• FAQs | Cave Veterinary Specialists

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Cave Veterinary FAQs

How do I arrange for my pet to be seen by a Specialist at Cave Veterinary Specialists?

If your pet needs to be referred, this should be discussed with your primary care veterinary surgeon at your normal vets. They will then contact us on your behalf, and we will then contact you directly. If your pet needs to be seen urgently, your vet will need to telephone us and will usually arrange an appointment on your behalf. Your primary care vet may wish to discuss your pet's case with us by telephone prior to making a decision regarding referral.

Where is Cave Veterinary Specialists?

Cave Veterinary Specialists is situated just off Junction 26 of the M5 near Wellington on the Somerset/North Devon Border. Please see our location details here.

Can any animal be treated at Cave Veterinary Specialists?

Cave Veterinary Specialists only offer referrals to dogs and cats but no other species.

My pet has been to see a Specialist at Cave Veterinary Specialists, does this mean I can take my pet there for all their veterinary care?

Cave Veterinary Specialists provide specialist care only and each patient needs to be referred for each illness by their normal, primary care vet. You may continue coming to us regarding the problem you were initially referred for but otherwise, you need to continue to go to your primary care vet for all other pet health issues. If you need us again for another condition, we will be pleased to see you and your pet although this will require discussions with your primary care vet.

If my pet stays overnight, will there be somebody there?

Any patients kept in overnight will be cared for by one of the specialists and one of the qualified nurses. Any medications or treatment they require will be provided as necessary throughout the night.

How will I know what is happening?

At the time of your pet’s consultation, the clinician will advise you on communication arrangements and this will involve both vets and nurses. We may ask you to ring us at specified times or may plan to call you with updates. Please be aware that clinicians may have commitments such as surgical or emergency procedures that may make them hard to contact during the day.

Can I visit my pet?

Everybody is different. We always treat everyone on an individual basis, and we welcome requests to visit. On some occasions it will be our advice that visiting the pet might cause further distress or interfere with a quiet recovery period. The converse is also true - we may feel that the owner's presence may actually speed recovery and we will ask you to visit. For the majority of cases it is a matter of personal choice but as the stay with us is usually short it may be most convenient to avoid unnecessary travelling. Any visit must be made with prior permission and arrangement with the nursing staff.

Are the staff properly trained at Cave Veterinary Specialists?

All of the vets at Cave Veterinary Specialists are certified by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons as Specialists and carry other specialist qualifications in their field. All of the nurses are Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons certified and are Registered Veterinary Nurses. All members of staff attend regular continuing education events which will include conferences and external seminars. Many of our staff members also provide continuing development courses to others in the profession.

Who is a specialist?

The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) only register suitably qualified veterinary surgeons that have the necessary experience and who work currently in a particular discipline to be designated RCVS Specialists. This is the highest tier of qualification in the UK. To maintain specialist status the individual has to apply for re-registration every 5 years.

How much is the treatment my pet is going to receive going to cost?

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 during your consultation before you decide whether or not to go ahead with further investigations or treatment for your pet.

I have pet insurance; will the cost of treatment be covered?

We always advise checking with your insurance company about the level of cover that you have. It is useful to be aware of any exclusions and what level of excess you will be required to pay. We will help with this process by keeping a copy of all of your claims and sending them off on your behalf. Insurance companies do, however prefer to deal with the policy holder.

Why is Cave Veterinary Specialists not on RSA pet insurance’s “preferred list of referral providers”?

Royal Sun Alliance (RSA) underwrite pet insurance policies for Argos, Homebase, John Lewis, Marks & Spencer, MoreThan, and Tesco. RSA have chosen to bring in a list of preferred referral providers. This is intended to limit the number and choice of referral providers within the UK and Cave Vet Specialists Ltd have chosen not to be on the list at this time. We do not believe that limiting choice is in the best interests of pets or their owners. We believe our fees are comparable to practices on the preferred list and our level of facilities and qualifications are as good as or exceed those at practices who have chosen to be on the list. In an emergency RSA do not attempt to limit where you or your primary care vet choose to be referred. However, in order to encourage owners to use a referral centre on their preferred list for non-emergency cases, RSA may apply an additional £200 excess charge if you are referred to another provider like us.

If RSA choose to enforce this additional excess, then for full referrals, we will reimburse you the £200 if you are charged. This does not apply to patients referred solely for outpatient services.

This means you can continue to be referred where you and your primary care vet consider most appropriate. We hope this will be to us. If you would like any more information, then please contact us.

My pet has an ongoing problem - Will I be charged for consultations and ongoing treatments?

We make a charge for every consultation your pet has with our specialist veterinary surgeons and for all treatments we prescribe. Ongoing consultations fees are smaller, but treatments may differ in cost.

I want to give some feedback to Cave Veterinary Specialists, how can I do this?

If you would like to give us feedback after your visit to the practice, please either send us an e-mail to [email protected] or just inform one of our members of staff and they will pass on any comments. We are constantly striving to improve the service we offer, and we are always pleased to get feedback, whether good or bad! Cave Veterinary Specialists views complaints as an opportunity to learn and improve for the future, as well as a chance to address the concerns of the person(s) making the complaint. If you have a complaint to make, please e mail us at [email protected]