can comfortably plan for.

We often see that when pets are insured, decisions can feel less stressful because the financial side is more manageable.

Insurance isn’t one-size-fits-all, and there are different levels of cover available, so it’s about understanding your options and choosing what works best for your pet and your budget.

If you’re considering it, here are a few things worth thinking about 👇
💻 Look for providers with good reviews
💳 Start early — before any conditions develop
📌 Pre-existing conditions are usually not covered
📍 Lifetime policies can offer more continuity year to year
📈 Higher cover can open up more treatment options
✂️ Switching providers can affect what’s covered
💸 Check excess levels carefully
📝 Be honest when completing forms
📄 Always read the small print
📧 Keep your documents handy
📍 Don’t forget — you can often claim for smaller issues too
🩺 When making a claim, vets will need to share your pet’s medical history, sometimes including previous practices.

At the end of the day, we hope your pets stay happy and healthy and you never need to use it 🤍

But having something in place can make a difficult situation that little bit easier.

I’ll be back again next month!
Cristina 🐾🩺

22/04/2026

As of tomorrow, Wednesday 22nd April 2026, if you are a permanent resident in UK, you will not be able to use an EU issued Pet Passport to travel abroad with your pet.

After Brexit, UK born and bred pets were no longer allowed to travel on their EU pet passports. They now need an Animal Health Certificate (AHC) to be issued every time they were taken into the European mainland.

But animals who originated in the EU and had been issued an EU passport to come into the UK, were still allowed to move in and out of the country with these, provided they were current and had updates completed by a vet on the mainland. It did not matter that they and their owners lived in the UK.

However, this is now changing and only pets whose owners have their main residence in the EU, will be allowed to travel with their EU passports, all others must be issued an AHC for each trip.

No word as yet, as far as I can see, as to what documentation will be required to prove permanent residence or any updates on the proposed UK pet passports.

The APHA updates detailing these changes;

https://www.improve-ov.com/instructions/instructions-file.php?unique_id=69e207d333a2b&file_type=Briefing+Note&action=view

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-eu-rules-for-pet-travel-for-gb-residents