Hamilton Specialist Referrals Unit 5 Halifax Road, High Wycombe HP12 3SD

"Our Bulldog was struggling with fits and we were referred on a Sunday here as a last resort. We knew it was bad but you have to try everything don’t you. This team was amazing. The reception staff were so lovely (I left the consultation in tears and they were there with tissues). A history was taken and our dog was treated kindly as were we. The neurologist was quick to perform the scan and was considerate and kind. It was an awful situation but this team made it a little better by being compassionate, professional and quick"

"Diagnosis: nothing wrong. Bill £3650. I'm reviewing so that people are aware of what they are getting into here. Last week, our dog seemed unable to use his back legs so we took him to Cherry Tree, our vet and they said that he had paralysis, possibly due to a slipped disc or something more serious. They talked about the likely outcomes of surgery & referred us to Hamiltons. We took him there immediately. We were seen by the Neurologist, Miguel, who was clear & friendly. He confirmed the vet & told us that it was either a stroke (no surgery but rest) or a slipped disc (surgery). He said that on a severity scale, he was 3 or 4 which was medium & could respond well to slipped disc surgery. They said that surgery was likely to be around £6000. This was high but of course, we were so distressed that we said yes. We left him there. An hour later, Miguel called to say the MRI was normal & he was much better but they would keep him overnight. In the morning they said he was back to normal & it was most likely weakness from diarrhea which we had told him about. Phew. Relief. When we picked him up the bill came to £3650. I will say that again. £3650. I imagine, if it had been serious & surgery was required, you can double or triple that. The MRI was £2000. It was eyewatering. I called my physio as I'd recently had an MRI for £500 at a hospital in London. She said that she refers people for MRIs all the time and they average £200-300 depending on the area & where you go. Our dog is insured but even though we'd given them all the Pet Plan details, they have declined to complete the claim from Pet Plan. Summary: Is Hamilton's responsive?: yes, saw us almost straight away. Are the vets kind?: yes, Miguel & his assistants were very kind. Did they keep in touch?: yes, they did. We didn't get any answer on WhatsApp as promised but they answered phone calls. Is their admin efficient?: No. Are they affordable? definitely not. I'm literally scared to think of families on low income with no insurance who love their pets & take them here coping with this kind of stratospheric bill. I had knee surgery privately on insurance with the best knee surgeon in London, I chose my anaesthetist & had satellite TV, champagne & smoked salmon (well, my husband did as I wasn't up to it) and my bill came to £5000. My dog wasn't unwell & the bill came pretty close to this. We could have flown him to the George V in Paris & fed him on fois gras for this. There is so much wrong here that I don't know where to start. Why the paralysis diagnosis? Cherry Tree own Hamiltons, hmm? (we do like Cherry Tree very much). How can an MRI for a dachshund be £2000? Why aren't they signing our valid claim form? I'm going to take this further as these fees seem entirely unregulated and something needs to be done. It does seem as if this kind of treatment & fee correlates with the emotional distress of the owners. Sadly, the biggest sufferers will ultimately be the animals & low income families when people can't afford these fees. Also, be careful. There are lots & lots of early 5 star reviews with no details which have skewed the overall score."

"My dog had broken her leg, Ben who was the surgeon was so lovely and so great with her. He saved her leg she is very happy healthy dog. But other than that the people in there only care about your money and are not fair and try to take more money from you if they can."

"My dog was referred to Hamilton's because of a hip injury. 3 months after her hip replacement, she's a new dog. The service and care was amazing all the way through, everyone from the vets, the physios and the reception team were great, especially as the COVID regs changed constantly so they were adapting to new ways of working as well as a new building in the 3 months we were regular visitors. It isn't cheap, vets aren't! But they were very speedy on insurance forms so what could be claimed back was promptly sorted at their end. Thanks Andy, Letty and all for taking such good care of Meg."