Larkmead Vets

Larkmead Vets Larkmead Veterinary Group is a proudly independent mixed veterinary practice in Oxfordshire. We run our own 24 hour emergency care from our branch in Didcot.

We treat small animals at our 5 branches, and farm & equine across a wider area. We are a proudly independent mixed veterinary practice, which provides veterinary care and advice to pet owners as well as the local farming and equine community. We have several branches across South Oxfordshire - Cholsey, Didcot, Great Western Park, Sutton Courtenay and Benson. Coming to Wantage in 2024. Details of

our branches are as follows:

Didcot: 111 - 113 Park Lane, Didcot, OX11 8QT, Tel: 01235 814991
Great Western Park, 138 Greenwood Way, Harwell, OX11 6GD
Benson: 34A Old London Road, Benson, OX10 6RR, Tel: 01491 651379
Sutton Courtenay: 94A High Street, Sutton Courtenay, OX14 4AX, Tel: 01235 814991
WhatsApp: +447360277998

18/02/2025

We’re coming to Wantage!

Larkmead Vets, South Oxfordshire’s biggest INDEPENDENT veterinary practice is opening a new branch in Wantage in the summer.

We can offer:
• All the usual routine veterinary pet care services – lots of which are included in our Lifetime Care Club membership plan
• Simple surgical procedures (for more complex surgery, you may be referred to our main hospital branch in Didcot – which also has an orthopaedic operating suite)
• 24-hour emergency care (overnight at our branch in Didcot – staffed by our own team of vets and nurses with full-access to your pet’s clinical record). We are the only independent veterinary team in the area to offer this in-house service.
• A dedicated and experienced team with the support of a large team of veterinary surgeons behind them (many with advanced qualifications in surgery, medicine, ophthalmology (eyes), oncology (cancers), and felines)
• A partnership with an insurance company who can offer lifetime pet insurance directly through independent vets and any pre-existing conditions identified upfront
• A Sunday routine surgery (at our Didcot practice) with no additional cost to weekday appointments. Joining Larkmead Vets gives you access to all of our clinics and facilities across all of our branches.
• A dedicated team of nurses offering a range of clinics to support you and your pet

You can find out more about our team and the services we offer on our website: https://www.larkmead.co.uk/small-animal-vets. We welcome you to join our family of clients now and can offer complete continuity of care within our team when the Wantage branch opens its doors later this year!

17/02/2025

📣Meet the team📣

Receptionist Abbie joined Team Larkmead in February 2022💻✨. Abbie loves the variety of her role, greeting our clients and saying hello to all their sweet pets!!💞✨ Before joining Larkmead, Abbie worked at the JR Hospital🏥 as a Receptionist within the Patient Advice and Liaison Service. She has enjoyed her journey within these medical focused jobs and especially loves being able to support people and their pets.

In Abbie’s spare time she loves meeting up with her friends and family💜✨, and walking her pet dogs (Willow🌿 the Cocker Spaniel, Logan the Cocker Spaniel and Gizmo the French Bulldog). Abbie also loves travelling the world✈️!! Her most recent excursion was Gran Canaria☀️ and enjoying the processing of planning her Honeymoon💒✨ In her next life, Abbie would like to be a penguin🐧 (as they are very cute😊)💜✨

16/02/2025

Look 👀 at what's included with our Lifetime Care Club membership:

🐾 Routine vaccinations
🐾 Routine flea, tick and worming treatment for 12 months
🐾 6 monthly health checks by a qualified vet. This will include general health, skin, ears, eyes, heart and lungs, weight, teeth and claws.
🐾 20% off Kennel Cough and Rabies vaccinations
🐾 20% off neutering
🐾 15% off video consultations with one of our vets
🐾 25% discount on any pet food available at the practice, including prescription and life stage diets
🐾 20% off microchips
🐾 10% off dental procedures
🐾 10% off toys and grooming products purchased at the surgery

The monthly membership charge is made by direct debit so you can save money and the cost of maintaining your pet’s good health is spread throughout the year.

Find out more: https://www.larkmead.co.uk/small-animal-vets/lifetime-care-club

15/02/2025

Lilies are beautiful but are not recommended in households with cats, in particular.

💐True lilies (many varieties including stargazer and tiger) are nephrotoxic (causes kidney failure) in cats and digestive upsets in dogs.
💐Hybrid lilies (again, many varieties including calla, peace and lily of the valley) are toxic to dogs and cats.
💐Unlike many other plants, it isn’t just the bulb that is toxic. The leaves and even pollen, if ingested, can cause kidney failure. Pollen on the coat can be licked off by cats and the water the flowers stand in is also toxic.

Signs to look out for are:
• Vomiting
• Lethargy
• Loss of appetite
• Excessive drooling
• Increased thirst and urination (changing to decreased urination as damage progresses)

Please contact us immediately if you suspect your pet has ingested any lily plant. ☎️ 01235 814991/01491 651379

14/02/2025

💝Watch out with your Valentine's chocolate 🍫because when it comes to pets, sharing is not caring!!❌

🐾Pets cannot process chocolate due to a chemical from the cacao shell known as Theobromine. Theobromine has a very similar construct to caffeine and has similar effects
🐾Darker and more bitter chocolate is much more harmful due to the higher levels of Theobromine; however, all types of chocolate are harmful, particularly if consumed in excess

Symptoms of chocolate toxicity to look out for are:
• Vomiting and diarrhoea
• Excessive drinking
• Restlessness, abdominal discomfort
• Tremors
• Wobbliness
• Hyperactivity

🍫If your pet has consumed chocolate, please contact us immediately with details of the type and amount of chocolate ☎️ 01235 814991 / 01491 651379.

14/02/2025

Roses are red 🌹
Violets are blue 🪻
We love cats 🐈
So do you! 💕

Go on, share your Valentine's cat photos with us! 🥰

14/02/2025

Roses are red 🌹
Violets are blue 🪻
We love dogs 🐕
So do you! 💕

Go on, share your Valentine's pup photos with us! 🥰

13/02/2025

Our lovely team of qualified Veterinary Nurses here at Larkmead run a number of useful clinics and can help you with problems:

⚖️ Weight management – supporting achievable and sustainable weight loss plans for your pet
🪥 Dental care – how to look after your pet’s teeth
🐕 Senior clinics – supporting your pet as they age
♿️ Mobility clinics – helping those pets less able to get about
🐱 Weigh and worm – offering growing puppy and kitten owners the opportunity to visit the vets and build a positive relationship between your pet and our team as well as to weigh regularly and administer the right doseage of preventative treatment
✂️ Clip claws – like it says on the tin!
🐶 A**l glands emptying - 🤢if you know, you know!
💈 De-matting – removing those tricky to get matts in their fur
🙉 Applying ear treatments – these can sometimes be tricky so our team can support owners with this (p.s. not for monkeys!)
🐾 Post op checks – a quick check to ensure your pet’s wound is healing well and recovery is ongoing
🕷️ Apply flea/worm treatment – supporting owners with administering these medicines safely
🕷️ Tick removal – tricky little blighters, ticks – let our team get them off safely for you and prevent infection from leftover mouth pieces!
💉 Repeat injections – for ongoing medication administration

Find out more on our website: https://www.larkmead.co.uk/small-animal-vets/services/nurse-clinics?utm_campaign=meetedgar&utm_medium=social&utm_source=meetedgar.com
If you’d like to book, give our Reception Team a call on ☎️ 01235 814991/01491 651379 or WhatsApp us on 07360277998. We've recently added more availability due to their popularity!

12/02/2025

This is Vinnie, having fun at one of our puppy parties!!

At Larkmead Vets we offer free puppy party’s🐶🎉✨ on Tuesday evenings. Each month, one happens at our Cholsey branch and the other two are at our Great Western Park branch. You can find out more on our website: https://www.larkmead.co.uk/small-animal-vets/services/puppies-kittens

Vinnie was really excited to meet all the other puppies and enjoyed playing!! Puppy parties allow puppies to visit the vets and meet other dogs in a safe environment, whilst you get some valuable tips on navigating your pup’s first year. Your puppy can attend (provided they are well) between their first and second vaccination.

Please give our Reception Team a call to book your slot: ☎️ 01235 814991/ 01491 651379

11/02/2025

At Larkmead we routinely take dental x-rays before dental procedures in cats and here’s a prime example of why. The top image shows what can be seen with the naked eye and the x-ray below what what we can see with a dental x-ray. Looking at the front premolar (arrowed) the tooth doesn’t look too bad to the naked eye (just a small lesion at the front). However, when looking at the tooth on the x-ray you can see that the whole root has been lost along with a significant amount of the crown. This would have been a very painful tooth which would have been difficult to spot with the naked eye (and we all know that cats are masters of disguise at hiding pain). Using the dental x-ray we can assess the true disease going on with this tooth and remove it to prevent any ongoing oral pain.

10/02/2025

📣Meet the team📣
Receptionist Holly joined Larkmead in June 2024!! She has enjoyed her start at Larkmead and particularly likes meeting all the sweet pets!

Holly has always loved working with animals😺🐶 and felt Larkmead was a perfect fit💜✨!! She really appreciates Larkmead’s values and loves their independently owned status💪✨!!
In her spare time Holly loves walking🚶‍♀️, poetry📖, playing the piano🎹, listening to music🎶, keeping up with sports via the TV📺 (especially football⚽ and athletics🎽)!!

At home🏠, Holly has two cats 🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛ named Buddy and Tyler💜

In her next life Holly would like to be a sloth🦥 (in the morning☀️), then after 11am would most like to be a cat😺💜✨

09/02/2025

Our 24h emergency service is run by our own team of vets and nurses from our practice in Park Road, Didcot.
Should you need us outside of our normal opening hours, call the usual numbers and your details will be passed to the duty vet to give you a call back. From this they can give advice or book an appointment to see you face-to-face. The team have access to your pet's full clinical record so can see any relevant history.
Please familiarise yourself with the location of our Park Road, Didcot branch - this makes it less stressful in an emergency situation. https://www.larkmead.co.uk/small-animal-vets/contact/didcot?utm_campaign=meetedgar&utm_medium=social&utm_source=meetedgar.com

08/02/2025

Meet Rolo!! An eleven-month-old Cavapoo!!
He recently came into Larkmead Vets to be castrated by Vet Izzy

For male dogs and animals this means the process of removing the testicles to prevent the production of s***m and testosterone.

This is what happens:
🐶Depending on the dog, a catheter is placed in the vein. If not possible an intramuscular premed injection is given which makes the patient sleepy.
🐶The anaesthetic is then induced which allows them to be intubated. Oxygen and anaesthetic gas are then supplied through a tube. This keeps the animal under anaesthetic through the surgery.
🐶The area just in front of the sc***um is then shaved to make sure that it is ready for cleaning.
🐶The area is scrubbed clean so that it’s aseptic and ready for surgery.
🐶One small incision is made in front of the sc***um to retrieve the testicles.
🐶The blood vessels supplying the testicles are tied off and the testicles are then removed. The small incision is then closed with absorbable suture material (which dissolve within 2-4 weeks leaving the wound to heal😊).
🐶The patient is then gently woken up and taken into a quiet area and given some food and water 🥣🐶✨ready for their return home later in the day✨💜

07/02/2025

Staff pet Macaroni recently came in for a dental appointment🦷. Macaroni is a gorgeous working Labrador who is five months old who fractured his deciduous (baby) canine which resulted in painful exposure of the pulp cavity that contains the nerves and blood vessels supplying the tooth. If the broken tooth is not removed, this can lead to an infection that could affect growth of his adult canine tooth.

Under anaesthetic, Vet Sara x-rayed Macaroni’s jaw to check for any damage below the gum line. She then carefully extracted the broken tooth to ensure his adult tooth would not be damaged.

Macaroni has been recovering well at home (with a temporary diet of soft food🥣whilst his mouth heals🩹) and should not suffer any long-lasting effects💜✨

06/02/2025

Regular brushing of your pet’s teeth will help remove plaque and help prevent disease. Ideally start when they’re young but it is never too late!

Choose a soft toothbrush (there are lots of options to choose from, even fingertip versions) and use a pet specific toothpaste (as these will not contain too much fluoride or artificial sweeteners like Xylitol, which are toxic to pets).

Make it fun and gradually build up the time that your pet will tolerate brushing for.

If you are using dental ‘chews’ look for those approved by the VOHC (read more about that on our website: https://www.larkmead.co.uk/news/2022/february-pet-dental-health-month?utm_campaign=meetedgar&utm_medium=social&utm_source=meetedgar.com)

We will check your pet’s dental health when doing a full examination and may recommend some professional cleaning. We do not recommend having your pet’s teeth cleaned through any unlicensed provider – vets are trained in dental procedures and mostly perform any treatments under anaesthetic to prevent undue stress or pain to your pet.

If you have any concerns, please speak to one of our team.

05/02/2025

This is Luna, having fun, at one of our puppy parties🌙!!

At Larkmead Vets we offer free puppy party’s🐶🎉✨ on Tuesday evenings. Each month, one happens at our Cholsey branch and the other two are at our Great Western Park branch. You can find out more on our website: https://www.larkmead.co.uk/small-animal-vets/services/puppies-kittens

Originally more reserved on arrival; Luna really found her confidence during the session👏😁!! Puppy parties allow puppies to visit the vets and meet other dogs in a safe environment, whilst you get some valuable tips on navigating your pup’s first year. Your puppy can attend (provided they are well) between their first and second vaccination.

Please give our Reception Team a call to book your slot: ☎️ 01235 814991/ 01491 651379

04/02/2025

This picture is a really good example of why it is important for us to take dental radiographs, particularly with cats. Charlie's teeth look ok with the naked eye, but on the x-ray you can see 2 large lesions, one in each of the two back teeth (on the left). This would have been causing Charlie considerable discomfort and reluctance to eat. Long term, untreated dental issues can seriously impact your pet’s quality of life.

Your vet will check your pet’s teeth as part of routine health checks. They are looking for any signs of decay in the teeth, or build-up of plaque and tartar, and may recommend some routine scale and polish to prevent further problems occurring. Of course, like with humans, regular brushing can help prevent problems and there are specific pet toothbrushes and toothpastes that can make the process more appealing (note – human toothpaste should not be used as it can contain things like xylitol, a sugar substitute, that is toxic to pets). Please speak to your vet, or book a dental review with one of our nurses if you’d like some advice and support.

03/02/2025

📣Meet The Team📣
Administrator Jess joined Larkmead Vets in June 2019☀️! Originally, Jess joined as a receptionist🖥️, however, she then moved to join our Lifetime Care Club (LCC) administration team who work busily to answer emails and WhatsApps from our clients regarding their pets preventative healthcare plan.

Jess has loved being at Larkmead and has really enjoyed being able to progress within the company💜✨! At home Jess has two dogs🐶 (named Molly and Penny), two cats😺 (named Earl and Minstrel), a Royal Python snake🐍 (named Charlie) and a tortoise🐢 (named Buster).

In her spare time, Jess loves photography📸, training Earl with new tricks (currently 10👏✨), visiting theme parks🎢, Lego and baking🧁 (in particular cake decoration where she has been trusted to make many celebration cakes and even the opportunity to decorate and bake wedding cakes💒💞).

In her next life Jess would love to come back as some type of big cat like a leopard🐆 or tiger🐯💜✨

Address

Ilges Lane
Wallingford
OX109PA

Telephone

+441491651379

Website

https://linktr.ee/larkmeadvets

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Roses are red 🌹 Violets are blue 🪻 We love cats 🐈 So do you! 💕 Go on, share your Valentine's cat photos with us! 🥰

Roses are red 🌹 Violets are blue 🪻 We love dogs 🐕 So do you! 💕 Go on, share your Valentine's pup photos with us! 🥰

Our online booking system allows you to book an appointment to see the vet in just a few clicks. Why not try it the next time you need to see us? https://www.larkmead.co.uk/make-an-appointment?utm_campaign=meetedgar&utm_medium=social&utm_source=meetedgar.com

A mini pupdate on Alfie! Originally, in his clinics with Nurse Kate, Alfie was too afraid to enter the actual practice building🏥. Due to the consistency of his visits with his owner and the excellent work of Nurse Kate; they managed to complete their first confidence clinic in doors👏✨💜 As you can see, Alfie is making huge progress, and Nurse Kate will continue to work with Alfie and his mum in helping Alfie feel. more comfortable at the vets.

A Mini pupdate on Patch🐶!! Patch has continued working with nurse Kate🩺 in their confidence clinics mainly focusing on muzzle training✨!! Muzzle training can be very important for any dog visiting the vets who may react fearfully as it keeps the animal and our staff safe💜✨. The key is to ensure that the muzzle is familiar and does not cause an added stress by building a positive relationship between the dog and the muzzle. Patch has made significant progress with his muzzle!! Here in this video his owner works with Patch getting used to having his muzzle on and then I work with him with his muzzle. His owner will now continue to increase the duration of time that Patch has his muzzle on. We’re so very proud of this little man, who was originally petrified of visiting the vets!!!✨💜

Today is National Pet Travel Safety day!☀️✨ Here's what you need to know . . . A number of our vets are Official Veterinarians and can issue Animal Health Certificates, so please contact us in good time before you travel to book your AHC appointment. https://www.larkmead.co.uk/small-animal-vets/services/pet-travel?utm_campaign=meetedgar&utm_medium=social&utm_source=meetedgar.com

Wishing everyone a happy New Year from Team Larkmead😺🐶💜✨

As New Years Eve approaches, here are some top tips to help your pet cope with fireworks . . .

Wishing everyone a happy Boxing Day from Team Larkmead😺🐶💜✨

Merry Christmas from Team Larkmead!💜✨

Today Team Larkmead is celebrating #ChristmasJumperDay and raising money for Save the Children. Here's a few of the team in their best festive sweaters 🎄!

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Our Story

We are an independent mixed veterinary practice, which provides veterinary care and advice to pet owners as well as the local farming and equine community. We have several branches across South Oxfordshire and Bucks - Cholsey, Didcot, Great Western Park, Sutton Courtenay, Benson and Fleet Marston. Details of our branches are as follows: Cholsey, Ilges Lane, Cholsey, OX10 9PA, Tel: 01491 651379 (pets), 01491 651479 (farm & equine) Didcot, 111 - 113 Park Lane, Didcot, OX11 8QT, Tel: 01235 814991 Benson, 34A Old London Road, Benson, OX10 6RR, Tel: 01491 651379 Sutton Courtenay, 94A High Street, Sutton Courtenay, OX14 4AX, Tel: 01235 814991 Fleet Marston (farm only), Unit 2, Fleet Marston Farm, Aylesbury, HP18 0PZ, Tel: 01296 531970

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