Our own lab
Blood tests, urine and skin samples run in-house, so most results are back the same afternoon.
About us
17 years of looking after York’s pets
Fernhallow started in 2009 as two vets, one consulting room and a borrowed X-ray machine. It is still owned by the people who treat your pets, and that shapes nearly every decision we make.
- Vets
- 5
- Nurses
- 7
- Pets registered
- 6,800
Why we stayed independent
Most local practices now belong to a group. That is not always bad, but it usually means someone else decides how long appointments are, which drugs are stocked and where your calls go at night.
We decide those things ourselves. Appointments are twenty minutes because that is how long a proper examination takes. Our out-of-hours rota is staffed by our own vets, so the person on the phone at 3am can read your pet’s notes. And we publish our prices because we would want to know them ourselves.
Accredited under the [practice standards scheme] as a [accreditation level] practice. All our vets and nurses are registered with [professional regulator].
The team
Who you’ll meet
Five vets and seven nurses, every one of them with pets of their own. You can ask for the same vet each time.
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Dr Tom Hale
Vet and co-owner
Soft tissue surgery, and most of the 3am chocolate calls.
At home: Two collies, Fly and Moss
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Dr Anya Petrova
Vet and co-owner
Cat medicine and the cat-only waiting room, which was her idea.
At home: Three rescue cats
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Dr Rhys Owen
Vet
Rabbit and small-pet medicine, dentistry.
At home: A pair of lop rabbits
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Dr Mei Lin
Vet
Ultrasound and internal medicine.
At home: One very old terrier
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Dr Callum Reid
Vet
Orthopaedics and the night rota.
At home: A greyhound called Biscuit (not that one)
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Jo Barker
Head nurse
Runs the ward, the nurse clinics and, quietly, the practice.
At home: Guinea pigs, currently four
The practice
What’s behind the consulting-room door
A cat-only side
Separate waiting room and ward for cats, with no barking and carrier shelves at seat height.
Room to take our time
Four consulting rooms, so twenty-minute appointments never back up into a queue.
From owners
In their words
Biscuit, Pomeranian, 6
Chocolate poisoning, out of hours
“Biscuit found a tray of brownies at ten on a Saturday night. I rang the emergency number expecting a call centre and got Dr Hale, who had already pulled up his notes. We were seen at 10.25 and home before midnight with a very sorry dog.”
Mabel, Tabby cat, 14
Overactive thyroid, ongoing care
“Mabel hates the car, so they booked her a quiet first-thing slot, kept her in the cat-only waiting room and talked me through her thyroid results on the phone the next day. Every price was written down before anything happened.”
Pickle, Guinea pig, 3
Overgrown teeth
“Most vets we tried treated Pickle like a hamster. Fernhallow burred his overgrown teeth under sedation, showed us how to check them at home and set up six-monthly reminders. He is eating hay like a machine again.”
New to Fernhallow? Register in two minutes
Register online and book a first check. New puppies and kittens get their first health check free when you book the vaccination course.
