Astonlee Veterinary Hospital

Bailey is a 9 year old Bedlington Terrier. In December his cruciate exploded, my local vet suggested 2 options but I did not want the invasive surgery that involved bone sawing. Horrified at the thought of this surgery I searched the internet for alternatives and saw Dr Paul Manning performed an older procedure that transplants the dog own tissue and replaces the cruciate ligament. I got to speak to Dr Manning and his calm professional touch persuaded me that he was the surgeon I wanted to do Bailey's procedure. The surgery was done a week later, I travelled 400 miles roundtrip on 2 consecutive days to ensure that Bailey had the best treatment. Dr Manning was professional at all times and even came across as an eccentric boffin, I mean this with the utmost respect what I am trying to say is that he is so confident and assured with his procedure that it was assuring to see. Baileys recovery period was difficult as is any recovery after such surgery, the first night was spent sleeping on the living room floor as he was in some discomfort. I was determined that the wound would not be infected and also that his surgery would not be damaged due to jumping on furniture etc. Gradually Bailey found his legs and after 2 weeks was walking 400m a couple of times a day. Now 6 months after the operation, he is back to the fit, life loving dog he was prior to the operation. We have just returned from a weeks beach holiday and to see him running on the beach like an excited pup filled my heart with pleasure... highly recommended, thank you Dr Manning

Last Sunday evening our little nearly 19 year old cat's kidney's finally failed and we had no option but to ring the vet to have her euthanized. Despite it being late on a Sunday evening the vet on duty, Charlotte met us straight away at the surgery where Georgi was also manning the surgery. We cannot thank them enough for their kindness, sympathy, efficient and respectful way in which they dealt with Boadicea and us. Quietly and calmly Charlotte administered the drug whilst I held her in my arms and she passed peacefully and quickly with no distress to her at all. In addition they organised the cremation and return of ashes with a lovely card with no fuss nor any difficulty. Once again out heartfelt thanks to Charlotte and Georgi.

went here all seemed fine with our rottie firstly at aged 4 had problems rear leg we thought hip but vet said cruciate ligament which via insurance was replaced although since then he still had limp regular then sept 16 he had massive lump come up on his front leg we went vets and they suggested xray so insurance again then told couldn't see much so suggested biopsy so brought him back left him for that. when collected told couldn't get needle in for biopsy so had to make cut which we think wrong where done at the middle of swollen area which was already solid as skin tight but they say it was their decision anyway the small cut made over next few days got larger and larger the skin wouldn't seal so had to keep going back get dressed etc each getting billed so originally sept now December and still no further forward was told try acupuncture this may help seal wound so again more on insurance but it did help after 3 weeks more going in to check him. then was told it maybe just soft tissue damage and told to bring him back if anything changes, so to recap sept injury late December still nowhere except limping more and still swollen, so at this stage we decided to visit another vet who after consultation said he was sure it was osteosarcoma and very common in this breed. he suggested either double checking by more xrays or another biopsy but as now aston lee had put claim form in to insurance and it was well over 1000 there was a exemption put on by them that no more insurance to cover anything to do with swollen front leg and being on disability i couldn't afford to get anymore test doe. so as a result of second vet he said best thing for him was to take him home for a couple weeks and let him go so we did and today 20/2/17 we took him back to be put to sleep which we know having suffered since sept and his limp in front and rear now restricting him hugely we had no choice, he was my best buddy and helped me through my illness and i will miss him deeply but looking back astonlee got around 3000 from him in just under 2 years and what did he get? neglected thats what the service given was below the standard you would expect but also pets coming first not there the invoices / bills came very much faster and when complained got snooty letter back not asking about him but more that we let you pay up bills and that in their professional opinion they done right. i do not think so and if steps done right he would still be with us today or at least if told by them at start then maybe we could have saved out boy months of pain and discomfort but just feel that the insurance company were milked for what they can get and left with no option but to be put to sleep and just to add we were charged all these revisits for bandaging etc of cut that they chose to make and although not a vet i would have said make the cut where skin not so tight to allow sealing afterwards overall i feel disgusted by them and will never visit or recommend them again and as they know i have reported them and fully intend to seek full apology not to us but to bailey who had to die so long after initial complaint and yet never got the treatment he needed,totally disgusted by them

Last year my 14.5 year old dog was having trouble walking and occasionally fell over. I took him to Astonlee where we have been clients for many years, it was suggested we try laser treatment on the dogs back and hind legs as it is non invasive and would not have any possible side effects of drug treatment. We decided to go ahead with the laser treatment and were amazed at the results, there was immediate improvement on the dogs mobility after the first treatment, it continued to improve with each subsequent treatment and now just over a year later he only requires a top up treatment every four to five weeks and has a good quality of life at age 15.5 yrs. as expected of a dog of this age he also has other health problems that are being successfully treated and are under control. I can highly recommend laser treatment for any animal it would be suitable for, and commend Astonlee for embracing new treatments. I have in total 7 animals registered with Astonlee and have always found every member of staff, receptionist, nurses and vets, helpful and friendly, whether it is for a routine vaccination or an emergency situation, like the one I had last year with another dog who developed a possibly life threatening hernia, he was operated on by Paul immediately and as the dog is a chihuahua it was a delicate procedure, the dog made a full recovery thanks to Paul's impressive surgical skill. I have no hesitation in recommending this practice.

I have a Syberian Huskie who's over weight at 46kilos, who damaged his cruciate ligament, after contacting Paul he was brilliant he talked us through what he was going to do and how long it would take, l did not think my dog would be the same after this, but what a difference in Repairing his leg and Not having to cut his bones which is what we was told by other vets. My dog is now 100% his old self that is all thanks to the staff and vets. Also l would like to mention l did have my dog insured and yes they paid the bill, however l recently got a renewal notice and find that l was going to pay the price for claiming as it had doubled, so l went to astonlee's and asked for details on there own insurance and amazed l was going to be saving at least £20.00 per month, so please contact them they are there for your pets and you not just after your money.

The surgery offered at Astonlee was half the price of the bone sawing/metal implant offered by my own vet (and without the risks involved if it went wrong). I decided for myself to go to Astonlee because I couldn't bear the thought of the TPLO surgery. Its 18 months since the op and my dog is brilliant - took a bit of time for the limp to completely disappear but now back to normal with no bones sawed and no metal implants!

The most worthy 80 miles I have driven. We found astonlee when looking for a veterinary surgeon on the Internet, and I am so pleased we did. We looked at several types of surgery and this option was by far the best for all involved. The other choice included sawing the dogs bone and adding metal pins and double the recovery time. And this left the dog without a working knee! As I type this my 44 kilo American bulldog is asleep and healing well, 3 days after surgery with vet Paul, he is toe touching and able to get outside. I would recommend this veterinary hospital and procedure to anyone with a dog who has a cruciate rupture. They are very concise, informative, caring and helpful and best of all my dog is getting better and better!

My husband and I have been taking our cats to this practice for over 20 years and have always been pleased with the care and attention our cats have received whether just for routine vaccinations or out of hours emergencies (which we have had a few over the years). Highly recommend this practice and really pleased they have the International Cat Care Gold Standard as a Cat friendly clinic.

I've got to say during a very worrying time with my beloved dog, Tinkerbell',I can say we are both being treated with sensitivity. Tinkerbell is a very small King Charles who was a bit over weight. During the course of a few weeks she lost over half her body weight. She needed the toilet after every meal it was soft and yellow and she was always hungry. She has had many tests and treatments which has shown no fault and had no affect. However the senior vet has not given up and thanks to his vast experience has put her on steroids (as he has said he has seen this in the past with her breed and has had some good results with this method). So far, toilet still the same but not so often and Tink is slowly putting weight back on. So due to the vast and combined experience Astonlee have I 100% recommend them.