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Pet Owners

Some helpful info for pet owners

The UK Veterinary profession has evolved a system of “veterinary referral” whereby your vet can refer more complicated cases to a clinician who holds further qualifications and experience within their area of interest. Referral centres will generally have a wide range of sophisticated diagnostic tools and treatments that may not be available at your local practice.

Please make sure that your pet does not eat after 9.00pm the night before the appointment. Water should be given as usual. This is very important before an anaesthetic or sedative, but is also needed to ensure reliable blood tests can be taken and helps with other diagnostic tools such as ultrasound scans, x-rays etc. If your pet is on regular medication, please call us on 01244 544 550 to check if it will be appropriate for this to be given as usual on the morning of your appointment.

Before your appointment, our referral vet will have reviewed the letter and case details sent by your own vet, and when you arrive, he/she will sit down with you to discuss your pet’s problems in depth. This often takes 30 – 45 minutes.

Ideally the person who primarily looks after your pet should attend the appointment so that we can get the best possible information about symptoms and discuss the options and costs of treatment. After examining your pet, the vet will explain the options for investigation and treatment, and discuss the cost of the procedures.

Following this your pet will then be admitted, we provide separate wards for dogs and cats and one of our nurses will be appointed to look after your pet during their stay with us.

If your pet has to stay overnight, we will organise all bedding and food, unless they are on a special diet, in which case, please bring enough for their stay. Our staff are onsite at the premises at all times to care and look after your pet.

Appointments are usually made in the mornings. The vets try to keep as close as possible to appointment times, but occasionally emergencies occur and slight delays are therefore possible.

The list below gives an indication of how long you might expect your pet to be with us, depending on which of our referral vets you are seeing. This can be no more than a guide:

Cardiology cases (hearts): Most animals are seen as day cases and we will need your pet with us for 1 – 2 hours. Occasionally cases may be kept overnight. Breed scheme checks will normally be done while you wait.

Surgery: Most animals will stay with us at least one night. Once the animal is comfortable and fully recovered from the anaesthetic they will be allowed to return home.

It is necessary to clip the hair in order to take blood samples, carry out an ultrasound scan and/or surgery. We will of course keep this to a minimum and the hair will grow back quite quickly.

We are always happy to give you an update while your pet is hospitalised. We suggest you call after 11.00am when ward rounds are completed and we have the most up to date information. To gain an update on your pet, please call the referrals team on 01244 544550.

Our vets will call you if they feel you need to be informed of any change in your pet’s condition and you should ensure we have a mobile telephone number for you.

We will discuss all of the aftercare with you on discharge and you will be given instructions as to any medication or special diet that is prescribed. In addition to this we will also advise if there are any changes to your pets normal routine e.g. if exercise should be reduced or avoided and for how long.

If your pet has undergone surgery, we may recommend a special collar to prevent the wound being licked. In the event that you notice any excessive discomfort, heat or swelling around the wound you should contact your own veterinary practice. You will need to return to your own vet for stitches to be removed.

When your pet is discharged, the referral vet or nurse will explain what has been done and discuss the ongoing treatment with you.

You will be given a written summary of the findings and details of the treatment. A more detailed report will then be sent to your vet, including any results that were not available at time of discharge.

For routine treatment or surgery, an estimate can be given ahead of your visit. For other cases, the cost of your pet’s treatment will be discussed with you when your pet is admitted. Once we have examined your pet, we can discuss the costs of the possible investigations and treatments so that you can make an informed decision about what you would like us to do. We will then do our best to keep you updated on any changes to costs while your pet is with us.

If your pet is uninsured:

On collection of your pet the total payment must be made to North Wales Veterinary Referrals. We cannot agree to payment in instalments for our referral clients. We accept credit/debit cards, cash or cheques. Please note we do not accept American Express.

If your pet is insured:

Insurance companies will usually pay for all investigation and treatment (with certain provisos). However, your insurance company will not discuss your policy with us, so it is your responsibility to check that your pet’s cover is adequate, and if your insurance company does not pay a claim, for whatever reason, you will need to take responsibility for payment of the whole bill.

Therefore, please make sure you are aware of:

  • The total level of cover for this condition
  • Any conditions excluded from the cover (including physiotherapy & hydrotherapy)
  • How much of that cover, if any, has been “used” for treatment at your vets
  • Any expiry date that may apply to the cover
  • The amount of any excess that you have to pay

You will also need to ensure that you have a signed claim form with you when you arrive for your initial consultation. We usually require our fees to be settled in full when you collect your pet unless we have agreed to a direct payment claim. To do this, we will need to confirm your policy details with your insurance company & we will require you to contact your insurance company to give them permission to discuss your policy with us.  We must emphasise that we cannot be held responsible if, for any reason, your insurance company does not pay a claim. 

If you have any further questions on insurance or payment please do not hesitate to contact us on 01244 544550.