Vetemis Referrals

Vetemis Referrals Veterinary Endoscopy & Minimally Invasive Surgery Referral Clinic (Birmingham, UK)

This one made us smile! 💙🐾We absolutely love hearing from our patients, but it’s not every day that the patient writes t...
28/08/2026

This one made us smile! 💙🐾

We absolutely love hearing from our patients, but it’s not every day that the patient writes to us personally! 😂

Lovely Frankie sent this little note after coming to Vetemis for treatment. We’re delighted to hear that all is well — particularly that there were no stitches and no dreaded cone this time! 🙌

Thank you, Frankie (and your humans!) for taking the time to write to us. Messages like this genuinely mean so much to the whole team. 🩵

Get well soon, Frankie — although it sounds like you’re already doing a pretty good job! 🐶💙

Total laparoscopic gastropexy 🐾Gastropexy is securing stomach to the abdominal wall, which prevents gastric volvulus (st...
11/08/2026

Total laparoscopic gastropexy 🐾

Gastropexy is securing stomach to the abdominal wall, which prevents gastric volvulus (stomach twist), which can be life-threatening. And now it can be performed without the need for a traditional open abdominal approach.

At Vetemis Referrals, we perform total laparoscopic gastropexy, using minimally invasive techniques to permanently secure the stomach to the abdominal wall and reduce the risk of gastric volvulus.

For dogs at increased risk of GDV, prophylactic gastropexy can be performed as a standalone laparoscopic procedure or alongside other minimally invasive surgery.

🔹 Small incisions
🔹 Reduced tissue trauma
🔹 Faster recovery
🔹 Excellent visualisation and precise placement
🔹 No large abdominal incision

Another example of how minimally invasive surgery can make a significant procedure much gentler for the patient.

Vetemis Referrals | Revolutionising Pet Care with Endoscopy

🏆 Petplan Veterinary Awards 2026 🏆Every day, our team strives to provide the very best care for every patient and every ...
09/08/2026

🏆 Petplan Veterinary Awards 2026 🏆

Every day, our team strives to provide the very best care for every patient and every family that walks through our doors. 💙🐾

If you’ve had a positive experience with Vetemis Referrals and feel we’ve made a difference, we’d be honoured if you chose to nominate us for the Petplan Veterinary Awards 2026.

Your kind words and support mean far more than any award, but recognition like this is a wonderful way to celebrate the dedication of our entire team.

If you’d like to nominate us, you can do so here:
🌐 https://awards.petplan.co.uk/

Thank you for placing your trust in us—it really is a privilege to care for your pets. 🐶🐱💙

🐾

🔎 Why is male dog cystoscopy so difficult?At first glance, cystoscopy might seem like “just passing a camera into the bl...
08/08/2026

🔎 Why is male dog cystoscopy so difficult?

At first glance, cystoscopy might seem like “just passing a camera into the bladder.” In reality, in male dogs it’s one of the most technically demanding endoscopic procedures in veterinary medicine.

🐕 The male urethra is:
🔹 Long and narrow
🔹 Curved in its natural course
🔹 Runs through the os p***s (pe**le bone)
🔹 Constricted at several natural anatomical narrowings

All of this means that even a slight error in technique can prevent scope passage or cause trauma. That’s why male urethrocystoscopy requires far more than simply owning an endoscope.

🔬 It requires:
✅ Highly specialised long, ultra-fine flexible urethroscopes
✅ Specialised instruments
✅ Large amount of training and experience to navigate the anatomy safely

And that’s only the beginning…

Modern urethroscopy isn’t just about looking inside the urinary tract—it allows us to treat disease without open surgery.

At Vetemis we use specialised endoscopic equipment to:
🪨 Perform thulium laser lithotripsy for bladder and urethral stones
🎯 Ablate selected urinary tract tumours
🩺 Diagnose complex urinary tract disease
🛠️ Remove foreign material and obtain targeted biopsies
📹 Assess strictures and other urethral abnormalities

🇬🇧 We are proud to be one of the very few centres in the UK offering advanced male urethrocystoscopy, and the first centre in the UK to introduce thulium laser lithotripsy for veterinary patients.

Because minimally invasive medicine isn’t just about seeing better—it’s about treating better, recovering faster, and giving pets access to techniques once only available in human medicine. 💙

Building the next generation of veterinary endoscopy nurses.In human medicine, endoscopy nursing is a recognised discipl...
06/08/2026

Building the next generation of veterinary endoscopy nurses.

In human medicine, endoscopy nursing is a recognised discipline with structured training, defined competencies and clear career pathways.

Veterinary medicine is beginning to head in the same direction.

At Vetemis, we’ve started developing a structured endoscopy nursing curriculum, creating a clear framework for training, competency and progression for nurses working with minimally invasive procedures. For now, as an internal training pathway for our own nurses.

We’re delighted that Lizzi, despite still being a student veterinary nurse, has embraced the project alongside Tereza. Their enthusiasm, curiosity and attention to detail are helping shape what we hope will become a valuable training pathway—not just for our own team, but perhaps one day for the wider profession.

Endoscopy is far more than passing a scope. It requires a deep understanding of equipment, patient preparation, infection control, specimen handling, troubleshooting, theatre workflow and supporting advanced minimally invasive procedures.

As veterinary medicine continues to evolve, we believe nursing roles should evolve with it.

Who knows—perhaps one day veterinary endoscopy nursing will become a formally recognised area of advanced interest, just as surgery, anaesthesia and emergency & critical care have done.

Every new specialty starts with someone willing to build it.

When a little nose causes a big challenge…This handsome pug came to us after his owner spotted what looked like a grass ...
05/08/2026

When a little nose causes a big challenge…

This handsome pug came to us after his owner spotted what looked like a grass seed in his nostril. It was no longer visible—but that didn't mean it was gone.

Using rhinoscopy, we were able to thoroughly examine his nasal passages and locate the hidden grass seed, allowing us to remove it safely before it caused further irritation or infection.

Flat-faced (brachycephalic) breeds such as Pugs, French Bulldogs and Bulldogs have much narrower, more complex nasal passages than longer-nosed dogs. This means foreign bodies can be harder to locate and remove, making advanced imaging and minimally invasive techniques invaluable.

At Vetemis Referrals, rhinoscopy allows us to investigate persistent nasal problems with excellent visualisation, helping us diagnose and treat conditions such as:
🐾 Grass seeds and other foreign bodies
🐾 Chronic nasal discharge
🐾 Sneezing and irritation
🐾 Nasal masses or polyps
🐾 Unexplained nosebleeds

Early investigation can prevent ongoing discomfort and reduce the risk of more serious complications.

If your dog has persistent nasal symptoms or you suspect something may be lodged in their nose, speak to your vet about whether referral for rhinoscopy may be appropriate.

Seeing what matters before you remove it.One of the most exciting advances in veterinary surgical oncology is sentinel l...
04/08/2026

Seeing what matters before you remove it.

One of the most exciting advances in veterinary surgical oncology is sentinel lymph node mapping using indocyanine green (ICG).

Not every lymph node that looks normal is actually free of disease. Equally, the anatomically “expected” lymph node isn’t always the one draining a tumour. That’s why identifying the true sentinel lymph node—the first node to receive lymphatic drainage from the tumour—is becoming increasingly important.

By injecting ICG around the tumour and using near-infrared fluorescence imaging, we can visualise the lymphatic drainage in real time and identify the sentinel node for targeted sampling or removal.

The evidence is compelling:
🔹 Studies have shown that up to 40–60% of canine tumours drain to a sentinel lymph node that is not the anatomically predicted node.
🔹 In several tumour types, including mast cell tumours, metastatic disease has been identified in the sentinel node while the regional node appeared completely normal.
🔹 Accurate sentinel lymph node assessment improves staging, helps guide further treatment and provides owners with far more reliable prognostic information.

At Vetemis, we’re proud to be bringing technologies like ICG fluorescence-guided surgery into everyday clinical practice, giving our patients access to techniques that until recently were largely confined to specialist and academic centres.

The future of veterinary surgery isn’t just about removing tumours—it’s about understanding where they may already have travelled.

Advanced care, when your pet needs it most. 💙When your pet needs advanced investigations or treatment, knowing they’re i...
03/08/2026

Advanced care, when your pet needs it most. 💙

When your pet needs advanced investigations or treatment, knowing they’re in experienced hands makes all the difference.

At Vetemis Referrals, we provide advanced minimally invasive procedures designed to diagnose and treat a wide range of conditions with:
🔹 Less pain and discomfort
🔹 Smaller incisions
🔹 Faster recovery
🔹 Better outcomes for your pet

Working closely with your family vet, we ensure your pet receives the highest standard of care while keeping your veterinary practice informed every step of the way.

Because every pet deserves access to advanced care when they need it most.

📍 Vetemis Referrals, Brownhills

💚 When anatomy isn’t quite enough: seeing lymphatic drainage with indocyanine green (ICG)One of the technologies we’ve b...
01/08/2026

💚 When anatomy isn’t quite enough: seeing lymphatic drainage with indocyanine green (ICG)

One of the technologies we’ve been particularly excited to introduce at Vetemis is near-infrared fluorescence imaging with indocyanine green (ICG).

Recently, we used ICG during lymph node mapping to help identify the lymphatic drainage pathway and locate the relevant sentinel lymph node. That is the leading node for tumour region that marks the initial spread of the tumour.

After injection, the difference is remarkable.

Under normal white light, you’re operating with your knowledge of anatomy and the appearance of the tissues. Switch to near-infrared imaging and suddenly the lymphatic pathway becomes visible — with fluorescent uptake helping guide us towards the draining node.

Why does that matter?

Because the lymph node that looks anatomically most likely to drain a tumour isn’t necessarily the sentinel node.

ICG gives us another piece of information — functional anatomy, in real time, during surgery.

For us, this is exactly what minimally invasive and image-guided surgery should be about: not technology for technology’s sake, but using better visualisation to make surgery more targeted and informed.

And we have to admit… watching the lymphatics light up green never gets old. 💚

Address

Lichfield Road
Brownhills
WS86LS

Opening Hours

Monday 7:30am - 6:30pm
Tuesday 7:30am - 6:30pm
Wednesday 7:30am - 6:30pm
Thursday 7:30am - 6:30pm
Friday 7:30am - 6:30pm
Saturday 9am - 12:30pm

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