Referred clients area

As veterinary medicine and surgery progresses, it is increasingly difficult for individual veterinary surgeons and practices to be able to offer all the treatment options available for complex disorders and conditions. It is therefore common place, as in human medicine, to refer patients on for specialised investigation and treatment.

The Grove Veterinary Group specialises in orthopaedics and surgery of the spine. Initial contact with The Grove must always be made by your own vet who may wish to discuss the problem beforehand with one of the surgeons. Cases are seen as soon as possible in order of clinical urgency, which may mean the same day for certain acute spinal problems.

What to expect when you come to see us
The first consultation is for a minumum of 30 minutes when we will carry out a detailed examination of your animal and review any history and x-rays sent by your vet. We will discuss the problem in detail with you and treatment options.

In the majority of cases we will need to admit your pet for further investigation and x-rays. This is usually done the same day. If surgery is necessary this may be done on the same day or arranged for a later date. Cases requiring surgery will usually stay with us overnight. Many cases will be discharged the following day, some cases will require longer stays (particularly spinal cases).

Preparation beforehand
Please ensure you bring any history, x-rays and laboratory reports supplied by your vet. It is often useful to jot down dates and the history of the problem from your perspective in the case of long standing/chronic conditions.

Please ensure that your animal is starved from 7pm the evening before your appointment but free access to water can continue. If you have any queries please check with us.

In-patient treatment
Daily telephone progress reports are given to you between 9 and 11am. Feel free to ring us at other times if you would like additional updates. Visiting by arrangement, usually in the afternoon, may be possible depending on the circumstances of your pet. Bear in mind animals do not have the same concept of time as we do, so it may be more stressful seeing you leave them rather than waiting until they can go home with you.

Follow-up Treatment
This is done in combination with your own practice. Skin sutures are usually removed at 10 days by your own vet and we generally like to check cases back after 4-6 weeks. Animals with dressings and external skeletal fixtator generally need more check-ups than this. All cases will be discharged with clear detailed post-operative care instruction sheets.

A formal written report will be sent to your own vet after every time your animal is seen at The Grove. Following completion of treatment further contact with The Grove must strictly be through your own vet.

Fees
We are committed to providing excellent value for money and a transparent pricing policy. All potential costs will be discussed fully before investigation or treatment is started. However precise quotes are often difficult to give due to the variable needs of the conditions presented.

Fees are charged for work as it is done. Follow-up appointments, x-rays and any additional surgery that may prove necessary is charged on the same basis.

We generally require 50% of the estimated fee, or some other security of payment by arrangement with the vet before commencing surgery.

Payment will be required at the time of your animal’s discharge from the surgery. We accept cash, cheques backed by a cheque card, Maestro, Visa and Mastercard. Detailed invoices will be provided.

Insured Animals
Fees should be settled with the practice at the time your animal is discharged and the money claimed back from your insurance company.

Claim forms may be left with us for completion and sending off to the insurance company. We have one person in the practice who deals with all insurance claims and copies of claims are kept for 6 months. Most forms are completed and submitted within a week of receiving them, a small charge is made for this service.

In general we advise that one claim form is used for the fees charged by your vet, and a separate form supplied to us for our fees. This will not lead to an additional excess being added to the claim.

We are not agents for any insurance company and cannot be responsible for any decisions made by them.

Practice information

Referred clients area
Referring vet surgeons
Orthopaedic surgeons

Information sheets (PDF)

Client referral sheet (with map and directions)
Insurance Claim forms - referral
General Post op Care Sheet
Care of dressings and casts
TPLO post-operative care
Practice Terms & Conditions of Business
External skeletal fixator care - client directions

Useful websites

www.lauriebryce.com/tplo
This website gives an owner’s account of their dog’s own treatment. Rather “American” but none-the-less useful for an account of the procedure from the owner’s and dog’s perspective!

www.canineosteoarthritis.com
This website is produced by the pharmaceutical company Schering Plough who produce one of the drugs (ZubrinTM) used sometimes in the treatment of osteoarthritis. A useful clear overview of the condition and how to manage it.

www.biomedtrix.com
Biomedtrix is the company that produces the canine hip replacement prosthesis. The site gives useful information on the procedure.