What to
Expect


If your regular vet refers you to a specialist vet, it’s the same as your GP referring you to a Consultant about a particular health issue you may have. Our specialists have vast experience and advanced training in their field, and access to equipment and facilities not necessarily available in General Practice.

With you on the journey

Your vet will explain why the referral is required and will either contact us on your behalf or give you the information you need to arrange an appointment with us directly. When making a decision on referral, your vet may feel it best to discuss your pet’s case with us. Depending on the situation, they may send us X-rays or scan results for evaluation.

Primary vets accurately assess pets need for urgent attention, and we take immediate action when called upon to do so. In such situations, your vet will need to telephone us to arrange the appointment for you.

Our reception staff are always on hand to help if you are at all unsure about what to do regarding your pet’s referral to us, so please do not hesitate to call us.

Click here to download our referral leaflet which explains more about what to expect.

Choose Southfields for outstanding clinical care

Southfields Veterinary Specialists bring together some of the best Veterinary Specialists in the UK and the most advanced medical technology. We take great pride in being at the forefront of veterinary care for small animals in the UK and Europe.

We also bring together professionalism and passion for what we do and how we help. More than simply having the highest and most recognised qualifications for their role, everyone on our team genuinely cares for the comfort of pets with whose treatment owners entrust us. These are responsibilities we treat with the highest respect and sensitivity. The majority of our team are pet owners themselves, and it goes without saying that all are animal lovers.

The highest standards of care

Our specialist teams work closely together to diagnose and manage the highest levels of treatment and care for your pet, with 24-hour veterinary and nursing staff available, 365 days a year.

Our patient’s quality of life is of the utmost importance to us. We believe that treating them only makes sense if a long enough period of well-being lies ahead – only then will any possible discomfort associated with treatment be worthwhile or fair to them.

Click here to find out more about our facilities.

Attending your appointment

At your appointment, we seek detailed information on your pet’s history. For this reason, we ask that you bring your pet to your appointment personally, rather than asking a relative, friend or neighbour to do so. You will probably be making decisions about both our recommended treatment for your pet and the associated financial considerations.

If your pet is admitted to the hospital on the day of the appointment, we will also require signed consent for any procedures which have been decided upon.  It is very important that you have a full understanding of your pet’s condition and the implications of proposed investigations and treatment. We will explain everything to you.

Your pet’s consultation

Our referral veterinary surgeon will take time to obtain a detailed history of your pet’s medical background and current symptoms.  We then undertake a thorough clinical examination of your pet and discuss with you any findings and provisional diagnoses.

We will do our best to complete investigations on the same day as your consultation and carry out surgery the following day, if required and in the best interests of your pet and in line with your wishes, but we cannot always guarantee that it will be possible to keep to this timeframe.  Like a large human hospital, Southfields Veterinary Specialists also provide an Accident and Emergency service, and it is important to appreciate that urgent cases must take priority when we are organising patient care.

It may be that your pet needs to be hospitalised for further diagnostic and possible surgical procedures to be carried out over the next few days, depending upon the circumstances.  It is also possible that your pet may need to go home after the consultation (possibly on treatment) and return for diagnostic or surgical procedures at a later, mutually convenient date.

Click here to download our Welcome leaflet.