A NEW veterinarian practice is opening in town.

Wild Side Vets, at 70 Abbey Road, Barrow, will provide care for small animals from March 1.

The practice will also cater to more exotic animals including tortoises and parrots.

Wild Side will also be offering 24 hour, seven days a week and out-of-hours emergency service for clients who choose to register with them.

Furness has been without an out-of-hours emergency service since IVC Evidensia, which operates Grove, Alexander, and South Lakes vets, announced in March 2022 that, due to vet shortages, they could no longer provide the service at their Barrow and Ulverston practices.

This has meant that pet owners faced a potential 40-mile journey to the nearest out-of-hours emergency vet service in Carnforth.

The company initially started with just five members but Wild Side Vets has said they are aiming for another five vets before the end of the year - and expect to have a team of up to 20 people in total.

Kate Hornby, the owner of Wild Side Vets, said: “We will be a large, very modern practice with facilities to cater for a wider range of species than other practices in the area.

"We will also be providing our own out of hours service which was removed and diverted to Carnforth by the local practices last year.

"We have lots of exciting plans over the next year to bring even more new services to the area."

A Wild Side website should be up and running by the middle of February where clients will be able to register their pets to the new practice. 

"Wild Side Vets Limited", the company behind the new practice,was incorporated on May 5, 2022, and is based at Daltongate Business Park, Ulverston.

Planning documents submitted to Barrow Council said a period design had been dismissed in favour of a more modern, contemporary look that, providing it is low-key, will sit well alongside the historic buildings within the conservation area.