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Registration at our practices is an acceptance of our Terms and Conditions

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Thank you for entrusting the care and attention of your pet to the Animal Doctor (RCVS Accredited Practice). Should you require further clarification of any aspect of these terms, and then please ask a member of staff, who will be happy to assist.

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Fees:

All Fees, Diets, Medication, Vaccination and Consultation Charges are available upon request; they are all inclusive of VAT at the current rate. A detailed receipt is available at the end of each Consultation/Treatment. Please ask if you require a copy of this.

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Methods of Payment:

Accounts are due for settlement at the end of the Consultation, the discharge of your pet or upon collection of medicines/diets. We do not accept part payment - the account must be settled in full. You may settle your account using: Credit/Debit Cards (except Diners and American Express) and Cash. Unfortunately we no longer accept Cheques.

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Settlement Terms:

Should an account not be settled, we reserve the right to add administration charges and/or interest. After due notice, unpaid accounts will be referred to our Debt Agency. All Correspondence should then be directed to them.

 

Estimates of Treatment Costs:

For Consultations and Treatments, the average fees range from £50 - £200. We will happily provide an estimate as to the probable costs of a course of treatment regarding Operations and Blood Tests. Please bear in mind, that any estimate given can only be approximate - often a pet’s illness will not follow a conventional course. We will try to alert you on the contact numbers you have given to us, if we believe the treatment costs are going to exceed the estimated costs. If you are not contactable, we will treat your pet as is necessary for its best interests and for the prevention of pain or suffering.

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Responsible Pet Ownership:

This should include regular Vaccinations, Worm and Flea control, Pet Insurance, Neutering, Microchipping and a High Quality Diet.

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Insurance:

Thev Animal Doctor strongly supports the principle of insuring your pet against unexpected illness and accidents. Under the regulations of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), we are authorised to promote and administer claims of the Insurance Company Petplan. The practice doesn’t receive commission for this.

Please ask for details of Petplan Insurance from any member of staff, but be aware that with any insurance company it is YOUR responsibility to choose the right cover for you.

 

We DO NOT make direct claims to your insurance company unless with the express permission of the practice owner, your account should be settled with us, and then you can make a claim from your insurance company asking them to pay YOU directly. We are very happy to help you with this procedure. Simply fill out your part of the claim form, and we will fill out our part, attach any existing invoices (treatments/medication etc) that we can claim for, we will then send it off to the company on your behalf. As part of your registration, you give consent to the Animal Doctor to share your details with the insurance company for the purpose of your pet’s claim.

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Out of Hours:

The Animal Doctor work in conjunction with our Out of Hours provider Vets Now. The nearest Vets Now Practices to the surgery are situated at 55 - 59 Broadleys, Clay Cross, Chesterfield S45 9JN, and 581 Radford Road, Nottingham NG7 7EB. If your pet requires emergency treatment outside of our regular hours, please telephone Vets Now on the number at the top of the page or alternatively call our phone number and the Vets Now number will be given. Please be aware that this is an Emergency (Out Of Hours) service, and therefore the costs will be reflective of this.

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Pet Safety:

The safety of the pet, the client and our staff are of the highest priority and this may include measures to restrain your pet, including the application of a muzzle or providing appropriate sedation. It is important for clients to realise that our patients can have the potential to be dangerous and the advice of our professional staff is to be followed.

All Cats must be kept in Baskets in the Waiting Room and ALL dogs must be kept on a lead. Treatment (unless emergency) can be refused by the practice if these basic guidelines are not met.

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Pharmaceuticals/Medications:

1. Written Prescriptions are available from this practice. The current charge for a written prescription is available on request.

2. You may have been given medication to take home with you. This will be explained to you either in Consultation, or by a member of our team at the reception desk, before your account is settled.

3. ANY prescription medicines that your pet is on, can be added to your pet’s repeat prescription list. If you require this medication, it is a requirement that you give us 24hours notice. This is subject to the Vet’s discretion as to whether this medication can be given. Certain long term medications require regular Blood Tests and often an examination, therefore a Vet may request this, before the medication can be dispensed.

4. Veterinary Prescribed Medication (POM -V) - which includes certain Flea and Worming products - will require a health check every 6 months, to ensure your pet is healthy to continue this treatment.

5. We will always use a Veterinary Licensed Medication, as stated in accordance with the Medicines Act, should this not be possible, we will then use veterinary products licensed for use in other species and failing that a human medication product. Any use of off-licence medication will be based upon our knowledge of its use in animals and an assessment made of the risks and benefits involved. At times, we will require your permission to use these medications, and we will require you to sign a single use consent form acknowledging this.

 

Vaccination Reminders:

Whilst we make every effort to send out reminders for Annual Vaccinations/Health Checks/Blood tests etc, the responsibility to keep them up to date remains with you.

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Contact Information:

Please make sure that all of your details are correct, so that we may contact you. We are endeavouring to become a paperless, Eco Friendly practice and therefore wish to send out reminders via email / text. Please be aware that if we don’t have the correct details on file, then this could cause issues if we need to contact you in an emergency.

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Data Protection:

Due to the Data Protection Act 1989 (updated in 2010) your personal data is highly confidential, therefore, it requires us to only speak to the registered owner on our system, and to no-one else. The Registered Owner MUST give permission if they would like anyone else to speak about their account and/or welfare of their pet. Please ensure, that, if there is more than one person who is taking care of your pet, that their details are on your account, as this can be very frustrating for yourselves and us.

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Complaints:

We are fully committed to providing exceptional service and care. Inevitably however, there will be occasions when your expectations have not been met. Most problems can be resolved by discussion with the person concerned, at the times they arise. Failing this, we request that you make your complaint in writing within one month of the incident, addressing it to the Practice Manager.

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Social Behaviour Policy:

Any aggression or abuse directed towards our staff will not be tolerated. Aggressive or abusive behaviour includes language (whether verbal or written) that may cause staff to feel afraid, threatened or abused and may include threats, personal verbal abuse, derogatory remarks and rudeness. We also consider inflammatory statements, remarks of a racial, sexual or discriminatory nature and unsubstantiated allegations, to be abusive behaviour. We therefore reserve the right to terminate your registration with immediate effect, therefore withdrawing all services to you and your pet, and will no longer be welcome at our practice.