Terms & Conditions

Our Terms and Conditions

Terms and Conditions of Business

The team at Sugarland Animal Hospital are grateful that you have entrusted our team with the care of your beloved pet.

 

METHODS OF PAYMENT:

Itemised invoices will be provided at the conclusion of all services. Payment must be made in full at the time of the service and before the discharge of your pet from our care. Payment must also be made in full before any products, nutrition or medications leave our hospital.

For surgery, hospitalisation and procedures we require full payment of the estimated cost at time of admission, prior to treatment commencing. Any additional costs incurred will be communicated and payment for these will be required in full before the discharge of your pet from our care.

We accept cash, cheque, electronic bank transfer, EFTPOS, Visa and Mastercard. Please note there are fees associated with card payments, these fees are calculated depending on the card used and the full fee schedule can be viewed on our TYRO machine in clinic prior to payments being processed.

We also accept VetPay, AfterPay, ZipPay & ZipMoney for all invoices.

 

PROCEDURE DEPOSITS

We require a 20% deposit at time of booking for all procedures that are booked in advance. This deposit will secure your pets treatment slot on the preferred date with our surgery team.

Deposits will only be refunded if procedures are cancelled with 48 hours’ notice unless extenuating circumstances which have been approved by management. Deposits will not be refunded for no-shows or cancellations made with less than 48-hours’ notice.

 

ESTIMATES OF COSTS:

We will happily provide a written treatment plan as to the estimated costs of a course of treatment, diagnostics or surgical procedure. Please understand that any treatment plan given can only be approximate – however we will contact you for consent before adding any additional charges to your invoice, unless we are unable to contact you using your provided contact details, in which case we will act in the best interest of your pet as per the consent form signed prior to all procedures.

We will provide the price of any medicine or product stocked on request.

 

SETTLEMENT TERMS:

We do not offer accounts, all invoices need to be paid at time of service or discharge of your pet or a product or medication leaving our hospital. In the event your invoice is not paid and goes to account, this needs to be settled within 14 days. After due notice to you, the client, overdue accounts will be subject to third party debt collection and further charges will be levied to cover costs incurred in collecting the debt: such as court fees, correspondence, court attendance, phone calls, etc.

Any bounced cheques returned by our bank, any failed card payments, and cash tendered found to be counterfeit will result in the original account being returned with further charges added to cover bank charges and administrative costs.

 

INABILITY TO PAY:

If for any reason you are unable to settle your account as specified, we ask you to discuss the matter as soon as possible with management.

PET INSURANCE:

Sugarland Animal Hospital strongly recommends all clients to consider pet insurance for their pets, especially to assist in cases of unexpected illness or injury in which providing the highest level of care to your pet can be costly. Our team will happily assist in submitting your pet insurance claims and providing copies of invoices or clinical notes to insurers. Please be aware that it is your responsibility to settle your account and then reclaim fees from your insurance company.

 

CONSENT FOR TREATMENT:

Written signed consent for procedures, hospitalisation and euthanasia is a requirement of treatment at our hospital. This consent may be taken in the form of hard copy consent paperwork or via our digital consent forms on an iPad. By signing the consent paperwork, you are agreeing to all items listed on the consent forms as well as payment amount.

 

CONSENT FOR OFF-LABEL MEDICATION USE:

Consent is also required for the use of certain medications in species for which they were not licensed. You will be asked to sign a consent form asking for specific permission to permit the use of off-label medications in your pet if this is suggested by our veterinarians. This is required as the majority of veterinary drugs are not licensed for use in small mammals such as rabbits, guinea pigs, ferrets, as well as reptiles, birds, fish and amphibians.

We recommend the use of so called ‘off-label drugs’ which have a proven effectiveness for a species where there are no alternative registered veterinary medications.

 

PRESCRIPTIONS:

You may request written prescriptions (subject to a prescription fee) for your pet’s medication so long as we have completed a physical examination of your pet within the past 6 months, and can only supply repeats that do not go past a 6 month period in which your pet has seen our prescribing veterinarian. You bear responsibility for sourcing such medication from a pharmacy and should bear in mind that delays in treatment may be detrimental to the welfare of your pet especially if sourcing online and waiting for shipping.

In circumstances where it is essential to begin treatment immediately then prescriptions will not be offered. Prescriptions will not be issued for drugs used in anaesthesia or emergency situations.

 

RETURN OF UNUSED DRUGS:

Due to legal and safety reasons, we do not accept the return of unused medications for refunds even if sealed, as drugs which have left the premises are no longer fit for resale. We can however accept unused medications for proper disposal.

 

EXAMINATIONS – LONG TERM MEDICATIONS:

It is necessary both for the welfare of your pet and to meet legal obligations, for our hospital to re-examine animals receiving long term medication. The interval will vary with the condition and the medication but will be no longer than every 6 months. A consultation fee will be charged for that examination to account for the time and expertise of our veterinarians performing this check. No agent of or person employed by, or under contract with, the hospital has the authority to alter or vary these conditions in any way.

 

CLINICAL RECORDS:

Your pet’s clinical records, including radiographs, ultrasound scans and endoscopy video footage as well as laboratory test reports remain the property of Sugarland Animal Hospital. Whilst we make a charge for carrying out these examinations and interpreting their results, ownership of the resulting record remains with the practice. You are entitled to see the records on request. Your pet’s records will be sent to another veterinary surgeon on request from them or for the purpose of referral.

 

COMPLAINTS AND FEEDBACK:

Sugarland Animal Hospital aims to provide the highest standard of care for you and your pets. We hope that you never have cause to complain, however we respect and encourage feedback and direct complaints. Please direct your comments in writing to the management at manager@sugarlandvet.com so that we may help, and learn from your engagement.

Once we have received your feedback or complaint a member of our management team will be in contact to arrange a time to discuss these in more detail, preferably in person.

 

PATIENT MEDIA CONSENT:

Photographs of your pet may on occasion be used for educational or marketing purposes unless you would prefer this not to happen. Consent for release of such media is included within our consent for treatment forms.