A DORCHESTER vets is set to celebrate a busy first year of helping the county town’s pets.

Dorchester Vets4Pets opened at the Pets at Home store at the Weymouth Avenue Retail Park last March.

Then Mayor of Dorchester Stella Jones and Olympic sailing starts Hannah Mills and Stuart Bithell joined the team for the opening.

The first patients came through the door that afternoon and the vets has reported a steady flow ever since.

The team has treated mainly dogs, cats and rabbits but also a number of small furry creatures of different varieties and some exotic pets.

Perhaps the largest patients was Patty, a 19kg albino Burmese Python, while the smallest to require surgery was Stumpy, a young Robrovski hamster who weighed in at just 25 grams.

A spokesman for Dorchester Vets4Pets said: “After nine months our client base exceeded 1,000 and continues to grow steadily month on month.

“We achieved accreditation from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons as a Small Animal General Practice, gained the Cat Friendly Clinic Silver Award and have also registered as a training practice for veterinary nurses so that we can support the growth of the profession in the local community.”

They added: “Day to day surgery life involves a good variety of consultations, operations and the inevitable emergency cases that need urgent attention.

“Our operating theatre, dental equipment, blood testing machines and digital x-ray unit have been in regular use and the kennel wards have provided a friendly, warm and safe environment for housing any day patients or longer term inpatients.

“The nurse clinics have proven very popular and since starting Puppy Parties in September we have loved watching young puppies learning to interact with each other and become confident in the surgery environment so that they are not apprehensive when they visit for vaccinations or regular weight checks.”

To celebrate its first birthday, Vets4Pets is inviting people to take a tour of the surgery on Saturday, March 7 and Sunday, March 8.

There will also be a raffle in aid of local charity Margaret Green Animal Rescue with a chance to win a lifetime of vaccinations for your pet.

Over the weekend a team from the Dorset Wildlife Trust and the Owl Academy will also be visiting Pets at Home to provide a range of activities for the whole family.