Irby Veterinary Surgery

Irby Veterinary Surgery is a CVS-owned RCVS “General Practice” small-animal clinic in Wirral, with an in-house lab, X-ray and ultrasound, and it is also listed as a veterinary nurse training facility. Its website shows a broad mix of routine care and diagnostics alongside surgery, referral work in orthopaedics and soft tissue, and care for exotic pets. Recent reviews reinforce a picture of clear communication, supportive handling of serious illness, and compassionate end-of-life care.

Services

•Routine and preventive care: consultations, vaccinations, parasite control, microchipping, six-month health checks, blood pressure checks, and nurse clinics.
•Diagnostics and treatment: in-house laboratory testing, X-ray, ultrasound, dentistry, and surgery including neutering.
•More advanced work: the website lists orthopaedic surgery referral services and soft tissue surgery referral services.
•Exotic pet care: the clinic states it sees species including rabbits, ferrets, reptiles and tortoises, birds, and aquarium fish.
•Additional support services: grooming and nail clipping, anal sac expression, pet travel documentation, and home visits.
•Emergency arrangements: emergency support is provided by the practice during normal opening hours, with out-of-hours emergencies handled by MiNightVet.
•Examples mentioned by owners: reviews describe dogs being cared for through surgery, a multi-day stay with IV drip treatment, and sensitive end-of-life support focused on comfort and giving families time.

Pricing

Published prices suggest the clinic sits around average, based on a partial sample of comparable services. In reviews, one owner said they were pleasantly surprised by the final bill after a long surgery and several days of inpatient care, and also appreciated being kept updated as costs increased.

People

•Laura (vet): praised for gentle end-of-life care, giving families time, and sending a handwritten condolence card with a pawprint.
•Tom (vet): highlighted for examining and treating a dog while clearly explaining options and advice.
•Rob Forrester: named positively by one reviewer alongside the wider team.
•Team feedback: reviews also mention friendly, helpful staff across the practice, including reception and nursing support.

Reviews

Google rating: 4.7 stars from 92 reviews.

•Reviews are strongly positive overall, with owners repeatedly describing the staff as friendly, caring, helpful, and reassuring.
•Communication is a recurring strength: reviewers mention options being explained clearly, regular progress updates during more serious cases, and feeling involved in decisions.
•Several comments focus on compassionate support during difficult moments, especially for elderly or seriously ill dogs and at the end of life.
•Surgery and more intensive treatment are mentioned positively too, including one account of a dog recovering after a long operation and a three-day stay; a small older criticism mentioned slower phone answering and having to ask for an itemised invoice.

Reviews for Irby Veterinary Surgery

Note: Showing the 10 most recent Google reviews out of 92 we track in total. Recent reviews may not be representative of overall sentiment.

Deborah Jordan

3 months ago

Fantastic vets, friendly and helpful staff, has been a godsend whilst helping my dog with her illness, she has now passed on but throughout her journey they couldn’t have done more, a huge thankyou

Gary Blacker

6 months ago

Wonderful staff, they care, and it makes a big difference. My cats will never like the vets, but at least I know they are cared for here

Jeantte Miller

11 months ago

Always helpful and. Careing of your 🐶.thank you

Patti Goulborn

2 years ago

When our elderly dog became sick, the vets, particularly Laura and Tom, tried everything they could to ease his discomfort and gave us a lot of advice on how to help him. In the end it became too much for him and we had to let him go. Laura made his passing very peaceful and gave us as much time as we wanted with him. Afterwards she even sent us a handwritten condolence card with his pawprint and the date of his passing. Cannot recommend this practice highly enough

Lauraine Radcliffe

Absolutely excellent service from the first time I walked into the practice. The team are so lovely and really looked after our little dog when he went in for surgery today. Although I was worried about my little pal, they all made me feel confident that he was getting the best care. Thank you so much . Highly recommended

Lord Sexy

Maria Bevan

3 years ago

Brilliant veterinary service. Tom (vet) couldn't have done more in both examining my dog and treating her. He spent time explaining all options and advice on what was needed for her. He was kind, empathetic and knowledgeable.

Deryk Copeland

6 years ago

All the staff at Irby Vets provided exceptional care to our seriously ill dog for 3 days. They undoubtedly saved his life. We were kept up to date each step of the way of his progression and given options which were fully explained to us so we were able to make decisions without any guess work. We were also updated each day on the mounting bills which is obviously very important. We were allowed to visit our boy everyday and not once were we made to feel unwelcome or in the way even though they're a fairly busy surgery. Each member of staff from the receptionists to the vets were very personable, patient, and caring. We felt like they all genuinely cared about our dog and we were confident he was being taken great care of 24 hours a day. Taking into consideration he had a long surgery, stayed on an IV drip for 3 days which included 24 hour care, we were pleasantly surprised at the final bill and it was worth every penny. We took our dog to them on a Tuesday morning and he was most definitely at deaths door. Next Friday evening we were able to take him home. Almost 3 weeks on and he's back to his normal self. Our whole family will be forever grateful to the team for giving our beloved family dog a second chance of life.