Services

Take a look at our services

The Great Western Exotics team have chosen to specialise in exotic veterinary medicine, and see species daily that many vets may not regularly treat.

Our team based in Swindon have undergone years of additional training, examinations and regular reassessment specific to exotic medicine to become and remain highly experienced in this field.

We Offer:

  • A 24/7 Referral service
  • An Emergency service
  • First-opinion Consultations & health checks
  • Specialist Avian service
  • A Diagnostics service
  • Wildlife & Zoological service

 We accept any exotic pet cases, including the following:

  • Small & large birds including raptors, parrots, cockatiels, parakeets, budgerigars & poultry (chicken, duck, geese, etc.)
  • Rabbits and other small mammals including ferrets, skunks, sugar gliders, meerkats
  • Rodents including chinchillas, guinea pigs, degus, rats, squirrels, chipmunks
  • Tortoises, snakes, lizards and other reptiles
  • Fish and amphibian

We are based at the Vets Now 24 hour Emergency and Specialty Hospital in Swindon and offer a friendly and personal service to make your appointment as relaxed for you and your pet as possible.

We will treat your pet if:

  • your pet is referred to us by your own general practitioner vet.
  • you make an appointment to see our General practitioner vet for exotic pets offering routine treatments such as beak and nails trims, vaccination and neutering.

If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us by calling 01793 603800, or emailing GWEreferrals@vets-now.com. To be referred, ask your vet to refer you to Great Western Exotics.

  • Referral service
  • Emergencies
  • GP service
  • Specialist avian service
  • Wildlife & Zoological Collections
  • Diagnostics
  • Medico-legal work
  • Export Health Certification

Referral service

Our referral service for birds and exotics is available 365 days a year. 

Your regular vet may refer you to us for a second opinion. In this case, you’ll be redirected to your own vet following your pet’s treatment at Great Western Exotics. 

Owners can also visit us after hours during an emergency or contact us directly for a second opinion. In this case, it would be an ethical requirement for your daytime vet to be informed.  

Please note we can’t provide telephone advice about a pet under another vet’s care until we’ve seen the animal ourselves.  

Emergencies

Our department is staffed day and night by dedicated and experienced avian and exotic vets. 

Our regular consulting hours are: 

Monday-Friday: 9:30am – 6:30pm 
Saturday & Sunday: 9:30am – 5pm 

Outside of normal consulting hours, our vets are on call 365 days a year. 

If you need our help after hours, call us as normal and select OPTION 1 from the answer menu. 

We can provide advice to registered clients and will be able to see your pet if necessary. Please do be advised that after-hours appointments incur greater costs than normal, and fees will be required at the time of treatment.

Prior to non-emergency treatment and hospitalisation, as a standard, we request a deposit of 50% of the estimate you have been provided if you are not insured. Please note the costs given are estimates and not exact quotes for treatment.

GP service

Our first-opinion service is available for any avian or exotic pet owner. 

If you’d like to register with us, need a routine health check for your pet or you’re concerned about their health, don’t hesitate to contact us. 

Consultations are arranged on an appointment-only basis. Our regular consulting hours are: 

Monday-Friday: 9:30am-6:30pm 
Saturday & Sunday: 9:30am-5:00pm 

Outside of normal consulting hours, our vets are on call 365 days a year. 

Specialist avian service

We’re proud to offer the only 24/7 avian veterinary service in the South West and Central UK, headed by Dr Tom Dutton BVM&S CertAVP(ZM) DipECZM(avian) MRCVS, European Specialist in Avian Medicine. 

Tom started his avian medicine career as a resident at GWE. As well as working with a wide range of exotic animals, Tom has written and published numerous articles on avian medicine and surgery. He’s also been invited to lecture on the subject across the world. 

We provide ventilated and secure hospital accommodation for birds and have staff on-site 24 hours a day to maximise inpatient care. 

Our avian services include: 

  • Routine health exams 
  • Disease screening and health testing 
  • Behaviour consultations 
  • DNA & surgical sexing 
  • Faecal sampling 
  • Imping 
  • Microsurgery 
  • Identichips 
  • Coping 
  • Nebulisation 

We have access to full diagnostic services, including: 

  • Endoscopy 
  • Ultrasound 
  • CT scanning 
  • Fluoroscopy 
  • Radiography (x-rays) 
  • Comprehensive in-house laboratory (for quick and accurate diagnoses) 

Wildlife & Zoological Collections

Great Western Exotics provides veterinary services for several zoological collections and wildlife rescue centres and are always interested to hear from similar organisations.

Services include:

  • Preventative health care plans
  • Routine site visits
  • Animal collection plans
  • Zoo licensing support and advice
  • DWA application support and advice

Please do contact us if you think we can be of service.

Diagnostics

Diagnostic imaging allows us to see the interior of the body, improving our understanding of a given injury/illness. 

We have access to full diagnostic services, including: 

  • Radiography .
  • Contrast radiography
  • Endoscopy 
  • Ultrasound  
  • CT scanning 
  • Fluoroscopy Comprehensive in-house laboratory (for quick and accurate diagnoses) 

Medico-legal work

Tom Dutton BVM&S CertAVP(ZM) DipECZM(avian) MRCVS provides medico-legal services within the fields of exotic pets, zoo animals and wildlife. This includes acting as an expert witness for relevant defence and prosecution cases. 

If you’d like to discuss a case, contact Tom directly on GWEreferrals@vets-now.com

 

Export Health Certification

Tom Dutton BVM&S CertAVP(ZM) DipECZM(avian) MRCVS can complete export health certificates for both live animals and animal-based products. 

The service is available to both individuals and businesses, on a one-off or contractual basis, and includes clinical examinations, certifying quarantine and disease testing if necessary. 

The UK’s withdrawal from the EU has drastically increased demand for export health certification. Contact Tom directly to find out more: GWEreferrals@vets-now.com to discuss.