People with a passion for animals and a wealth of knowledge.
I recommend them.
Extremely disappointing and upsetting experience. I brought my dog to this hospital after she began having episodes that I believed were seizures. I showed the vet multiple videos of these episodes, including one showing her collapse, rigidity and shaking. Rather than taking this seriously, I was told it was neck pain. I explained that my dog had fallen on the way into the surfer and may well have neck pain but the seizure symptoms were the reason we were there. It felt she was in a rush to get rid of us as her shift was ending and she had been there all night.
I was made to feel as though I was clueless about what I was seeing in my own dog. I later showed the same videos to a veterinary neurologist, who considered the episode clearly consistent with a seizure. Enid has now been diagnosed with a brain tumour and is being treated palliatively.
I understand that diagnosis can be difficult, but dismissing an owner’s concerns when they have actual video evidence is unacceptable. Enid went weeks without appropriate seizure treatment, and I will always wonder whether things could have been different if I had been listened to in the first place.
We had a disappointing experience at our regular Highcroft vet also. Would advise steering clear of Highcroft.
Friendly helpful staff.
Taking my daughter’s dog to be put down on the 29th June 2026,was delt with an amazing Vet (Marie ) Her kindness and empathy was truly appreciated. Even treating Rico like a king with wonderful food with sedation in side ,disguised.
So hard for my daughter as she struggles with mental health issues.Marie gave Rico such kindness and compassion. .Even helped taking Rico to the Van to be taken home and buried.First class service on such a sad occasion.Can’t recommend enough.We live in a rural area and Highcrofts name and the wonderful Marie will be shared around the community.Heartfelt thanks to Marie .You made such an incredible impact on my daughter and myself with a very painful loss.
Excellent for cat care, you can tell they genuinely care about each patient. Have used them for routine and emergency appointments as well.
I did an ultrasound for my cat here and it was a very distressing experience. They asked me not to feed her from the evening before and to bring her in at 8:30am, but then they kept her there all day until 5pm without food.
She was already unwell and often peeing blood, and it was very upsetting to see her like that.
I would avoid this hospital if you care about your pet.
Saved our FIP cat’s life
My partner and I are immensely grateful for the vets here. Our cat at the end of last year was displaying worrying signs of not eating, lethargy etc., we were with another vet at the time who ran tests and did not really take the signs we mentioned seriously.
Our gut instincts told us to get a second opinion, and after asking around we decided to go with Highcroft.
though it is much more of a hassle to travel to, the care and attention this vet has given to our boy is unmatched and is worth it.
They immediately took the signs we said seriously and began testing. Highcroft also has more access to external labs, specialist vet advice than our old vet which we believe made a big difference. We were told he might have FIP, and immediately began treatment for it.
If it wasn’t for the quick diagnosis and treatment, FIP is a death sentence for cats. The signs are often elusive, so we’re grateful that the vets actually considered this disease. 3 months later, he is now back to normal with bloods and everything
Thank you to the lovely team here for all the support and care ❤️
I don’t wish to criticise the vets (they were v nice people) but my leopard tortoise recently died and was left to suffer terribly for weeks by what I feel was inconsistent and slow treatment.
I feel if they had treated this case involving a fatal infection with more urgency, she may well still be with us.
Jambo had become very ill a few weeks earlier - gasping for air, not eating, lethargic, coughing.
I took her to the vets v alarmed. They said she 99 per cent probably had a very serious infection (mycoplasma) that could prove fatal.
She would need antibiotics, but I was strongly advised to do a swab first. Not wanting to go against this advice, I chose the swab and waited.
The results took 8(!) days to come back, while Jambo just got worse. I was so worried, but when I asked again about the antibiotics, I was advised by a different vet to wait for the result. Again, I stupidly listened.
Jambo had the infection. I booked her in for a tube to be fitted for antibiotics, but she laid eggs and couldn’t have it. I was told to take her home, and see if she got better.
I was also told I could give her oral antibiotics if she began eating. She ate a tiny amount so being totally clueless, I opted for this. But Jambo was so ill, she stopped eating. She was gasping for air, making terrible noises, unable to walk.
At one point, I rang the vets, told them Google and AI said she was going to die, and I was reassured this wasn’t so. I also told the vet Jambo hadn’t eaten for weeks, and was told this wasn’t a problem as tortoises could go for months without eating.
Throughout this time, I was totally distressed – trying to do all these totally pointless things the vet had suggested, such as vitamin baths and nasal flushes. They offered bloods, x-rays – all kinds of pointless things – when she just needed urgent antibiotics.
The mixed messages just left me so baffled. 1) your tortoise has a deadly infection 2) She needs urgent antibiotics 3) Let’s wait 8 days for swab results. 4) Oh, she’s laid eggs, so maybe now she will get better. 5) Tube or oral antibiotics – no big deal, you choose.
Because of these totally confusing messages, I began to doubt my own instincts. I literally told myself that the vets were chilled, so I just needed to chill out.
By the time I had organised another antibiotic tube to be fitted, Jambo had died. I literally drove her in, dead. The vet told me – on examining her body – that she was utterly emaciated.
Jambo died gasping for breath, unable to walk, absolutely starving and with weeping eyes. I spent so much time with her in those last weeks, desperately trying to care for her and getting her to eat, probably distressing her. And it was all pointless.
Fundamentally, she died suffering. My partner and I have been left absolutely crippled by guilt that we let her die and suffer, and that we didn’t get her the treatment she needed in time to give her a chance. How is this okay?
We have sobbed for days & felt very angry.
The vets have said they are sorry she died, but that they followed antibiotic protocol, that I was always given a full range of options, and invited back for appointments. They say I made all the decisions about Jambo’s care – not them. This is all completely accurate.
But… where was the common sense? Where was the leadership? Where was the urgency and experience? Could the protocol not have been ignored for a pet this ill?
Why did they not just say: “She is seriously sick, may die; we need to treat her immediately.”
I basically feel that I let my pet die, and this is something I will have to live with forever.
Awful experience with Carolize today, to be told my partners terminal illness “didn’t matter and was irrelevant” to the decision regarding our pet was both cruel and reductionist. The mental health of the owners and how these situations are handled matters greatly, and care should be taken when having these conversations. I was completely shocked when I heard her say this and honestly am appalled.
