Your local vets now providing
With over 30 years of experience providing both large and small animal veterinary services to the community of Duhallow, it was no surprise that when offered the chance to expand their services into the thriving town of Newmarket, Mairead Wallace-Pigott, managing partner of Millstreet Veterinary Group, didn’t hesitate.
“It was with sadness that Denis and Ita Mackessy, previous owners of the practice styled as ‘Mackessy’s Veterinary Hospital’ in Newmarket, informed us that they wanted to leave clinical practice for health reasons,” said Mairead. “We were delighted that they came to us to ask us to take over the practice, so that a high quality, independent, veterinary service could continue to be provided to the local people following their departure.”
Personally, Mairead had more than just a local connection to the practice, having previously cut her teeth in the world of veterinary working as a vet with Ned Mackessy, Denis’s father, who founded the practice many years ago. “Ned was a real gentleman, and loved by all of the locals. Having worked there as a young vet many years ago, being given the opportunity to return to make my own mark on the practice, was a joy,” said Mairead.
“Particularly given the recent news of large, corporate business takeover of once independent local veterinary practices, I was delighted to be able to keep Newmarket’s veterinary services in independent hands, avoiding a corporate takeover, with the associated less than ideal reduction and regionalisation of emergency veterinary services.
“Particularly in the Spring, farmers rely on their vet to provide a prompt response to emergencies, and we pride ourselves on our ability to get a vet on the farm to an emergency within 30 minutes of a farmer’s call in most instances. Loss of this prompt service provided by independent practices would be disastrous for rural farmers, compromising the welfare of their animals, and we were glad to be able to prevent this.”
Located at Demesne, Newmarket, just across from the Hi-land, another local landmark, the practice will enter this new chapter at the same premises as previously used, but under the new title of ‘Island Wood Veterinary Hospital’. Extensive refurbishment of the premises to bring facilities up to a top class standard is planned imminently, with locals already noting a recent lick of paint on the walls.
“We chose the Island Wood Veterinary Hospital as our new name, as the local forestry, the Island Wood, held many happy memories for us, bringing our family and pets walking in the Island Wood over the years,” said Mairead. It was a logical choice, as a well known landmark, which the local people are proud of – hopefully they’ll be proud of us too in years to come!’
Indeed, the family who once went walking in the Island Wood together are now excited to be working together in this new veterinary venture. “Embarking on this new chapter with the two other vets in the family – my husband, Michael, and my daughter, Jane, makes this not just a business move but makes the practice a big part of our family life. We really care about its success for the local area, and hope that the people of Newmarket can see our passion for this project.”
With a track record of providing a professional, compassionate, high quality veterinary service to both farm and small animals in the local area from their hospital site in Millstreet, Millstreet Veterinary Group is excited to bring this ethos to Newmarket, and is looking to expand the range services available to customers.
“Our aim is to provide a modern, cutting edge veterinary service which is unparalleled in the area. To all of our clients we can offer a prompt 24/7, 365 days a year emergency service, where the phone will be answered by a friendly vet on call, never an impersonal answering machine.
“For our large animal clients, we provide a full fertility service, with pre-breeding and pregnancy diagnosis ultrasound scanning, with bull fertility assessment also available.
“We offer a same day result on inhouse dung and calf scour sampling, meaning targeted treatment can be provided to animals promptly based on results.
“Herd health planning to optimise productivity can be carried out, with a wide range of preventative healthcare such as vaccines and dosing available at competitive rates. Nutritional assessment and advice is also a service we provide year round.
“For our small animal customers, we provide a full range of services to ensure optimal health and happiness of the four-legged members of the family. Should a pet become sick, we offer extensive diagnostic services such as x-ray, ultrasound and an in-house lab to get to the bottom of the problem without delay.
“We provide grooming services to make sure your dog is always comfortable and well presented. More than all of this, we provide utmost respect and care for the patients entrusted to us – we treat each pet as if it were our own and we understand that they are truly a key part of the family.”
Indeed, excellence in veterinary services is something that Millstreet Veterinary Group is renowned for, being awarded the title of ‘Irish Veterinary Practice of the Year 2017’ - success they hope to replicate in their new Newmarket branch at the Island Wood Veterinary Hospital. “Receiving this prestigious award was a real honour – recognition for the years of dedicated service from all of the team was really humbling,” said Mairead. “Having formed the practice in 2000 with our partners Liam Kent and Andreas Zenker, we never thought we would be lucky enough to receive this accolade.”
One thing than won’t be changing at Island Wood Veterinary Hospital is its fantastic support staff, who were delighted to continue as part of the team as the practice enters this new chapter. “Danielle Curtin (receptionist), Nicole Guerin (registered veterinary nurse), Nicole Higgins (grooming stylist), Marian Dunnington (care assistant) and Maire Moynahan (receptionist) are fantastic assets to the practice – their local knowledge and rapport with the people of Newmarket is invaluable to the team,” said Mairead.
With 10 vets on the staff, and over 145 years of cumulative veterinary experience, you can be assured of friendly, experienced veterinary attention at all times. To give you an idea of who you might meet, let us introduce you to the veterinary team:
Mairead Wallace-Pigott MVB MRCVS
As you can probably already gather, Mairead is experienced in her field and is never afraid of new challenges. Caring about the future of her profession, she has been heavily involved in