Costs

All fees, food, shop sales & medications are subject to VAT. Fee levels are determined by the time spent on a case & according to the drugs, materials, consumables & diets used. A fee list can be made available with prior notice. You will receive a detailed invoice for every consultation, surgical procedure & transaction with us.

Consultation Booking Fees

We are dedicated to providing the highest quality care for your dog. To ensure that appointments are managed fairly and efficiently, we implement a booking fee to secure your appointment. The full structure and terms of which can be read here.

Methods of Payment

Accounts are due for settlement at the end of the consultation, the discharge of your pet & upon collection of medications, diets & shop sales. You may settle the account using cash, or credit card/debit card – MasterCard, Visa, Delta, Switch or American Express.

Estimates of Treatment Costs

We will endeavour to provide an estimate for the probable costs of a course of treatment, when informed consent is given for veterinary procedures at any of our surgeries. Any estimate given can only be approximate. Often a pet’s illness will not follow a conventional course & unforeseen expense may occur. We will endeavour to discuss additional costs at our earliest opportunity depending on your pets safety. Please note for long term hospitalised patients account updates can be given daily upon request.

Terms of Business

Any account not settled within 14 days will be referred to our credit control department. After due notice to you, any overdue account will be referred to our debt collecting agency. This will incur further costs in respect of collecting the debt, production of the reports, correspondence, court fees, attendance at court, phone calls, home visits etc. Any cheque returned by our bank as unpaid, any credit card payment not honoured, and any cash tendered and found to be counterfeit will result in the original account being restored to the original sum with further charges added in respect of the bank charges and administrative costs.

Inability to Pay

If you are unable to cover the costs of the estimate as specified please ask to discuss the matter with a member of staff, prior to treatment where the options available will be discussed and a formal contract entered into before treatment is given.

Veterinary Care

Stem Cell Vet will endeavour to provide veterinary services in accordance with reasonable standards denoted in the RCVS guidelines for practice standards and the professional conduct of veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses. Guidelines are available at www.rcvs.org.uk. Please note veterinary care will be withheld from clients who appear aggressive and abusive to staff members.

Pet Health Insurance, Microchipping & Vaccination

Stem Cell Vet strongly support the principle of insuring your pet against unexpected illness or accident. Please note all insurance fees less than £500 need to be settled at the time the veterinary work is performed. Claims over £500 can be claimed back directly from the insurance company to us upon presentation of an owner completed insurance form, in these circumstances excesses should be paid at the beginning of the veterinary treatment. We will endeavour to complete and submit to the insurance company an insurance claim within 2 weeks of presentation. Please note if insurance companies fail to cover veterinary treatment, the debt incurred will be subject to full payment by the animal owner/agent. Stem Cell Vet strongly support having your pet microchipped & regularly vaccinated. Any member of staff can supply you with details about these important actions you can take to protect, care for, & identify your pet.

Out of Hours Service

If we are unable to answer your call immediately, please call your primary care vet. For out of hours service, please telephone Stem Cell Vet and a member of our out of hours team will answer your call and provide help. Stem Cell Vet, 25 High Street, Bruton, Somerset, BA10 0AH. Telephone 0808 281 2455.

Ownership of Records, X-Rays & Similar Documents

The care given to your animal may involve making some specific investigations, for example taking blood samples, X-Rays or performing ultrasound scans. Even though we make a charge for carrying out these investigations & interpreting their results, the resulting records, clinical or otherwise, remain the property of the practice. Case records can be copied &, on request, can be passed to another veterinary surgeon taking over the case. There may be a charge incurred for copying any veterinary records and documentation.

Complaints & Standards

We hope that you never feel the need to complain about the standards of service received from Stem Cell Vet. However, if you feel there is something you wish to complain about, please contact the Head Nurse at: Stem Cell Vet, 25 High Street, Bruton, Somerset, BA10 0AH. Telephone 0808 281 2455.

Dispensing of Drugs

Prescriptions are available from this practice. You may obtain Prescription Only Medicines, Category V, (POM Vs) from this practice OR ask for a prescription and obtain these medicines from another veterinary surgeon or a pharmacy. WVG can prescribe POM Vs only for animals under our care. However we can provide POM V drugs if presented with a prescription from another veterinary surgeon. A prescription may not be appropriate if your animal is an in-patient or immediate treatment is necessary. You will be informed, on request, of the price of any medicine that may be prescribed for your animal. The general policy of this practice is to re-assess an animal requiring repeat prescriptions at least every 6 months, however in more complicated/unstable cases re-examinations will be more frequent depending on the professional judgement of the veterinary surgeon managing that case. The standard charge for a re-assessment is £75.

BSAVA Position Statement on Stem Cell Therapy

The British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) recognises that regenerative medicine and stem cell therapy have the potential to provide new treatment strategies for a wide range of diseases and conditions for which there are currently no or limited therapeutic options. Although these treatments have the potential to improve the health and welfare of animals it is important that the benefits and risks are fully evaluated before being made commercially available.

The BSAVA supports and encourages scientific research into the development of regenerative therapies including animal stem cell use. The BSAVA recognises the need for well-designed, ethically approved, clinical trials in order to establish a knowledge base on the safety and efficacy of stem cell therapies.

The BSAVA recommends that veterinary surgeons considering the use of stem cell therapies should take note of the ethical and evidential issues in recommending any novel treatment. The veterinary surgeon should make clear to the owner the nature of the procedure, the evidence that is and is not available regarding each of the treatment options and ensure that the owner understands that the procedure is “novel”, as part of the process of obtaining informed consent.

No addition or variation of these conditions will bind the practice unless it is specifically agreed in writing and signed by one of the practice partners. No agent or person employed by, or under contract with, the practice has the authority to alter or vary these conditions in any way.