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Welcome to

Donaldson’s Vets!

We’re delighted that you’ve chosen to

register your pet with us. Inside this booklet is

all the information you’ll need about how we

will work together to ensure your pet is

healthy and happy.

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Safeguarding your much loved pet’s health is our priority, just as it is yours. Advice and

support is always on hand at Donaldson’s Vets- we’re never more than a phone call away.

With so many aspects of a pet’s healthcare to consider, from vaccinations and socialisation

for youngsters, through neutering and the inevitable scrapes and scuffs of an active life right

into a pet’s golden years, there’s a lot to prepare for. This pack contains information on

managing the day-to-day aspects of your pet’s veterinary care to help make things more

straightforward for you.

Contents

Information

Page

Essential Practice Information

3

Terms of Business

4-5

Preventative Healthcare: Vaccination, Neutering and Worming

6-10

Emergency Care

11

What if my pet is hospitalised?

12

Medicines and Prescriptions

13

Pet Insurance

14-15

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Essential Practice Information Donaldson’s Vets Ltd is a mixed general veterinary practice offering veterinary care to pets, farm animals, horses and exotic pet species. We are a registered veterinary nurse training centre and a member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Practice Standards Scheme, with each of our branches being registered at level 2 or ‘General Practice’ standard. The practice has been in operation in Huddersfield for over 100 years and we are very proud of our heritage, facilities and staff team. We have a team of 15 veterinary surgeons supported by a very high number of Registered Veterinary Nurses, auxiliaries and receptionists dedicated to providing the best care for you and your animals, at four branches and through our round-the-clock emergency service. Addresses and contact details Donaldson’s Vets Ltd. Maple Street, Aspley, Huddersfield HD5 9AX Telephone: 01484 421512 *Out-of-hours emergency service based here at our main centre* Donaldson’s Vets Ltd. Miry Lane, Thongsbridge, Holmfirth HD9 7RY Telephone: 01484 684189 Donaldson’s Vets Ltd. Birchencliffe Hill Road, Birchencliffe, Huddersfield HD3 3NL Telephone: 01484 450022 *Dedicated Animal Rehabilitation Centre located at the Birchencliffe branch* Donaldson’s Vets Ltd. Queen Street, Mirfield, WF14 8AH Telephone 01924 492200 Our websites are available for information, online shop purchases and virtual tours at www.donaldsonsvets.co.uk and www.animalrehabilitation.co.uk You can follow us on Facebook too! Opening hours All branches open for admissions, prescription requests and collections, purchases and advice from 7.30am-7pm. Consultations by appointment: Monday-Friday 9-11am, 2-3.30pm and 5-7pm. Saturday 9-11am (except Mirfield 9-10am) and Maple Street 2-3pm. Emergency Service Dedicated emergency service provided 24/7/365: RING 01484 421512

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Terms of Business

1. Patients must be registered with Donaldson’s Vets Ltd in order for veterinary treatment to be provided. To safeguard patients by ensuring complete, up-to-date patient records are available at all times, it is expected that Donaldson’s Vets will be the sole general practice with which the patient is registered.

2. Upon registration with Donaldson’s Vets information regarding each patient’s previous veterinary provider will be sought and a request for the provision of a clinical history made. Clients must provide this information to ensure their animal’s safety by the availability of previous medical information. In the event of a client wishing to transfer to another practice, Donaldson’s Vets will supply a complete history direct to the patient’s new practice upon request.

3. Clients must provide a full postal address and contact telephone number. Additional telephone numbers and email address information is preferred where available. Donaldson’s Vets will abide by the Data Protection Act in safeguarding and appropriate use of this information. The practice must be informed in writing immediately of any change in name address, or telephone number. Donaldson’s Vets reserves the right to decline registration unless where the provision of immediate emergency care is necessary.

4. Animals must be in the care of an adult over 18 years on each visit to the surgery. Children are welcome but must be supervised by an adult at all times for their safety.

5. Patients are seen by appointment. Please contact the surgery should you need to make, rearrange or cancel an appointment at your first opportunity. In the case of emergencies, please endeavour to contact the surgery to warn staff of your imminent arrival, so that we may be as prepared as possible for your animal’s benefit.

6. Payments for all goods, medicines, professional fees, services rendered and laboratory and diagnostic work must be made in full at the time. Payment by cash, cheque or credit/ debit card is accepted. The practice reserves the right to make individual variation to this agreement at the discretion of the directors following documented negotiation with the individual concerned. Separate advice on the handling of pet insurance claims is available on request. Policy excess must be settled at the time of the first visit. In the event of any shortfall in insurance payment for any reason, the client remains liable for the outstanding amount(s).

7. A full price list is held by the practice and information about prices of fees, medicines and services is available on request. Detailed estimates will be provided on request. Invoices showing breakdown of charges are provided.

8. Donaldson’s Vets has excellent relationships with several Specialist veterinary referral centres and referrals or second opinions may be easily arranged on request or where the veterinary surgeon feels it is appropriate/ necessary.

9. Donaldson’s Vets reserves the right to levy an appropriate charge for the preparation and postage of invoices, and surcharges on unpaid debts.

10. In the case of non-payment, services other than the provision of emergency care (which must be paid for in full at the time) may be suspended seven days after notice in writing to the client has been given to allow registration elsewhere.

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11. In the case of non-payment, following notice in writing of the outstanding amount(s), the practice will seek to reclaim sums owed with a surcharge through a debt collection agency.

12. Incoming and outgoing telephone calls may be recorded for quality and monitoring purposes.

13. All pets must be on a lead or within an appropriate carrying box at all times when not directed otherwise by a member of staff.

14. A veterinary surgery is an unfamiliar and potentially frightening environment for your pet and this effect may be amplified by the presence of other animals, sights, noises and smells. We make every effort to welcome and reassure pets, but especially when dealing with a painfuI illness or injury, it may be necessary to ask you to allow a trained member of staff to hold or restrain your pet, and we request that you follow any advice given to you by staff members for the safety of yourself, your pet, our staff and other clients.

15. Like all veterinary surgeries, regular cleaning is an essential part of daily hygiene and for obvious reasons may need to take place during surgery hours. Please be aware that floors may be slippery and exercise care at all times for your safety and alert staff if you notice a problem.

16. We strongly encourage continuity of care and recommend that clients request the veterinary surgeon of their choice when making appointments to ensure this. Clients are advised that due to the mixed general practice and emergency care nature of Donaldson’s Vets, there are occasions when it is not possible to guarantee a certain veterinary surgeon will be available but are assured that the practice does its best to avoid disappointment. Out of hours, the veterinary surgeons share a duty rota so that constant emergency provision by a member of this practice only is made, who has access to the patient’s complete records and is close at hand rather than relying on a different practice in another town.

17. To ensure quality in-patient care, overnight care is provided at our central Maple Street surgery with members of staff on duty throughout the night. Separate detailed information on inpatient care and transport is available. To provide the best standard of care out of hours, you may be asked to attend the Maple Street surgery with your animal where additional staff and equipment is on hand.

18. Staff members will be identified by a combination of uniforms, pictures on our websites and name badges. This practice is proud to be a Veterinary Nurse Training Centre and college, nursing or veterinary students on placement may be present. Should you prefer a student not to be present, please make this known to the veterinary surgeon or veterinary nurse at the time.

19. Donaldson’s Vets are proud of our longstanding reputation for excellent care and service. In the event that you are unhappy about any aspect of your involvement with the practice, please make this known to us as soon as possible and you may be assured the matter will be dealt with seriously and promptly.

20. Threatening, abusive or intimidating behaviour or language towards any staff member, student or other client is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.

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Vaccinations

Dogs All dogs should receive a primary vaccine course and annual health check and booster. Routine vaccination protects against parvovirus, distemper virus, infectious canine hepatitis, adenovirus, parainfluenza virus and two strains of leptospirosis bacteria. Puppies may be vaccinated from 8 weeks, with a second dose 2 weeks later. Puppies may go outside and meet other dogs from 2 weeks after the second dose. Currently annual booster vaccination includes all components. This is subject to regular review taking into account up to date information on disease incidence in our area and safety data from the manufacturers. Clients who wish to discuss alternative vaccination regimes should ask to speak directly to the vet as there are circumstances where variation may occur. Dogs which have not been vaccinated for longer than 18 months should restart their vaccination course. It is possible to test the levels of antibodies in a dog’s blood for some diseases. This is more expensive than booster vaccination. It should be discussed with a vet. Only healthy animals should be vaccinated. Dogs may be vaccinated against rabies for travel abroad. They must be at least 12 weeks old. This may not be done at the same time as other vaccinations. The vaccine lasts for 3 years, and travel is not possible for at least 21 days after first vaccination. Dogs may be vaccinated against bordetella bronchiseptica, one of the causes of ‘kennel cough’. This requires a single dose, given up the nose rather than by injection. It lasts for 12 months. It is not 100% effective so a dog can still get some signs of kennel cough. The vaccine is live and dogs may show mild signs for a few days after receiving it. The vaccine should be given at least 2 weeks before effect is required for best results; although it does start to give some protection quickly which increases as antibodies develop over the first week or so. Cats We advise that all cats receive a primary course of two vaccinations with annual boosters. The interval between boosters is assessed regularly based on up to date recommendations from manufacturers and professional bodies and on local incidences of disease. All cats should receive vaccination against feline infectious enteritis and the two viruses causing cat flu (herpes and calicivirus). These may be spread in the air and on clothing and objects. All cats which go outdoors should receive vaccination against feline leukaemia virus, which is spread by biting, mating, and grooming other cats. It should be remembered that cats which are normally indoors are especially at risk should they get outside by accident or escape as they have no established territory and will attract other cats’ attention. For this reason we advise they still receive leukaemia vaccination, although some owners may request flu and enteritis vaccines only. (Many catteries only require these and if this is the sole reason a cat is being vaccinated owners may choose it as a cheaper option.) The vaccinations are given as a course of two injections three weeks apart. The first vaccination is from 9 weeks old upward.

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A cat’s first booster at one year old is very important and its immunity is not complete until this has been given. Cats which have not received a vaccine for longer than 18 months should restart their course. It is common for cats to be sleepy and quiet for 24-48 hours after their first two kitten vaccinations. Cats may also be vaccinated against rabies for travel purposes. They should receive a single dose, not within 14 days of any other vaccine. They must be at least 12 weeks old. The vaccine lasts for 3 years and travel is not possible for at least 21 days after first vaccination. We do not routinely vaccinate cats against chlamydophila or bordetella. It is possible to do so and clients wishing to discuss this should be directed to speak to a vet. Rabbits We advise that all rabbits in our area are vaccinated against myxomatosis and haemorrhagic virus disease, both of which occur locally. Rabbits are normally vaccinated from 12 weeks of age. If is possible to do so younger if there is a high risk, but further injections later on will be required. A single dose is required, and the availability of a new vaccine means that both diseases can be prevented with just one injection. Booster vaccinations should be given annually. Ferrets We advise that ferrets be vaccinated against distemper to which they are very susceptible. Vaccination may give some cross protection against Aleutian disease but is not guaranteed to do so. Ferrets should receive a primary course of two doses 2 weeks apart, starting from 12 weeks old. A booster vaccination should be given annually. There is no licensed vaccination specifically for ferrets in the UK and so dog vaccines are used and this will require a form to be completed by the owner. It means also that protection will not be guaranteed. It is possible to vaccinate ferrets against rabies for travel purposes.

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Parasite Control

In line with BVA guidance, Donaldson’s Vets Ltd advises that all cats and dogs should be wormed at least every 3 months and more frequently if the evaluation of individual circumstances makes this advisable. This is in order to reduce health risks to both the pet and to people, particularly children, who may also be adversely affected by certain types of worm and parasite. Cats Adult cats which hunt small mammals and birds may require more frequent treatment as they may become reinfected on eating their prey. Cats which have had fleas should be treated for tapeworms, and vice versa, as grooming fleas off is a common source of tapeworm infection. Kittens should be treated with a suitable worming product active against roundworms from 2 weeks of age; frequency depending on the product used. Pets travelling abroad have specific requirements and clients should discuss their travel plans with a vet. Several different worming products are stocked by this practice, which have different routes of administration, and this allows owners to select the method most suitable for them and their pets. Owners who find it difficult to administer wormers at home are encouraged to visit the nurse clinic, where the nurses will make sure their pets are safely treated and provide helpful advice to those owners who wish to try themselves in future. Dogs Dogs which hunt or are fed raw meat may require more frequent treatment as they may become reinfected on eating prey or uncooked meat. Dogs which have had fleas should be treated for tapeworms and vice versa, as grooming of fleas is a common source of tapeworm infection. Kennelled dogs and those recently acquired from a large kennel background may require hookworm treatment. Pets travelling abroad have specific requirements and clients should discuss their travel plans with a vet. Puppies are almost inevitably born with roundworms and should be wormed every 2 weeks from 2 weeks of age until 12 weeks old, then monthly until 6 months old. Different worming products are available to best suit the needs of the client depending on the age, size, breed and number of puppies being treated. Nursing bitches should be wormed with panacur 2 wks after giving birth and then every 2 weeks until the pups are weaned. Dogs which may eat slugs or snails should be wormed with a treatment which will treat lungworms and should mention this when purchasing wormers. Rabbits Rabbits should be wormed on acquisition, and then at least twice a year with panacur rabbit to reduce the risks of encephalitozoon cuniculi, a parasite which may affect them in many ways.

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Ferrets Ferrets should be wormed on acquisition and then at least twice yearly. Working ferrets and those fed raw meat should be wormed more frequently as the risk of reinfection is much higher with this type of diet. There is currently no specifically approved ferret wormer in the UK. Ferrets may be wormed with some kitten spot-on products or with panacur, and this will require completion of some paperwork in some cases. Ferrets travelling abroad have specific worming requirements and travel plans should be discussed with a vet.

Neutering Cats Reach maturity at approximately 6 months of age. Normally at Donaldson’s Vets cats are speyed (females) or castrated (males) at 5+1/2 to 6 months old: though this can be done when older. Should you wish to have neutering done earlier, discuss this with a vet- it may be possible if your cat is large enough and in the case of males, the testicles are descended. Neutering cats reduces the risks of unwanted kittens, the chances of being involved in road accidents and fights, and reduces the chances of contracting FIV and feline leukaemia virus. Cats of either sex can spray urine to mark territory, though males do so more commonly. This can be reduced by neutering promptly. Female cats (queens) may not show obvious when they are in season but may vocalise more, roll on their backs and lift their tails up and be quite active. Seasons can be frequent even every 2-3 weeks in the height of the breeding season in late spring/ summer. Females should not be speyed while feeding kittens; the operation is best booked for 2 weeks after the kittens have left their mother. Female cats are usually speyed from the left flank (side) unless an owner requests the operation to be done from the midline (underneath). Pedigree cats may be done this way to reduce temporary changes in hair colour in the patch that is growing back. Pregnant females can be speyed in the case of an unwanted pregnancy. This is a bigger operation with more effect on the mother as a larger amount of weight and fluid is removed. The risk to the mother is a little greater. Dogs Male dogs can be castrated from 6-12 months old- usually larger breed dogs are 9-12 months to allow more growth first. Castrating male dogs can help curb boisterous behaviour, over sexed behaviour and the urge to roam and risk fights and accidents, and in some cases aggression. It is not a guaranteed way to reduce aggression. It reduces the chances of prostate disease and testicular cancer later in life. Female dogs (bitches) are usually speyed in this practice after the first season, so that full maturity of the genital tract takes place. The first season is usually between 6-12 months old with smaller breeds being generally younger at first season than larger breeds. Bitches should be speyed in mid-cycle because this is the safest time for the operation. If done during the season the chances of bleeding are higher, and if done too soon afterwards

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false pregnancy may still occur. Owners should allow a full 3 weeks for the season from the day bleeding starts, then book in for the operation 3 months later. If there are reasons such as a male dog in the household, it is possible to spey the bitch before her first season, from approximately 6 months old. There are some breeds for which this is not advised and owners considering early neutering should discuss this with a vet first. Speyed females cannot get womb infections or womb or ovarian cancers. They are less likely to get mammary tumours- the exact reduction in chances depends on the number of seasons they have had; a vet will advise as necessary. They are slightly more likely (about 6%) to get urinary incontinence, which is usually mild and can generally be treated. Pregnant bitches can be speyed in the case of unwanted pregnancy, but medical alternatives to abort a pregnancy are available. This is a bigger operation with slightly higher risks to the bitch. The safest time to perform this operation is between 4 and 5 weeks after the bitch was mated. Both males and females that have been neutered need about 20% less calories and should be fed less accordingly to prevent them getting overweight. Rabbits Both male (buck) and female (doe) rabbits may be neutered. Neutering rabbits makes them easier to litter train and especially in females can make them easier to handle and less aggressive. Female rabbits that are not bred regularly and not neutered have an extremely high rate of womb and cervix cancers and false pregnancies. Neutering dramatically reduces these chances. Rabbits are a little more likely to have anaesthetic complications than cats and dogs. These risks are much reduced if the rabbit is young, healthy and not overweight. Male rabbits may be neutered from about 4 months if both testicles are descended and females from 5 months if they are heavy enough- with very small breeds such as the Netherland Dwarf it is advisable that your rabbit is checked first to make sure she is large enough to reduce the risk of anaesthetic complications. Ferrets Male (hob) and female (jill) ferrets may be neutered. Neutering reduces the muskiness and yellow colour of the ferret’s coat but it is not the same as descenting, which is illegal in the UK except for medical reasons. Male ferrets may also be vasectomised (hobbled) so that they can still mate females without producing kits (babies). This is not the same as neutering and will leave all the male hormones intact. This may be requested by owners who work their ferrets or who have many. Males may retract their testicles during the winter and are usually castrated in the spring after they were born. Females come in season in spring time and stay in season till they are mated; this can be very dangerous for the ferret’s health. Female ferrets may be speyed early in their season but if they have been in season for several weeks, a vet’s advice should be sought as they could be anaemic and need treatment first.

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Emergency Care We at Donaldson’s Vets feel that to provide the very best care for your animals, you should be able to see a veterinary surgeon from your own practice in your own area, regardless of the time or date. In this way, the vet who cares for your pet will have full access to his or her records and a better understanding of all the factors which need to be taken into account when treating him or her. Unlike many other veterinary practices, we do not delegate our out-of-hours care to another practice in another city; instead we have invested in equipping the practice to a very high level and providing round-the-clock on-site staffing at our Maple Street surgery so that in the event your pet should have an accident or fall ill during the night or weekend, we will be there to care for him or her properly. By centralising our out-of-hours services at Maple Street, we can ensure that hospitalised patients are continuously observed and supervised, and that a full range of emergency treatment equipment is ready at hand. This does mean that should your animal need to be seen and treated outside normal surgery hours, you will be asked to attend this surgery, and while that may mean a slightly longer journey for some clients who usually attend our branch surgeries, meeting the veterinary surgeon Maple Street and having no need to transfer elsewhere should your pet need to be admitted means that definitive care can be provided more quickly. Clients who telephone the surgery out of hours will be answered by one of the nursing staff, who will take details of the problem, offer advice as appropriate, and arrange an emergency appointment if necessary. Since Donaldson’s Vets provides services for all species at all times, the veterinary surgeon on duty may be on a farm or at a stable when clients telephone. If this occurs, the nursing staff will triage the situation to establish the urgency of the animal’s problem, and act accordingly to contact another veterinary surgeon if necessary, or to arrange immediate first aid and/or advice if appropriate. For the safety of our staff during the hours of darkness and to make sure a veterinary surgeon and any equipment which may be needed are present and waiting, we ask that clients MUST endeavour to call ahead before attending the surgery out of hours: a minute’s telephone call might save many more minutes delay when dealing with an unexpected patient. The standard of emergency care provided by Donaldson’s Vets is a matter of pride for all of our staff and has helped save countless animals’ lives. However, there are substantial costs involved in providing a team of highly trained and qualified staff and modern equipment throughout every night, weekend and bank holiday of the year and this must be reflected in the increased fees charged at these times. Emergency care is regarded by most veterinarians as a rewarding duty rather than a profitable enterprise. Information regarding emergency fees is available on request and clients telephoning the surgery out of hours will automatically be advised of the current consultation fee at the time. To help us help your animal best, when telephoning regarding an urgent case, please be prepared to give the animal’s name, species, the owner’s name and address and in the case of farm animals and horses, the address and postcode at the animal’s current location so that we can find you quickly.

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What if my pet is hospitalised? In order to provide an excellent standard of care for patients, animals which need inpatient nursing care, observation and/or veterinary attendance overnight will normally be hospitalised in the central Maple Street surgery. After the end of normal opening hours at 7.30pm until the arrival of the morning staff from 7.30am, 2 members of the nursing staff will be present at all times in the Maple Street surgery with specific responsibility for inpatient care. Patients which need to be transferred to the Maple Street surgery will be transported in the Donaldson’s Vets ambulance vehicle or in the veterinary surgeon’s car if suitable, or their owner may choose to transport the patient if they wish to travel with him or her. Overnight nursing care is overseen by the veterinary surgeon on duty, who has ultimate responsibility for inpatients during these hours. The veterinary surgeon on duty also takes responsibility for large animal emergencies and any patients requiring home visits, and will not be present in the surgery throughout the night. He or she will assess the individual needs of the patients in the surgery (after liaison with the colleague who admitted them where necessary,) and decide on the required frequency of veterinary attendance. The nursing staff present will contact the duty veterinary surgeon immediately if any patient’s condition changes or causes concern. In the event that urgent veterinary attention is required and the duty veterinary surgeon is engaged on an emergency outside the main surgery, the nursing staff on duty will call out another veterinary surgeon. Clients whose animal is being kept as an in-patient will be advised at admission where appropriate, or via telephone call, of the planned location and supervision of the patient. An estimate of the likely costs involved will be provided on request. Clients are welcome to call the surgery by telephone to enquire after their animal’s progress, and staff on duty will make every effort to contact an animal’s owners if there is a change in the pet’s condition. Visits may be possible, but naturally must be arranged when the staff are free to welcome and supervise visitors and may be cut short in the event of another patient requiring the urgent attention of the staff. To avoid excessive disruption to other patients, we request that only urgent enquiries are made between midnight and 6.30 am. Nursing staff on overnight duty will ensure continuous supervision of inpatients until midnight, to include feeding, housing, toileting and nursing care as necessary. For staff safety, dogs will not be exercised outside after dark except at the discretion of the staff on duty. Between midnight and 6am, nursing staff, while present in the building, will be resting and will check on the in-patients with frequency as decided by the supervising veterinary surgeon, who may request constant monitoring if he or she feels it is necessary. Following morning rounds with the veterinary surgeons, if it is likely that an animal will not be well enough to return home that day, he or she will continue to be hospitalised in the Maple Street surgery to prevent him or her being transported excessively. When the animal is discharged, it may be possible for him or her to be transported back to a branch surgery subject to the ambulance not being in use for emergency purposes, or the client may choose to collect him or her from Maple Street to reduce the number of journeys necessary.

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Medicines and prescriptions Occasionally it may be necessary for an animal to be treated on a medium to long term basis with an ongoing medication. Examples might include the case of a diabetic patient requiring insulin injections daily, a patient with an over-active thyroid gland needing tablets to control this, or a patient which is taking medicines for a heart problem or arthritis. Quite often in such cases, the medicines given to the animal in question are prescription only medicines. This is a legal category and it is applied under law to medicines which although safe and effective when used correctly and monitored carefully, can have side effects or negative effects if used inappropriately, at the wrong doses or without proper supervision. The law prevents these medicines from being supplied for animals without a veterinary surgeon prescribing them on each occasion. This means that every time you request a prescription-only medicine for an animal, a veterinary surgeon has to approve the request. To do so, he or she will need to refer to your animal’s records to consider their history and diagnosis, satisfy him/ herself that this medicine is suitable for the problem still (taking into account factors like new information, other conditions the patient has or new treatments given and the length of time it has been given for) as well as signs of it being effective, being dosed correctly, or of it possibly causing side effects or interacting with other medicines or treatments. This is part of the veterinary surgeon’s lengthy professional training, and he/she has a duty to exercise professional care and judgement over the decision made, and is the reason why other members of staff are permitted to authorise repeat prescriptions. Clients may opt to request a written prescription for supply of medicines elsewhere should they wish to. Consideration is involved in all cases, and since the veterinary surgeon’s professional time involved is similar in decision making and longer in generating a written prescription, which is document having significant legal and professional implications for its author, a professional fee is charged for this service. Records of prescription medicines prescribed or supplied must also be retained by law for several years, so some time is involved in creating and safeguarding these. The current fee for a written prescription is £16.10 plus VAT. The law stipulates that a veterinary surgeon can only prescribe for an animal which is under his/ her care. This means that a veterinary surgeon from the practice must have seen and examined the animal recently enough to be able to say it is under his/ her care. In most cases, this means the animal must have been examined within the last six months, although in some cases,(for example if an animal is taking several medicines, has potentially conflicting separate problems, or is taking medicines with a higher risk of side effects) then this period might be shorter. This legal requirement is to safeguard your animal, and although six months may not seem like a very long time, when you consider it as a proportion of an average dog’s twelve year lifespan, it is easier to see that changes can happen quicker in an animal’s shorter lifespan than a human’s. Many of you will be familiar with the requirement that people taking long term medicines (inhalers for asthma for example) also have to attend the doctor’s surgery regularly for the same reasons. As with prescribing decisions, this check up uses a veterinary surgeon’s professional time and

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expertise, and so a professional fee is charged for this. The current price of this follow up check is £16.10 plus VAT. Because of the legal requirement for a veterinary surgeon to review and approve every prescription, we ask you to give 24 hours’ notice where possible when requesting prescriptions. We wish to avoid delaying or disappointing you should you drop into the surgery at a point when a veterinary surgeon is unable to help you immediately; for example because he/she is in the middle of carrying out an operation, or has gone on an urgent call to calve a cow. It also enables us to save you time by having your prescription prepared and priced in advance, and to let us give you plenty of notice if your animal needs a check up first. We understand that this is a complicated area, particularly where being fortunate enough to have a National Health Service means that we as human patients are not used to dealing with fees for medical professional services. However, we are sure that you will understand that it is not fair for some pet owners to pay more in order to subsidise others for their veterinary care, and so it is only right to charge transparently and equally to clients on the basis of fees charged for services provided. We do not believe in the use of loss-leaders or hidden charges.

Pet Insurance

Donaldson’s Vets advocates pet insurance to safeguard access to veterinary care for all pets. We will do everything we can to make claiming on an insurance policy as straightforward for you as possible. This includes permitting direct claims with most insurers (where the insurers pay us direct, rather than you having to pay first and then reclaim the money from the insurer- often much later), and unlike some practices we do not make a charge for dealing with and processing insurance claims, despite the often substantial amount of time and paperwork involved. However, there are some aspects of pet insurance and the claims procedure that all clients should be aware of, which we would like to draw your attention to in order to ensure your pet’s claim is dealt with as rapidly and smoothly as possible:

There are many different insurance companies offering pet policies, and even the bigger more well-known companies offer several different levels of cover for different premiums. This means that we cannot tell you exactly what your pet is covered for, because it depends on the exact private financial contract between you and the insurance company. We advise you to read your policy schedule carefully prior to beginning a claim, and if in doubt please bring the schedule with you or even better call the company for clarification if needed.

Donaldson’s Vets have worked with a reliable major insurance provider to create a range of our own policies based on our prices, not those of more expensive practices, which offers a range of cover options including top level cover which includes vouchers for preventative medicine and unlike most policies rewards the policy holder for responsible health care for their pet. We can offer more detailed advice on these policies and we strongly recommend them.

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In order to make a claim, we require a claim form on each occasion. Please bring a form regularly to allow us to do this. As a guideline, on the first visit and every couple of weeks or 3-4 visits thereafter is usually appropriate.

It is important that we submit your claim as promptly as possible. Many insurers will decline claims where they have not been notified promptly of the pet’s problem, and in addition many are very slow in processing claims, although the best will handle claims within just a few days. It sometimes takes us months to reclaim money owed by insurance companies, so a prompt start ensures any queries or extra requests by the insurer can be immediately attended to and do not give the insurer a reason to stall payment.

The Financial Services Act prevents us by law from dealing directly with your insurance company unless they contact us directly and we have the permission of both parties to do so. This means that we are unable to effectively chase claims or enquiries on your behalf. If you have not been notified within a few days of a claim being submitted to your insurer of their decision, you should contact the company directly to check on their progress in dealing with it. Regardless of whether your pet is insured or not, responsibility for the pet’s bill rest with you and we will take steps to pursue outstanding amounts which may include use of a debt recovery service if these are not forthcoming.

Where pets are insured with a Donaldson’s Vets policy, immediate telephone access to the claims team allows confirmation of cover straight away and claim settlement within 3-5 days, and clients can be assured of a very simple and rapid process.

Vets can only fill in claim forms for work they have carried out, so if your pet has been treated or referred elsewhere, you will need to provide separate claim forms to each centre. (Claim forms for patients receiving treatment at the Animal Rehabilitation Centre will be completed by rehab centre staff- if dropped in at other branches of Donaldson’s Vets please mark them for attention of ARC. Prior treatment from Donaldson’s Vets can still be included on such forms; it is not necessary to send separate forms in unless your pet was treated at another veterinary practice or specialist centre.)

If you are unsure about any aspect of making a claim on your pet’s insurance policy, please ask for advice as soon as possible.