What is a veterinary referral?

When your pet is ill, you take them to vets, and you trust their advice and expertise. However, in many complicated cases, a vet will refer you to a specialist in order for your pet to benefit from the best diagnosis of the condition/ illness or disease as well as treatment a referral centre has to offer.

However, a referral can take place in two ways – you can be referred by a vet or you can ‘self-refer’ your pet. However, usually, it is the vet that decides on the referral due to them not being able to provide the extensive knowledge needed, the expertise or in many cases, do not have the facilities to treat your pet correctly.

How do I arrange an appointment to see a referral vet?

9 times out of 10, your vet which referred you, will walk you through the process and discuss with you everything you need to know about the referral centre they have referred you to and how you go about getting an appointment. However, it is important to remember that you do not need to follow your vet’s recommendations because as we stated earlier, you can refer your pet yourself. Do your research and find out what referral centre you would like to take your pet too.

How much does it cost for a veterinary referral?

We all know that any service which involves a vet is not cheap, however, referral services do tend to be more costly than any other veterinary appointment, procedure or treatment. This is because the cases are a lot more complicated and complex and therefore require an advanced amount of expertise and use of equipment.

Usually, the referral centre will discuss costs and fees with you before any procedure or treatment has been carried out, so you are able to make a decision beforehand.

We often get asked whether insurance policies cover the costs or some of the costs from a veterinary referral, however this will depend on the insurance company your pet is insured with and the type of cover you have. It would be worthwhile checking with your insurance previous to any appointments, procedures or treatments are carried out to know whether or not the costs are covered.