FAQ's

If your pet needs to be referred you must discuss this first with your veterinary surgeon who will either contact us on your behalf or advise that you arrange an appointment directly with us yourself. If your pet needs to be seen urgently, your vet will need to telephone us in order to arrange the appointment for you.

We offer an advice service and your vet may first wish to discuss your pet’s problem with us prior to deciding whether referral is required for your pet. In some cases your vet may also send us X-ray or laboratory test results beforehand.

Once the referral has been arranged, then Vet Extra Neurology will send you a client information sheet with directions. Alternatively you may wish to view and download a map from our Contact Us web page.

Your vet should supply us with a letter of referral giving details of your pet’s relevant history and a brief summary of the problem. He or she may ask you to bring this with you, or they may post or e-mail this to us in advance of the appointment. Please ensure that you check with your vet regarding the arrangements that have been made in this regard.

You should bring any X-rays, laboratory results or other information that your vet may have supplied.

If it is possible to bring some video footage or other notes regarding your pet then please do as it will help us to work out what the problem is with your pet.

You should bring any relevant insurance documentation, including two blank claim forms. You will also need to bring a means of payment as we require payment for treatment at the time of treatment.

We prefer that you, the owner (rather than someone else such as a friend) bring your pet to us. This is because we will be asking detailed questions about your pet’s problem and you will be required to make decisions about treatment and the costs of investigation at the time of the visit. If we need to admit your pet into our hospital for investigation and treatment then we will also ask for signed consent for any planned investigation and treatment. If you are unsure about anything at this stage then please do not hesitate to ask for clarification.

Our receptionists and nurses will be pleased to give you any help that you or your pet need on your arrival. If you are delayed for your appointment by traffic, or if you are unable to keep your appointment, then please let our practice know as soon as possible.

During your appointment, Jacques will take time to obtain a detailed history of your pet’s medical background as well as the current problem. A thorough clinical examination of your pet will then be performed and any findings and provisional diagnoses will be fully discussed with you at the time.

Your pet may then go home after the consultation with suggested management or treatment, but it is also quite possible that further tests or procedures e.g. blood tests, imaging (X-rays or MRI scanning) and/or surgery may be required.

Whilst we will make every effort to perform investigations and possible surgery on the same day as the consultation (if this is in the best interests of your pet and in line with your wishes), there is no guarantee that it will be possible to do everything on that day. It may be that initial work will be done on the day of your appointment, and that your pet may be hospitalised for further diagnostic and possible surgical procedures to be carried out over the next few days, depending upon 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 at a later, mutually convenient date. Again, this depends upon the circumstances of the case and the current workload at the practice.

If you are at all unsure about what to do regarding your pet’s referral to us, please do not hesitate to telephone our reception staff who will be happy to help.

Under normal circumstances, we ask that you pay us at the time of treatment and claim back the funds from the insurance company yourself. You will need to check with your insurance company about your level of cover, any exclusions you may have and what excess you will need to pay. We will do our best to help with this process, but insurance companies often prefer to deal with the policyholder.

Although we do not routinely make direct claims from insurance companies, they can be arranged with certain insurance companies under certain circumstances, provided that you discuss this with us. If this is something you would like us to arrange then please ensure you discuss this prior to your appointment or on your arrival at reception, before your initial consultation with the vet, and before any investigations or treatment is undertaken. Direct claims cannot be requested at the time of collection of your pet, after treatment has already been given. If a direct claim is possible then we will still require payment of the initial consultation fee (but this should be refunded by your insurance company, less any excess they may deduct).

Please be aware that direct claims often require quite lengthy preparation which may delay the investigation and surgery. Direct claims are costly for Vet Extra Neurology to administer and result in a delay in our receipt of payment – as a result we charge a non-returnable administration fee for handling direct claims. (including a smaller fee for all follow-up claims).

We require that a signed claim form is provided by you on each occasion that a direct claim is made, at the time of treatment, a direct claim cannot be made by sending us a claim form after your pet has been seen. For your fist visit please remember to bring two insurance forms.

If you are making a direct insurance claim, then please remember that insurance policies which involve an excess which is a percentage of the bill can result in a significant sum which needs to be paid directly to us by you. You will also be required to pay any anticipated shortfall in the cost of treatment which is not covered by your insurance company, any overpayment to us will be promptly refunded to you.

Vet Extra Neurology is located within Broadley’s Veterinary Hospital in Stirling within easy reach of the M9 motorway. See our Contact Us page for a map and instructions for finding us.

During your appointment, Jacques will take time to obtain a detailed history of your pet’s medical background as well as the current problem. A thorough clinical examination of your pet will then be performed and any findings and provisional diagnoses will be fully discussed with you at the time. Your pet may then go home after the consultation with suggested management or treatment, but it is also quite possible that further tests or procedures e.g. blood tests, imaging (X-rays or MRI scanning) and/or surgery may be required.

Whilst we will make every effort to perform investigations and possible surgery on the same day as the consultation (if this is in the best interests of your pet and in line with your wishes), there is no guarantee that it will be possible to do everything on that day. It may be that initial work will be done on the day of your appointment, and that your pet may be hospitalised for further diagnostic and possible surgical procedures to be carried out over the next few days, depending upon 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 at a later, mutually convenient date. Again, this depends upon the circumstances of the case and the current workload at the practice.

Many pet owners will already be familiar with MRI and CT scanning. Both procedures have been used in human medicine for many years and are a safe and effective method of producing high quality images of the body. These images are valuable in detecting a wide range of disease processes in animals and humans, and act as a sensitive diagnostic tool.

If your pet requires an MRI scan, you can relax, safe in the knowledge that the procedure is completely harmless and there are no side effects. Your pet will need a general anaesthetic for the duration of the MRI scan and for any other associated tests. On arrival for the MRI scan, your pet will receive a full physical examination, as well as any necessary blood tests prior to the scan and to ensure there are no pre-anaesthetic problems. Once anaesthetised, your pet will be positioned on the scan table by one of our highly experienced radiographers, who will then carry out a number of scans to help us achieve a diagnosis. If no further investigations are required that day, then your pet may be ready to go home a few hours later, but this will be discussed with you at the time.

Our promises to you:

• 24 hour nursing care means that no animal is ever left alone in our hospital

We take pride in what we do, and providing top level care for our patients can only be done by having personnel who are properly trained. Working out of Broadleys are some of the country’s leading veterinary specialists. We have staff on duty in this hospital 24 hours per day, 365 days per year, to properly look after the pets in our care.

Our promises to you:

• Broadleys Veterinary Hospital meets the highest standard of facilities and clinical care imposed by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons
• 24 hour nursing care means that no animal is ever left alone in our hospital
• Our vets never operate without a nurse monitoring the anaesthetic
• The dedicated sterile neurosurgery operating theatre is never used for anything else
• Treatments, surgical prep and dirty ops are performed in specific designated areas
• Separate dog, cat and isolation wards provide security and comfort for all patients
• The state-of-the-art laboratory gives rapid results for immediate diagnostics and on-the-day anaesthetic safety

If you would like details of referral consultation fees, please contact reception for up-to-date pricing. If your pet has a more complex problem then the vet will be pleased to give you an estimate of further treatment costs at the time of the consultation, before you decide whether or not to go ahead.

You will need to check with your insurance company about your level of cover, any exclusions you may have and what excess you will need to pay. We will do our best to help with this process, but insurance companies often prefer to deal with the policyholder.

We make a charge for every consultation your pet has with our specialist veterinary surgeons and for all treatments we prescribe. Repeated consultations and revisits are charged a reduced fee, please do not hesitate to contact us if you require any more information.

We are constantly striving to improve the service we offer and we are always pleased to get feedback, whether good or bad! Please feel free to email, telephone or write to us, or you may prefer to leave feedback on our Facebook page.