

We now offer a range of both routine and advanced services...
Our Clinical Services

Vaccination
Protect your pet from severe, life threatening infectious diseases with a primary vaccinaiton course, and annual booster injections.​
Dogs from 6 weeks of age:
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Core: Distemper, Hepatitis, Parvovirus, Leptospirosis
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Optional: Kennel cough, Rabies
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Cats from 9 weeks of age:
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Indoor only: Calicivirus and Rhinotracheitis, Panleucopaenia
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Outdoor: calicivirus and Rhinotracheitis, Panleucopaenia & Leukaemia
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Rabbits from 6 weeks of age:
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Myxomatosis, Viral Haemorrhagic Diarrhoea 1 and 2
Full vaccination, microchipping and lots more are included in our Puppy and Kitten Starter Packs

Pet Export & Travel Certification
Whether it be for a holiday, or for permanent relocation, pets leaving the UK with their owners need to comply with specific regulations and require special documentation. From 1st Jan '21, Pet Passports are not longer valid for travel from the UK to the EU, and have been replaced by Animal Halth Certificates (AHC's). Our vets are certified by the UK Government to issue the necessary paperwork, and can advise you on Rabies vaccination, and how to prepare for a trip.

Flea & Worming Treatment
All parasite treatments available through Thistle Vets are prescription only, and are far more effective than those bought 'over the counter'. Prescription parasite control covers a much wider range of parasite types than supermarket products and are available as tablets, 'spot-ons' and even by injection. Our products not only protect against flea and roundworms, but tapeworm, lungworm, ticks and mites too! If you need advice on when to give parasite treatment, or help applying parasite control medication, then our practice nurses would be pleased to assist you.
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Our Pet Health Plan helps spreads the cost of vaccinations and parasite prevention over the year, and offers a range of other discounts and benefits

Behaviourist Consultations
As well as working as one of our qualified nurses, Teri is a certified canine behaviourist and operates a weekly behaviour clinic dealing with cases ranging from aggression to anxiety. First consultations with Teri are 1 hour long to allow for in depth history taking and treatment discussion.

Microchipping
A microchip is a small device about the size of a grain of rice which is inserted under your dog’s skin by injection. Once implanted, the last's for your pet's lifetime. When a microchip is scanned, it provides details of the pet's ownership and allows lost pets to be reunited with owners. Under UK law all puppies must be microchipped by 6 weeks of age. Whilst there is no law for cats, we recommend all cats are microchipped, ideally whilst under anaesthetic for their neutering procedure to reduce discomfort.

Neutering
Neutering your dog or cat will prevent them from reproducing, but also provides a range of other health benefits...
A neutered female dog is completely protected from developing uterine and ovarian cancers, uterine infection (known as 'Pyometra') and will have a much reduced chance of developing mammary cancers. Un-neutered females will also have regular 'seasons' which can be very messy with up to 3 weeks of bleeding each time. Female cats will frequently have undesirable dramatic behaviour changes when in heat, and can be extremely vocal (''calling'').
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Neutering male dogs not only eliminates the risk of testicular cancers and reduces the incidence of prostate disease, but will curtail undesirable 'male' behaviours driven by testosterone such as mounting, roaming, and dog-to-dog aggression. Urine spraying is a common problem in adult tom cats, as is roaming. Feline viruses such as leukaemia virus (FeLV) can be spread by fighting so are more common in un-neutered males too.
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We recommend neutering dogs from from 6 months of age, and cats from 5 months of age

Acupuncture
Our vets Catriona, Gail and Mimi provide an acupuncture (including 'electroacupuncture') service alongside conventional veterinary medicine techniques for the treatment of a variety of disorders, particularly management of chronic pain. Acupuncture is frequently used in the control of arthritic and neuropathic pain in both dogs and cats.

Orthopaedics
We offer advanced orthopaedic surgery including 'MMP' implants for treatment of Canine Cruciate Ligament Disease in large breed dogs, as well as surgical correction of Canine Medial Patellar Luxation (MPL), and various types of fracture repair. We are proud to be able to offer these surgeries 'in house' avoiding the need for inconvenient and expensive referral to an external specialist

Cardiology
We offer comprehensive investigation of heart and lung disease with doppler echocardiography, digital x-ray and ECG. James is responsible for the cardiology caseload at Thistle Vets and has learned from some of the country's top cardiology specialists to bring back this expertise to his patients at Thistle.
Ophthalmology
Scott is a certificate holder in ophthalmology and sees the more challenging eye cases at Thistle Vets. The surgery is equipped with a range of instruments and tools specifically for the diagnosis and treatment of ocular conditions including repair of deep corneal ulcers, cherry eye, eyelid tumours, distichiasis, ectopic cilia, entropion, and medical management of dry eye (KCS) , glaucoma, uveitis and more.

Dentistry
As well as offering routine dental 'Scale & Polish', we routinely conduct digital dental x-rays to assess the health of each tooth, and carry out surgical extractions where necessary. Our vet Catriona has also completed training in 'Root Canal' which in some cases can be used to preserve a tooth that would otherwise require extraction, such as a crown fracture.


Digital X-Ray, Ultrasound and Endoscopy
We are equipped with a comrehensive range of imaging equipment to aid in speedy, non-invasive diagnosis. We have specialised endoscopes for examination of the gastrointestinal and respiratory tract, and even for the inspection and flushing of the deep ear canal in cases of severe otitis (ear infection)

BOAS Surgery
Our vets are trained to carry out airway and soft palate surgery in breeds such as bulldogs and pugs suffering from 'Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome' (BOAS) which can majorly reduce quality of life, and can cause life threatening respiratory obstruction. Read more about this condition here
