Companion Care Vets Orpington

11/01/2025

Please share! This charity has helped the practice when in need of a space!🩷🐾

‼️ HELP SAVE SEDR ‼️

Here it goes 🥺... This is without doubt the hardest post I’ve ever had to write 💔

For over 16 years, I have dedicated my heart, soul, and life to building a rescue that provides safety, love, and hope to countless abandoned and neglected dogs. But now, everything I’ve worked so hard for is at risk.

The kennels we rent, which have been the heart of our rescue for the past 5 years, is up for sale with planning for warehouses to be built. We need to raise the funds to buy or find a new home for our dogs—or risk losing it all.
We have mutually rented the site for the past 5 years with other rescues…and whilst we will all continue to support each other…we are all working on our own rescues futures individually given the variations in what is needed by each.

I started SEDR in 2009 as a home-run effort, taking in one dog at a time. It’s quickly grown into a lifeline for 1000’s of dogs—many of whom came to us from unimaginable circumstances. We’ve rehomed dogs, provided sanctuary for those who couldn’t cope in traditional homes, and supported struggling families with food, neutering, and foster care. We’ve upheld a strict no-kill policy and been a last resort for dogs who had nowhere else to turn.

Now, those dogs, along with our sanctuary residents, are facing uncertainty.

We want to raise £1.7 million to buy our kennel site, what we now call home, and save this rescue—16 years of hard work, sacrifice, and love—from being lost forever.

We are under no illusion that the funds needed is possible, but we’re not willing to give up without a fight - our dogs, and future dogs, are ALL worth it!

As a single mum running SEDR, I’ve poured everything I have into building this rescue. I’ve never taken a wage, nor would I want to. These dogs have saved me just as much as I’ve saved them. My incredible daughter Skye, our amazing supporters, and the volunteers who’ve stood by us have been my rock. And together, we’ve shown the absolute best of what compassion can achieve.

But right now, I feel overwhelmed, exhausted, and heartbroken. Finding a suitable place to rent feels impossible, and we don’t have funds sitting in the bank to buy somewhere. All I want is to secure a safe and happy life for the dogs who depend on us—the Jaspers, the Tegans, the Bugsys, and the ones who haven’t yet crossed our path.

This is our most desperate hour. If you love dogs, believe in rescue, or know what it’s like to see hope in a dog’s eyes, we need your help.

Every share, donation, or word of support brings us closer to securing a forever home for these dogs.

If you know of a suitable location or have ideas to help us secure the future of SEDR, please reach out. Together, we can protect the dogs who’ve already been through so much and continue to be a lifeline for those in need.

Please join us. Let’s not let these dogs down.

Our GoFundMe is here: https://gofund.me/eb5afd61 and/or our dedicated bank account for is:

Lloyds Bank Plc
Sort: 30-96-31
Account: 49580260

Alternatively, Paypal is also available but please use ref SAVESEDR and select "Family and Friends" option. Paypal email: [email protected]

Thank you as always for believing in us, and for standing with us through it all. None of this would have been possible without you ❤️🐾



**We have many ideas in the works to help raise the funds so please do keep following our posts on Facebook and Instagram**

31/12/2024

Happy New Year to all our lovely clients. Thank you for your continued support and custom.
See you all in 2025 🐾💙

30/12/2024

‼️‼️MISSING ‼️‼️

Please keep your eye out for this beautiful boy!

25/12/2024

Merry Christmas to all our clients. We hope you all enjoy your day🐾🩷

20/12/2024

All medication orders will need to be ordered today to get before Christmas!
Please call or email the surgery to order.

29/11/2024

🩷 SPECIAL PROMO ALAERT🩷

We are offering a dental scale and polish for dogs and cats at £199 for DECEMBER ONLY!
Terms and conditions apply, please enquire at the surgery.

29/08/2024

We now have 2 card machines up and running after 9 days without them. Thank you all for your patience during this difficult time.

22/08/2024

We have had a pocket bully dog handed in as a stray.
No contact details on microchip. The dog warden has been contacted, please get in touch asap with proof of ownership if you believe this is your dog.

20/08/2024

To All Our Customers with appointments this week, please be advised we have an issue with our card reader and will only be able to accept cash payments. You will find a Metro cash point opposite M&S.

31/07/2024

We were recently given some very sad news of a fellow pets at home colleague who we worked closely with and became a very loyal client of ours. Hayley was a sweet, kind and beautiful soul. She unfortunately lost her life giving birth to her beautiful baby boy, leaving her fiancée a single parent. Hayley’s family are raising money to give her the send off she deserves and any money left over will be put towards her baby. We’re all saddened by the news and would love to help her family raise anymore funds we can.
Thinking of Hayley’s family and fiancée at this undoubtedly difficult time🩷

Weʼre raising money to Raise money for the send off Hayley deserves any additional money will go in a trust fund for Luca. Support this JustGiving Crowdfunding Page.

30/07/2024

⭐️UPDATE
Reunited with owner!!

‼️‼️STRAY FOUND‼️

Standard dachshund found around East Drive, handed into us. Please contact us on 01689 837 769 if you believe this to be your dog!
We will be contacting the dog warden if no communication.

Help us reunite this baby!💙

31/05/2024

It will be compulsory for cats to be microchipped from 10th June.
Please call us for any enquiries or bookings on
01689 837 769 🐾💙

17/05/2024

NOTICE TO ALL OWNERS

This week we have experienced so much abuse from clients. We’re here providing a service to you all and we do not come to work to get abused by anyone. We do not accept anyone swearing at our staff or shouting at us.

We’re all doing our best given the circumstances we’re under and we would appreciate you to be kind.

Kindness and being polite costs nothing, but the abuse we have received this week has caused a lot of upset to our staff.

02/05/2024

URGENT NOTICE‼️

THE PETS AT HOME DOORS ARE CURRENTLY BROKEN THEREFORE WERE UNABLE TO GET IN THE BUILDING. WERE ASKING ALL CLIENTS TO COME TO US FROM 10:30am AS WE HAVE A LOCK SMITH COMING TO US.

Thank you for your understanding

25/04/2024

🩷✨VETERINARY RECEPTIONIST APPRECIATION WEEK✨🩷

This week we appreciate our reception staff for all their hard work and dedication. We have three valued members on our reception.

We have our Head Receptionist Keelea, she is dedicated to ensuring everything is running smoothly.
Keelea is the Queen of admin and specialises with your insurances alongside her regular reception duties.
Keelea is excellent at her job and loves being the face of the practice and getting to meet all of your lovely fur babies.
At home she has her own fur babies, Chester the spaniel and Teddy the cat! 🐾🐶😸

Tracey and Sue work hard alongside Keelea, ensuring your appointments are booked, medications are ordered, your paperwork is completed and your enquiries are fulfilled.

Tracey is our Queen scanner, making sure all our documents are filed correctly. Tracey is a dog lover and has her own fur baby Claude the staffy at home. 🐾🐶

Sue is our catch up Queen, Sue loves to engage with our clients and make sure everyone feels a warm welcome when coming to us. Sue has 2 senior p***y cats at home called Molly & Milly, one of which has a thyroid issue! 🐾😸😸

Alongside our receptionist we have the most amazing VCAs who help us when we’re in need. We appreciate all our staff, but this week we’re shouting from the roof tops about our receptionist🩷

26/03/2024

🐾🐾🐾 ALL REPEAT MEDICATIONS WILL NEED TO BE ORDERED BY TOMORTOW (WEDNESDAY 17th APRIL)TO ENSURE YOUR PETS ARE NOT WITHOUT MEDICATION OVER THE EASTER HOLIDAYS! 🐾🐾🐾

18/03/2024

As of the 3rd April we will be having a price increase. Anything booked in before this date will be our current prices. If you book in before the 3rd April for any appointments after this date we will honour our old prices.
Thank you in advance.

25/02/2024

When Kelly from our Colton store's Pets Grooming salon discovered a lump on the tail of nine-year-old Rufus she suspected something wasn't right, so alerted his owners Les and Andrea so they could get it checked out. They brought him to Vets for Pets Leeds Colton where it was confirmed he had a cancerous tumour which needed surgery.

Les, who adopted Rufus from Dogs Trust in Leeds as a puppy, said: “Rufus is such a big part of our life; we’re absolutely besotted with him. We probably wouldn’t have noticed the lump if not at the groomers as the tail isn’t somewhere you would usually stroke and feel. Kelly loves Rufus and really looks after him, so we want to say a big thanks for spotting it. Who'd have known what would have happened if she hadn’t noticed.”

Rufus had to have his tail removed, but is now making a good recovery. He's been visiting Kelly for a groom every six weeks for the last three years. She said: “You get to know everything about a dog as you groom them. I’ve discovered similar things before on other dogs so I mentioned it to the owners so they could get it checked out. Dogs are my life and you do worry; I’m so pleased they caught it. Now he’s got a fully docked tail like a little bunny rabbit. It’s lovely and suits him – when he gets washed he wiggles his bum.”

21/02/2024

Arthur's owner Louise says he "looked like a brand-new tortoise" after having his beak filed at Sutton in Ashfield Vets4Pets.

Louise adopted the four-year-old Horsefield Tortoise from a family member in October. Although she has had other pets, Arthur is her first tortoise, so she has been doing some research on how to best care for him.

Louise said: "I noticed Arthur's beak was unusually long, so I brought him in to Vets for Pets; I bring all my pets there. When he came out, I thought 'you beautiful boy, look at you – you look so handsome!"

Vet Steph, who looked after Arthur, says that tortoise beaks continuously grow and normally grind down themselves while they're eating. She said: "Arthur needed a little help as his jaw isn't perfectly aligned; his lower jaw is further out than his top jaw, so I filed it around half a centimetre. He was really good; a real cutie."

18/02/2024

Owner Claire says she couldn't be more grateful to Vets4Pets Hamilton after their quick diagnosis saved the sight of six-year-old Alba.

Claire knew there was something terribly wrong with her miniature dachshund cross when she called her in from the back garden last summer and Alba ran headfirst into a closed patio door. She rushed her to the vets, where investigations led the team to diagnose her with uveitis – an eye condition which causes inflammation of the middle layer of the eye.

Claire said: "It all happened so suddenly; Alba must have heard my voice and guessed where to go. It was quite scary seeing how bad she was. We couldn't be more grateful for the team in Hamilton spotting the uveitis as quickly as they did, otherwise Alba would have gone blind within a matter of days. Their knowledge saved Alba's sight. I still can't believe it happened. It's taken months of treatments, but it's such a relief to have our girl back to being her funny, bossy self."

Vet Neil, one of the team who treated Alba, said: "Alba's pupil was really narrow and wouldn't respond to light properly, which can be a sign of uveitis. Once we had ruled out other conditions, we were able to get her to an eye specialist for ongoing treatment. She's now doing really well."

16/02/2024

Ducky's owner Antonia was in a state of panic when she saw a fox had dug its way into the field where she keeps him – killing two of her other ducks and chickens.

Antonia was about to move her brood into their pen for the evening when she saw what had happened and noticed that Ducky had severe bite wounds under his wing. She rushed him to Vets4Pets Vets Milton Keynes for emergency surgery – and after having his wound stitched up the one-year-old duck is now making a good recovery.

Antonia said: "I was so worried. You don’t often hear of ducks recovering from fox attacks, but there is something about Ducky and the way he was so brave. I'm sure he was protecting a lady duck, as he's a bit of a romantic. It's the first time we've gone to Vets for Pets, and the team were amazing; they've done an incredible job."

Vet Becca, who treated Ducky, said: "He's a really lucky duck, as it was quite a big wound. When he first came in, he was understandably subdued and quiet but when he came back for his stitches to be taken out, he wanted to explore and tuck his head into everyone’s shoulders."

07/02/2024

Well done to the team at Vets4Pets Guildford who've been awarded a silver level certificate for being a rabbit-friendly clinic.

After head veterinary nurse Ella noticed that more customers were bringing in rabbits the practice took a series of steps to give them as stress-free an experience as possible. Ella, who also fosters rescue dogs in her spare time, said: "There was a long list of things that we needed to prove that we did from making sure the rabbits are kept separate from other animals and not booked in at the same time as barking dogs, to providing heated kennels for those who need to stay in, and using special equipment made especially for rabbits."

Practice manager Kevin said: "All of our vets have plenty of experience with rabbits we have some real rabbit geeks here, so it was a big thing to us. There are so many good people in this world and I'm so proud to be around them."

28/01/2024

Beautiful Bear was born deaf, so he's learned to follow his owner Lisa's visual commands.

Lisa, who shops at our Tamworth store – "it's my second home!" – got two-year-old Bear as a kitten and suspected he was deaf when he didn't respond to her voice. She had it confirmed by her vet soon after. She said: "He was very scatty, and scared of people he didn’t recognise. He wasn’t bothered by loud noises like my other cat Emily and when I came home from work he wouldn’t hear the door open.

"He's doing really well though. I try to do some sign language with him – I point at him and do a solid hand sign at him to stop. He picks up on vibrations and scents too. He meows, making a really loud chirping sound which I’ve never heard a cat do before, and he’s always rubbing his head against my legs and following me everywhere. I was advised not to let him out because he wouldn’t hear cars or other dangers, so he comes outside with me every morning to have a sniff around the garden and always comes straight back in." Bear and Lisa's other cat Emily are on Instagram as

27/01/2024

Ten-year-old Dutch rabbit Alfie has been visiting vet Kate at Vets4pets Wolverhampton for dental treatment for the last eight years – and she says he's such a loveable character that he's become "part of the family".

He's one of the oldest rabbits treated by Kate and the team, and she says his longevity is down to the care and love he gets from his owner Tracy and her family. Kate said: "Alfie is famous in this practice – everyone knows him. We and his family are dedicated to making sure her little old man is happy. The beautiful thing about being a vet or vet nurse is you build these relationships with the owners and their pets – they become your surrogate pets."

Tracy's been keeping rabbits all her life, and says that having space and routine is key. She said: "Alfie is an old man now and has a routine. He goes into a hutch at night and is let out in the morning. He's out all day and has his favourite spots in the house. We clean him out every day and give him a lot of attention. When he was younger he would follow us around; if I was clearing a cupboard out he would be in the cupboard to help. Now he's old and wants to be warm and watch instead. I can't thank Kate and the practice enough. Kate's been fantastic with him."

26/01/2024

Eight-year-old Winnie the Schnauzer cross is running around like a puppy again thanks to laser treatment and physiotherapy after two successful knee operations at Vets for Pets Basildon.

Worried owner Tracy brought Winnie in to the practice after she collapsed on a walk last year – and the team discovered the cruciate ligament in a knee had ruptured. She’s since had ops on two knees and is on a recovery plan led by vet physiotherapist Izzy.

Tracy said: "Winnie has had a tough year with 15 teeth removed, two cruciate ligament operations and two bouts of pancreatitis but thankfully she's hardy. She’s treated fabulously at the Basildon practice. Izzy is great with her – she totally relaxes in her hands and does little snores with her eyes open. Winnie has a new lease of life again and is running around like a puppy."

Izzy said: "When pets have surgery or injure themselves they move differently which causes them to be sore in other places. Winnie has laser therapy then a massage to help the healing process. Laser treatment is a specialist service that not enough people know about – it can help in so many ways after an operation.”

19/01/2024

The team at Vets4Pets Cramlington say greyhound Frank was "an absolute gentleman" when he came in for some dental work.

Seven-year-old Frank was brought in by owner Harriet to get rid of some plaque which had built up and to treat a gum inflammation. Veterinary nurse Vicki said: "Frank was a very good boy and left with clean, fresh and sparkly teeth. It's so very important to get your dog's teeth checked and we advise pets to have an annual dental check. Eighty per cent of dogs over the age of three have dental disease. Prevention is much better than cure and regular checks and routine cleaning keep your pet's mouth healthier for longer and can help to prevent extensive extractions later in life. We are always happy to offer advice on maintenance and dental care at home such as teeth brushing or dental supplements."

18/01/2024

Veterinary nurse Mel from Vets4Pets Bristol Longwell Green loves cats so much she's helped the practice make a number of improvements to give cats as stress-free an experience as possible when they're brought in.

Mel, who has an Advanced Certificate in Feline Behaviour for Veterinary Professionals, helped introduce facilities like a separate feline waiting area and cattery and the use of quiet clippers – and the practice now has a silver level certificate for being a cat-friendly clinic. She said: "I love dogs but I'm really a cat person. Cats can be misunderstood which can lead to them having quite a stressful life, so if we can make things easier for them and help people understand what cats need then everyone will be happier.

"As animal lovers there's always more to learn and understand about what makes them happy. Enrichment at the home is important for a happy cat – and as cats are naturally solitary animals if you live in a multi-cat household it's important to understand what they need. The rule is to have a resource per cat, plus one spare. So if you have two cats you should have three feeding stations, three litter trays and three scratch posts spread around the house so they have the opportunity to move around to wherever they want to go. Scratching is as natural a thing for cats to do as going out hunting is, so if they're unable to go out it's about providing the chance for them to behave as naturally as possible."

07/01/2024

Four-year-old Sebastian the Jack Russell is back to his usual boisterous self after being treated at Vets4Pets Abingdon for a condition that was causing the knee caps on his back legs to dislocate when he walked.

The condition, known as medial patellar luxation, would cause him to hop or skip when exercising. It's quite common in terriers and small dog breeds, but Sebastian's case was quite severe and he was given surgery by orthopaedic surgeon Joe to deepen the groove his patella runs in on his right hind leg, and also to move and reattach his patellar tendon.

Sebastian is owned by practice vet Hannah who said: "After the operation he just wanted to get back to normal straight away but he couldn't ... and that's where we struggled. He wanted to be out and about, charging around and playing with his toys but he needed to rest." Hannah had to give him medication for six weeks to give his knees time to heal. She said: "He's absolutely fine now – he's fully recovered and running around like a lunatic again!"

05/01/2024

When 11-year-old lurcher Jess was brought into Vets for Pets Leeds Birstall 24/7 Small Animal Hospital on Christmas Eve feeling very poorly with pyometra – a life-threatening uterus infection – the team knew they had to act fast; so vet Emily and nurses JD and Hannah headed straight in to perform emergency surgery on her in the early hours of Christmas morning.

The operation went so well that by lunchtime nurse Krishna was able to call her owner Beth to say she was well enough to come home to recuperate – and Beth made the hour-long drive from her home in Keighley so she could bring Jess home before the family sat down for their Christmas dinner. Beth said: "It was a stressful start to Christmas, as we were worried about Jess because of her age and because she's never had anything wrong with her before. We're so grateful for everything – it was so nice of them to come in on Christmas Day to operate on her, to look after her so well and to get her home on top form. The vets were fantastic from start to finish. Jess is recovering nicely – you can see the happiness is back in her!"

Krishna said: "Our night team always do an amazing job, and performing serious surgery like that at that time of night and on Christmas Day of all days is just brilliant. Jess did amazingly well to bounce back so quickly, and it was amazing being able to call her owners to say that she could come home to spend Christmas with them. It's the sort of call we all love to make, but doing it on Christmas Day was extra nice."

03/01/2024

Six-foot-long boa constrictor Astrix was the centre of attention when he called in for a routine "top to tail" health check at Vets4Pets Penzance.

Astrix, who's four, is part of a menagerie of six snakes, bearded dragons and six dogs belonging to veterinary nurse Lowenna, who works at the practice, and her partner Mark. The team looked at Astrix's eyes and mouth and checked his breathing to rule out any respiratory infections and also checked his scales.

Lowenna said: "He got a clean bill of health, he was absolutely fine and everyone had a turn holding him. Asterix is quite reserved, a little bit shy usually. He did really well when he came in as everyone wanted to touch him and he was like 'okay I quite like the attention.' Astrix has got a lovely big set-up at home. He's quite a big boy, weighing in at nearly 10 kilos, so the vivarium is more than seven foot long. We have a reptile room and he has the run of it. He has a large bucket of water too if he ever wants to submerge himself."

02/01/2024

This brave girl is collie-cross Sherpa, who the team at Vets for Pets Livingston say was "impeccably calm" when she was rushed in for emergency injury after hurting her eye in a freak accident.

Sherpa's owner Caroline was taking Sherpa for a walk when Sherpa caught her eye on a stick as she went exploring a bush. She was quickly admitted into surgery where she received X-rays and, after a two-hour procedure by practice owner Dr Adam, aided by nurse Erin, the stick was removed. Adam said: "Sherpa was amazingly tolerant following an extremely random occurrence. It was astonishing." Sherpa didn't lose her sight and is now making a great recovery.

Caroline said: “We were suddenly thrown into the worst living nightmare, it was absolutely horrifying. It’s truly a miracle what Adam and the team achieved from the moment they answered our call for help. They gave us hope."

24/12/2023

This little Christmas cracker is Molly, who survived against the odds and gave birth to three premature puppies after being brought in to Vets for Pets Cirencester as a pregnant stray with severe injuries from a fight with other dogs.

Martina, who owns the practice, said: ”It was really touch and go and we thought Molly might not make it. The team treated mum first, got her on a drip and stabilised her before successfully managing to deliver the puppies – two boys and a girl – by caesarean section."

Molly, who's a Cairn Terrier, and her three pups are recovering well at home with Martina. “As they needed 24/7 care I took them home and emptied the whole spare bedroom so there was a nice, warm and comfortable quiet place for Molly and her puppies. I was attached to her for the first five days – my husband Matt even brought food up to the bedroom for me as I stayed there all the time. It was really hard work but it was all worth it. They’re absolute darlings and doing really well now – mum is already brave enough to go on dog walks.”

Martina says Molly will continue living with her in the future, and the puppies will be adopted when they are stronger.

19/12/2023

This beautiful buzzard is on the mend after undergoing surgery on a broken wing at Vets4Pets Newmarket after he was hit by a car.

A member of the public rescued the buzzard and brought him in to see if the team could help. After a successful operation and five days of recuperation he's ben taken to The Raptor Foundation rehabilitation centre to continue his recovery.

Practice manager Natalie said: "We put him under general anaesthetic and performed orthopaedic surgery. We'll see him again next month to see how he's progressing and then hopefully he'll be released back into the wild. We wish him a speedy recovery as he's such a handsome chap.”

17/12/2023

Here's a salutary tale in the run-up to Christmas Day ... the story of poor little Tego, who had to be rushed to Vets for Pets Morpeth for emergency treatment after snaffling 48 Quality Street chocolates, their wrappers and part of the box.

Owner Sarah realised chocolate was toxic for dogs so phoned the vets who told her to get the five-year Tibetan Terrier there immediately. Sarah said: "They were brilliant with him. The chocolates were a birthday present for my daughter Olivia, and they were all wrapped up and put in the lounge with the door shut. I went to work and when I came back Tego had somehow managed to get in the room and rip into them."

Vet Eleni and the team helped Tego cough everything up and took blood tests and put him on medication before he was allowed home. Eleni said it's a useful reminder to keep chocolates well hidden – and to act fast if your dog eats any and induce vomiting within one to two hours to prevent the body from absorbing the toxins.

16/12/2023

Five-year-old Buddy will be thinking twice about picking up sticks in future after one pierced his tongue and he had to be taken for treatment at Vets4Pets Lisburn.

Owner Danielle says Buddy doesn't normally play with sticks but one day he saw other dogs having fun with sticks and ran over to join in. "We heard a loud yelp and he came sheepishly over to us, with his tail between his legs, and we realised he was in pain. We took him to the practice where Becky the vet found the hole under his tongue and treated him with dissolving stitches, antibiotics and painkillers. Becky was so lovely."

Danielle says: "Buddy is doing absolutely great now and we are keeping an extra eye on him – we've even bought him a fake fabric bendy stick from Pets at Home!"