Vet Hospital Port Shepstone Standard Operating Procedures

2. Times and locations of emergency after hour consults will be advised by the veterinarian on call. All out of consulting and emergency consultations are subjected to an additional professional surcharge fee.

3. Doggie Bag Vet Shop hours are from Mondays to Fridays 08:00 to 18:00 and Saturdays from 8:30 to 11:00. The Vet Shop will be closed on Sundays and public holidays.

4. Admission times for booked, routine and elective procedures such as spays and neuters (see below) are between 8:00 and 10:00, except if advised otherwise by the attending Veterinarian.

5. Discharge times for all patients are between 16:00 and 18:00 on weekdays and 10:00 and 11:00 on Saturdays. Sunday and public holiday discharge times will be advised by the attending Veterinarian.

6. Visiting hours for all hospitalised cases are between 16:00 and 18:00 on weekdays and 10:00 and 11:00 on Saturdays. There are no visiting hours on Sundays and public holidays.

7. All dogs should be on a leash, cats should be in baskets and birds should be enclosed. Our Vet Shop carries an extensive range of these items or ask the receptionist to supply you with a temporary hospital cage or leash.

8. To protect our staff and owners, aggressive animals should, or will be muzzled and/or tranquilised if necessary. In the case where aggressive animals are not vaccinated against Rabies Virus during the last year, these cases might be referred to the State Veterinary Department for Rabies tests.

9. To prevent the loss of blankets, leads, baskets and collars, please refrain from leaving these items with your pet(s) during hospitalisation (except when advised otherwise, i.e. aggressive dogs). When these items were left behind, make sure to inform the discharging staff to hand these items back.

10. All pets presented to our hospital must be accommodated by the rightful owner or a legal guardian. Presenting clients are to fill in consent forms on discretion of the reception staff.

11. Deposits might be required upon discretion of the reception staff.

Elective Spays & Neuters

1. Spay and neuter operations are done on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.

2. The quoted amounts for these procedures will always include peri-operative and post operative pain killers.

3. Booking / appointment essential at least one day in advance.

4. Breakfast should be withheld the day of the procedure.

5. Admission & Discharge times are as stipulated above, unless advised differently by the attending Veterinarian.

6. Stitches are to be removed two weeks post operation, unless advised differently by the attending Veterinarian.

Stray Animals

Stray animals presented to Vet Hospital Port Shepstone will be scanned for an identifying microchip. In an attempt to prevent a pet animal from repeatedly getting lost we recommend sterilisation and the placement of a microchip. Upon the location of the rightful owner of a non-chipped stray animal, the rightful owner will be financially responsible for the cost of a newly placed microchip or for the boarding fee equivalent thereof. After the attempt to locate the rightful owner were unsuccessful, stray animals will be transferred to the Margate S.P.C.A.

Unclaimed or unidentifiable injured or sick stray animals will be treated and stabalised at our hospital and then be transferred to the Margate S.P.C.A. for further treatment.

Notes On Ticks & Fleas

In the attempt to keep our hospital free from unwanted ticks and fleas and/or to prevent cross infection to our other patients, all affected hospitalised or boarding animals will be treated with an appropriate anti-parasitic at the discretion of the attending veterinarian. In the case where ticks are found the attending veterinarian might also request additional blood tests to exclude Billary and other tick related blood parasites. The cost of these tests and treatments will be the responsibility of the owner.

Pet Medical Insurance

Vet Hospital Port Shepstone has no official affiliation with any pet medical insurance company. The policy is between the policy holder (yourself) and the underwriter. Because most medical insurance companies compensates the client / policy holder and not the veterinary practice, Vet Hospital Port Shepstone does not deal directly with pet medical insurance claims (apart from completing the required medical history and invoice details on the claim form). It is still the responsibility of the client to settle the veterinary bill in full and to claim back from the medical insurance company. For more information see our Pet Medical Insurance page.

Last updated 29 June 2013

Also see:

• About Vet Hospital Port Shepstone
• Vet Hospital Port Shepstone Veterinary Doctors & Supporting Staff
• Our Veterinary Services
• Our Veterinary Products
• Financial & Billing Policy