Companion Care (Colchester) Ltd T/A Vets4Pets

Companion Care (Colchester) Ltd trades as Vets4Pets, a corporate practice in Colchester. The clinic offers small-animal care, sees some exotics, and refers to a purpose-built referral hospital with its own 24/7 in-patient service for pets staying overnight or for several days. It is also listed as a Veterinary Nurse Training facility.

Services

•Small-animal veterinary care and surgery: Reviews mention care for dogs and cats, including operations for an elderly cat, two knee surgeries for a large dog, and dental treatment with multiple tooth extractions, with positive comments about explanations and aftercare.
•Referral and in-patient care: The practice refers to a purpose-built referral hospital with its own 24/7 in-patient service for pets needing to stay overnight or for several days.
•Exotics care: Owners specifically mention treatment for guinea pigs and rats. Earlier feedback highlighted a thorough guinea pig consultation, while more recent comments show that exotics cases can be emotionally difficult when outcomes are poor.
•Eye cases: Reviews describe treatment for glaucoma and other serious eye problems, including attempts to preserve vision and, where necessary, eye removal.
•Training role: The clinic is listed as a Veterinary Nurse Training facility.
•Urgent help: Some owners say the team helped in late-evening or urgent-feeling situations, though others describe difficulty getting prompt appointments when they felt their pet needed to be seen quickly.

Pricing

Published prices suggest the clinic sits around average, based on a partial sample of comparable services. Review comments on cost are mixed: some owners were grateful for help with insurance paperwork, while others describe prices as expensive for medication or say estimates, referral costs or treatment options were not explained clearly enough.

People

•Dr Damon Knoop: Praised for caring for an elderly cat through operations, with owners highlighting a professional and friendly approach.
•Dr Johan Kritzinger: Thanked for a thorough and informative consultation for a poorly guinea pig, including clear discussion of guinea pig care needs.
•Wider team: Reviews praise polite vets, efficient reception staff, and professional vet nurses, especially around surgery admissions, callbacks and discharge advice. More critical feedback focuses on front-desk communication and the level of compassion shown during upsetting visits.

Reviews

Google rating: 4.5/5 from 584 reviews.

•Positive reviews often mention a friendly welcome, professional vets and nurses, and owners feeling reassured during treatment.
•Surgical care stands out in the stronger feedback, including orthopaedic surgery and dental extractions, with praise for clear explanations, promised callback timing and aftercare instructions.
•Critical reviews focus on communication and organisation, including delays getting written estimates, confusion over vaccine availability, and concerns about how referral costs or options were discussed.
•Some negative experiences also mention urgent access and compassion, including difficulty securing same-day help and dissatisfaction with how stressful exotics cases were handled.

Reviews for Companion Care (Colchester) Ltd T/A Vets4Pets

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Reviews from pet owners who enquired with Companion Care (Colchester) Ltd T/A Vets4Pets through VetsCompared appear here. You can also write a review — we check those before they are published.

Note: Showing the 10 most recent Google reviews out of 584 we track in total. Recent reviews may not be representative of overall sentiment.

Alina Scuderi

1 month ago

Steven Baker

Good for hair cut thats pets that is lol

Jade Smith

2 months ago

Had 2 dogs registered and my last apt with my older dog was a nightmare. Gave them the benefit of the doubt and registered my new puppy with them aswell. Checked a month before about the vaccine she would need before being able to go outside and was told that they offered that vaccine. The day of the appoint HALF AN HOUR BEFORE THE APT I was called to say that they don’t offer that vaccine and that we would have to start the process again and have another 2 vaccines. Informed the last that I checked this a month before so that this doesn’t cause an issue like it is the day of the appointment. They offered to give me a £20 discount on the price of 2 injections which is laughable considering I informed them before what we would need and was assured it would be ok. Ended up registering my dogs elsewhere and cancelled my appointment to then have the receptionist at vets for vets tell me if I need an appointment id need to pay an out of hours charge. As if you think I’d bring my dogs back to you after the hassle and inconvenience caused on the day of the appointment considering I checked this a month beforehand. Avoid at all costs. Time wasters. Money grabbers & they just don’t care

Robs Reviews

Have used this branch for a few years until I sold a pet registered here and they passed on personal and private information into the new owner before having any permission granted to do so. They investigated it in house within the firm and the outcome was oddly they did nothing to break any privacy rules funny eh?! Other times prior to this the staff are helpful even though their prices are extortionate compared to buying medication online.

Tonie Young

Very polite vet

Megan Disley

7 months ago

Whilst on hold the reading promises that they will always treat your pet as their own and keep you updated with treatment and all options and costs available to you. Unfortunately following a medical diagnosis and referral to neurology, this certainly has. It been the case. Now choosing to take our cat elsewhere for care. I don’t appreciate half information and cost being hidden.

emma lofting

We visited your practice on two occasions and I’d just like to let you know some feedback We brought our rat in ( one of three) after consulting vets forums and our breeder who strongly suggested that the rat has a respiratory infection which is contagious This was dismissed by the vet despite my daughter who is autisc ( age 18) persuading and insisting that his treated for this as she researched heavily and had concerns for the other rats. The vet said he was healthy and his breathing and noises were stress noises Maisie said that she knew her rats inside and out and his stress noise was not that and he makes this sound constantly The rat got sicker and and the others followed One died in my daughter’s arms and we rushed the other two your practice When we arrived my daughter was visibly upset and I had made a note in the system that these are her rats and to note that she is autistic so this could be visible on the system so the staff knew. Not one member of staff asked if she was ok She noticed whilst waiting to be seen that one of the rats wasn’t moving and had I fact died on the journey She let out a heartbreaking wail and sat sobbing She want offered comfort or privacy And was left sobbing in the waiting room with other clients present When we called to room to see the vet we want offered any words of comfort and the nurse was heavily happy and dismissive My daughter expressed how she begged that this infection would spread and the nurse did nothing to comfort or reassure her at all this was very very hard to watch. The whole experience was awful and the staff definitely need compassion training or something

By Seri

8 months ago

Great care

Paul W Dungey

The whole team here are excellent, from the moment you walk in the door you are welcomed with a smile and very efficient reception. The vets and vet nurses are so professional and helpful. I went with a friend who took "Kongo" who is a giant Cane Corso who had to have 2 knee surgeries and the care he received was second to none. A lot of people worry about "corporate" vets but Vets4Pets is excellent. This is aa out the Stanway surgery & the Cowdray avenue one too. Highly recommend

Sharon Lockwood

My dog had to have a lot of teeth removed yesterday. From the minute I walked in the door with her I was put at ease. The receptionist was so helpful with the insurance forms. The vet was absolutely lovely, explained everything fully and made a fuss of my girl. The vet called me later at the time she said she would. When I collected my dog the after care and medication was clearly explained. I could not have asked for better care. Thank you Cowdray team.