It has been a while since I’ve visited this practice but thought I’d better warn others! They may be good for cats and dogs (judging by some people’s reviews) but not one to go to for exotics. I own ferrets and now travel over an hour for my vet, which isn’t ideal in an emergency situation but at least I have someone compassionate and knowledgeable. Having previously come to Lawton and Stoakes I found both receptionists and Vets rude, patronising and uncaring. On one occasion, Mr Lawton grabbed my ferret, swinging him around in one hand and took him through the back in his hands for a day appointment for a castrate. Routine operation but it was rudely done and my poor boy was rough handed, to make it a horrible experience for both myself and him. Another ferret who had cancer was refused treatment at this practice as apparently it would be pointless. I went elsewhere (my current vet) and she was operated on and received another year with us which was valuable time. Unfortunately she crashed one night and I had to rush her to Lawton and Stoakes. They fit me in the last 10 minutes of the day but all staff were ready to clock off. They laid her down on a hard table and put to sleep. No options offered to get her comfortable and seen again by my actual vet in the morning. No emergency options offered. And the whole time Mr Lawton just bickered about where I took her and the surgery that happened with his response “I told you it would be pointless”. Another ferret needed a blood sample and I was informed it would be ferret specific. I paid full price for a cat sampling test and was told that all results came back inconclusive due to this. So waste of money and time. Went elsewhere and turns out he needed a £40 blood Glucose test which didn’t involve sedation and results were instant so we could work on the diagnosis. (There is also a ferret blood panel available so no idea why they didn’t actually do this....!?) Money grabbing, rude, uncompassionate and unknowledgeable staff. The practice looks as dated and hard faced as the staff are! I’m not sure how this practice is still running! Read Less

Great service, take my pet here for regular check-ups. Friendly and very professional team. Waiting times can sometimes be longer than expected, but they make it up to you with the service they deliver. Read Less

If i could give less than one star i would. This place overcharged me and gave my pet the wrong diagnosis meaning she suffered a further 2 weeks before being put to sleep at another surgery when I could see she wasnt getting better. The only reason i went here was because it was a Saturday and the top vet saw me at the highest consultation price. He was rude and patronising and clearly didnt care about the welfare of my pet. I WOULD NOT recommend this vetenary practice at all. Read Less

I needed to talk to a vet just to make sure that vet would of been the right one to go to ..concer8 ng the problem and the receptionist I think she said her name was Julie said no vets take calls ... this was an emergency so I didn't have to drive where no needed . Disgusting . Read Less

Only got as far as calling in said i needed an emergency appointment (5 hours before closing) the person i spoke to just told me there was no slots availiable and didnt even bother to ask what was wrong with my animal to try and establish if it needed to be treated as emergency or not. This was very frustrating as they were the closest open place and im pretty sure not even bothering to try and guage if its an emergency or not is against the rcvs code of conduct. Nonetheless my cat ended up having emergency fluids and xrays elsewhere! But still sadly passed away. I will be taking this up with the rcvs. Read Less

We were referred to this practise by our own vet, who looked after our pets interests for 16 years, for specialist eye treatment for our dog. The staff were totally professional and compassionate and took the time to make sure we understood the problems and what we needed to do. I would thoroughly recommend this practise Read Less

Excellent staff and vet. Looked after our elderly dog's eye problems and took the time to make sure we understood what the problem was and what our options were. I would recommend this practise to anyone who wants the best care for their pet. Read Less

I took my dog here after a referral, we had to wait two hours past our appointment, we had a 10 minute consultation at a cost of 180 and was advised that the dogs face needs to be butchered and they can do it at the weekend for 1k. After declining the operation to say we wanted to explore other options and asking them to sign our insurance form, we was told to sign would be a further 18. IMO they seem more interested in money than animal welfare. Read Less

We took our baby tortoise here, I wouldn't personally ever go back. From the start he was rude patronising and spoke to us with such a vile belittling tone which there was no need for. If we asked a question he wouldn't answer it just repeated what he had already said even slower. Total lack of compassion towards our tortoise or us if we wasn't so concerned for our tortoise we would of walked out. On arrival let's just say the receptionist Defiantly needs to brush up on her reception skills she's the first person people are welcomed by. after a second opinion we soon realised we totally wasted our money with this vile vets. Please spare yourself the distress. There is no excuse for the way we was treated and nothing they say can justify it and there lack of knowledge! Read Less

my wife takes our one eyed cat who has ongoing problems so attends every couple of months and our lizard here and staff are always polite and helpful. the vets know their stuff very knowledgeable. have had same day emergency appointments. with thanksRead Less

Contrary to other "clients", I was very happy with the professional and friendly way I and my Labrador, Bubbles, were treated. The staff were very helpful - rescuing my wheelchair from the boot of my car - and caring for Bubbles perfectly... Thanks folks ! Tom Read Less

I described symptoms for my tortoise to the receptionist who said that the animal need to see a vet as soon as possible - then said that there were no appointments and to ring back on Tuesday! Under the circumstances I suggested he might not make it through to Tuesday so would it be possible for an emergency appointment (they had almost an hour of surgery time till closing). Without checking with the vets themselves, or other colleagues, she point-blank refused. Restated the fact that I did not have an appointment - well, of course, I mean sorry and all but I could not predict the animal would need urgent treatment on a Saturday!!! I asked her if she could recommend anywhere else and again hit a brick wall. Apparently, she has no knowledge of any other vets who specialise in reptiles (tortoises). Neither did she have any information on their out-of-hours service. It was very much a 'go away and stop bothering me' call!! I rang round other vets in the area and even though they did not specialise in tortoises they were extremely helpful and provided further contact details. In each case they said that if I was unsuccessful in tracking down a specialist I could revert to them and they would ensure I was seen by the vet on duty, and they also provided me with details of their out-of-hours services so that we could be sure our pet was seen. They were disgusted and ashamed with the lack of help, compassion and understanding of Lawton & Stoakes. Unfortunately, there is no happy ending. Our pet died that evening. Still, at least our problems did not interfere with the Lawton & Stoakes receptionist being able to clock-off on-time. I sincerely hope that whenever that young lady finds herself in dire need of help she encounters an obtuse, belligerent, impatient individual just like herself. Read Less

The veterinarian didn't once even acknowledge my dog, let alone try to settle him or show him any form of kindness. The veterinarian showed little respect for me as a human being or my dog as a living animal. The staff avoided eye contact with me at all times and looked uncomfortable. The procedure was carried out correctly, but in a very clinical, old fashioned manner. I will not be going back to this practice and can completely understand why fellow canine enthusiasts travel over an hour to use an alternative vet.Read Less