Well House Veterinary Clinic • Crowborough • East Sussex • Tel: 01892 653088

Frequently Asked Questions

A selection of questions often asked by clients and pet owners.

I am interested in becoming a vet, what qualifications do I need?

To become a vet you will need to go to university and complete a degree in Veterinary Science. There are currently 8 universities in the UK that offer the course – Royal Veterinary College in London aswell as Bristol, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Nottingham, Liverpool and Belfast Universities. The entry requirements differ slightly for each university, but competition is always fierce for places at these universities so it is advisable to get as much practical experience as possible in a variety of veterinary surgeries, farms, catteries, kennels etc. To find out more information visit the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons website at www.rcvs.org.uk, or contact the universities directly to find out the entry requirement.

I am interested in becoming a veterinary nurse, what qualifications do I need?

There are several different ways of gaining the Veterinary Nursing qualification. To begin training as a veterinary nurse you need 5 GCSEs grade C or above including Maths, English and a Science. One way of training is to work in a veterinary practice for 2 years, going to college one day a week and completing a portfolio of competence. At the end of each year you will have exams to sit. The other ways of training are to go to university and complete a Foundation Degree or a Degree in Veterinary Nursing. These two options take longer either 3 or 4 years respectively. You still have to gain practical experience in practices and complete your portfolios.

It is also a good idea to gain some practical experience in a vets, doing work experience, or some practices may employ weekend staff. For more information on becoming a veterinary nurse go to www.bvna.org.uk or www.rcvs.org.uk.

My pet is insured, do I still have to pay my bills or do you claim the money directly from the insurance company?

Our practice policy is to settle bills at the time of treatment. This still applies even if your pet is insured. Once your pets treatment has finished you need to give us your insurance claim form. You should make sure you have completed the owners section of the form, then either drop the form in, or post it in to us. Our practice administrator – Mrs Hughes will then complete the veterinary section of the form and give the form to the vet that treated your pet to sign. This usually takes 2 – 3 days. If you include an SAE we can send the claim off to the insurance company, or if you prefer return it to yourselves.

If the treatment your pet is receiving is on-going then we can keep sending in continuation claims in at regular intervals.

Which insurance company should I use to insure my pet?

There are many different insurance companies, offering different types of policy, and you need to decided which one suits your needs best. Premiums and levels of cover vary tremendously so read the small print carefully.

Policies generally fall into 2 catergories – cover for life and a set level of cover of each illness or injury. Cover for life policies are exactly that, there is no set amount or time limit on how much or how long you can claim for any one condition for your pet. Often the premiums are higher for these types of policy but you have peace of mind knowing that your pet is insured for life. Set level policies generally will only insure your pet for a particular condition for a certain level of time or a limited amount of money eg £2000.00. The premiums are generally cheaper, but you need to weigh up the pros and cons of each type of policy.

When deciding on the policy for you bear in mind the following –
Is the level of cover sufficient for my pet?
Does the policy cover prescription dietary foods eg kidney diet?
Does the policy cover complimentary treatments eg acupuncture?
Some insurance companies expect you to contact them in the event of an emergency before contacting the vet.
Make sure you check this out, as they may not pay on a claim if procedures haven't been followed.
Some policies give discounts of annual vaccinations and check ups.

I want to get my kitten neutered, how old does he/she have to be?

Both male and female kittens can be neutered (castrated for males, spayed for females) from 4½ months old.
Please see our advisory leaflets for more information.

What do you vaccinate kittens against?

We vaccinate kittens against 3 potentially fatal diseases – Cat Flu, Feline Infectious Enteriitis and Feline Leukaemia Virus. They will need an initial course of 2 injections and then vaccinations annually. Please see our advisory leaflets for more information.

I would like to get my bitch spayed, how old does she have to be and does she have to have a season first?

We spay bitches from 6 months old. It is not necessary for them to have a season first. If they have had a season then we like to spay them about 2-3 months afterwards. Please see our advisory leaflets for more information.

I would like to get my male dog castrated, how old does he have to be?

We castrate male dogs from 6 months old. Please see our advisory leaflets for more information.

What do you vaccinate puppies against?

Puppies are vaccinated against 4 potentially fatal diseases – Parvo Virus, Distemper, Hepatitis and Leptospirosis. They need a course of 2 vaccinations followed by annual vaccinations. Please see our advisory leaflets for more information.

What do you vaccinate rabbits against?

We vaccinate rabbits against Myxomatosis and Viral Haemorrhagic Disease (VHD). These are both potentially fatal. The Crowborough area is considered a high risk area for Myxomatosis, so we recommend vaccination 6 months. VHD is done yearly. The 2 vaccinations can't be given at the same time, there should be a 2 week gap between them.
Please see our advisory leaflets for more information.

How do I get hold of a vet in an emergency?

If your pet needs to see a vet urgently outside of normal opening hours eg after 7.00pm Monday – Friday and after 4.00pm on a Saturday, then ring the practice phone number – 01892 653088. You will get through to our emergency answering service. They will take your details and page the vet 'on call'. The vet will then phone you back to discuss what is wrong with your pet and see them if necessary. We are part of the Ashdown Forest Emergency Service, which is comprised of 3 practices in the area. The 'on-call' vet will be from one of these practices.

If you have an emergency during normal hours – 8.30 – 7.00pm Monday – Friday and 8.30 – 4.00pm on a Saturday, then ring the surgery FIRST before coming in. We will always be able to see your pet, but the vet may be consulting or operating and it is helpful if we know you are coming in, so we can be prepared.

How often should I worm my cat or dog?

Dogs and cats should be routinely wormed 4 times a year. If your pet is a hunter or scavenger then they may need worming more regularly, worming preparations only kill the worms that are there, they don't have a residual effect. Please see our advisory leaflets for more information or speak to a vet/nurse for more information.

How often should I treat my cat/dog for fleas?

Fleas are now an all year round problem. In the right conditions the flea lifecycle can take as little as 2 weeks. The easiest way to tell if your pet has fleas is to look for flea dirt in the coat. These look like dark red/brown or black debris in the coat that if put on white paper and wetted will turn the surrounding paper a reddish colour. This is because flea dirt is digested blood. Just because your pet isn't scratching doesn't mean they don't have fleas.

There are many different products available to treat your pet and we would be happy to advise you further. Please contact the surgery if you would like to discuss this and see our advisory leaflets.

My pet is has an on-going condition that requires regular medication, how do I order repeat prescriptions?

To get a repeat prescription for your pet we ask that you give at least 24 hours notice. This is because a vet needs to dispense the medication. If you come in on spec, there may not be a vet available to put the treatment out for you immediately. You may have to wait or come back later. Also some medications are a 'special order' and we don't keep them in stock, and have to order them from our drugs supplier. If you notice that your pets medication is getting low, ring the surgery to request some more. The vet will then dispense the medication and it will be ready to collect at the front desk.

We are required by law to see your pet at least every 6 months for a check-up. We can give your pet a thorough check over and assess the medication. You may be able to reduce the dose if things are going well or the medication may need increasing or changing. For certain conditions the vet may request that we see your pet more regularly, especially when they are first trying to stabilise them. You can also now fill in the repeat prescription request form on this site.

My pet is on a prescription diet, how do I re-order it?

Again we ask for 24 hours notice when ordering a diet. We don’t keep a huge stock of all the diets (there are so many & we would need a warehouse to store them all!), so we often will have to order them in for you. Our supplier delivers every day (Monday – Friday). You can either phone the surgery or complete the request form on this site. Our nurses are always happy to discuss the diets with you if you have any queries.