Specialty Referral Practice

Just as your family physician may refer you to a specialist for your own care, your primary veterinarian relies on Santa Cruz Veterinary Hospital when specialized care is needed for your pet. We work closely with your veterinarian to ensure that you and your pet receive the best of care.

Once your veterinarian recommends a specialist, please call our referral coordinator to schedule an initial consultation. This initial visit typically lasts one hour, during which time the specialist will review your pet's history, medical records, and any x-rays or other diagnostic tests your veterinarian has completed. Treatment options and cost will be thoroughly discussed with you and a plan for your pet's care will be established. If your pet requires special care, or is too ill to be treated at home, we will provide hospital care with 24 hour supervision. We feel it's important to work with your family veterinarian to ensure that follow up care is provided. Your family veterinarian will also continue your pet's primary care after the resolution of the problem for which you were referred. If there are on-going problems, we will most likely want to see your pet back for follow up care.

Once finishing undergraduate training and four years of veterinary school, Board-certified Veterinary Specialists are similar to their human medical counterparts in that they complete an internship and residency in their specialized field (3-5 more years of training). In addition to this extensive training, a Board-certified Veterinary Specialist must pass rigorous examinations to achieve Board certification. Specialists bring a greater understanding in the area their specialty and have a greater knowledge of the unusual, the uncommon, or rare in animals.