Arranging a referral

If your pet needs to be referred you must discuss this first with your veterinary surgeon who will either contact us on your behalf or advise that you arrange an appointment directly with us yourself.  If your pet needs to be seen urgently then your vet will need to telephone us in order to arrange the appointment for you.

Your vet may wish to discuss your pet's case with us by telephone prior to making a decision regarding referral.  In some cases he or she may send us X-rays beforehand – we provide a rapid reporting service for vets who send us radiographs.

When you come, it is very important that we are supplied with any relevant information and documents as this may have a significant bearing on your pet's investigations and managment.  A referral letter should either be given to you by your veterinary surgeon for you to bring to us or this may be forwarded directly to us from your vet by post or by fax.  You may be asked to bring any relevant X-rays, ultrasound scan pictures etc.

Your vet should be able to supply you with a client information sheet that has a map on the back.  Alternatively you may wish to view and download a map from our Location web page.

It is possible that your pet may need a sedative or an anaesthetic on the day of his or her appointment.  Unless your pet is diabetic, it is best not to give any food on the day of the appointment in case we need to perform a procedure.  Please do not withhold water, however.

If you are at all unsure about what to do regarding your pet's referral to us, please do not hesitate to telephone our reception staff who will be happy to help.

Payment

Payment is generally expected at the time of consultation and when a pet goes home after being hospitalised.  We accept cash, cheques and all major debit and credit cards except American Express.  Please note that a 2% surcharge is payable on credit cards but not on debit cards.

It is our policy not to carry out direct insurance claims - we only ever do this by prior arrangement and where there is written pre-authorisation by the insurance company involved.

If you have any major concerns about payment then please do discuss these with us before your consultation and preferably before you set off to see us.  We will be happy to answer any questions you may have.