Terms and conditions

Consultations

All consultations are by appointment only. Clients are requested to inform the surgery in advance, preferably at least 24 hours before your appointment time, if you wish to cancel, or reschedule your appointment. We reserve the rights to charge for missed appointments, or for appointments cancelled, or changed at short notice.

Every effort is made to accommodate clients and to find available appointment slots and animals are never turned away in an emergency.

There is always a charge for repeat consultations except in the case of one complimentary post-operative check for surgical cases. Suture removal is also performed free of charge for operations performed at the surgery, for those done elsewhere there may be a consultation charge depending on the procedure.

There is a higher than normal consultation charge when an animal is seen outside normal consultation times or when an animal is seen without a prior appointment.

Please note that, on Sundays, a surcharge will apply.

All animals brought into the surgery must be accompanied by an adult over 16 years of age.

All cats must be kept in baskets in the waiting room and all dogs must be kept on a lead.

The safety of the pet, the client and our staff are of the highest priority and this may include measures to restrain the animal including the application of a muzzle or providing appropriate sedation. It is important for clients to realise that our patients can have the potential to be dangerous and the advice of our professional staff is to be heeded.

For pet travel it is entirely the responsibility of the client to ensure that all the requirements are completed correctly and at the appropriate time. Our vets will be happy to provide advice regarding travel. It is also entirely the owner’s responsibility to ensure that any rabies boosters are given at the correct time – due to the differing lengths of duration between rabies manufacturers we do not currently send out reminders for rabies boosters.

Payment is to be made at the time of treatment. Failure to pay at time of treatment may result in your account being surcharged up to 25%. Attempts will be made to recover the payment. If unsuccessful your account will be passed to a debt collection agency to seek payment.

Occasionally we would like to update our clients on any unusual/cute stories, and would like to add these to our Facebook page. Please let the reception team know if do not wish for your pets photo/story to be used.

Treatment

X-Rays, ultrasound images and blood results belong to the surgery. Copies may be given with suitable notice and will incur a charge to cover this cost.

It is to be understood that anaesthetics carry a small risk. We use the safest available anaesthetics as deemed appropriate by the veterinary surgeon. We have a complimentary free consultation available in the morning before the operation to check the animal over and discuss the procedure, provide an estimate of costs and any associated risks. We recommend a pre-operative blood sample for animals that are over 8 years old or are in a higher risk category. Intravenous fluids may also be advisable in certain situations.

It is to be accepted that whilst taking blood samples, placing an animal on an intravenous drip or performing an ultrasound scan there will be clipping of the coat.

Hospitalisation procedures: Animals that need hospitalisation are checked once and possibly twice during the night depending on need.

Animals are not discharged on Sundays or bank holidays.

Insurance

Direct insurance claims are occasionally permitted on the basis that the insurance excess is paid and that the insurance documents are brought in to the surgery. This facility is provided at the discretion of the senior veterinary surgeons, is assessed on a case by case basis and should be discussed with the veterinary surgeon before commencement of treatment.

We endeavour to complete and send insurance forms within two weeks however on occasion there may be a backlog of claims and this may take longer. There is a charge for the completion and sending of insurance forms.

Prescriptions

Repeat prescriptions requests need to be submitted at least 48 hours before required in most instances. This also applies to written prescriptions. Our policy regarding re-check intervals for prescription medications requires that a re-check if performed at least every 6 months or more regularly as deemed necessary by the veterinary surgeon.

Refunds cannot be issued for medications that have left the premises. For legal reasons we cannot re-stock the medications however we can dispose of them at no cost.

Debt Collection

Payment is the be made at the time of treatment. Failure to pay at the time of treatment may result in your account being surcharged up to 25%. Attempts will be made to recover the payment. If unsuccessful your account will be pursued through the Small Claims Court and all fees and charges will be added to the client account.

Complaints

Any complaints or feedback can be addressed to the Practice Manager either by telephone in writing or by email.

Medication

Our medications may be a bit more expensive compared to online pharmacies, but that’s because we need to keep a wide range of medications on hand for immediate use, which incurs inventory costs and the risk of expiration. We ensure that the medications we provide for your pet are of the highest quality, sourced from trusted suppliers. While online pharmacies might offer lower prices, they often do so by buying in bulk at heavily discounted prices or sourcing from international markets with different regulatory standards.