Referral Service for Vets

Exotic Pet Vet Referrals

Everyone expects their vet to be able to treat all kinds of animals and be an expert in all animal illnesses and remedies. Fortunately most of the time, they are, however as veterinary knowledge and techniques are expanding, it has become impossible for any individual vet to be an expert in everything.

Because of this, some vets are choosing to specialise in one type of medicine or surgery. These vets undertake extra training and gain experience above and beyond a standard veterinary qualification to become experts in that area. These specialising vets accept referrals from all other vets, similar to the way in human medicine where a General Practitioner would regularly refer cancer patients to an Oncologist or a hip problem to an Orthopaedic Surgeon

Great Western Exotics have a team of world-class vets, headed up by Neil Forbes DipECZM(avian) FRCVS, who have chosen to specialise in different areas of veterinary medicine, undergoing years of additional training to become highly experienced in this field, who see on a daily basis species that many vets may not regularly treat, and offer a premium level of care.

We can work with you to be an extension of your veterinary service when you feel that a specialist opinion would be in your client's pet’s best interest. We accept any exotic pet cases, including the following:

• Small & Large Birds including Raptors, Parrots, Cockatiels, Parakeets, Budgerigars & Poultry (Chicken, Duck, Geese etc)

• Small Rodents including Chinchillas, Guinea Pigs, Degus, Rats, Squirrels, Chipmunks

• Small and Larger mammals including Ferrets, Skunks, Sugar Gliders, Meerkats

• Tortoises

• Snakes

• Lizards and other reptiles

We are also happy to provide clinical advice, interpret radiographs and laboratory results for colleagues in other veterinary practices.

Our facilities

We have access to full diagnostic services including

• endoscopy

• ultrasound

• MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) & CT Scanning

• fluoroscopy

and a comprehensive in-house laboratory to assist in making a rapid and specific diagnosis, so as to optimise prognosis.

We offer routine consultations 7 days a week (including bank holidays) and our department is staffed day and night so our exotic animal service is truly 24/7.

Supporting our vets is our dedicated team of nursing staff, on hand to provide the intensive nursing care your client's pet requires. As a tier 3 RCVS accredited veterinary hospital we provide ventilated, disease control avian and exotic animal hospital accommodation and have a vet and nurse on site 24 hours a day, and ensure that all inpatients have optimal around-the-clock care to include a clinical evaluation at least every 4 hours and more often if required. We provide the very best levels of comfort and care for your client's pet.

Vets are welcome to visit our facilities to see the Hospital in operation and meet our Exotics Team. If you would like to arrange a visit, please contact us.

What happens when you refer

A referral goes through the following stages:

• Make a referral either by phone, fax or email. You can also call us simply to discuss a case without any obligation to refer it.

• We then call your client to arrange a convenient time to visit Great Western Exotic Vets.

• Your client meets the relevant member of our Exotics team for consultation and diagnosis. The options are discussed with your client and the best course of action agreed. You will be contacted by your preferred means of contact with ongoing updates until discharge.

• Following discharge, instruction and advice will be given directly to the client in the form of a discharge note. A copy of this will immediately be forwarded to your practice.

• A full report will be sent to you by your preferred means of contact within 48 hours of the patient discharge.

In some cases, it may not be possible or in the patient’s best interests to perform all the necessary diagnostic tests and procedures in a single day resulting in your clients pet being hospitalised overnight or being booked in for another time. Any patient which is hospitalised will be cared for by our emergency and critical care team overnight. Through this joined up approach, we are able to enhance the level of care offered to any patient admitted.

Make a referral to Great Western Exotics

We appreciate that as a veterinary surgeon being able to refer a patient in a seamless and effective way is paramount in the provision of an exceptional level of continued care for your client, which is why we have created a choice of convenient ways for you to refer a case.

If you would like to discuss a case, get an estimate or arrange a referral on behalf of your client you can:

Call us on 01793 603 800

Or you can simply complete our referral form and fax it to us on 01793 603 801. Download our fax referral form >

Or email us swindonreferralexotics@vets-now.com

Please send as much detail as you can, even if they are reported normal:

1. Nature of the referral

2. Diagnostics performed

3. Discussion with the owner

4. Send an electronic or scanned version of the relevant patient notes (of if you would prefer you can fax these separately)

If it cannot be emailed or faxed, please mail any relevant documentation to:

Great Western Exotics

Unit 10 Berkshire House,
County Park,
Shrivenham Road,
Swindon SN1 2NR