Ryder Davies Vets - Woodbridge

Reviews of Ryder Davies Vets - Woodbridge

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  Linda Geaves

  Google · 8 June 2026

  I took a healthy young rabbit for a routine castration, he died before coming home, I was not given a clear explanation of what had happened, I was not seen by the vet involved, and I was given no proper guidance on what to do immediately afterwards. I entrusted my healthy five-month-old male rabbit, Oddy, to this practice for a routine castration. This was not a casual decision. Oddy lived with his sister, and I had spent weeks agonising over whether neutering him was the right thing to do and whether this practice would be safe to carry it out. Four hours later I received a telephone call informing me that he had died. The explanation I was given was that he had “crashed”. At that point, I was not provided with a detailed clinical explanation of what had happened, whether surgery had begun, what intervention had been attempted, or what would happen next. When I asked about making a formal complaint and having the matter investigated, I was simply told that I would need to send an email. I was not clearly talked through what my options were, whether a post-mortem or investigation was available, or how the practice would review the death of an animal in its care. When I collected Oddy’s body, I was not seen by the veterinary surgeon responsible for the procedure. Instead, I spoke with a nurse who told me she had not been involved in the operation. I asked to speak to a vet so that I could understand what had happened, but no vet came to speak to me. I was told the vet was stressed and upset. I understand that losing an animal during a routine procedure may be distressing for the clinician involved, but I was also stressed and upset. I had lost my rabbit. If I had accidentally run over someone’s cat, I would not ask a neighbour to take the cat back and tell the owner what had happened. I would face the owner myself, however difficult that conversation might be. I do not say this because I wanted to blame or attack the vet. I say it because when an animal dies in someone’s care, the person responsible for that care should, in my view, be willing to speak directly to the owner, explain what can be explained, and recognise the seriousness of what has happened. During that conversation, I was reminded that I had signed the consent form. I found this extremely upsetting in the circumstances. I understand that anaesthesia carries risks, including in rabbits. My complaint is not based on an assumption that every adverse outcome is negligence. It is based on the fact that a healthy young animal died during what I had understood to be a routine procedure, and I was left without a clear explanation, without immediate access to the vet involved, without guidance on next steps, and without what I consider to be basic compassion. I have since found that Oddy has no visible surgical incision. This raises obvious and serious questions for me about the timing and circumstances of his death, none of which were explained when I was told he had died or when I collected him. Oddy was not an unfortunate complication on an operating list. He was a young rabbit with his sister waiting at home, a little boy who would ask where he had gone, and an owner trying to make a responsible decision in difficult circumstances. I have now raised a formal complaint and requested the full clinical records, anaesthetic records, monitoring records, drug records, surgical and nursing notes, the timeline of events, details of any resuscitation attempt, and confirmation of what internal investigation will be undertaken. At present, my experience has been one of grief compounded by poor communication, inadequate transparency, and a complete failure to recognise the seriousness of what had happened. A much-loved young rabbit went into this practice alive for a routine procedure and came back dead, and I am still waiting for a proper explanation.

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  Ruth Harper

  Google · 11 January 2026

  I transferred to Ryder Davies after my beloved dog Bella was let down by a previous veterinary practice… Bella was under the care of vet Sam of Ryder Davies at Woodbridge…Sam was the best vet Bella had seen ..but unfortunately after less than a year &much nursing ..I had to say goodbye to my best friend on the 23/12/2026..😪my thanks to Sam …this practice is well worth joining .

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  Olly Fayers

  Google · 26 August 2025

  I've been so impressed with Ryder Davies since moving our dog to this practice. Both the reception staff and the veterinary staff are positive, patient and friendly. Our dog had an operation which required general anaesthetic. The practice were really clear with us in explaining what we needed to do beforehand and thorough when explaining how it had gone and what to expect as he recovers. They were also transparent about pricing, which is really important and helpful. Everyone there seems to understand that pets are a member of the family, and they treat their patients with a level of care that reflects that. Our dog couldn't have been in better hands, and I'm glad we've found such a professional and friendly vets to take him to.

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  J Dee

  Google · 27 December 2024

  TLDR: great vets, cared for our rabbit for 2 days and saved her life! This was our first experience with this branch of Ryder Davies, and we are beyond grateful for their team who saved our bunny, Fennel. I rang their emergency line at 4am on a Friday for advice, as my rabbit wasn’t eating (they have their own onsite emergency team 24 hours a day, something most vets don’t have!) When she hadn’t improved by 6am I rang to make an appointment, and we arrived at 7am. The onsite emergency vet (Ana I think?) suspected gut stasis, and recommended we leave Fennel with them, which we did (along with her bonded partner rabbit, Teddy, for support and company.) Later that day another vet (Tim?) rang to say they’d taken an xray and done blood tests, and he was worried Fennel might need an operation for a suspected blockage. He was very honest about the cost and also his capabilities, and suggested we would be better to take Fennel to an exotic vet, as they’d cost the same, but they’d have more experience with this op on rabbits. Circumstances (moving house!) meant this was sadly quite impractical for us (and unfortunately so was the estimated operation bill! 😖) We asked if Ryder Davies could monitor and treat Fennel for a few hours to see if she’d improve without an op. We were advised the cost of extensive in house treatment and agreed to go ahead. Tim kept us updated throughout the day, and let us know he had taken advice from the exotic vet on how to best proceed. Fennel was given painkillers and fluids and I think gut motility medicine too. To our great relief she started to improve. They kept her in overnight Friday and Saturday and only let her home once they could see she was eating and pooing. During this time we were kept regularly updated, and they let us know that she was having supervised playtimes with her “husbun” Teddy. (They had to remove him for a while to stop him nibbling the fluids tube!) We took Fennel home on the Sunday, and were given painkillers and other meds to administer at home to keep her gut moving. That was two weeks ago and she is still doing really well and has her appetite back completely! We can’t thank all the vet’s, nurses and reception team enough for caring for our much loved bunnies. They even dealt with our insurance claim (and thankfully the insurers paid out for the treatment without issue.) We have now moved very close to this vet and I feel reassured knowing they are nearby at any hour should we need them. Previous to this incident, their Ipswich branch successfully neutered Teddy, and they have also helped our chinchilla (when other vets refused to see him.) So whilst they’re not an exotic pet specialist, we have had great experiences so far, and would thoroughly recommend their practices. Many thanks again from us and our fur babies!

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  Anna-Marie Sellon

  Google · 19 March 2024

  My badly-behaved younger cat Whirlwind is a bit of a frequent flyer here and each time we meet delightful vets who are kind, patient, thorough and gentle despite her obvious displeasure at being examined. The admin staff fit us in on the day if it's warranted and are efficient at responding to messages via the Pets app. My family has brought our cats here since I was a child and I'm delighted to have the same great care available to my own pets now as we had back then.

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  Iveta

  Google · 19 December 2022

  We've been with Ryder-Davies for years now & our bulldog is always very well looked after by the vet Joe & all the other staff. Joe is our favourite 👍 very knowledgeable, polite & professional. Also Sam is very good too - he's done the latest diagnosis on our dog. Great service & friendly staff!!

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