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Farm Animal Services

Drove Veterinary Hospital is a long-established practice providing a professional, reliable and friendly service to farm animal clients for over 180 years. Modern farming is a team approach to attain increasing productivity and herd health. At Drove our clients will be at the forefront of best farming practice using latest proven techniques and medicines whilst being ever more cost effective. We are a founding member of the XLVets Group which is a group of some of the foremost respected veterinary practices in the UK with a joint aim of working together for the betterment of our clients and patients and in sharing best practice knowledge and expertise.

• We are a Royal college  tier 2 specialist Farm practice. First opinion farm animal work extends to farms from Salisbury Plain to the Cotswolds, and from Chippenham to Oxford, in all about 35-45 mile radius of Swindon. We are a founding member of the XLVets group which currently has just under 10% of the UK veterinary market. We are passionate about providing the best and most effective products from POM ’s to on farm consumables at highly competitive prices and in our support for our clients through best practice expertise drawn from within the group and increasing our clients turnover and profitability through management advice. As vets we see ourselves at the heart of our clients’ enterprises giving impartial advice and support through ground breaking initiatives. Clients of XLVets will benefit from our collective expertise and support.
  
• All species of livestock treated with a particular expertise in dairy farming, and are able to travel further a field for consultancy or referral work. There are 22 vets in the practice as a whole but within our farm animal veterinary team there are six vets, one holding a Diploma in Bovine Reproduction, one with a certificate in farm animal medicine, and two holding post-graduate certificates in their areas of special interest. The team also includes 1-2 TB testers so allowing the vet team to focus on herd health and productivity and 2 office staff who work solely in the farm department. Our dedicated farm office staff play a crucial role as a very experienced triage team, organising calls, keeping us on the road and getting us to critical situations as soon as possible.
  
• The practice is held in high esteem by the livestock sector of the veterinary profession in the UK for being forward thinking, proactive, and at the forefront of clinical work. We are a training practice for veterinary students who come to experience large animal practice under our guidance whilst studying for their degrees. Many of the vets in the team came to the practice as new graduates and have stayed since and as such the team has been very stable and consistent.
  
• All vets within the team are members of the British Cattle Veterinary Association (BCVA). Vets are rcommitted to continuing professional development each year which keeps the department up to date with current research, development and techniques. This further education usually takes the form of courses and seminars arranged by specialist veterinary societies throughout the UK and Europe. Many of our vets within the Drove farm animal team are specialising in their fields and are involved in extensive continuing professional development. We also run our own courses to train farmers and farm personnel in subjects such as lameness and foot-care and AI.
  
• The practice is at the heart of the XLVets marketing initiative and subscribes to industry magazines and specialist veterinary publications. We have regular meetings within the department, which allow us to discuss current ideas, new drugs on the market, and clinical cases or herd performance issues we have encountered recently. Our passion for not only our own but our clients education involves farmers meetings, lunch groups and farm quarterly consultations where ideas are shared and new knowledge and best practice promoted.

In summary, modern farming is a team approach to attain increasing productivity and herd health. At the Drove, we believe through our experience, involvement and support from XLVets, our clients will be at the forefront of best farming practice using the latest proven techniques and medicines whilst being ever more cost effective. Our primary purpose together is to increase your productivity and profitability whilst achieving excellence in herd health and welfare.

If you have any further questions, or would like to discuss the use of our services then please do not hesitate to contact us at the farm office: 01793 501499