Petherton Veterinary Clinics - Rumney

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  Greg Oxenham

  6 months ago

  My wife took my beloved Soks to this practice because he had a distended stomach and had stopped eating solid food for three days. He had lost half a kilo in weight and had resorted to lying in a very small box looking sad. He wanted liquids but could only drink the smallest amount before collapsing back into his box. It seemed obvious that he was harbouring some sort of gastro blockage or severe intestinal infection and we needed it diagnosed urgently. My wife took him to Petherton as the vet who treated him at our local Marlborough vets a few weeks earlier for incontinence and bowel obstruction was working there now and they suggested she would have a handle on his problems. It was clear to me that his previous and current symptoms were linked so my wife insisted they do a X-Ray and any necessary tests to finally diagnose and treat the problem. We left him there for four hours during which time they ran up a bill of £1588 for an X-Ray, which they admitted wouldn’t have shown anything, an ultra Sound printed out on a flimsy sheet of thermo paper that revealed a huge black mass in his stomach area. They had administered three tablets and an injection with no apparent impact. The vet admitted she had no idea what was causing the problems, although she did say it could be lots of things, presumably to cover for her complete lack of knowledge. We were told to take him away as they were closing. Soks was in great pain when we brought him home on Friday evening... We were told if we wanted him monitored over night we could take him to Valley Vets many miles away and have him admitted. If his non eating persisted they suggested we treat him with hunger stimulants which we could buy on line. Incredible! We were told that Valley Vets would conduct more tests, presumably because they would want to find out what the black mass was but it would be expensive as this was an out of hours surgery. I was told they would pass on the case file to them. After my wife brought the cat home it was obvious he had deteriorated greatly while in their care. I rang the practice before they closed and asked them to justify their enormous bill. It’s incredible these people can levy a bill like this and not have the courtesy to itemise it as soon as you say “we have insurance”. They promised to send us an itemised bill by the end of the day. If you live in Cardiff and you are referred to, or choose to take your beloved animal to this practice, I strongly advise you to think again. They display near zero humanity and the people involved in our visit were inexperienced.

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  Irfan Chaudhry

  8 months ago

  A lost cat came to our house last night and didn't want to leave. With no experience of pets before we rang a few places including RSPCA to rescue it but no support. Finally we called Petherton today. They scanned the cat for microchip and reunited it with the owners. Extremely polite and helpful staff. Thanks

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  Natascia Colacino

  10 months ago

  AVOID THIS VET – NEGLIGENCE COST US OUR DOG I wish I didn’t have to write this, but I feel morally obligated to warn other pet owners. What happened to our beloved Tyson under the care of this veterinary practice was beyond negligent—it was devastating. We lost him, and it could have been prevented. Tyson, our 5-year-old Rottweiler, was a healthy, happy dog until we took him to this vet due to a strange discharge. Instead of doing thorough testing, they prescribed 15 days of antibiotics based only on a urine sample that showed no signs of infection. When I questioned why antibiotics were necessary, they told me it was “just for prevention.” Tyson got sick immediately after starting the medication—he stopped eating and drinking. I called them in distress, but they insisted he must complete the full 15-day course, despite him clearly deteriorating. He lost 7kg in just one week. We were told he needed fluids for 4–5 days, and they gave us multiple sedation pills to give him beforehand. Tyson was knocked out after just one pill. When we brought him in, the vet told us we should say goodbye because he might not wake up from sedation. We were in shock—just a week before, he was fine. During that visit, while we were desperate for answers, the vet kept asking if we wanted his nails clipped. We said multiple times that we didn’t care about that—we needed them to figure out why Tyson was crashing and to get him on fluids. Despite telling us he needed fluids for several days, they rang us that same evening to say they couldn’t keep him overnight because they weren’t licensed. When we picked him up, he looked pregnant—his belly was severely swollen and he could barely walk. I asked what happened in the 7–8 hours he was there, and their only answer was: “Tyson refused to go to the toilet.” Apparently, they expected a 55kg Rottweiler, trained to go only on grass, to pee on puppy pads. It was insulting. The next day, we were told to take him to Valleys hospital. The vet there tried to contact our previous vet multiple times for Tyson’s medical history, but they never answered. Tyson was too weak for sedation, but they gave us appetite stimulants and energy drinks. Nothing worked. He was getting worse. Weeks passed with no answers. Then our old vet randomly asked if there were any female dogs in heat near us. I was confused. Eventually, we realized I had been pup-sitting a female dog. When I separated them, Tyson’s discharge stopped the very next day. It was hormonal—but why wasn’t this considered earlier? Still, Tyson wasn’t recovering. The same vet who ignored all the signs then suggested castration or euthanasia. Tyson was too weak for surgery, and other vets we consulted were shocked that this was even suggested. They all said the amount and type of medication he had been given was unnecessary and harmful. Then we found out our insurance had been cancelled—because the vet had reported Tyson as a dangerous dog, which he absolutely was not. We had to pay out-of-pocket for all treatments, meds, and tests. We moved Tyson to a new practice. They came to our home, treated him with respect, and finally ran the right tests. We discovered he was already in Stage 3 kidney failure—likely caused by the inappropriate medication from the first vet. The new vet gave us a plan and supported us, but it was too late. There’s so much more I could say—so many painful moments I’ve left out—but I’ve tried my best to keep this short and focused, even though every part of me wants to shout our story out loud. Tyson passed away on June 1st, 2025. He was born on January 1st, 2020. He was only 5 years old. These past 6 months have been the hardest of our lives. Please, if you love your animal, do not bring them to this clinic. I wouldn’t wish what happened to Tyson—and to us—on anyone.

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