Why your pet may benefit from specialist treatment.
Today, veterinary practices can provide an excellent standard of care and advice for most routine health matters. However, there are some conditions and diseases that demand sophisticated diagnostic equipment and skills, intensive care management or advanced surgical experience and will therefore benefit from referral to a specialist centre which can provide all of these resources.
What is a veterinary specialist?
Just as in human medicine, consultant specialists have completed advanced training that leads to an additional qualification. To reach specialist status in the veterinary profession in the UK today, a vet must undertake a minimum of three extra years of supervised training, meet specific caseload requirements and publish scientific papers. They are then required to sit a rigorous qualifying examination which gives them the title of ‘Diplomate’. Having achieved Diplomate status, they must then further demonstrate that they are treating an adequate number of patients in their specialist area each year and that they remain up to date with scientific developments. Only then can they apply to be recognized as having the status of a specialist. Vets who have satisfied these demanding requirements are entitled to use the terms ‘RCVS Recognised ‘ or ‘European Recognised’ Specialist.
At Dick White Referrals we have recognised specialists in the following areas:
Cardiology
Diagnostic Imaging
Internal Medicine
Neurology/Neurosurgery/Neurooncology
Oncology (cancer management)
Orthopaedic Surgery
Soft Tissue Surgery
All of these services are run by consultants who are fully-accredited as RCVS Recognised or European Recognised Specialists
