Introduction

• Greater caseloads managed by the general veterinary practitioner - together with client's increasing demands for more sophisticated treatment for their pet - have increased the number of cases referred for second opinion in recent years.
• Referrals can also be an important component of client management. A difficult client who is unwilling to accept that there is no appropriate treatment for their pet may be happy to accept the same answer from a recognized 'specialist'.
• There are many clinical indications for referral:
  • Once a diagnosis has been made for:
    • Treatment requiring a specific piece of equipment which cannot be practically retained in general practice, eg radiotherapy Radiotherapy.
    • A specific procedure (usually surgical) which requires specialist expertise.
  • Where the diagnosis remains uncertain after investigation in the practice for:
    • A second opinion on results and findings already obtained.
    • Further investigation using more specialized equipment not available to the general practitioner.
• These indications apply to imaging referrals as well as general referrals.
• Specific imaging referrals also include schemes for hereditary disease screening, eg Hip dysplasia dogs Hip: dysplasia and polycystic kidney disease (PKD) Kidney: polycystic disease.

Radiology referrals

Ultrasonography referrals

MR referrals

Further Reading

Publications

Refereed papers

• Recent references from PubMed and VetMedResource.