Arranging a Referral
Arranging a Referral
If your pet needs to be referred to a specialist you must discuss this first with your local vet who will contact Willows on your behalf or advise that you arrange an appointment directly. If your pet needs to be seen urgently, your vet will need to telephone Willows in order to arrange the appointment for you.
Your vet may wish to discuss your pet’s case with a specialist by phone prior to making a decision regarding referral. In some cases, your vet may send us X-rays or scan results beforehand to be interpreted by our diagnostic imaging specialists.
What to Bring?
Your vet should supply Willows with a letter of referral giving details of your pet’s relevant history and a brief summary of the problem. You may be asked to bring this with you, along with any X-rays, scans or other information that your vet may have supplied.
+ Please insert the copy on the pdf (your notes, insurance and means of payment)
Your Appointment
- Please arrive 15 minutes before your appointment time to register your pet.
It is preferred that pets are brought to Willows by their owner to ensure that detailed questions about their history can be answered along with responsibility for decision making and financial considerations. - Should your pet be admitted to the hospital on the day of your appointment, we will ask for signed consent for any procedures decided upon. It is important that you fully understand your pet’s condition and the implications of any proposed investigations and treatment. If you have any doubts at any stage, please do not hesitate to ask for clarification.
- If you cannot keep your appointment or you are held up in traffic, please let us know as soon as possible.
- During your appointment, your Specialist Vet will take a detailed history of your pet’s medical background and the current problem. They will carry out a thorough clinical examination, and any findings and provisional diagnoses will be discussed with you. Your pet may then go home after the consultation with suggested management or treatment; however, it is also possible that further tests or procedures, e.g. blood tests, imaging (X-rays or scans), surgery, may be required.
- Whilst we will make every effort to perform investigations and possible surgery on the same day as the consultation, there is no guarantee that it will be possible for everything to take place on that day. It may be that initial work will be done at your appointment. Your pet may be hospitalised for further diagnostic and possible surgical procedures to be carried out over the next few days, depending upon the circumstances. It is also possible that your pet may need to go home after the consultation (possibly on treatment) and return for diagnostic or surgical procedures later.
- It is important to understand that, just like a large human hospital, Willows provides an Accident and Emergency service, and urgent cases must take priority when we are organising our patient care.
- If you are unsure about what to do regarding your pet’s referral to us, please do not hesitate to contact us.
