Get consultations included as part of a Pet Health Club® Plus plan. Join today!

Facilities & Equipment

We are proud of our excellent practice facilities and equipment

Facilities & Equipment

Animates has two practices, one located in Thurlby and the other in Market Deeping.  We are justifiably proud of our practice facilities and equipment, and are very happy to show them to you. Talk to our staff if you would like a tour.

Find out more information below 

  • Off road car parking is available at both practices.
  • Our waiting rooms have separate partitioned areas for cats and dogs with special “cat cubby holes” to help minimise stress for your cats while they wait (this gives them a sheltered area where they cannot see other patients).
  • There are 4 consultation rooms in Market Deeping and Thurlby (3 for vets and 1 for our nurses) with 2 consultation rooms in the Exotics clinic.
  • We have treatment rooms for a more relaxed environment for complimentary therapies such as therapeutic laser and acupuncture. It is also more private in this room if you would like additional time with your pet when the time sadly comes to say goodbye. In Thurlby this is in a separate building, in Market Deeping it is our new consult room.
  • We provide separate hospital wards for cats, dogs and exotics (often not possible in other vet practices due to space constraints). The different wards are designed to minimise stress between species. There are also separate isolation facilities to prevent disease spread.
  • Our sterile operating theatres are fully equipped to ensure your pet is provided with the highest standard of care, and they are separate from non-sterile procedure areas to minimise the risk of wound infection. They are in Thurlby and Market Deeping.
  • We have a fully equipped Exotics clinic at Thurlby with its own waiting and consulting rooms and hospital with five different wards designed to cater for these patients’ often very individual needs. Within these wards there is appropriate housing, including vivariums for different species of reptiles, heated tortoise tables and a range of enclosures for birds and small mammals with species specific environmental enrichment.
  • Ultrasound: This is a device that uses high-frequency sound waves to create images of the inside of the body. We recently invested in two new ultrasound machines, one for each practice. The new machines allow improved visualisation of internal organs and one allows more advanced echocardiography (imaging of the heart).
  • Digital X-ray: X-rays are used to take pictures of inside the body. They are particularly useful to look at bones. At both practices we have digital X-ray sensors which are more advanced than photographic film. This enables the images to be taken more quickly decreasing the time the patient needs to be under anaesthesia. It also allows images to be digitally enhanced and if necessary transferred to gain specialist opinions or to send for hip and elbow scoring.
  • Endoscopes: We have both rigid and flexible endoscopes which are tubes with a light source allowing visualisation inside the body. They can be used to examine the inside of the gastrointestinal tract, the larger airways and smaller exotic patient’s body cavities.
  • In-house routine haematology and biochemistry blood analysers: In many cases, blood samples can be run in-house allowing for same day results. Certain tests will still need to be sent to an external laboratory for analysis but we have a courier who collects these samples to enable us to get results as soon as possible.
  • In-house advanced blood analysers including blood gases and coagulation screens: We have invested in more advanced blood analysers which are particularly useful in emergency cases.
  • Ventilator: This allows artificial ventilation which is essential for some exotic species undergoing general anaesthesia.
  • Blood pressure monitors: We have two types of blood pressure monitor which can be useful under different circumstances. We can screen patients for high blood pressure which can cause serious health problems, and monitor for low blood pressure under general anaesthesia improving safety.
  • Ophthalmic equipment: Including a tonometer to measure pressure within the eye, useful in conditions such as glaucoma and ophthalmoscopes used to examine the whole eye including the retina.
  • Aural equipment: We have otoscopes to allow visualisation of the ear canal and ear drum.
  • Microscope: This allows initial in-house tests to be carried out for many conditions including ear infections, skin problems and some blood disorders.
  • E.C.G machine: Used to check the heart’s rhythm and electrical activity. This is useful in certain cardiac conditions and also under general anaesthesia.
  • Therapeutic laser: Laser Therapy is a painless, non-invasive and safe therapy. Light is used to accelerate the body’s natural healing processes. The laser beam is moved over the skin so that the light energy (photons) penetrates deep in to the tissue. The treatment improves circulation, drawing water, oxygen and nutrients to the damaged area, and clearing inflammatory mediators. This increases metabolic rate in the cells which accelerates tissue repair and cell growth, creating an optimal healing environment. This can be used for many conditions including arthritis and wound healing.
  • Dental equipment including dental X-rays: Periodontal disease is one of the most common conditions we see in practice and can seriously affect your pet’s health and well-being. We have up to date equipment and at our Thurlby practice we can perform dental x-rays which can allow better identification of dental pathology.
  • Pet Ambulance: to enable easier transportation particularly of larger patients between practices or if a home visit is necessary.
Return to About Us