About us Vets in Orkney
We understand the role we play in Orkney life
We are proud to care for the animals of Orkney, in sickness and in health.
We can trace our history on the island back to 1861, with the longstanding Walker and Spence partnership evolving into Northvet in 1989.
With our accumulated local knowledge we understand that life is different here than it is down south, and we do what we can to make life as easy as possible for our community, with examples of this in action every day.
If our clients on the outer isles have pets who need to be seen by a vet, we can arrange to come and see you while we’re visiting farms in the area, saving you a stressful journey.
The cost of taking pets to mainland Scotland for complicated procedures can be prohibitive, so we prioritise investing in our team and facilities, to provide as comprehensive a service as possible.
We know what is important to you – building close relationships with people you trust. That is why we offer unlimited consultations to pet owners on our Best of Health wellness plan and spend time getting to know each of our farmers and their businesses personally.
At the heart of everything we do at Northvet is the concept of family. Our team has formed a close bond over many years of shared experiences and we hope our clients feel included in that warmth too.
Comprehensive veterinary care tailored to Orkney’s animals
We have a fantastic range of skills in our team and invest in our equipment and facilities to be able to offer a wide range of services from our three branches in Kirkwall, Harray and Stromness.
Our main surgery in Kirkwall is conveniently located in the centre of town, easy access for locals and with free parking for those travelling to see us.
We have space and facilities for seeing large animals at our Harray branch, although our service is fully ambulatory, with regular visits to the north and south isles.
Stromness is a consulting branch offering routine appointments, with more complex procedures undertaken in Kirkwall.
We have been fortunate to grow a talented team locally as well as welcoming new members from further afield, giving us a skilled group with a range of expertise and further qualifications, meaning we can offer services such as orthopaedic surgery.
We offer an equine health plan, a flock health club for sheep and our flagship Best of Health wellness plan for pets, with three tiers for clients to choose the level of care that best suits their needs.
Silver and gold members receive unlimited free consultations during normal office hours – meaning they can book in to see us at no extra charge, giving them peace of mind that we are always here for them if they need us.
Our team and our clients form the Northvet family
When we ask our team for their impressions of life at Northvet, the word that comes up most often is family, something that makes us very proud.
We offer a friendly, warm, welcoming atmosphere for all of our clients, from our lovely receptionists, skilled nurses and dedicated vets.
We believe this starts by building genuine close relationships within our team – we work and play together and when new members join we do our best to show them how to make the most of life on our beautiful island.
The proof that this works is in how long people tend to stay with us. We have team members who have been part of the Northvet family for 20, 30 and, in one case, over 40 years!
We run our own out of hours, meaning whenever you need us, one of these familiar faces is on call to help.
This is just one more example of how we do everything we can to fulfil our role within the Orkney community.
