A new £2.4m pet hospital built by MC Construction has opened in Manchester.
The Manchester PDSA Pet Wellbeing Centre, the Montague-Panton Hospital, on Redgate Lane, Gorton, was officially opened by retired police dog Mojo and his owner PC Phil Healy.
Mojo received the PDSA Order of Merit for his work following the Manchester Arena attack in 2017. He was the first police dog on the scene, alongside PC Healy, and they worked through the night searching the area to make it safe for the emergency services.
The state-of-the-art Pet Wellbeing Centre is of a steel frame construction with cladding, render panels and a curtain wall.
Salford-based MC Construction was the main contractor for the scheme and worked with Anthony Keith Architects, mechanical and electrical engineering consultancy Desco, structural engineers James Christopher Consulting and quantity surveyors Allan Reynolds Partnership on the project.
MC Construction managing director Dave Lowe said: “We’re thrilled with the outcome of this project.
“Being a dog owner myself, constructing a new pet wellbeing facility for PDSA has been an absolute pleasure and has resulted in a very happy client.
“I am immensely proud of our project team, who have delivered the works seamlessly.”
The £2.4m project was funded by donations from the public, the Montague-Panton Animal Welfare Trust and players of the People’s Postcode Lottery.
Jan McLoughlin, PDSA’s director general, said: “PDSA has been treating poorly pets in and around Manchester since 1925, so this is a true milestone for us. Our services are a vital lifeline for owners struggling to provide care for their pets.”
The new 10,000sq ft facility replaces the PDSA’s former pet hospital on Warwick Road South, Old Trafford, which has closed after 40 years.
Rachel Smith, senior vet at the new wellbeing centre, said: “It’s great to finally be here. The Old Trafford hospital holds lots of memories and helped so many pets and people over the years, so the team were sad to leave. But we are really excited to finally open the doors of this fabulous new facility.”
The new site is the biggest PDSA hospital in the country and features a bigger and brighter waiting area, with separate zones for cats and dogs. It also houses improved kennel facilities.
Other features include seven consulting rooms, two operating theatres, a diagnostic room, digital x-ray facilities and two dedicated ‘pet MOT’ rooms where staff can give more support and education to pets and their owners.
It is also the first PDSA hospital to have a shop selling pet products and a community room, which will host classes and activities for local schoolchildren and groups.
A team of 36 vets, vet nurses and support staff are based at the hospital, which will provide over 78,000 treatments a year and see around 155 pet patients every day.
