How We Work
Appointment System
Except when dealing with emergencies, all veterinary consultations are by appointment. We always try and see unwell animals the same or the next day, we do appreciate a little more notice for routine appointments. When making the appointment our receptionists will ask your name and address, your animal's name and the reason for the appointment.
If there is a particular vet you wish to see please ask at this stage and we will do our best to accommodate you. We always try to keep to appointment times, but occasionally, often because of emergency cases, we do run behind. If a surgery is running late the receptionists will warn you when you arrive. To enable us to keep to time please, contact us if you are going to be late, or are unable to attend, an appointment.
Please ensure that your dog is on a lead and that your cat is in an appropriate basket. Even the most placid of animals can react unpredictably in the sometimes stressful environment of the surgery.
Your Vet
We don't automatically allocate you or your animal to one individual vet. We do however try and maintain continuity of care for a particular problem. If a vet has been dealing with your animal for a particular problem, then we feel it is important that any contact or further examinations are carried out by that vet if at all possible. If for any reason that vet isn't available, we will always ensure we pass the case details over to another named vet.
If for whatever reason you do prefer to see one vet, then don't hesitate to ask. Because of operating or home visit commitments, not every vet is available for every surgery, and the vets do take very occasional holidays.
If you wish to speak to your vet on the phone, it is normally possible to do this by arrangement with the receptionist. It would be extremely helpful if, when you ring, you tell the receptionist the nature and urgency of your call, because the receptionists are unable to interrupt consultations and operating with non-urgent phone calls. In such cases a more convenient time for you to ring back, or for us to phone you, will be suggested.
Repeat Prescriptions and the Dispensing of Medicines
Most drugs used for the treatment of animals are covered by strict legal controls over their use, and can only be prescribed following a clinical examination. In some cases repeat prescriptions may be given, but only with the consent of a veterinary surgeon within the practice who has sufficient knowledge of the animal's clinical history. In all cases we must examine the patient at least every six months. Some conditions may require more regular examinations.
The purpose of these examinations is to ensure that the medication is working properly, that the animal being treated is not suffering any side effects and that the animal's health is not deteriorating unnoticed.
In order to avoid unnecessary journeys and possible long waits when you arrive, we strongly advise clients to order repeat prescriptions at least 24 hours in advance.
Operations
If your animal needs an operation then, unless we are admitting the animal as an emergency, the following procedure will apply. You will be made an appointment with one of our nurses between 8.20am and 9.00am. She will usually weigh your animal, ask you to sign a consent form giving us permission to carry out the required operation, and will often give your animal a sedative and painkilling premedication. This is an opportunity to check with the nurse if there is anything you are unsure of. The nurse will request a contact number in case we need to phone you during the day. The nurse will usually make provisional arrangements for collection of your pet, or a time to phone us to find out the progress of treatment. Routine surgical cases are often able to go home the same day, and we will make an appointment with either the vet or nurse to discuss aftercare.
Hospitalised Patients
It is often a worrying time if your animal has to stay with us for any length of time. We do like you to keep in touch with us during this period. Ward rounds are usually completed by 9.00am, so we will usually ask you to phone for a progress report between 9.00am and 9.30am. Visits are welcome to the hospitalised patients but only by prior arrangement. We will often suggest visiting in the afternoon or early evening to avoid our busy morning operating schedule.
Home Visits
We can arrange home visits where necessary and if a veterinary surgeon is available. Usually, however, treatment is more easily and effectively carried out at the surgery where the correct equipment and more staff are on hand. This is especially true in emergencies such as road traffic accidents, when prompt hospitalisation is essential and could be life saving. It takes twice as long to visit the scene of an accident and return to the surgery with an injured animal, than it does for the owner to transport the animal straight to the surgery, if necessary using blankets as a stretcher.
Insurance
The unexpected cost of treating an illness or injury affecting your pet can sometimes put you in a difficult position. You obviously want the best possible care for your pet but your decisions will naturally be affected by financial considerations. We strongly recommend that all pet owners consider pet insurance - for dogs, cats or rabbits. For a reasonable monthly payment - only a fraction of your pet's monthly food bill - you can gain complete peace of mind. We believe that pet insurance makes very good sense, and we recommend using one of several companies, but we are not insurance brokers.
Fees and Payments
Quality healthcare for animals does not come cheap. The training of vets and veterinary nurses is similar to that of doctors and nurses, but veterinary practices are totally private enterprises, and have no government backing. In addition to the normal business overheads, the cost of premises, and new medical and surgical equipment is high. The cost of drugs and day-to-day consumables continue to rise ahead of inflation. The cost of running a veterinary practice to high standards, and providing a 24-hour emergency service, is quite substantial. The level of service we provide can only be maintained by charging a realistic fee.
In order to help keep our administrative costs to a minimum, we ask that all accounts be settled at the time of treatment or on collection of your pet after hospitalisation. We are happy to accept a cheque with a banker's card, Switch, or most debit or credit cards. All veterinary fees are subject to VAT.
Please feel free to ask for an estimate of costs for any procedure that we may recommend, and do mention any concerns you may have about costs. We are happy to discuss all the options and their costs with you.
Referrals and Second Opinions
We are able to carry out the majority of care for your animal at the centre, but sometimes we do need the help of vets with more specialist knowledge in certain fields. We have built up a network of vets with further qualifications and experience in areas such as orthopaedic problems, heart and lung disease, eye problems and behaviour problems, who we can call on for help if needed. They are all within a reasonable travelling distance from Brackley, and if we feel it necessary we will suggest a referral to one of these specialists.
If you feel at any point in your animal's care that things aren't progressing as you would like, please tell us. We can arrange for a second opinion either with another vet within the practice, or a vet in another practice. It is obviously important that the new vet has full access to all the case notes, and we would ensure that these were available. We also request that we are given notice if you would like us to see an animal that is already being treated by another vet, except in cases of emergency, so that we can contact the original vet to get a full history of your animal's treatment.
Elderly Pets
It is normal for pets to slow down as they get older. It is hard to say when a pet becomes elderly, it varies widely from individual to individual, from species to species and from breed to breed. As a rule of thumb we can class dogs over 10 years and cats over 12 years as 'elderly'. Many elderly animals will suffer from the gradual onset of organ failure although they will appear perfectly normal on the outside. Often by the time they become ill it is too late to do anything to prolong their lives.
On the principle that prevention is better than a cure we are able to offer routine blood screening for older animals. These tests are particularly useful prior to performing surgery on older patients so that we can take extra precautions with pets we know to be unwell.
Arthritis is particularly common, especially in older dogs. Arthritis due to age cannot be cured but it can be made much less painful for the sufferer by the use of anti-inflammatory drugs. Modern anti-inflammatory drugs are very safe and effective, and can considerably improve an elderly animal's quality of life.
Our primary aim when treating older animals is to improve their quality of life, whilst causing as little distress to them as possible. We will always try to do what is best for both you and your pet by offering as wide a range of options as possible.
Final Care
In many elderly animals' lives there comes a point at which, despite everyone's best efforts, their quality of life becomes too poor for them to continue. At this time a decision has to be made to bring their life to an end in order to prevent them suffering. Making this decision is always going to be difficult even when an animal is clearly very ill.
In all cases if you are considering this course of action you should make an appointment to discuss it with us first. Please tell the receptionist the reason for making your appointment. We usually endeavour to make such an appointment at less busy times, then we will have more time to discuss things with you, and hopefully you will not be kept waiting in a crowded room full of people and animals. Alternatively you may wish for a home visit.
Another question you will have to face at this difficult time is what to do with you animal's remains. It is often extremely difficult to make a decision of this nature at a time of great emotional upheaval. It is sometimes possible, especially in the case of an elderly pet, to consider the question beforehand, and we are always available to give advice on this matter. The main options are burial at home or cremation at a local pet crematorium. The pet crematorium is able to offer simple cremation without return of your pet's ashes, or individual cremation, with return of your pet's ashes in a container or wooden casket.
Complaints
We aim to provide a high standard of pet health care that matches the expectations of our clients.
If you are dissatisfied with any aspects of our service please contact us. We promise to investigate your complaint thoroughly, and a response will be given as soon as possible.
Top of page
