Castle Veterinary Surgeons

- End-of-life care is the clearest positive theme: several owners describe euthanasia appointments for dogs as caring, respectful, gentle, and sympathetic. - Urgent access is highlighted in one review: a non-regular client says their dog was seen within about 20 minutes of calling. - Staff manner and communication are praised: reviewers mention friendly staff and being kept updated about their pet.

Castle Veterinary Surgeons is a long-established small-animal practice in Barnard Castle, dating back to the 1930s, and it is part of CVS. The clinic offers routine preventive care as well as diagnostics and surgery, with in-house lab testing, X-ray and ultrasound, nurse clinics, and home visits listed among its services. Recent feedback is mixed but most often praises the practice’s handling of end-of-life care for dogs, while some reviewers raise concerns about pricing and the handling of a call about a wild rabbit with myxomatosis.

Services

•General small-animal care: The practice website lists consultations, six-month health checks, vaccinations, neutering, microchipping, parasite control, and pet travel documentation for Great Britain. It also states that the clinic sees a range of pets including dogs, cats, rabbits, ferrets, and other small mammals.
•Diagnostics and treatment: Website-listed services include dentistry, surgery, diagnostic testing, in-house laboratory work, and imaging with X-ray and ultrasound.
•Nurse-led and routine support services: Nurse clinics are listed, including blood pressure checks, along with grooming and nail clipping, anal sac expression, and puppy parties.
•Home visits and urgent care: Home visits are listed on the website. Reviews also mention rapid access in a difficult situation, with one owner saying their dog was seen about 20 minutes after calling, despite not being a regular client.
•Emergency arrangements: The website says emergency support is available during normal opening hours, with Wear Referrals providing out-of-hours emergency consultations and free telephone advice. Structured clinic information also lists emergency veterinary services with 24/7 or extended-hours cover.
•Training facility: Structured clinic information also identifies the practice as a veterinary nurse training facility.

Pricing

Published prices suggest the clinic sits around average, based on a partial sample of comparable services. Recent feedback on cost is mixed, but some reviewers describe the practice as expensive; examples mentioned include £295 for a cat euthanasia appointment without extras, and an older review citing £400+ for investigations and £340 for cremation.

People

•Kathrine is mentioned by name in a positive review about end-of-life care, with one owner saying she was “amazing” during a very difficult appointment.
•An unnamed lady vet is also praised for being kind, respectful and gentle during a dog euthanasia.
•More broadly, reviews describe the staff as caring, sympathetic, friendly, and good at keeping owners updated about their pets.

Reviews

Google rating: 4.2/5 from 96 reviews. Recent written feedback shows a mixed picture, with strong praise for compassionate end-of-life support alongside some criticism around costs and one complaint about advice given بشأن a wild rabbit.

•End-of-life care is the clearest positive theme: several owners describe euthanasia appointments for dogs as caring, respectful, gentle, and sympathetic.
•Urgent access is highlighted in one review: a non-regular client says their dog was seen within about 20 minutes of calling.
•Staff manner and communication are praised: reviewers mention friendly staff and being kept updated about their pet.
•Negative feedback focuses on cost and one wildlife-related complaint: one recent reviewer objected to a £295 euthanasia charge for a cat, and another criticised how a call about a rabbit with suspected myxomatosis was handled.

Reviews for Castle Veterinary Surgeons

Note: Showing the 10 most recent Google reviews out of 96 we track in total. Recent reviews may not be representative of overall sentiment.

Emmaline Weeks

4 months ago

chris uings

BEWARE I had my cat put to sleep today with no extras and was charged £295 for the service.

rebecca wilson

7 months ago

I recently had my beloved dog euthanized earlier this week. I would like to say how kind, respectful and gentle the lady vet was. She made a difficult time a little bit easier. I can't rate the staff high enough. Thank you.

Duncan Parsons

9 months ago

One star because I cannot give none. I rang them to tell them about a rabbit with myxomatosis in the Castle grounds. In evident pain and blind. I was told just to leave it to die...it's a common complaint I was told. I suggested they might actually care, as vets, about an animal suffering and perhaps they might come and put it out of it's misery. They did not. Clearly, the rabbit couldn't pay for their services. You choose where you take your sick animals. Perhaps bear the above in mind when next needing and then choosing a vet.

One star because I cannot give none. I rang them to tell them about a rabbit with myxomatosis in the Castle grounds. In evident pain and blind. I was told just to leave it to die..".it's a common complaint" I was told. I suggested they might actually care, as vets, about an animal suffering and perhaps they might come and put it out of it's misery. They did not. Clearly, the rabbit couldn't pay for their services. You choose where you take your sick animals. Perhaps bear the above in mind when next needing and then choosing a vet.

bicko207

1 year ago

very caring and sympathetic at a very difficult time 20 minutes after my call to them [even though they arnt my regular vets ] i was at the vets and my dog SKY RIP was being seen Thankyou A Bickerstaffe

Sharon Devlin

They were absolutely wonderful and caring when I had to have my dog Charlie put to sleep. Kathrine was amazing with me.

Alison Murray Tennick

2 years ago