Shires Veterinary Practice

Shires Veterinary Practice is a long-established multi-branch clinic in Staffordshire and is part of Linnaeus; the practice website says it has been providing veterinary care for over 70 years. It is set up for routine care such as vaccinations and preventative health plans, dental work-ups, and urgent problems when owners call in. Recent feedback is largely positive about prompt appointments, helpful staff, and organised preventative care, though a small minority of reviews mention inconsistency between vets and concerns about cost.

Services

•Routine and preventative care: Vaccinations, health checks, inoculation reminders, and preventative health plans are all part of the practice offer. Owners also mention receiving NexGard Spectra through a health plan.
•Urgent and emergency care: Emergency care is listed, and recent reviewers describe being fitted in at short notice and being seen quickly when a cat was unwell.
•Dentistry: Dental work-ups for cats are mentioned, including scale and polish, dental X-rays, and possible tooth extractions if problems are found. One older review also refers to management of severe stomatitis.
•Medical treatment and investigations: Reviews mention an older dog receiving an injection and ongoing tablets with good improvement, and a heart scan being discussed when a heart murmur was noted during another consultation.
•Small pet care: Rabbit first vaccinations are specifically mentioned, with one owner praising the calm handling and time taken to answer questions.
•Training: The practice is listed as a veterinary nurse training facility.

Pricing

Published prices suggest the clinic sits above average, based on a partial sample of comparable services. One cat dental estimate mentioned £350–£800 for a scale and polish including X-rays, with possible extractions if needed. A minority review also raised concerns about costs and felt some recommendations were financially driven.

People

•Amanda: A former vet mentioned in an older review in relation to a rescue cat with severe stomatitis; the reviewer says she no longer works at the practice.
•Vets and support team: Reviews regularly describe the team as professional, helpful, polite, and reassuring. Specific praise includes a friendly vet who was calm and patient with two rabbits at their first vaccination visit, and a receptionist described as especially helpful.

Reviews

Shires Veterinary Practice has a 4.5/5 Google rating from 133 reviews.

•Fast help when pets are unwell: Owners mention being fitted in for an emergency appointment at short notice and having a sick cat seen quickly after phoning.
•Friendly, reassuring staff: Several reviews describe the vets and wider team as great, professional, helpful, polite, and caring.
•Well-organised preventative care: Owners mention timely reminders for health checks and inoculations, plus parasite treatment supplied through a health plan.
•A small number of concerns about consistency and cost: One detailed negative review describes a long wait caused by an emergency case, dissatisfaction with dental advice and pricing, and a feeling that experiences varied between different vets over time.

Reviews for Shires Veterinary Practice

Note: Showing the 10 most recent Google reviews out of 133 we track in total. Recent reviews may not be representative of overall sentiment.

Mark Ellam

1 month ago

John Wilson

They managed to fit us in for an emergency appointment at short notice. 👍.

Luv Tanwar

Shaun Jones

4 months ago

Dealt with our cat very quickly when we phoned and he is now back to full health

susan allen

Lyn O'Connor

9 months ago

Never had a bad experience at Shires. Great vets. Great staff

Steph Goffe

10 months ago

Scott Farrington

Always professional and helpful

C T

1 year ago

I saw one of the veterinarians who advised that my cat would need to be put under local anesthetic and have his teeth scaled and polished to prevent his gingivitis from getting worse. In my opinion the gingivitis is under control at the moment and my cat eats his food with no problem, then the veterinarian said it would cost between £350- £800 including x-rays and possibly have teeth removed if issues were found. At no point was i given any advice on how to maintain my cats oral health from home, or any advice on what products I could use to help him. The veterinarian then said that my cat had a heart merman and that could be caused by stress. We were in the waiting room for approximately 45 minutes due to an emergency appointment taking place, in my opinion my cat was stressed because of waiting far too long for his appointment. The veterinarian recommended that while my cat was under local anesthesia for his teeth, they could scan his heart and then advised him to return in a couple of weeks in case this reoccurs, and medication is required. Despite the veterinarian polite manner, I felt that he was trying to make more money for the business, I then decided to google the vets and found that the veterinarian was one of the directors at Shires Vets, so it was his best intention to make money for the business. A couple of years ago, I saw a different male veterinarian who recommended that my other cat, undergo the same procedure, a scale and polish. During that time, I did my own research and began using an oral gel to help with oral maintenance. The following year, I saw a female veterinarian who confirmed that my cats teeth were in excellent condition and didn't under why those notes were made on the system. I had an absolute awful experience with my 3rd cat about five years ago when I saw a lady veterinarian named Amanda who no longer works at the practise. Bobby who was a rescue cat who had severe stomatitis, and she advised me to have a few teeth removed rather than all of them removed. After a few months, he continued to experience problems with all of his other teeth, which caused him further stress and increased the cost for me. I have seen good and bad vets at this practice over the years and it's not been consistent therefore I have finally decided to leave this practice for good because of this negative experience. I have registered with a different practice and therefore will be getting a second opinion on one of my cats.