After nearly a decade working in veterinary practices that transitioned from independent to corporate ownership, Dr Olivia Crowe and Dr Alex Hewett were inspired to do things differently – launching Regency Vets in 2024 to offer a more personal, independent approach to pet care.
From WhatsApp updates and follow-up support to carefully designed cat- and dog-friendly spaces, every aspect of the practice has been created with both pets and their owners in mind. SoGlos chats to Olivia and Alex about everything from calming stressed pups and building the perfect team, to specialist facilities and fair pricing.
For pet owners who might be discovering you for the first time, how would you describe the Regency Vets approach to caring for animals?
Olivia: Our approach is to return to that old‑school family GP feel we experienced growing up. When you come in as a client, we want to know everything about you and your pet; and for you to feel known and understood. Our focus is on providing personal care. We’re lucky to have a small, experienced and lovely team. You'll generally see the same reception team, one of three vets and one of three nurses, so we get to know people really well. That’s a big part of what we do.
Alex: It's high‑quality care with a personal, independent touch. We want people to get to know us. Trust is massive – people place their pets, their family members, in our hands and they want to trust who they’re leaving them with. The only way to build that trust is to build relationships. It helps us provide a better level of care and owners feel more invested and engaged.
Olivia: We invest time in people, during the consult and outside it. We’re approachable and want people to be able to phone, email or WhatsApp us. There’s nothing worse than being seen, sent away with medication; and then feeling left to your own devices. We follow up and support people; and this is a big part of our approach.
What inspired you to open your own practice in Cheltenham?
Alex: Olivia approached me with the idea initially. We were both working for an independent practice at the time which subsequently became corporate. We felt strongly that we wanted to work in an independent practice where we have control over how we work and the care we provide.
Starting our own place was the best way we could do this. It took a bit of time to find the right place and get everything set up, but we've tried to stay true to the values we had from the very start. It's all about operating the way we think it should be done, where we can be a really positive part of the community and an organisation that people trust.
Olivia: We also wanted to create somewhere where people love coming to work. We're so lucky that our team is amazing – we've got some fantastic people working with us and we offer them a place where their voices are heard too.
The clinic has been purpose-built with animals in mind. What was most important to you when designing it?
Alex: There were a couple of non-negotiables for us – separate cat and dog waiting areas and also separate cat and dog wards.
Cats can get pretty stressed out by a trip to the vets and if there's a noisy barking dog next to them as well, it's only going to compound that. Having worked in various practices before, we've seen what works and what doesn't.
We've also got specialist flooring that's approved by the Canine Arthritis Management association – it has special grooves so dogs with arthritis aren't slipping and sliding. And our kennels are acrylic and glass rather than metal, so they're warmer and less slippy and noisy. We've tried to create a more comfortable environment for pets when they stay with us.
How do you make trips to the vets less stressful for pets and owners?
Olivia: I think it starts from before they even get into the examination room. Separate waiting areas are a big thing; and we've purposefully designed the flow of the practice to make it as calm as possible. For example, our dog and cat kennels are as far away from each other as they can be.
We also use a lot of positive rewards – we get through an awful lot of treats and Lick-e-lix! We want to try and make every experience as positive as possible.
For instance, dogs can become quite fearful if they think we're about to do an injection – even though they don't usually feel the needle. But it's the fear of what might happen that makes them anxious. So we'll often distract them with food and they don't even notice they've had the injection. You can't be scared of something if you don't realise it's happened! With puppies and kittens, we try to prevent that anxiety developing in the first place with lots of food and positive rewards.
We'll try and factor in really nervous patients by booking them in at the beginning or the end of a consult list, or in our lunch break, when there's no one else around.
For cats in particular, we use lots of positive pheromones, which they seem to respond well to. We try and make all the kennels really comfy too, with nice beds and little hidey holes to hide under when they stay in with us.
For nervous dogs, it only takes one negative experience at the vets to create anxiety, which can then take up to 17 visits to undo, so we try and prevent that negative experience happening in the first place. We recommend people pop in when they're walking by, just to come and say hello. We've got treats on reception, which the staff will give to dogs who visit with their owners. We've had some really positive results from this method, with dogs who had refused to go into their previous vets but will be dragging their owners in to us to get a treat and a fuss from our reception staff!
What sort of pets do you typically see day-to-day at Regency Vets?
Alex: Mostly cats and dogs and small furries such as rabbits, hamsters, guinea pigs, rats, chinchillas, gerbils and degus.
Olivia: And chickens – so many people have them as backyard pets now.
Alex: We see quite a few ferrets as well. We've seen some weird and wonderful animals in our previous jobs, such as monkeys and coatis, but we tend to direct people with more unusual pets to the exotic-focused clinics!
There’s been a lot of news recently about changes in the veterinary industry – what do these developments mean for local pet owners, and what would you like to see, moving forward?
Alex: It's a really big topic and quite a complex issue, but the main things are that some practices will have to change their branding to reflect their ownership, making clear if they are corporately or independently owned.
And regarding prescriptions, the Competition and Markets Authority has pushed for written prescriptions to be offered more readily at the time of prescribing, which we do already and are happy to support.
We would advise any pet owners out there who are a bit disillusioned with vets' pricing to look around, as there are lots of practices out there. You may be surprised by the price differences, especially if your pet needs a big procedure – there's no harm in getting a second opinion or asking for another estimate.
Olivia: Vets are now required to put their prices online for easier comparison – that's something we already do as we wanted to be transparent from the beginning. And we're always happy to receive emails asking for quotes for procedures that aren't listed.
To find out more about Alex and Olivia and Regency Vets, visit regencyvets.com or call 01242 781381.
