Frequently Asked Questions

An after-hours emergency service is always available by phoning us on 035469646 or 035445678. Please note that we share our after-hours service with Stoke Veterinary Hospital and Halifax Vet Clinic, so you may have to see a different vet than usual. If your pet is hospitalised at another clinic and able to be moved you will then transfer your pet back to your regular clinic during opening hours.
Yes, you do need an appointment for a consultation with the vet. We are often fully booked and aren’t able to see walk-ins. In an emergency you can bring your pet to us without an appointment, but please do call ahead and let us know first so we can prepare for your arrival.
If you know in advance that you are going to be late, then please call us beforehand and we will try to accommodate you. Often, we run back-to-back consults so may need to rebook you for another day. If you are more than 15 minutes late you have missed your appointment and we will likely need to rebook for a later date.
In order to prescribe medication we must have seen them recently and be aware of their needs which change over time, and make sure it is still safe for them to have the medication. In order to do this, we must see your pet at least every 6 months for a check-up before dispensing any medication. The check is required more frequently when new medications are started and the animal is not yet stable or if the condition is one that could progress within a shorter amount of time e.g. congestive heart failure. These check-ups are important to ensure your pet is still responding well to the medication and to check their overall health and wellbeing. We require 24 hours’ notice to make up medications, we will advise you if your medication is a special order medication which requires more notice. We can do urgent prescription requests, please enquire about the extra fee for these.
Come into the clinic or send us an email and we will give you a New Client form to fill in. Once this has been completed, we can put all of your and your pets details into our system and can book you an appointment. If your pet has been under the care of another veterinary clinic, we request that you get their clinical notes or ‘history’ emailed to us – see below.
There are two ways you can transfer your pets history over to us, the first is calling your previous clinic and asking them to email us a copy to victory@nelsonvets.co.nz or saxton@nelsonvets.co.nz. The second is asking us to contact your previous vets on your behalf. We do need owners’ permission this way due to privacy laws, but we are more than happy to organise this for you.

We have two clinics located within easy reach for our Nelson, Stoke and Richmond clients.

Our Victory Clinic is located at 179 Vanguard Street and we have plenty of client parking outside the clinic. On the rare occasion the car park is full, there is plenty of parking along Vanguard Street and next to Victory Square Park.

Our Saxton clinic is located at 2 Findlay Place, Stoke and is accessible from the State Highway 6 or Main Road Stoke. Again, we have plenty of parking next to the clinic and also in the lot opposite.

You can find maps for both clinics here.

We accept Cash, Eftpos, Q Eftpos, Farmers Card, Visa, Mastercard & Zip, VetCareFinance and Afterpay. Full payment is required at time of consultation or collection of your pet. A lot of our clients set up automatic payments to us each week, so when their pets need to come into the vet, their account is already in credit. If you would like to do this, please contact us for our bank account details.

We strongly recommend pet insurance, as it is a great way of budgeting for the unexpected. There are plenty of pet insurance providers, who you can read more about here.

Cats & Dogs: The night before surgery please ensure their food is taken away by 9pm and they are not given breakfast the day of surgery. They can still have access to fresh water. Bring your dog in clean and relatively free of mud and sand and use a lead coming into the clinic. Cats should come in their carry cage and you can pop a towel over it to make them feel safer.

Rabbits, Guinea Pigs & Exotics: Feed as normal and let them have access to their normal food and water overnight. No starvation required. Bring them in their travel cage, along with their normal food supplies for the day.

We will give you a call or a text once your pet has had their surgery to let you know when they are in recovery. Most routine surgeries e.g. speys and castrates can go home the same afternoon and we will schedule a time with you on the day. When you are discussing other surgery bookings with your veterinarian they will advise when your pet can go home.
This varies greatly depending on what surgery your pet has had. It can be as short as 48 hours for laparoscopic speys, or a few months for some orthopaedic surgeries. You will receive a full recovery handout when you come to pick up your pet after their surgery and our team are there to answer any queries you have about the recovery period.
We offer free post operative consults for all surgeries to ensure recovery from the anaesthetic is going as expected, that wounds are healing and if any more medications are required. The cost of the post op check is included in the operation, just any additional medications or bandages will be charged.
Our helpful reception and admin team are more than happy to assist you with an insurance claim. Let us know either by calling or having a chat with us at reception.
Our veterinarian consultation fees are $92.50 for a 20-minute consultation. During a consultation the vet will examine your pet thoroughly and recommend what is best for your pet. You can bring up any concerns and questions you may have for your pet. This fee does not include medications, diagnostic procedures or further treatments that your pet may require. Any additional costs will reflect what the veterinarian’s advice is and how much care you would like us to provide. We always try to explain all of your options to you, and help you to make the best decisions for you and your pet. We are able to make detailed treatment plans with all of the costs outlined so that you can see what is being planned and what you are paying for.
We can provide a house visit service to our clients to enable you and your pet to be relaxed whilst seeing the veterinarian. Euthanasia in particular is a very special time for a family to say goodbye. We are more than happy to come to your home so your beloved pet can have a peaceful send-off surrounded by its family.


- House visit vaccinations and treatments
- House visit euthanasias with full cremation services available

We can accommodate home visits during certain times of the day when a vet and nurse are available. Advance booking is recommended.

Life can certainly get busy and time can be tight. We offer the option for you to drop your pet off for the day and pick up when treatment is completed, we can converse with you over the phone at a convenient time.

Dogs

All dogs should have at least their core vaccinations. These core vaccinations protect against canine distemper, hepatitis (canine adenovirus), canine parvovirus and canine parainfluenza.

At each vaccination visit the pet will receive a full nose to tail health check which can pick up any issues that have developed.

Puppies should receive 2 or 3 (some may need 4) vaccinations starting at 6-8 weeks, repeated 3-4 weekly, with the last booster at 16 weeks of age. They will still need a booster at 16 weeks OR a titre test to confirm immunity at 20 weeks.

It is essential they get a booster after a year, and then every 3 years.

Most clients also opt to vaccinate against Leptospirosis (can be caught by humans, can be fatal) and Kennel Cough (required for kennelling and doggy daycare) which are annual vaccines.

Cats

Core feline vaccinations help protect cats from cat flu and parvoviruses. The vaccines include Feline calicivirus (FCV), feline herpes virus (FHV) and feline panleukopenia virus (FPLV).

Kittens should have 2-3 vaccines given 3-4 weeks apart starting at 6 weeks old. Their final vaccination should be at 16 weeks and they have immunity 7 days after this vaccination.

It is essential they get a booster after a year. Follow up boosters should be done annually for cattery cats or cats exposed to other cats (all cats going outdoors).

At each vaccination visit the pet will receive a full nose to tail health check which can pick up any issues that have developed.

Optional but advised vaccinations include FIV.

We strongly advise all dogs and cats are microchipped and registered on the NZCAR database.

We understand it can be particularly stressful for both pets and owners when your animals are fearful at the vet and respond in an aggressive way. We incorporate fear free handling in our training and offer desensitisation consults for your dog to make the vet experience a less scary one. You can read more about that here. There are medications and supplements available at the clinic to help with future visits.
We are fortunate to have an experienced and diverse team of vets that treat a range of animals. We treat dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, rats, amphibians, birds (pets, native and domestic), aquatics (fish and frogs).