Our services

Our aim at vetXS is to provide an accessible, high-quality and affordable surgical referral service. This service is available to you at your usual vet's surgery - travel to another practice is not required. vetXS mainly provides referral orthopaedic surgery services, but soft tissue cases can also be accommodated. 

All vetXS referral surgeries are undertaken by Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Advanced Veterinary Practitioner (CertAVP) qualified surgeons with very significant experience in referral surgery and with an excellent track-record of success. vetXS surgeons are without specialist accreditation and your vet will have offered you referral to a surgeon of specialist status at the outset. vetXS is a referral only service. An initial referral from your vet is necessary before a procedure can be scheduled.

How does the system work?

If your pet has an orthopaedic issue or other physical problem that requires corrective surgery, your vet will contact vetXS with the relevant clinical information regarding the case. Once a vetXS surgeon has reviewed the clinical notes and x-rays (in most cases), a report will be provided to your vet. Your vet will interpret the findings of the report for you and discuss the various options that are available to you including likely procedure costs.

Do I need to contact vetXS if my pet needs surgery?

vetXS operates a referral service in cooperation with your vet. You will be provided with all the necessary information regarding any surgery that your pet has been recommended to have by your vet. Please let your vet know if you feel that more information is needed and we will try to help. All communication with vetXS regarding your pet will be via your vet. Should you also wish to discuss your pet's condition before surgery with a vetXS surgeon you may do so by telephone (see Book A Telephone Consultation).

vetXS Pre-Surgery Consent Form

You will not have direct face-to-face contact with your vetXS surgeon in most instances. For this reason we ensure that you are provided with as much information as you need in advance of the procedure so that any questions you may have are addressed in good time.

For the most common surgeries we perform, vetXS provides electronic presentations explaining in detail what is involved. We also use a comprehensive pre-surgery consent form which outlines the risks and possible problems which could occur following your pet's surgery. Is is required that this form is signed by you in advance of the surgery taking place. Should you feel that you have not had sufficient information or explanation about your pet's surgical procedure please let us know as soon as possible. If more explanation is required a telephone call may be appropriate (see Book a Telephone Consultation).

What happens on the morning of surgery?

Your pet will be admitted for the procedure at your vet's practice on the morning of the surgery in the usual manner. All the information regarding your pet's surgery will already have been supplied and explained to you. You will not see the vetXS referral surgeon on the day of the procedure unless you request this specifically. Should you wish to see your vetXS surgeon in person on the day of your pet's surgery, this can be arranged (additional fee applies). Your vetXS surgeon will also phone you with a telephone update on how the procedure went. The practice team will also contact you to arrange a discharge appointment for your pet. 

What happens after my pet's procedure?

After your pet has had a surgical procedure, all follow-up appointments including any additional follow-up x-rays will undertaken by your vet at your usual practice. Your vet will remain in contact with vetXS regarding the progress of your pet. Should complications arise after surgery, these will usually be dealt with at your practice either by your vet or by a vetXS surgeon, depending on the nature of the issue.

Post operative complications and adverse surgery outcomes

No surgery is without risk and no surgeon can ever offer a 100% guarantee of a successful outcome. The pre-surgical consent from outlines the most common or likely adverse events. Should a surgical outcome necessitate a second surgery, every effort will be made to control costs. We do not seek to benefit financially from a surgical complication. Should further surgery to rectify a complication be necessary a fixed procedure price will be advised before the surgery is undertaken.

Halifax Referrals

vetXS surgeons also operate at Halifax Referrals, located in Halifax, West Yorkshire. Halifax Referrals is run by Dr. Currivan and Dr. Higson. All the procedures that can be performed at your clinic by vetXS are also available at Halifax Referrals. Currently, hip replacement surgery or arthroscopy procedures are available only at Halifax Referrals.

Highly complex surgical cases

Not all surgical cases can be addressed effectively at your vet's practice. There are many reasons for this ranging from the size of surgical team required, volume of equipment needed, or the level of patient aftercare necessary following the procedure. You may be directed to Halifax Referrals or a specialist referral centre in these instances.

Late cancellation & re-booking policy:

We appreciate that the unexpected can occur and that you may have to cancel your pet's scheduled surgery at short notice. We try to be as flexible as we can and permit the cancellation of a procedure up to 3 days prior without charge. For cancellations after this time the following schedule of charges applies:

• 2 days prior to your pet's procedure: you will be charged £300 by your vet
• The day before your pet's procedure: you will be charged £600 by your vet
• The day of surgery/you fail to attend: you will be charged £1,200 by your vet

If having previously cancelled you wish to re-book a procedure for your pet, a non-refundable deposit of £600 will be required to secure the booking. Should this re-booking be cancelled, the deposit shall be retained irrespective of when the cancellation is made.