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 and also 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. Recent feedback is mixed overall: many owners praise the team’s clinical care and support, while others report problems with urgent access, organisation and clarity around costs.

Services

•Small-animal veterinary care and surgery: Reviews mention operations for an elderly cat, two knee surgeries for a large dog, and dental treatment involving multiple tooth extractions, with owners praising clear explanations and aftercare.
•Referral and in-patient care: The practice references 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. One guinea pig owner highlighted a very thorough and informative consultation.
•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.

Pricing

Published prices suggest the clinic sits below average, based on a partial sample of comparable services. Review comments on cost are mixed: one owner praised help with insurance paperwork, while others were unhappy about delays getting a surgical estimate or felt costs were not explained clearly enough.

People

•Dr Damon Knoop: Praised for caring for an elderly cat through operations, with owners highlighting his 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: Recent reviews praise welcoming reception staff, professional vets and vet nurses, and clear discharge and medication advice. Feedback on front-desk and nursing interactions is mixed, with some owners reporting less compassionate experiences during stressful visits.

Reviews

Google rating: 4.5/5 from 568 reviews.

•Many positive reviews describe a friendly, efficient front desk and a professional clinical team, with owners saying they felt reassured and well informed.
•Surgical care stands out in the feedback, including orthopaedic procedures, dental extractions and earlier praise for cat operations.
•Owners also mention clear follow-up in some cases, including promised callback timing, aftercare explanations and helpful support with insurance forms.
•More critical reviews focus on communication and access: delays producing estimates, difficulty getting urgent appointments, concerns about compassion during upsetting visits, and one complaint about incomplete information and unclear costs around referral care.

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

Note: Showing the 10 most recent Google reviews out of 568 we track in total. Recent reviews may not be representative of overall sentiment.

Megan Disley

1 month 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

2 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.

Antonino Scuderi

3 months ago

John Keleher

4 months ago

Cathy

I feel very let down by this vet. I had my three dogs registered here. My dog was really poorly and I needed an urgent appointment. On the website it states they open at 8.30am. However it was not possible to get an appointment before 9.15 (I had been up all night with my dog, she was lethargic and her face was swollen and she is v old). Unfortunately it coincided with an urgent hospital appointment for myself at the only time they could offer. I called at 8am but was not offered an emergency appt. I was told the store opens at 9am and that's that. I found the receptionist cold and unsympathetic. So, I have registered my dogs with another local vet. They saw my poorly dog and have treated her now.

Chris Daltry

I’m really disappointed with the level of communication and organisation I received from this practice. I’ve been a long-standing customer, which makes this experience even more frustrating. I requested an estimate for my dog’s surgery and called three separate times over two days — first thing in the morning, last thing at night, and again the following day. Each time I was told it was being dealt with, yet no estimate was ever produced. In the end, another vet practice examined my dog, diagnosed him, and provided a full written estimate within the same day, while I was still waiting for any response from here. This level of delay made it impossible for me to plan my dog’s treatment or make informed decisions about his care. I expect more reliability and communication when it comes to something as important as a pet’s health, and unfortunately this experience has left me very disappointed as rethinking if im ever coming back.

Dr. Badr Alnoori

5 months ago