At both Surgeries we run an appointment system to avoid you having to wait too long. Please telephone 01743 791246 if you want to contact us.

Like most Surgeries we have X Ray equipment so that we can get detailed information as to what is happening inside our patients. We are able to carry out most surgical procedures and occasionally use our diathermy or cryosurgery equipment to treat patients.

We are able to analyze blood samples in our practice laboratory to determine how the main organ systems of our patients are working and we are also able to screen cats for the FeLv and the FIV virus. From time to time we look at skin, urine, milk and faeces samples as well.

At some stage in their lives most cats, dogs and rabbits need help with their teeth. We have a machine that is able to scale and polish your pet's teeth so that we can keep their mouth's healthy. 

We have a particular interest in maintaining the quality of life for our older patients and have sometimes been pleasantly surprised how well they are able to respond to drugs that maintain their mobility and  help their circulatory system.  

Clive Norrell B Vet Med MRCVS Qualified from The Royal Veterinary College in the mid seventies. Has always been interested in the challenge of treating all varieties of animals. Spends most of his day with his wellies on local farms and only occasionally now finds the time to go off walking with his dog. Favorite place Stowe Corner first lap of the British Grand Prix.

Fiona Ruffell B Vet Med MRCVS is a recent graduate from the Royal Veterinary College who was brought up in the West Midlands and spent her gap year before college working on a farm near Solihull. Fiona is interested in all aspects of mixed practice and can sometimes be seen around the lanes of Shropshire on her bike..

Catriona Benson BVM&S MRCVS has recently returned to Shropshire having spent some time practicing in the Scottish Highlands. Catriona has three young children and comes from a veterinary family. She has a wealth of experience of working with small animals and her husband also is in practice in Shropshire. Catriona is currently on maternity leave.

Emma Conde. Was brought up on a farm and is an experienced Animal Nurse who spends part of her time managing the practice. Emma is married to a farmer and has a dog who tends to fall over at inappropriate times.

Michelle Williams is the senior nurse who has the responsibility for looking after all of the patients that come to stay with us. Michelle has a wealth of experience working with animals at our surgery and out on the farms of clients. At the moment Michelle is expecting a baby and is on maternity leave.

Katie Mills completes the nursing team at Minsterley. Katie lives at a game farm and has always been used to looking after working dogs when she is not following her favorite sport Motocross.

Julie Hartley runs our branch surgery at Church Stretton and sometimes helps out at Minsterley. Julie has a grown up family and has always had dogs and cats at home.

Alice Bagley is the youngest member of our team who helps at the Minsterley Surgery on Saturdays. Alice lives in Church Stretton and is studying hard at the sixth Form College in Shrewsbury.

The three Vets and four Animal Nurses are not the only occupants of the Surgeries. There is a tank in both waiting rooms, the fish look back at us as much as we look at them. Fish are more than wet pets. We have had a population explosion of Guppies at Minsterley. Nobody has been able to count them all, they will not keep still long enough and the population keeps changing. There is always activity in the tank with the males trying to protect their territory. The smaller ones have to keep alert all of the time to stop them becoming somebody else's lunch, only the fast ones with an amazing turn of speed survive.

The cold water fish at Church Stretton are much admired by some of our canine patients. Some dogs position themselves in front of the tank and will follow every movement of the fish. We have a Stone Loach in this tank who is a bit of a trouble maker. Sometimes he will dig up the plants in the tank and watch them float to the surface. During the winter he disappears for weeks on end as he buries himself in the gravel and gets most annoyed if he is ever disturbed. 

Keeping fish can be as simple or as complicated as you make it. After the initial enthusiasm wears off you may not be so keen to do

regular water tests and changes so it is better to keep things as simple as possible. Get a tank as large as you can afford, you will not have any difficulties filling it. Try to site the tank where you will be able to watch what is going on, but not where there will be a lot of light from a window.                                             

Two filters are better than one. Under gravel filters, powered by the flow of water generated by an airstone, are fine as they give a huge area for bacteria to clean up the water. We have found that you have better control of what is going on if they are supplemented by a filter pump as well. These filter the water by forcing it through a sponge and a chamber containing activated charcoal to remove further toxins and keep the water clear.

It takes time for the helpful bacteria to grow on the gravel or on the sponge so you will need to set things up and run the filters for at least ten days before you even think about introducing any fish. We find Stress Coat is very useful to get the chlorine out of the water and protect the skin of the occupants of your tank. Use it when you first start things off, each time you add any fish and at each water change. Start off slowly with three or four fish at first then gradually get more every two weeks or so.

In both tanks we have more problems with the plants than the fish. The plants seem to grow better when the tank has been established for more than six months. We have tried plant feeds in the water but these tend to encourage algae to grow as well. Every now and again we have to buy new plants, the fish like to eat them and sometimes they go pale and fail to thrive.

We feed the tropical fish at the Surgery twice each day, but the cold water fish are fed only once. There is a loach in both tanks, they help to keep the glass clean and clean up the gravel. Every now and again we give them a slice of cucumber which they devour at great speed consuming every last scrap. Every two weeks or so we clean out the filters and replace two inches of the water in the tanks. Every time we do this more Stress Coat is added. Every second or third water change the activated charcoal in the filter is also changed. The idea is to keep the maintenance to a minimum or there will be a tendency to neglect things.

There is more information about fish keeping and fish diseases on the Tropical Fish Centre website.