What makes a vet a specialist? Well it takes a lot of extra training to start!

Once a veterinarian has completed a five-six-year veterinary degree, they must then complete a one-two year internship within a referral practice, followed by a three- or four-year residency in their chosen interest, for example internal medicine or surgery.

A residency is usually overseen by a European college and consists of closely supervised advanced training in a particular field of veterinary medicine.

It gives the clinician extensive practical experience and prepares them to sit rigorous diploma examinations and eventually become eligible to register as a specialist in that field.

Only clinicians who have been through this process and passed the relevant examinations are entitled to use the title ‘specialist’.

Being referred to one of these specialists means they have the knowledge to assess your pet’s needs, to undertake appropriate diagnostic tests to treat the patient’s illness or symptoms, whether that be medical management or surgery.

We have the facilities to do anything from chemotherapy treatment to joint replacements, spinal surgery, or even open chest surgery, and the same principle applies in human medicine, your GP may refer you to a specialist within the hospital.

Patients may be referred to Wear Referrals by their primary care veterinarian because they require specialist equipment, facilities and knowledge to either fully diagnose or treat a patient’s illness or disease.

We are lucky to have so many specialists in different disciplines of veterinary medicine at Wear Referrals Veterinary Hospital, which makes us one of the most competitive veterinary hospitals within the North-East.

These specialists along with our many other veterinarians with varying extra certifications, veterinary nurses and clinical staff make up our range of departments to include soft tissue, anaesthesia, internal medicine, neurology, cardiology, diagnostic imaging and orthopaedics.

We can therefore offer a huge range of different and comprehensive treatment plans that may require the use of one or more of these disciplines.