Health & Wellbeing

Here at Orchard House Vets in Hexham, Stocksfield and Bellingham we microchip over 1,000 pets every year. During our 25 years in practice we have microchipped over 25,000 of your pets! There is a real importance to microchipping your pet, and many myths surrounding a microchip. When they were first introduced they were easy to explain and no conspiracy theories

Caring for older pets Have you noticed your pet slowing down? Changing behaviour? Looking different? Dogs live for an average of around 12 years, although many live for much longer. Cats live an average of around 14 years, but again in many cases they can live much longer. Rabbits live an average of 6 years, but again we have seen

Adder bites in dogs are quite rare and whilst we are lucky in Northumberland to be surrounded by beautiful countryside. The wilds of Kielder and Bellingham, to the surrounding areas of Hexham and Stocksfield. Every year, we see an increase in the number of dogs who are bitten by the only venomous snake native to the UK, the European adder

Mental Health Awareness  Many of us know about the joys and impact our pets have on our lives, many of us are unaware of just how many health benefits having a pet can bring us. Over time pets have evolved to become acutely attuned to human behaviour and emotions. For example, dogs are now able to understand many words of

Orchard House Well Pet Club – Because Prevention Is Better Than Cure Over 1,300 clients in Hexham, Stocksfield, Bellingham and the North East are members of our Well Pet Club, a pet health plan which spreads the cost of your pet’s preventative treatment and gains you access to many other discounts. We also have a home delivery service so you

Cocker Spaniels are a common sight in Hexham, Stocksfield and Bellingham. With roaming fields and plenty of working opportunities, they are a lively and playful breed of dog. They are gun dogs “by trade” but Cocker Spaniels are also popular family pets. They’re known for being ‘happy’ dogs because their tails are always wagging! Cocker Spaniels are very loyal and

General information Our vets in Hexham, Stocksfield and Bellingham will tell you that skin allergies are one of the most common causes of itchy skin in dogs. Skin allergies are difficult to pin down to one particular thing as your dog could be sensitive or allergic to one thing, or multiple things that they come into contact with. A few

Labrador retrievers are one of the most popular dog breeds in the world, and rightly so! We see many of them at our branches in Hexham, Stocksfield and Bellingham. They are highly intelligent, affectionate, loyal, gentle and playful. In many ways, they are the perfect family dog. They do require plenty of exercise, and stimulation is important for gun dog

What is hip dysplasia? The hips are ‘ball and socket’ joints, which normally fit together perfectly to enable easy movement. Hip dysplasia is when the hip joints don’t fit together properly and become unstable and this causes pain, swelling, stiffness and eventually arthritis. Dogs with hip dysplasia usually begin showing symptoms while they are growing (at around 6 months of

Laparoscopic surgery involves making two to three small incisions, which allows the veterinary surgeon to introduce a camera and some fine instruments. These allow the surgeon to perform a range of procedures. Here at Orchard House Vets we perform Laparoscopic Spays weekly. We are one of very few practices in the North East to offer Laparoscopic spays and we are