REFERRALS
This page is primarily for the veterinarians who refer cases to Halifax Veterinary Centre.
If you are not a veterinarian but would like a referral, we encourage you to discuss it with your current vet. That way we will receive full details of the case and can do a much better job. Your own vet will be kept fully informed and will get a comprehensive of everything we have done, usually including photos. You get a copy too.
To the Referring Veterinarian
Halifax Veterinary Centre has been accredited to BESTPRACTICE™ Hospital Standards, the top tier of the NZVA accreditation scheme. This shows we have been audited to a high standard, and you and your clients can be assured that our methods and protocols have passed stringent tests. We aim to return a happy pet and satisfied client back to you.
We are also open 365 days a year, but we try not to do fancy stuff on weekends unless really necessary!
How do I Organise A Referral?
Halifax Veterinary Centre accepts referrals in internal medicine, diagnostic imaging, surgery, canine behaviour and dermatology. We love those really difficult and time consuming cases that you may not wish to tackle in your own busy practice. Referring is highly acceptable in today’s animal world.
As for charges to you, only those cases that do not appear for an actual examination are charged a fee for phone or email referrals. This modest fee is well appreciated by clients and perceived as value for money.
The level of service is always your choice. Some referring veterinarians want us to do all related work including follow-up, others wish to do some or all of this. We’ll do our best to keep you in the decision loop.
A Referral Request to the Halifax Veterinary Centre couldn’t be simpler:
Referral Request Form
Referral request form for referring veterinarians.
- Complete our Referral Service Request form. Please make the effort to fill out the form completely and thoroughly. A little bit of extra time spent doing this greatly improves our level of service both to you and your clients.
- We will phone or email back the appointment details including the veterinarian to be seen and the time and date of the referral.
If you would like hard copies of any of the above referral materials please feel free to phone or email us.
General Medicine
Todd Halsey and Hans Andersen are members of the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists (MANZCVS) in medicine. Todd Halsey has also completed a postgraduate residency programme in internal medicine at Massey University and gained a Masters of Veterinary Science in critical care nutrition. For more information about the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists (MANZCVS) please click here.
Imaging
Todd Halsey has gained excellent skills in ultrasonography and have been involved in this field for over 25 years. We have recently updated our machine and expanded the range of probes. Ultrasound is used routinely at our clinic to do full abdominal checks including liver, kidney, spleen, prostate, and bladder problems. It is invaluable in assessing fluid in the abdomen and for ‘tumour hunts’. This tool minimises unnecessary exploratory abdominal surgery.
Echocardiography is the name given to the use of ultrasound to investigate heart problems. This is a specialist area in its own right, but an invaluable diagnostic aid in all cases where heart disease is suspected.
CT and MRI Scans now available through Halifax Veterinary Centre
Pacific Radiology offers us the ability for CT and MRI. CT and MRI are being used more widely with our patients and provide rapid and valuable information. CT and MRI do require booking in advance but can usually be done the same week. Data is referred to a specialist radiologist for analysis. We routinely use CT and MRI in neurologic, cancer, thoracic disease, upper airway and middle ear disease patients.
Dermatology
Duncan Graham is our veterinarian with a particular interest in skin diseases. He is brave enough to take on the smelliest, itchiest, most bald animal you can find! Chronic sore nail beds and discharging ears are a special interest. He has made Zepp ear resections almost a thing of the past.
He is one of the few veterinarians in New Zealand using intradermal testing to establish the cause of canine atopic dermatitis, a very common allergic disease that causes many pets to have ongoing itching, recurrent ear infections and infected paws.
Surgery
A wide range of surgical cases can benefit from referral to Halifax Veterinary Centre, such as orthopaedic procedures, abdominal or chest surgery, laryngeal surgery and cancer surgery. Read more about our surgical services here.
We offer an extensive list of referral procedures. Below is a list of the more common referrals.
- Internal medicine consultation
- Ultrasound (including cardiac, liver, kidney, pancreas and bladder)<
- CT
- Brachycephalic airway disease surgery (nares, soft palate, laryngeal saccules)
- Endoscopy (nasal, laryngeal, upper GI, vaginoscopy)
- Oesophageal foreign bodies/obstructions
- Orthopaedics – including locking plate and MMP cruciate repairs
- Extensive oncology surgical resection (skin and internal tumours)
- Eye surgery – corneal grafts, entropion, ectropion, ectopic cilia, cherry eye
- Portosystemic shunts
- Ectopic ureters
- Dermatology
- Chemotherapy
Ophthalmology
We regularly receive referrals for complex eye cases. These range from simple tonometry for suspected uveitis or glaucoma, to globe ultrasound, corneal lacerations, conjunctival grafts and corrective eyelid surgery.
Please note:
While Halifax Veterinary Centre is very proud of its veterinarians, it must be pointed out that none are registered specialists. To be a true specialist, one needs very, very intensive training and to be spending at least 50% of the working time in that specialty.
We do, however, import specialists from time to time and refer on to these veterinarians (with whom we have a very good working relationship) when needed or requested.
There is a specialist veterinary surgical referral centre located in Christchurch. A feline specialist is located in Wellington. Massey University has a large referral centre associated with the veterinary school and Auckland also has a state of the art facility. Consultations at these centres are strictly by referral appointment only.