What is a Registered Specialist small animal surgeon?
This is a long arduous process and involves many years of clinical experience
and additional study after first qualifying as a veterinarian. In
order to sit any of the specialist examinations worldwide (there are
4 qualifying systems: Fellow of the Australian College of Veterinary
Scientists, Diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Surgery, Diplomate
of the American College of Veterinary Surgery and Diplomate of the Royal
College of Veterinary Surgeons), various credentials must be fulfilled. The
first requirement is a minimum 3 year residency in an approved centre, which
is most commonly a veterinary college but can be at other institutions under
the supervision of one or more Registered Specialist(s). The core of this process
is dealing with challenging clinical cases. During this residency, the Resident-student
has to perform hundreds of operations under supervision as well as research,
write and publish in peer-reviewed journals and make presentations and
lectures at both national and international conferences. Only then is the Resident-student
allowed to sit for Specialist examinations.
Referrals for Clients
Vetspecs is a referral-only veterinary service. This means we receive referrals from another veterinary clinic and we do not accept appointments directly from the public. Your vet may wish to refer you and your pet when he/she believes it is in the best interest of your pet’s health and welfare. You may also request a referral from your vet.
Referrals for Vets
When making a referral, please have your clinic phone, fax or send an email to
us with a short description of the referral prior to your client contacting us
for an appointment. This will give us a better understanding
of the case so we can answer your client’s questions more thoroughly at
the time of their call. All relevant case information, including clinical
notes, laboratory results and radiographs can then be forwarded as soon as convenient
available. Please ensure each item you supply is clearly labeled with
your practice details so we can return them to you.
If you have any questions about what we may require please do not hesitate to get in touch.
How do I make an appointment?
Most often, your usual vet contacts us first (by phone, email or fax)
to provide us with detailed and accurate clinical information (e.g. clinic notes,
lab results, x-rays) so that we can best tend to and plan for your pet’s needs.
Following this, it’s easiest if you ring us directly so that a mutually convenient
appointment time can be made. Appointments are at least 30 minutes long. If you
come from far away and cannot personally accompany your pet to Vetspecs, please note
we are able, with prior arrangement, to pick up and drop off your pet at the airport
or at McDowall’s trucking company. Top
Can I come to Vetspecs routinely for my pet’s healthcare?
No, we are a referral-only clinic and you must be referred from your usual vet for
specific problems. This means we do not carry out procedures such as routine
health-checks, vaccinations, flea checks or dentals. However, we love to hear
feedback about how you and your pet are progressing after your time with us. Top
What happens in the consultation?
Consultations are used to revise the case notes from your vet, to discuss your
questions and concerns, to examine your pet and to establish a diagnostic and treatment
plan with your involvement. Typically, consults are followed by a “work up” time to
confirm or make a diagnosis. This may include things like blood and urine tests, x-rays,
ultrasound, MRI, CT, endoscopy and biopsies. In certain emergency situations (e.g. spinal
trauma, gut or airway obstruction) diagnostic tests may be followed by immediate surgery.
In non-emergency situations, we usually consult with you again once the “work up” is done
to discuss treatment plans with you. Typically, surgery is done the following day but can
be rescheduled at your convenience if the problem is not urgent or requires extra planning. Top
Do you do phone consultations?
Yes! This especially occurs for owners who live outside of Canterbury. However, we prefer
a face-to-face consultation process whenever possible. We find this important to building
a relationship with you, explaining why we do what we do, helping you with important decisions
and giving you moral support during what, we know, can be a stressful time for you. Please
note that our consultation fee is still applied to phone consultations once we have received
the case in Christchurch and that discretionary fees may be applied to “advice calls”. Top
My vet has already taken x-rays. Why do you need to do more?
We may need to take our own x-rays for many reasons. Examples include:
1: We require specific view(s) of the area of interest that may not have been supplied.
2: X-rays help us to plan our surgeries and this usually requires us to permanently mark them.
3: We keep x-rays on your pet’s file as a way of recording the progression of healing
(especially important for follow-up visits).
We are more than happy to show you these x-rays and to forward them to your usual vet, as necessary.
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How is my pet looked after when in your hospital?
We genuinely care for all patients as if they were our own. We recognise this is a worrying
time for you and your pet and our team insists on ‘TLC’. We customise our care-plan case by
case and, with 24-hour care, your pet will have the highest level of personal attention.
Cats are hospitalised away from noisy dogs. In addition to the medical/surgical condition
you are seeing us for, we carry out customised feeding, exercise/play, physiotherapy, bathing
and grooming as individually required. We have clean, comfortable cages & bedding (e.g. thick
orthopaedic mattresses, electric blankets, incontinence sheets). Where appropriate,
physiotherapy techniques are started whilst your pet is with us and we are dedicated to
getting patients home with these techniques taught to you. Physiotherapy is greatly
beneficial to patients in their road to recovery. Top
Will my pet be in pain after surgery?
We promise a high standard of pre-emptive and customised pain management. We insist on proof of comfort,
not proof of pain that needs treating. We are happy to outline to you what we feel is appropriate for your pet.
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What is my pet fed in your hospital?
Nutrition is a vital part of caring for your pet, both pre- and post-operatively. Worthy of particular
mention is that two of our nurses have completed a Hill’s Veterinary Nutritional Advocate course.
This means that we are able to provide you with up to date advice on feeding programmes and appropriate diets
specific to your pet’s condition. Our nurses have on-going training for this and support from Hill’s petfoods.
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How long will my pet be in hospital?
This varies greatly, depending on your pet’s unique needs.
An example time line is as shown:
Cruciate Repair by Tibial Plateau Levelling Osteotomy
Day 1: Consult. Sedation & x-rays. Bloods sent to
laboratory for biochemistry and haematology.
Day 2: Surgery
Day 3: Discharge home to your care with specific written instructions.
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Can I visit my pet during its time in hospital?
For short stays (e.g. less than 3 days), we don’t recommend visits as this can cause your pet and you more anxiety –
best for you both to get excited when you can head home together! However, please feel free to discuss this with us
if you have particular needs. For longer stays, we welcome visits and we attempt to get you actively involved in
your pet’s mental health, massage/physiotherapy and nutrition. We only ask that a time-arrangement is made beforehand
so that we can ensure we have staff free to help you and that we are not requiring your pet to sleep, for example.
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How do I look after my pet once I get him/her home?
This varies greatly depending on what your pet has seen us for. We always provide a written discharge instruction
sheet and our nurses and or vets will go through this with you in person. We provide a written copy of the discharge
instructions to your usual vet. Typically, a period of confinement (e.g. confined to a kennel, run, small room,
assisted walking) is required which might vary from 10 days to 10 weeks. We believe this time is critical to your pet’s
recovery and should be followed as directed by your vet and or nurse at the time of discharge from our hospital. We will
instruct on physiotherapy (e.g. massage, passive range of movement exercises, swimming) techniques for cases that require
this. Antibiotics (where appropriate) and pain relief may be dispensed with full instructions on frequency and amounts.
Importantly, if there are ever any questions once you get home, we are only a phone call away.
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How does my usual vet find out what has happened?
Our vets report back to your vets on all aspects of your pet’s visit to Vetpecs. This includes copies of lab tests
and MRI/CT reports, for example. Top
Can my vet do “follow up” examinations or do I have to return to Vetspecs?
Either is fine. We actively encourage your vet to help us with things like bandage removals, bandage changes,
stitch removals and follow-up x-ray visits. However, you are welcome to return to us for such treatments.
We do not charge for removing bandages or stitches or looking at post-op x-rays your vet has taken. Top
How much will my pet’s treatment cost?
We discuss predicted costs at your initial time of appointment or consultation. Your usual vet has been supplied with
our most recent price list too. There are many imponderables which can make exact estimates difficult to give but we
make every attempt to keep you updated if costs change during the course of treatment. Top
When do I pay? How can I pay? Do you offer credit facilities?
We recommend paying 50% of the initial estimate prior to treatment. Full payment is due at the time of discharge from
our hospital. Payment may be by internet banking, cash, cheque or credit card (Visa or Mastercard). Regrettably,
we cannot offer credit. There are many credit company’s around that may be able to assist you with organising a loan
and we may be able to advise you on this (please see Links page). Top