The team
Rhian and Owen opened the Old Barn in 2011 with one consulting room and a second-hand x-ray machine. There are now five vets, seven registered nurses, two student nurses and a reception team of four, and the two owners still do most of the night rota themselves. The three who lead are below.
Qualified at Liverpool in 2003 and opened the Old Barn with Owen in 2011. Holds the certificate in small-animal cardiology and runs the Thursday heart clinic. Leads on senior pets and the long-term conditions. Has two elderly cats and strong views about kibble.
Qualified at Bristol in 2006, certificate in small-animal surgery. Does the orthopaedic and complex soft-tissue list on Tuesdays and Thursdays and most of the night emergencies that need a theatre. Runs on the Taff Trail with a border terrier called Mabon.
Registered veterinary nurse since 2012, head nurse since 2018, with the certificate in exotic companion animal nursing. Runs the ward, the arthritis clinic, the rabbit clinic and the student nurses. The reason the rabbits here get seen as rabbits.
What you can expect
You can ask for the same vet every time and we will book around it. Your pet's notes, weights and x-rays are on the screen in the room, not in a different branch.
Ring before 10am and a sick pet is seen that day. A real emergency is seen the moment you arrive, day or night, by our own vets.
Before any procedure you get the estimate on paper with the range it could fall in, and a phone call before we go beyond it. The prices page shows what things cost before you ring.
When a pet is old or ill we tell you what we would do if it were ours, including when the kindest thing is to stop. Euthanasia at home or in the quiet room, never rushed.
A look inside
SurgeryOwen
A cruciate repair on a spaniel, two neuters and a dental. A nurse on the monitor for every one, and home by four.
After surgeryCerys
Every animal that has had an anaesthetic is checked every ten minutes until it stands, and rung home about by three.
DiagnosticsRhian
ECG, echo and an honest conversation. Most heart murmurs in old dogs can be managed for years once they are measured.
Registration takes five minutes and we request the history from your previous vet. Sick pets are seen the same day, emergencies at once, and out of hours one of our own vets answers 01632 960 813. Every price is on the website.