Steady, unhurried care for dogs, cats and small pets
Corvus Lane Veterinary is an independent small animal practice. We look after cats, dogs, rabbits, ferrets, guinea pigs and other small companion animals, from a first kitten appointment through to the quiet end-of-life conversations that come many years later.
Appointments run to twenty minutes as standard, because most consultations are better for not being rushed. We are open six days a week and we hold a 24-hour emergency arrangement for every registered client.
If you have an emergency
Telephone before you travel, whatever the time. Someone answers the emergency line day and night, including weekends and public holidays. We will tell you where to bring your pet and get the room ready before you arrive, which usually saves several minutes at the door.
01632 960 480One number, in and out of hours. Please do not send an email or a message through the contact form about an urgent problem — those are only read during office hours.
Call straight away if you notice
- Difficulty breathing, or breathing that is noisy and laboured at rest
- Collapse, unresponsiveness, or repeated fitting
- Bleeding that does not stop with gentle pressure
- Any road traffic accident or fall from a height
- Repeated unproductive retching, or a suddenly swollen, tense abdomen
- Straining to pass urine with nothing produced, particularly in male cats
- Suspected contact with something toxic, including household or garden products
- A birth that has stalled, or prolonged straining without progress
- Severe or worsening pain, or an injury to the eye
What helps when you call
Have your pet's name and rough age to hand, and be ready to describe what has happened and when it started. If you know your pet has eaten something, keep the packet or label — it is often the fastest way to work out what we are dealing with.
Getting here safely
Please do not rush. Cats and small pets travel far better in a secure carrier, and a frightened dog is easier to manage on a lead than loose in the car. If your pet may bite because it is in pain, tell us on the telephone so that we can meet you with the right handling equipment.
If you are not registered with us
We will still give advice on the telephone and will not turn away an animal in distress, but out-of-hours emergency care is arranged first for registered clients. If you use another practice, their own emergency number will normally be on their answerphone message.
Opening hours and appointments
Consultations are by appointment. We keep a number of slots free each morning for pets that need to be seen the same day, so please telephone early if you are worried about something that has come on overnight.
| Day | Reception open | Consultations |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | 08:00 – 18:30 | 08:30 – 11:30, 15:30 – 18:00 |
| Tuesday | 08:00 – 18:30 | 08:30 – 11:30, 15:30 – 18:00 |
| Wednesday | 08:00 – 18:30 | 08:30 – 11:30, 15:30 – 18:00 |
| Thursday | 08:00 – 19:30 | 08:30 – 11:30, 15:30 – 19:00 |
| Friday | 08:00 – 18:30 | 08:30 – 11:30, 15:30 – 18:00 |
| Saturday | 08:30 – 13:00 | 09:00 – 12:30 |
| Sunday | Closed | Emergency line only |
Between the morning and afternoon consulting sessions the team is in theatre or working through the day's admissions. Reception stays open, so you can still collect food and repeat items, but a vet will not usually be free to see a routine case.
We close on public holidays. The emergency arrangement runs as normal on those days — use the same telephone number.
Booking an appointment
Telephone 01632 960 480 during reception hours, or email reception@corvuslanevet.example.com for anything that is not urgent. We answer email in the order it arrives, usually the same working day.
Please tell reception roughly what the appointment is for. A limp and a lump need different amounts of time, and it helps us put you with the right vet.
Running late or need to cancel
Let us know as early as you can. A slot given back before the morning generally goes to somebody waiting for it. We ask for at least four hours' notice; repeated missed appointments without notice may be charged at the consultation rate.
Nervous patients
If your pet finds the waiting room difficult, ask for the first or last appointment of a session, or wait in the car and telephone us on arrival. We will come out and fetch you when the room is free.
About the practice
We have been on the same site since 1998, when the practice took over what had been a joinery workshop at the quiet end of the business court. It has been extended twice.
Corvus Lane Veterinary is independently owned and run by the vets who work here. That is less common than it once was, and it shapes a few things. We are not working to a group-wide target for the number of procedures booked in a week, and nobody is asked to sell an add-on at the end of a consultation. When we recommend something, it is because we think your pet needs it, and when we think a wait-and-see approach is reasonable we will say so.
The building holds two consulting rooms, a preparation area, a sterile theatre, separate cat and dog wards, an isolation room for infectious cases and a small laboratory. Cats are admitted to their own ward on the quiet side of the building, away from the dog kennels, which makes an appreciable difference to how settled they are during the day.
We are a first-opinion practice. That means we handle the ordinary run of veterinary work — vaccinations, health checks, skin and ear problems, lameness, digestive upsets, dentistry, routine surgery and long-term conditions such as arthritis, kidney disease and diabetes. For a small number of cases that need equipment or expertise we do not have, we refer to a specialist centre and stay involved in the follow-up.
What you can expect from us
- A written estimate before any planned procedure, and a telephone call if the picture changes once we are underway.
- Continuity where we can manage it — if your pet has an ongoing problem, we try to keep you with the same vet.
- Plain explanations. If we use a technical word, we should be explaining it in the same breath.
- An honest account of what a treatment is likely to achieve, including when the honest answer is "possibly not very much".
- Time to think. Except in a genuine emergency, you are entitled to go home and consider your options.
What we ask of you
- Keep dogs on a short lead and cats and small pets in secure carriers in the waiting room.
- Tell us about anything else your pet is being given, including supplements and anything bought elsewhere.
- Be straight with us about what is practical at home. A plan you cannot follow is worse than a simpler one you can.
- Treat our team courteously. We will do the same, without exception.
Services
The list below covers the work we do most often. If you are unsure whether something falls within what we offer, telephone reception and ask — it is a short conversation and it saves a wasted journey.
Consultations and health checks
A twenty-minute appointment with a vet for anything from a new symptom to a general once-over. We examine your pet from nose to tail, discuss what we find and agree what to do next, whether that is treatment, a test or simply keeping an eye on things for a fortnight.
- Same-day slots held back each morning
- Longer appointments on request for multiple problems
- Written summary by email if you would like one
Imaging and diagnostics
Digital radiography and ultrasound on site, so in most cases we can take the images and talk you through them the same day. Where a scan needs a second opinion we send it electronically to a specialist radiologist and usually have a report back within a working day or two.
- Digital x-ray, including dental views
- Abdominal and cardiac ultrasound
- Images shared with referral centres when needed
End-of-life care
Quality-of-life assessments, pain management for older pets, and euthanasia when the time comes, at the practice or at home where circumstances allow. We book these appointments at the quiet end of a session and there is a separate room with its own door to the car park.
- Unhurried appointments, away from the waiting room
- Individual or communal cremation arranged
- No charge for a conversation about whether it is time
Consultation fees
We publish our standard fees so that you can plan. Prices below include tax and were last reviewed in April. Anything beyond a straightforward consultation is quoted in writing before we begin.
| Item | Fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Standard consultation (20 minutes) | £46.00 | Examination, discussion and a plan. Medication charged separately. |
| Extended consultation (40 minutes) | £74.00 | For several problems at once, or a complicated history. |
| Follow-up consultation | £32.00 | Within 14 days, same problem, same vet where possible. |
| Out-of-hours consultation | from £145.00 | Evenings, nights, weekends and public holidays. |
| Nurse appointment | £21.00 | Weight checks, nail clips, post-operative checks, clinics. |
| Nurse dental check | No charge | Fifteen minutes, no obligation to book anything further. |
| Microchip and registration | £24.00 | Reduced to £16.00 when done at the same time as another procedure. |
| Repeat prescription (written) | £22.00 | For dispensing elsewhere. See the section on prescriptions below. |
| Second opinion appointment | £62.00 | Includes reviewing records sent on from another practice. |
| Home visit (within 8 miles) | from £98.00 | Subject to a vet being available; please book in advance. |
Estimates
Before any planned procedure we give you a written estimate with a range, because the same operation can be simple in one patient and awkward in another. If the cost is going to run past the top of that range, we stop and telephone you first, unless doing so would leave the animal in distress.
Payment
Payment is due when you collect your pet or at the end of the consultation. We accept the usual debit and credit cards and cash. We do not run accounts. If cost is a difficulty, please raise it early — there is often more than one reasonable way to approach a problem.
Insurance
We are happy to complete claim forms and can arrange direct settlement with most insurers for larger claims, at our discretion and subject to the insurer agreeing. Where direct settlement is not available, you settle with us and reclaim from your insurer. A small administration fee applies per claim form.
Prescriptions and dispensing
You are entitled to ask for a written prescription so that you can buy your pet's medication elsewhere, and we will not think any the worse of you for asking. There is a charge for writing it, shown in the table above. A prescription is only valid for a pet under our care, which in practice means we need to have examined the animal recently enough to be confident that the medication is still the right one — usually within the previous three to six months, depending on the condition being treated.
Some items we hold in stock and can dispense straight away; others are ordered in and are normally with us within two working days. Please give us at least two working days' notice for a repeat, and longer over a public holiday weekend. Prescription medicines cannot be returned for credit once they have left the building, so it is worth checking you have enough before a holiday rather than after it.
Registering a pet
Registration is free and takes a few minutes. You can do it before you need us, which is by far the easier way round, or at your first appointment.
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Telephone or call in
Ring reception on 01632 960 480 during opening hours, or come to the desk. We take your name, address, telephone number and email, and the details of each pet: name, species, breed, sex, date of birth if you know it, and whether they are neutered and microchipped.
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Tell us where your pet was seen before
If your pet has been under another practice, give us the name and we will request the clinical history. This is routine between practices and normally takes a few days. It matters more than people expect — knowing what has already been tried saves repeating it.
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Book a first appointment
For a pet that is well, a registration health check is a sensible starting point: a full examination, a weight, a look at the vaccination record and a conversation about parasite prevention. For a new puppy or kitten, book this within a few days of them coming home.
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Set your contact preferences
Let us know whether you would rather have reminders by email, text or post, and whether we may leave a message with a named person if we cannot reach you. You can change any of this later by telling reception.
What to bring to the first visit
- Any vaccination card or record you were given
- Microchip paperwork, if you have it
- Packaging or labels for anything your pet is currently taking
- The name of the food they are on, and roughly how much they get
- Paperwork from a breeder, rescue or previous owner
- A secure carrier for cats and small pets; a short lead for dogs
Moving from another practice
There is nothing to sort out with your old practice before you register with us — you do not need to give notice or ask permission. If your pet is midway through a course of treatment, tell us at registration so that we can get the records quickly rather than in the usual order.
Do you take on every animal?
We look after small companion animals only. We do not see farm animals, horses, or wildlife casualties beyond first aid and onward referral. We are also occasionally full for new registrations; if that is the case when you call, reception will tell you plainly rather than adding you to a list that goes nowhere.
Out-of-hours arrangements
Every practice must make provision for animals needing urgent attention outside normal opening. Here is exactly how ours works, so there are no surprises at two in the morning.
Between 18:30 and 08:00 on weekdays, from 13:00 on Saturday until 08:00 on Monday, and throughout public holidays, our telephone number is answered by the out-of-hours service we work with. It is staffed by veterinary surgeons and nurses whose whole job is emergency work overnight, which is a better arrangement than a day-time vet on their fourteenth hour.
You dial the same number: 01632 960 480. There is no separate number to remember and nothing to look up. The call is answered by a person, not a menu.
Depending on what has happened, you may be asked to bring your pet to our building, where an emergency team meets you, or to the dedicated night centre a short drive away. The person on the telephone will tell you which and will give directions if you need them. Either way, please telephone first so that somebody is expecting you.
What happens afterwards
Anything done overnight is written up and sent to us, and it is on your pet's record by the time we open. If your pet stayed in, we will usually telephone you in the morning with an update and, where it is sensible, transfer them back to us for the day so that they are somewhere familiar.
What it costs
Out-of-hours care costs more than the same treatment in the daytime, because a team is awake and on standby for a small number of patients. The consultation fee starts at the figure shown in our fee table and treatment is charged on top. You will be told the likely cost before treatment begins, other than the immediate first aid needed to keep an animal comfortable.
Before you set off
- Telephone first — always, even if you are five minutes away.
- Bring a carrier for a cat, rabbit or small pet. A cardboard box with air holes will do at a push.
- Bring the packaging if something has been eaten.
- Bring your pet's medication, or a photograph of the labels.
- Bring somebody with you if you can, so one of you can drive.
- Take a moment for a coat and your keys. Two minutes will not change the outcome; a rushed drive might.
Advice, not just emergencies
If you are not sure whether something can wait until morning, telephone anyway and describe it. A large share of overnight calls end with "that sounds like it will keep until nine o'clock, but ring us straight back if it changes", and that is a perfectly good outcome for everybody.
Bank holidays and Christmas
We close on public holidays and over the Christmas period, with the dates posted in reception and on this page a month in advance. The emergency arrangement runs without interruption on every one of those days.
Preventive care
Most of what keeps a pet well is unglamorous and repetitive: the right weight, clean teeth, up-to-date protection and somebody laying hands on the animal once a year. The notes below are general. What is right for your pet depends on their age, breed, health and how they live, and that is a conversation for the consulting room rather than a web page.
Vaccination
Vaccination protects against a small group of serious infectious diseases that are difficult and expensive to treat once an animal has them, and in some cases cannot be treated at all. Puppies and kittens receive a primary course of more than one injection in their first weeks with you, followed by boosters at intervals through life.
Not every vaccine is needed every year. Modern protocols give some components less often than others, and your vet will work out a schedule for your pet rather than defaulting to everything annually. That schedule depends on things such as whether a cat goes outdoors, whether a dog swims in standing water, and whether your pet goes into boarding kennels or a cattery.
The annual appointment is a full health check whether or not an injection is due. We weigh your pet, look at teeth, eyes, ears, skin, heart and joints, and ask how things are at home. It is the single most useful twenty minutes in the veterinary year for an otherwise healthy animal.
Boarding establishments and some training classes require an up-to-date record. Check their requirements well before you book, as some vaccines need to be given a set period before entry.
Neutering
Neutering is the routine surgical procedure that prevents an animal from breeding. It is the most common operation we carry out, and for most pet owners it is the sensible default. Beyond preventing unplanned litters, it removes the risk of certain diseases of the reproductive organs and reduces some hormone-driven behaviours.
There is no single right age. Best practice has moved on considerably in recent years, and the timing that suits a small terrier is not the timing that suits a large-breed dog, a female cat or a rabbit. Breed, sex, expected adult size, temperament and your own circumstances all come into it. We will discuss the options with you at a consultation and give you a straightforward recommendation for your animal.
The procedure is done under general anaesthetic. Patients are usually admitted first thing in the morning and go home the same afternoon, with a post-operative check included and a nurse appointment a few days later to look at the wound.
If you are undecided, book a consultation to talk it through. There is no expectation that you will book surgery on the day.
Parasite prevention
Fleas, ticks, roundworms, tapeworms and lungworm are all commonplace, and the right prevention varies a lot between animals. A house cat and a farm-adjacent spaniel do not need the same programme.
We will recommend a plan based on where you live, whether your pet hunts or scavenges, whether there are young children in the house and what has been found in the area. Bring along whatever you are already using and we will tell you honestly whether it is doing the job.
Weight and nutrition
Carrying extra weight shortens a pet's life and makes almost everything else worse: joints, breathing, skin, and the risk of a difficult anaesthetic. It is also the problem owners find hardest to hear about, so we try to raise it kindly and practically.
Our nurses run free weight clinics with a scale, a tape measure and a realistic plan. Most successful cases are about measuring the food properly and counting the treats, not about heroic changes.
Dental care at home
By middle age a large proportion of dogs and cats have some degree of dental disease, and the early stages are quiet. Bad breath is worth a look; a pet that has gone off hard food certainly is.
Brushing is the most effective thing you can do at home, and it is easier to establish in a young animal. Our nurses will show you how, with your own pet, at a free dental check. Diets and chews help but do not replace it.
Senior pets
Cats and small dogs are generally considered senior from around eight to ten years, larger dogs earlier. Ageing is not itself an illness, but several treatable conditions become more likely, and they creep in slowly enough to look like "just getting old".
We suggest a check every six months once a pet is senior, with blood pressure and blood and urine screening where appropriate, so that changes are caught while there is still something useful to do about them.
Puppies and kittens
The first weeks set a lot in motion. Alongside the primary vaccination course we cover feeding, worming, house training, handling, socialisation and getting used to a carrier or a car before either becomes frightening.
We run free puppy and kitten weigh-ins with a nurse until six months old. They take five minutes, they keep growth on track, and they teach a young animal that the practice is a boring place where nothing much happens.
Behaviour and anxiety
Behaviour problems are common and are often the real reason a pet ends up unhappy or rehomed. Many have a medical component — pain in particular — which is why the first step is always a proper examination.
Where the problem is behavioural, we can refer you to a qualified behaviourist and stay involved. We will not recommend aversive training methods; the evidence is not on their side and neither are we.
Visiting us
The practice is at the far end of Ashfield Green Business Court, in the low brick building with the blue doors.
Parking and access
There are fourteen spaces directly outside, including two marked accessible bays beside the entrance. The car park is free for clients and is rarely full outside the first half hour of the afternoon session. If it is, there is further parking at the near end of the court, about a hundred metres away, with a level footpath back to us.
The entrance is at ground level with no step, and the doors are wide enough for a wheelchair or a large trolley. Both consulting rooms are on the ground floor. There is an accessible lavatory off the waiting area. If you need help getting a large or unwell dog out of the car, telephone from the car park and somebody will come out with a trolley.
The waiting room
The waiting area has a separate seating bay for cats and small pets, with a raised shelf so that carriers are not at dog height. We ask that dogs stay on a short lead and that carriers are not put on the floor next to another animal. If your pet is very anxious or is thought to be infectious, tell reception and we will find you somewhere else to wait.
There is a water bowl by the door, a quiet corner with a chair for anyone who needs a moment, and a noticeboard with local dog walkers, groomers and training classes. We do not vet those adverts, so treat them as a starting point rather than a recommendation.
Getting here
The business court is signposted from the main road through Ashfield Green. Bus routes 14 and 14A stop at the Green, which is a seven-minute walk. The nearest railway station is about three miles away and taxis from the rank will know the court by name.
Assistance dogs
Assistance dogs are welcome throughout the building. Please tell reception on arrival so that we can seat you away from other animals.
Coming with children
Children are welcome, and often ask better questions than the adults. We do ask that they stay seated with you in the waiting room, both for their safety and because a nervous dog does not always read a small approaching person the way we would like.
Our team
Eleven of us work here, including four veterinary surgeons, four registered veterinary nurses and three reception and administrative staff. A few of the people you will meet most often are below.
Dr Ruth Ballantyne
Veterinary surgeon
Ruth works Tuesday to Friday and sees a great many of our rabbits, guinea pigs and ferrets. She came to veterinary medicine as a second career after a decade in laboratory work, which shows in how carefully she reads a set of results.
She is also the person who has quietly rewritten most of our client handouts so that they are readable by somebody who is worried and tired, which is when people usually read them.
Sam Delacroix
Registered veterinary nurse · Head nurse
Sam has been with the practice since 2009 and runs the nursing team, the theatre list and, in practical terms, the whole building. He anaesthetises most of our surgical patients and monitors them from induction to recovery.
He leads our weight and mobility clinics and has an easy way of raising a difficult subject without making anyone feel judged, which is a rarer skill than it sounds.
Grace Whitlock
Practice manager
Grace looks after the appointment book, insurance claims, accounts and complaints. If something administrative has gone wrong, she is the person to speak to, and she would genuinely rather hear about it than not.
She has worked in veterinary reception for nineteen years and can tell from the tone of a telephone call whether the animal at the other end needs to be seen today. She is right more often than she should be.
What clients say
A selection of comments left on our feedback cards and review pages. They are reproduced with permission and with surnames shortened.
★★★★★I moved here from a big chain practice where I saw a different vet every time and never felt anyone knew my cat. Here I have seen the same vet for three years running. She remembered that Ivy hates being lifted onto the table and just examined her on the floor instead. Small thing, enormous difference.
— Daniel K., registered since 2022
★★★★★The nurse weight clinic worked when nothing else had. No lectures, no guilt, just a set of scales, a proper measuring cup and someone checking in with me every three weeks. Bramble has lost nearly two kilos and is bothering the postman again, which I am told is a good sign.
What made the difference was being asked what I could realistically do rather than being handed a plan that assumed I was retired and had all afternoon. They worked around the fact that my daughter feeds him on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and got her on board too.
— Frank D.
Frequently asked questions
If your question is not here, telephone reception and ask. Nobody minds.
Do you offer a payment plan or health plan?
We run a monthly preventive health plan that spreads the cost of routine care — annual vaccination and health check, parasite prevention, nurse clinics and a discount on dentistry and neutering. It is a payment scheme for predictable costs, not insurance, and it does not cover treatment when your pet is ill.
For unexpected illness or injury we recommend pet insurance, taken out while your pet is young and healthy. We do not sell insurance and have no arrangement with any insurer, so we are happy to talk through what to look for in a policy without any stake in which one you choose.
My pet needs medication regularly. How do repeats work?
Telephone or email reception with your pet's name and the item you need, and allow at least two working days. We will tell you if a check-up is due before we can dispense again — for most long-term medication that is every three to six months, depending on what is being treated and what monitoring it needs.
You can also ask for a written prescription to buy the medication elsewhere. There is a fee for writing it, listed in our fee table. We will not treat you any differently for asking; it is your right and for some items it saves real money.
Do you do home visits?
Yes, within about eight miles, subject to a vet being available. Home visits work well for end-of-life appointments, for very anxious cats and for owners who cannot easily travel. They are less suitable for a sick animal who may need tests, because everything we would want — the laboratory, the x-ray, the oxygen — is back at the practice.
Visits are booked in advance and are charged at the rate in our fee table, which reflects the vet's travel time. Please ring early in the day so that we can plan the visit around the consulting sessions.
How do I get my pet's records if I move away?
Ask your new practice to request them and we will send the clinical history across, normally within a few working days and at no charge. You do not need to tell us first, though it is kind of you if you do.
You can also ask us directly for a copy of the clinical history for your own use. We will provide it in a readable form, though bear in mind that consultation notes are working documents written quickly between appointments and are not always the tidiest prose you will ever read.
My pet gets very stressed coming to the practice. Can anything be done?
A great deal, and it is worth telling us before the appointment rather than after. We can book you at the quietest point of a session, let you wait in the car until the room is free, use the side entrance, or take the whole consultation on the floor with the carrier open rather than on the table.
For animals who find it genuinely distressing, the vet can discuss options to make visits easier, and short "happy visits" where nothing happens at all except a weigh-in and a fuss. Those cost nothing and, over a few weeks, change what the building means to your pet.
Do you charge for advice over the telephone?
No. Reception and our nurses will happily answer a quick question during opening hours at no charge, and the emergency line gives advice at any hour without a fee for the call itself.
There are limits to what can responsibly be said without examining an animal, and we will tell you when we have reached that point rather than guessing. If the honest answer is "that needs looking at", we will say so, and we will not pretend otherwise to save you a trip.
What are your arrangements for cremation?
We work with a licensed pet crematorium and can arrange either individual cremation, where ashes are returned to you in a casket or scatter tube of your choosing, or communal cremation, where ashes are not returned. Prices are given to you in writing at the time and there is no pressure either way.
You are also free to take your pet home for burial where local rules allow it. We will prepare them for you and there is no charge for doing so. Whatever you decide, take as long as you need over the decision; nothing has to be settled on the day.
Contact us
Reception is the fastest route for anything urgent. Email is fine for appointments, records, insurance and general enquiries.
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Telephone
01632 960 480
Answered 24 hours. In hours for appointments, out of hours for emergencies. -
Email
reception@corvuslanevet.example.com
Read during office hours only. Never use email for an emergency. -
Address
Corvus Lane Veterinary
Unit 7, Ashfield Green Business Court
Ashfield Green AG7 2QP -
Reception hours
Monday to Wednesday and Friday, 08:00 – 18:30
Thursday, 08:00 – 19:30
Saturday, 08:30 – 13:00
Sunday and public holidays, closed
Insurance claims and paperwork
Send completed claim forms to claims@corvuslanevet.example.com or hand them in at the desk. We aim to complete and return forms within five working days. Please fill in and sign your own section first, as an incomplete form is the most common cause of delay.
For requests for clinical records, write to records@corvuslanevet.example.com with your name, your pet's name and the practice you would like them sent to.
Feedback and complaints
If something has gone wrong, please tell us. Speak to the practice manager, Grace Whitlock, on the main number or write to manager@corvuslanevet.example.com. We acknowledge complaints within three working days and aim to give a full written response within fourteen.
If you remain unhappy after our response, you are entitled to take the matter to the professional body that regulates veterinary surgeons, and we will give you the details on request.
Lost and found
We keep a local lost-and-found board and will scan any found animal for a microchip free of charge. If your pet has gone missing, telephone us with a description and we will add it to the board and check it against anything brought in.
Practice policies
The sections below set out our terms of business and how we handle your information. They apply to everyone using the practice. Printed copies are available at reception on request.
Terms of business
These terms apply to all professional services provided by Corvus Lane Veterinary. By registering with us, or by asking us to examine or treat an animal, you accept them. Nothing in these terms limits our professional obligations to the animals in our care.
Fees. All fees, medicines and consumables are subject to tax at the prevailing rate. Our published fee list covers standard items; other work is quoted individually. Estimates are given in good faith and represent our best assessment of the likely cost at the time. Where treatment turns out to be more involved than expected, we will contact you before exceeding the estimate wherever it is practical and safe to do so.
Payment. Settlement is due at the end of a consultation or on collection of your animal. We accept cash and the major debit and credit cards. We do not operate credit accounts. Where an account remains unpaid, we may pass it to a collection agency and recover reasonable costs of doing so. If you are having difficulty paying, please speak to the practice manager at the earliest opportunity; there is more we can do before an account is overdue than after.
Estimates and consent. No procedure requiring sedation or general anaesthetic is carried out without a signed consent form from the animal's owner or someone authorised to act for them. The person signing must be over eighteen. Consent forms set out the procedure, the estimate and a contact number for the day, and we ask that the number given is one that will be answered.
Ownership of records and images. Clinical records, radiographs, ultrasound images and laboratory reports made in the course of treating your animal remain the property of the practice and are retained as part of our clinical record. Copies of the clinical history will be released on request, and are passed between practices as a matter of routine when an animal moves. There is no charge for a standard transfer of records.
Medicines. Prescription-only veterinary medicines are supplied only for animals under our care. Medicines are dispensed for the animal named on the label and should not be given to another animal. Unused medicines can be returned to us for safe disposal, but cannot be credited or re-dispensed once they have left the premises. Please keep all medicines out of reach of children and animals.
Repeat prescriptions. Repeat medication is supplied at the discretion of the prescribing veterinary surgeon and normally requires a review appointment at an interval appropriate to the medicine and the condition. Requests need at least two working days' notice.
Insurance. Pet insurance is a contract between you and your insurer. Responsibility for the account rests with you regardless of the position of a claim. We will complete claim forms promptly and, at our discretion, may agree to direct settlement with an insurer for larger claims where the insurer permits it. An administration fee is charged per claim form and is not usually recoverable from insurers.
Out-of-hours provision. Emergency cover outside normal opening hours is provided through the arrangement described elsewhere on this page. Fees for out-of-hours attendance are higher than the equivalent daytime fees and are set out in our fee list. Emergency treatment is provided on the basis that payment is due at the time.
Appointments. Appointments are held for the booked time. Where an appointment is missed without at least four hours' notice, or repeatedly, we reserve the right to charge the standard consultation fee. We ask for your understanding if a session runs late; emergencies take priority over the booked list, and one day that may be your animal.
Conduct. We will treat you with courtesy and expect the same in return. Aggressive, threatening or abusive behaviour towards our staff or other clients will result in your registration being ended and, where appropriate, reported to the police. This is not a policy we enjoy having, and we apply it rarely, but our team is entitled to a safe place of work.
Variation. No employee or agent of the practice may vary these terms other than in writing signed by a director. Any variation agreed verbally is not binding unless subsequently confirmed in writing.
Privacy notice
This notice explains what personal information we hold about you, why we hold it and what your rights are. We are the data controller for that information. If you have a question about it, contact the practice manager at manager@corvuslanevet.example.com.
What we collect. We hold your name, address, telephone numbers and email address, your contact preferences, the clinical records of animals registered to you, records of appointments and payments, correspondence with you, and where applicable your insurer and policy number. We do not collect or store card details; payments are processed by our card terminal provider and we see only the transaction result.
Why we hold it. We hold it in order to provide veterinary services to your animals, to contact you about their care, to take payment, to meet our legal and professional record-keeping obligations, and to send reminders where you have asked for them. Our lawful bases are the performance of our contract with you, compliance with legal obligations, and our legitimate interest in running a veterinary practice safely and efficiently.
Reminders and marketing. We send health reminders — boosters, check-ups, repeat medication reviews — because they are part of caring for your animal. You can change the channel or stop them altogether at any time by telling reception. We do not sell or rent your details to anybody, and we do not send third-party advertising.
Who we share it with. External laboratories and specialist referral centres, where samples or cases are sent on; our out-of-hours provider, so that they can treat your animal safely at night; microchip registration databases; your insurer, where you ask us to complete a claim; our professional advisers and, where necessary, a debt recovery agency. Each of these receives only what is needed for the purpose.
How long we keep it. Clinical records are retained for a minimum of seven years from the last entry, and in practice usually longer, because an old record is sometimes the key to a current problem. Financial records are kept for the period required by tax law. Contact details are removed when a client account is closed and the retention periods above have passed.
Your rights. You may ask for a copy of the personal information we hold about you, ask us to correct anything inaccurate, ask us to delete information we no longer have a reason to keep, object to processing based on legitimate interests, and ask us to restrict processing while a dispute is resolved. Requests are answered within one month. If you are not satisfied with how we have handled your information, you may complain to the national data protection authority.
Security. Records are held on a practice management system with access limited to staff who need it, protected by individual accounts. Paper records are stored in a locked area. We keep backups, and access to them is similarly restricted.
Cookies and this website
This website does not use cookies, does not run analytics or tracking of any kind, and does not load anything from other websites. There are no advertising trackers, no embedded social media widgets and no third-party fonts or images. Nothing you do on this page is recorded by us beyond the ordinary server log entry created when a page is requested, which is kept briefly for security and troubleshooting and is not used to build any profile of visitors.
Any email address or telephone number shown here goes directly to the practice. If you contact us by email, that message is stored in our mailbox and handled in line with the privacy notice above.
Accessibility
We aim to make both the building and this website usable by everybody. The premises are step-free with an accessible lavatory and marked parking bays by the door. This page is designed to work at large text sizes, with keyboard navigation and with a screen reader. If you find something on the site difficult to use, or would like any information on this page in large print, tell us and we will provide it.
Professional regulation
All of our veterinary surgeons and registered veterinary nurses are on the appropriate professional register and work to the professional code of conduct that governs veterinary practice. Records of registration are available for inspection at reception. Corvus Lane Veterinary is a registered veterinary practice premises, and our practice registration certificate is displayed in the waiting room.
Complaints procedure
Raise the matter first with the practice manager, in person, by telephone or in writing. Most concerns are resolved at that stage and quickly. We will acknowledge a written complaint within three working days and give a substantive written reply within fourteen, or tell you why more time is needed. If you are dissatisfied with our reply, you may ask for it to be reviewed by a director, and beyond that you may take the matter to the professional regulator.