PDSA unveils plans for new 'Pet Wellbeing Centre’ in Nottingham

27 May 2021

Plans for a ground-breaking Pet Wellbeing Centre in Nottingham to treat pets in need have been unveiled today.

We have been caring for Nottingham pets since 1927, when the first PDSA dispensary opened in the city.

The current PDSA Pet Hospital located in Dunkirk Road has been the charity’s home for over 60 years, but after many decades of treating sick and injured pets, the much-loved hospital now desperately needs replacing.

The new facility will cost £3.7 million to complete, and over £1 million annually to cover running costs. Our vital veterinary service is funded entirely by the generosity of animal lovers.

Find out more information about the Nottingham PDSA Pet Wellbeing Centre, The Marian and Christina Ionescu Hospital, and how to get involved and support the appeal.

PDSA Senior Vet, Sarah Campbell, said: “Nottingham PDSA Pet Hospital is a vital lifeline for local owners struggling to afford vet care for their pets. Many more people have been plunged into financial hardship due to the impacts of the pandemic and we’re predicting that more people will turn to us for help in the months ahead. For many of the people we help, who are often elderly or vulnerable, their pet is their only companion, who plays a crucial role in helping to combat loneliness and isolation.

“Despite regular maintenance and refurbishment the current pet hospital has deteriorated over time and is no longer fit-for-purpose. It is outdated and too small to meet the ever-increasing demand for PDSA services, a problem which is made worse by the poor layout of rooms. It desperately needs replacing, and to do that we need your help.” 

A purpose-built Pet Wellbeing Centre

The £3.7 million ‘Pet Wellbeing Centre’ will ensure we can continue helping the pets of Nottingham residents who are struggling financially for many years to come.

Vet Sarah continued: “It will enable us to provide the best treatment possible to pet patients, in purpose-built surroundings, long into the future. 

“It will give us more consulting rooms, two operating theatres and a specialist dental theatre, meaning we have more capacity to provide essential treatment for pets in need.

“It will also allow us to do more than just treat animals – we want it to become the heart of the Nottingham pet community. Somewhere people can get advice and guidance on how to keep their best friends happy and healthy.

“The hospital will also help train and educate the next generation of veterinary surgeons through our links with the University of Nottingham, who we’re proud to have worked with since 2010, and will include a dedicated training room for veterinary students.”

Professor Gary England, Dean of the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science at the University of Nottingham, said: “We have worked in partnership with PDSA for the last 15 years, delivering clinical services and educating the next generation of veterinary surgeons through the Nottingham hospital. I am delighted that the University has been able to invest in the new Nottingham Pet Wellbeing Centre to help provide a new state-of-the-art facility for pets in Nottingham.”

Located in Basford, the new Nottingham PDSA Pet Wellbeing Centre will replace the current outdated facility in 2022. 

The facility will feature a bigger, brighter waiting area, with separate areas for cats and dogs, reducing the stress a visit to the vet can cause. It will also house improved kennel facilities to allow pets to recover in comfort from surgery and treatment in a better environment, a diagnostic room, digital x-ray facilities and a large car park.

We hope the Wellbeing facilities will enable greater engagement and educational opportunities with schoolchildren and the local community once lockdown restrictions are lowered and it’s safe to do so.

With building work on the new facility to begin, the charity is hoping to open doors to pet patients by Spring 2022.

History of PDSA in Nottingham  

PDSA first arrived in Nottingham in 1927 when it opened a small dispensary at 10 Longden Street.  

In 1933, thanks to fundraising by the local Branch Appeals Committee led by its president, Countess Manvers, PDSA opened a hospital in Abbey Street, Dunkirk.

A caravan dispensary also worked out of the hospital, covering the Aspley, Basford, Hucknall and Ilkeston areas. In 1934 a small dispensary was opened at 21 Carlton Road, and in 1936 this moved to 25 Carlton Road. 

In 1958 land was located on Dunkirk Road and by July 1960 the hospital was opened by the charity’s former patron, HRH Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent. This was the first Pet Hospital to be specially designed and built for PDSA, and formed the model for later PDSA hospitals in other parts of the UK. 

In 1972 the old Carlton Road dispensary closed and became a PDSA shop, leaving the Dunkirk site as the only hospital in the city.

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