Why come to us?
If your regular vet has diagnosed or suspects an eye condition in your pet, they may recommend referral. We are the only dedicated veterinary ophthalmology practice in the south east, accepting referrals for all types of eye and eyelid disease, injury or abnormality. Focussing purely on ophthalmology means that we can provide an extremely high level of medicine and surgery, with a small dedicated team providing the very best standards of care for your pet. We are available 24 hours a day for emergencies.
What to expect on your first visit
The first time you come to us will usually be an hour-long appointment. The vet will talk to you about your pet's history and current eye problem, examine the eyes in detail using sophisticated equipment, and perform a variety of tests including measuring eye pressure, tear production, and others. It may be necessary to dilate your pet's pupils, in which case drops will be applied and the examination will restart after around 20 minutes.
What to expect if your pet has surgery
We will usually ask you to bring your pet in at 8.30am if they are being admitted for surgery. Download our pre-operative instructions here.
Follow-up appointments
Re-examinations are usually 30 minutes long. We keep in very close contact with your primary vet throughout treatment and can arrange for some follow-up appointments to be done locally if appropriate.
Payments and pet insurance
Payment must be made at the time of consultation, or when your pet goes home if they are admitted to the clinic.
We routinely deal with pet insurance companies - please bring your policy details with you and we will ensure any claim is submitted as quickly as possible. If major surgery is planned, we can sometimes arrange for payment to be made directly to us, however, we do charge an administration fee for this as a Pre-Authorisation is required from your insurers. Please talk to our reception team for more information
We accept all major credit cards including American Express.
Download our Standard Terms of Business here.
For details of how we collect, use and store your personal data, please read our Privacy Policy.
Repeat Prescription Protocol
Any client who has previously been seen at EVR may contact us for a repeat prescription BUT please do not leave your requests to the last minute. All prescriptions must be checked by our busy vets, and in some cases medication may need to ordered in specially. Therefore please allow a minimum of 48 hours (working days only) for each repeat prescription but please be assured that we will do our best to process them more speedily if we can realistically do so.
The following information will be required:
Client’s and patient’s full names
Client’s address
Client’s telephone number
When EVR last checked the animal
Medication requested
Name
Strength
Form (tablet/liquid/eye drop)
Current dosage instructions
The policy of EVR and of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons is to re-assess animals requiring repeat prescriptions as a minimum every six months BUT this may vary according to the specific needs of the patient. Any such case must be discussed with the vet and agreed by them. It may be necessary to see your pet more frequently. These checks enable us to be sure that the requested prescription is still the most appropriate medication for your pet.
Reception staff will contact you to let you know when the prescribed medication/prescription is ready for collection. All medication must be paid for in full on collection.
If clients are unable to collect their medication we can send it by post as a 'Special Delivery' item. Clients will be required to pay for such a service and we will contact you to obtain payment for the total cost prior to posting.
To cover our administration costs, clients requiring a prescription and choosing to source their medication elsewhere will incur a £14 charge. In line with current Veterinary Medicines Directorate guidance, we will ask for your preferred pharmacy, and submit the prescription directly to them on your behalf. We no longer provide prescriptions to clients directly due to a number of fraudulent presentations.
Our information sheets and owner's guides are in pdf format - you can download the reader here:
Elham Valley Referrals
Owner Information Sheets
Cataract Surgery - What to Expect
Printable eye medication dosing chart
Useful products
www.ocuglo.com - Ocu-GLO is a nutritional supplement which can be helpful in cases of retinal disease.
www.optivizor.co.uk - Manufacturers of face and eye protection for dogs and cats following eye surgery, can be used instead of a buster collar/"cone".
External links
www.blinddogrescue.com - American again, with a section of tips on caring for a blind dog and lots of owners' stories.
www.blinddogsupport.com - Set up by an owner to provide information about caring for blind dogs, now has a busy discussion forum and extensive resources.
These links are provided as a general guide only - we are not responsible for the content of external websites.
01303 840499
reception@elhamvalley.com
Veterinary Ophthalmology
For Pet Owners
Location
Elham Valley Referrals
24 Barham Business Park
Elham Valley Road, Barham Canterbury CT4 6DQ
Copyright Elham Valley Referrals. All Rights Reserved.