A Gloucestershire animal hospital has completed a £2m expansion which will see it treat thousands of animals a year. 

The 18-month long refurbishment at Vale Referrals and Vale Vets in Dursley has seen the hospital and first opinion practice expand its footprint by 30%, adding three new operating theatres, six new consult rooms and gold standard feline facilities, including a cat-only waiting room, consult room and treatment area. 

Driven in part by the pet ownership boom of the last few years and increased demand for the hospital’s services, the investment from hospital owners IVC Evidensia has also enabled the team to create 10 new jobs on site. 

Vale Referrals provides specialist veterinary referral services to pets and owners across the Southwest of England, the Midlands and Wales and is open 24/7 for referrals, supporting colleagues from surrounding vet practices. The specialist team works closely with Vale Vets, its first opinion partner practice which shares the premises, enabling a quick internal referral process for pets. 

The investment saw the hospital’s previous layout transformed to facilitate the refurbishment, expanding on existing office space for the administrative team and adding desk space for a further 25 vets, as well as a welcoming new reception and waiting room. Bespoke ultrasound and cardiology rooms and a dental suite with a state-of-the-art digital x ray machine were created and prep and recovery areas enlarged, enabling the team to treat more patients in specialist surroundings. 

The existing kennel area doubled in size with the addition of nine new walk-in kennels, a bespoke isolation ward and secure outdoor runs. 

The expansion has also benefited the 90-strong team at Vale Referrals and Vale Vets, with a new kitchen area, an outdoor sun balcony, enlarged car park and revamped bee-friendly landscaping surrounding the hospital. 

Richard Artingstall, clinical director at Vale Referrals, said: “We’ve been working on this expansion for a long time and it’s incredible to see it complete. Our new and improved facilities mean we can give even more pets across the Southwest the gold standard treatment that they deserve and support our colleagues from neighbouring vet practices with extensive referral services. The feedback from pets and owners so far has been very rewarding to hear.”

Laura Escolme, Practice Director at Vale Vets, said: “After a year and a half of working in challenging conditions, we are incredibly proud of the team here at Vale Vets and Vale Referrals for their hard work and are absolutely delighted to see everyone making the most of our new facilities.”

Vale Referrals is fully operational and open for referrals from surrounding first opinion vet practices and Vale Vets is open for first opinion services. For more information, please visit www.valereferrals.co.uk and www.valevets.co.uk.