Mon-Fri: 8:00AM-7:00PM, Sat: 8:30AM-12:00PM
1. Introduction
Thank you for entrusting the care of your beloved pet to Meadow Lane Vets. This document outlines our terms of business and hopefully answers any questions you may have. Should you require further explanation then please speak to Reception who can help answer your questions.
Please note that telephone calls may be recorded for training and monitoring purposes.
2. Surgery Opening Hours
The surgery is open from 8:00am until 7:00pm Monday to Friday and from 8:30am until 1.00pm every Saturday.
We offer 15-minute appointments with the Veterinary Surgeons from 9:00am until 12:00pm and from 2.00pm until 6.30pm Monday to Friday and from 8:45am until 12:00pm on Saturday. Emergency appointments are available on Monday to Friday between 6:30pm and 7:00pm and on Saturday between 12:00pm and 1:00pm.
We also offer Veterinary Nurse appointments in various consult blocks depending on nurse availability. These appointments are between 9:00am and 6:00pm Monday to Friday and between 9:00am and 12:00pm on Saturday.
Please be aware that opening hours and consulting hours are subject to change without prior notice.
3. Fees
All fees, drugs, counter sale products and services are subject to VAT at the current rate. All charges are determined according to the drugs, materials, consumables and products used as well as the time taken to deliver our services. We offer a full breakdown of all charging upon request via paper copy or email.
Payment is required in full at the time of consultation or on discharge of your pet. Payment can be made by cash, credit/debit card or bank transfer. We do not accept American Express or cheques. In some cases, and for some procedures/treatments, we may require full payment, or payment of a proportion of the cost, prior to the procedure/treatment being carried out. You will be informed if this is the case. Prescription medication and counter sale items will be not be dispensed until full payment has been received.
If accounts remain unpaid after treatment, we will send you an invoice of the outstanding balance within 10 working days. If the account has not been cleared within 10 working days of our invoice letter, we may pass your details onto a debt collection agency or credit reference agency. Any additional charges incurred in the collection of the debt such as court fees, correspondence, administrative work, court attendance, telephone
calls and home visits will be added to your account. All outstanding accounts are subject to interest charges of 10% being applied to the account 28 days after treatment and every subsequent month thereafter until the balance is cleared.
Any credit card and bank transfer payments not honoured, and any cash tendered found to be counterfeit, will result in the account being restored to the principal sum and an administration charge applied. Any associated bank charges will be added to the amount owed and interest will be charged on the principal sum.
4. Estimates
Upon request we will be happy to provide an approximate cost for your pet’s treatment. Whilst we will endeavour to ensure that all estimates are as accurate as possible, they can only be ‘estimates’ and the final price may be higher of lower than the estimated price.
If we become aware that the cost is likely to be significantly higher than we have estimated then, if it is practicable to do so, we will attempt to contact you to discuss this. However, if we are unable to contact you, the attending veterinary surgeon will perform any additional procedures which, in their professional opinion, are appropriate in all the circumstances of the case and the associated costs will be charged.
5. Inability to Pay
If you believe that you will have difficulty settling your account, please discuss this with either the Practice Principal or Practice Manager BEFORE your pet is treated. Payment by instalments may be agreed in exceptional cases and this can only be agreed by either the Practice Principal or Practice Manager.
6. Insurance
We actively encourage insuring your pet against any unexpected illnesses and accidents. Please ask a member of the reception team for details about insurance but please be aware that we are not able to recommend specific policies or specific insurance providers.
Please be aware that it is the policy holder’s responsibility to settle the account with ourselves and then reclaim the monies back from the insurance company.
We reserve the right to charge an administration cost for processing insurance claims.
Any requests for us to make a direct claim to your insurance company on your behalf must be made at the time of admission. Policy documents will need to have been presented PRIOR to this time and with sufficient time to allow the details to have been assessed. Direct claims need to have been approved in advance by the Practice Manager, the Reception Manager or the Practice Principal.
If a direct claim is accepted then your insurance excess and any applicable administration fees must be paid before discharge of your pet. Where a completed insurance claim form is required by your insurance company, you MUST provide this at the time of discharge or you may be required to pay the full amount due.
Note that we do not have insurance claims forms and these can usually be found on-line.
Once we have received payment from your insurance company, we will advise you of any shortfall or overpayments. Any amounts not paid by your insurance company will be advised to you and must be paid within 7 days of notification. Note that we will not get involved in any disputes between you and your insurance provider and that payment of our invoices remains your responsibility.
All outstanding accounts are subject to interest charges of 10% being applied to the account 28 days after treatment and every subsequent month thereafter until the balance is cleared.
7. Long-Term Prescriptions
In accordance with RCVS guidelines, all animals on long-term prescription medication must be seen at least every six months by the veterinary surgeon. The veterinary surgeon may, at their discretion, require more frequent visits in specific cases. These check-ups allow the veterinary surgeon to review your pet’s condition, discuss medication and check for any problems relating to long-term medication use. This may involve regular
blood tests, blood pressure monitoring, in-house glucose checks and any other tests deemed necessary to the individual treatment. This check also allows you the chance to discuss any concerns or questions you may have.
8. Prescription-Only Medicine
These can be obtained from our surgery and from external sources such as pharmacies and online companies. If you wish to purchase your medication elsewhere, we can issue a written prescription to allow you to do this. This will normally only be valid for a single use and will be for a maximum of 6 months’ supply of the medication; this being at the absolute discretion of the prescribing veterinary surgeon taking into account all relevant factors relating to the animal concerned and the medication involved. The prescription will be valid for 6 months from the date of issue.
A fee will be charged for this service.
Please be aware that the Veterinary surgeon will ONLY issue written prescriptions for the animals under their care. A written prescription may not always be appropriate if your animal is an in-patient or requires immediate treatment.
Information on the prices of medications is available upon request.
9. Return of Unwanted Goods and Medicines
We are not able to take back or refund for medicinal products once they have left the Practice building.
We will generally accept returns of other goods within 7 days of the date of sale provided they are unused, in their original packaging and are in saleable condition. A re-stocking fee will be charged to cover the administration work involved.
If an item has been subject to a ‘special order’, and/or is not an item that we normally stock, then we will not normally accept return of such items. However, in specific cases where the supplier will accept a return then we will return the item to the supplier for refund to us. Once the refund has been received from the supplier we will credit the client account and apply an administration charge to cover the work involved.
10. Out-of-Hours
We use an RCVS accredited Veterinary Hospital to provide out-of-hours care to our clients’ pets. If an animal requires out-of-hours care then there is a likelihood that they may need to be ‘kept in’, either for treatment or observation and, if this is the case, then we believe that it is important that qualified staff are on-hand 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to provide the necessary care. Only a Veterinary Hospital can provide this.
Our clients have access to out-of-hours care at an accredited Veterinary Hospital at all times outside our normal opening hours, i.e., from 7.00pm until 8.00am Monday to Friday and at weekends and on public holidays. To contact our out-of-hours service please call our main telephone number.
Our emergency care provider can provide advice over the telephone, as well as emergency appointments, and they have staff on-site 24 hours a day to look after your pets when they are most in need.
11. Referrals and Second Opinions
Here at Meadow Lane Vets, we are a first opinion, small animal practice. We will always endeavour to undertake the majority of treatments ourselves, however there may be certain circumstances where we will have to refer your pet to a specialist centre for further treatment. Please note that any referrals completed are subject to a ‘referral administration fee’.
If a referral is recommended, then we will discuss the options with you and contact the relevant specialist centre. Please be advised that distance is not taken into consideration when referring patients to the relevant centre. Once the referral has been accepted by them, we will advise you to contact the centre to book an appointment. We will send all the relevant documents to the specialist centre.
If an emergency referral is required, then we will discuss the options with you and contact the closest relevant specialist centre. Please be advised that in an emergency situation the closest centre may be the best option to stabilise your pet and then further referral may be required. We will advise you to immediately transport your pet to the specialist centre along with any relevant documents.
Once your pet has been treated, the specialist centre will report all treatment and findings back to ourselves and advise of any on-going treatment required.
You may at any time seek a second opinion either from a different Veterinary Surgeon here at Meadow Lane Vets or from a different Veterinary Practice. Should you wish to do this, the relevant history will be sent to the Practice and the findings from your second opinion consultation will be reported back to ourselves.
12. Ownership of Records
Records of your pet’s treatment are the property of and will be retained by Meadow Lane Vets. Only employees of Meadow Lane Vets have access to your records. We are happy to discuss the records with yourself and send copies to another Veterinary Practice should you relocate or require a second opinion.
It may be necessary to perform tests on your pet, including for example x-rays, ultrasound scans and ECGs. Although we charge for these services to cover the cost of performing these procedures and interpretation of the results, these images and test results remain the property of Meadow Lane Vets.
13. Data Protection
Meadow Lane Vets will keep your personal information and will use it solely for the benefit of your pet and to keep you up to date with relevant information. If you do not wish to be contacted by us, please inform us so that we can note your record accordingly. Doing so will mean that you do not get such things as reminders relating to parasite prevention & vaccinations, and this is therefore not recommended.
Your details will not be passed onto any third parties except as necessary for the appropriate care of your pet or where necessary for the appropriate handling of your account.
14. Pet Photographs
Occasionally we may use photographs of your pet for educational and/or promotional purposes. If you do not wish for your pet photograph to be used for such purposes please let us know so that we can note your record accordingly.
15. Complaints
Here at Meadow Lane Vets we pride ourselves on the high standard of care we provide to our patients and clients. Where you feel we haven’t met the standards you expect, we encourage you to discuss this, at the time, with the member of staff involved with the aim of resolving the issue immediately.
If you feel the issue has not been resolved to your satisfaction, or you feel uncomfortable speaking directly to the member of staff involved, then please get in touch by either telephoning the surgery on 01509 212437 and asking to speak to the Practice Manager or the Practice Principal, or by emailing us at: vets@meadowlanevets.co.uk.
Alternatively, you can write to us at:
Meadow Lane Vets,
9 Meadow Lane,
Loughborough,
LE11 1JU,
Addressed to the Practice Manager or the Practice Principal.
Our full complaints policy is available upon request.
These terms of business were updated on 18/05/2026.