Emergency Vets in Halstead

## Summary The Forge Veterinary Centre is a long-established practice (the website mentions a 150-year history) focused on companion animals. Reviews describe a clinic that can move quickly when an animal deteriorates (including seeing a cat immediately without an appointment and providing same-day in-patient treatment), and that carries out practical procedures like X-rays, pressure bandage changes, and dental work (teeth burring). Reception/service experiences are mixed: several reviews describe compassionate, respectful care, while one reviewer reports being turned away for a second ID scan for pet travel because only one vet could do it and the clinic was too busy. ## Services - **Companion-animal veterinary care** (website statement). - **Urgent/same-day assessment** described in a review: a cat was seen straight away without an appointment after rapidly deteriorating. - **In-patient treatment** (cat treated during the day and collected later). - **Diagnostic imaging:** X-rays mentioned for a cat with multiple toe fractures. - **Injury management:** pressure bandage changes over several weeks for a fractured paw; discussion of whether bone pinning surgery was necessary. - **Dental procedure:** teeth burring performed and booked quickly (species not specified in the review). - **Microchip/ID scanning for pet travel:** one reviewer sought a “second ID scan” for migration paperwork and was told the clinic did not want to do it due to capacity and only one vet being able to complete it. - **Emergency veterinary services** are listed in the provided clinic data (no further detail given on the website summary or in the reviews we have). ## People - **Beate (vet):** named in a review as the vet who saw a cat immediately on arrival without an appointment and arranged in-patient treatment the same day. - **Amy (vet):** named in a review as “a brilliant vet,” associated with arranging teeth burring quickly. - **Reception team and assistants:** one review describes the vet, assistant, and reception team as “thoughtful, compassionate and respectful.” Another review describes speaking to an “uninterested” staff member on the phone when requesting a travel-related ID scan, ending with the caller being advised it was “for the best” to go elsewhere. ## Reviews **Google rating: 4.8 stars from 88 reviews.** **Themes below are drawn from the latest written reviews available to us.** - **Rapid help for sick pets:** immediate assessment without an appointment and same-day in-patient care for a cat who deteriorated overnight. - **Clear ongoing case management:** owners mention being kept informed during repeated visits, including updates around X-ray findings and timing of collection. - **Conservative decision-making noted in one case:** a vet reviewed X-rays (even coming in on a day off, per the owner) and decided surgery to pin fractured toe bones wasn’t needed at that point. - **Specific procedures mentioned:** X-rays, repeated bandage changes, and teeth burring. - **Service inconsistency around travel admin:** one reviewer reports being refused a second ID scan for pet migration due to limited qualified vet availability and workload, and felt dismissed on the phone, while other reviewers describe respectful, compassionate interactions.