Forestside Veterinary Clinic

Forestside Veterinary Clinic presents itself as a locally owned, independent practice in Belfast. It offers routine preventive care, diagnostics, surgery, and treatment for everyday medical problems, with owners often mentioning short-notice appointments, clear explanations, and good follow-up. Recent feedback also continues to show experience with a wider mix of pets, including rabbits, rats, sugar gliders, turtles, and a young tortoise.

Services

•Routine and preventive care: Vaccinations, annual check-ups, puppy care, and general health reviews are all part of the clinic’s core work. Recent reviews also mention six-month check-ups and claw clipping for nervous pets.
•Surgery and dental procedures: The clinic website lists pet surgery, and recent owners describe surgery being arranged quickly and smoothly. Reviews also mention dental procedures for both a cat and a greyhound.
•Diagnostics and investigations: Earlier feedback highlights same-day blood tests and x-rays, with careful explanation of findings and, in one case, imaging sent to a specialist in Dublin for further review.
•Treatment for ongoing and acute problems: Examples mentioned by owners include ear infections, gastrointestinal illness, claw or nail problems, and medication support after assessment and testing.
•Small animals and exotics: Reviews and earlier feedback point to care for rabbits, turtles, sugar gliders, rats needing tooth trimming, and a young Hermann tortoise.
•Wildlife assistance: One recent review describes the team assessing a badly injured bird and carrying out euthanasia when the injury was too severe.
•Emergency cover: The website states that out-of-hours services are available for emergencies.
•Training: The clinic is listed as a veterinary nurse training facility.

Pricing

Available published prices indicate the clinic sits around average relative to similar practices. Reviews also suggest the team is clear about treatment options and costs, with owners often saying they felt well informed throughout.

People

•Rory (vet): Frequently praised for calm, gentle handling and clear explanations. Recent reviews mention him helping with a frightened older cat’s claw problem, discussing treatment options in detail, and being especially valued by one owner for his greyhound knowledge.
•Andrew McQuaid / Andrew (vet): Regularly mentioned for continuity of care across repeat visits, clear communication, and being particularly good with less common pets. Recent examples include sugar gliders, alongside earlier mentions of rabbits and turtles.
•Amanda: Praised for patient, soothing handling during a six-month check-up and claw clipping for two scared pets.
•Donal (vet): Earlier reviews describe him as thorough and welcoming, with detailed explanations around tests, treatment, and insurance paperwork.
•Nurses and reception team: Recent and earlier feedback consistently speaks well of the wider team for helpful phone advice, easy booking, kindness, and keeping owners updated.

Reviews

Forestside Veterinary Clinic has 4.9 stars from 196 Google reviews.

•Fast access and responsive booking: Owners often mention being seen quickly, including straight away or at short notice.
•Clear communication throughout: Reviews regularly praise the team for explaining options well, keeping owners informed during surgery or treatment, and answering questions clearly.
•Strong continuity and calm handling: Several owners value seeing the same vet across multiple visits, and there is repeated praise for gentle handling of nervous, frightened, or unusual pets.
•Broad mix of pets seen well: Recent feedback covers dogs, cats, a greyhound, sugar gliders, a rat, a wild bird, and a Hermann tortoise, reinforcing the impression of a practice comfortable with more than routine cat-and-dog cases.

Reviews for Forestside Veterinary Clinic

Note: Showing the 10 most recent Google reviews out of 196 we track in total. Recent reviews may not be representative of overall sentiment.

Emma Cleary

2 weeks ago

Had a lovely experience on our first visit with our young Herman Tortoise. Friendly and very informative.

Rossella R

3 weeks ago

My dog was seen straight away and they arranged her surgery quickly and smoothly. Everything was organised, clear, and explained in detail so I always knew what was happening. The vets and nurses were kind, patient, and genuinely caring. My dog was looked after beautifully,I couldn’t have asked for better care.

mark macallister

Just had Tilly and Tabby with Amanda for their 6 month check up and to get their claws clipped. Amanda was so good with them both as they were very scared. She was patient and soothing with them and checked them both over, clipped their claws and all good. They even got a heart lick treat as a reward. Thank you so much.

Zoe Young

Gaynor Gordon

4 weeks ago

I moved to this vet practice specifically for their resident greyhound specialist Rory, whose knowledge of the breed is outstanding. Last year they did a dental procedure for my cat and I was amazed at how smooth the whole experience was. Today my greyhound had a dental and the care and process was excellent from start to finish. All of the staff, including the nurses and reception team are exceptional. They keep you well informed throughout, often answering questions before you even think to ask them. It's a genuinely pleasant clinic with a great atmosphere. You can really feel the care that comes from it being independently owned. Thank you

Andrea Hamill

6 months ago

Amazing vets, can't thank U enough for seeing Syrax so quickly and helping fix her.

Yasmin Malik

7 months ago

I've used several different vets, spanning over the many years I've had cats and dogs, and so far, Forestside Vets have been consistent, responsive, supportive and understanding. I can't fault, only praise. The service provided by all staff, from the receptionists to the vets is outstanding. So far, my dog has seen one vet over several visits (Andrew) - I've never experienced this level of continuity and consistency in any practice. Highly recommend!

Chloe Jackson

First visit here, Great friendly vets took our Sugar Gliders here and Andrew was brilliant with them. Thank you very much :)

Learn2Ride MC Training Russell

"Daddy! Look at his tooth? Oh no!" 😲 Welcome to the World Of Rats: where mischief abounds, curiosity knows no limits and teeth are ever-growing. (PS: they don't carry the bubonic plague, they clean themselves much more than you do and are very loving pets. They literally vibrate with excitement and their eyes do a wee dancey-dance when they're very happy called 'boggling'. (Hence the phrase, the mind boggles). "Their teeth are strong enough to bite through both steel and concrete!" (or so I'm told by a mischievous little girl). Wee one had a protruding tooth that needed trimming, pronto. So it was nee-naw nee-naw from Derry/Londonderry to Forestside. From the first phone call and advice over the phone to an immediate booking, everything was effortless. The procedure took no time at all, all our aftercare questions were answered on the spot and we are now one happy Daddy, daughter and rat. 😀 According to rat owners nationwide, 9 out of 10 rats prefer Forestside. 🐭

Paul McMaster

8 months ago