****These consults are available only for veterinarians****
THIS SERVICE IS NOT AVAILABLE 6/3/24 -6/19/24 DUE TO TRAVEL
Cancer doesn’t wait - nor should your clients!
Obtaining fast, comprehensive and personalized information is essential for pet owners who are facing a diagnosis of cancer in their beloved companions. Ideally, they would see an oncologist to discuss treatments and prognosis within days after learning that their pet has cancer. Unfortunately, the veterinary world is far from ideal these days and many clients have to wait multiple weeks for an oncology consult.
When an in-person oncology consult is not available or desired, you can choose to obtain a written virtual oncology consultation on behalf of your client. The virtual vet-to-vet consultation is a way for you to partner with an oncologist and be able to provide your clients with essential information and guidance in a timely manner. It is meant to expand access to comprehensive, personalized oncologic information for your clients so they can decide if they want to pursue further treatments or not. The consult will include information about expected cancer behavior, typical treatment options, additional tests that may be beneficial, what to expect with cancer progression and palliative care. It will not include drug dosages, chemotherapy protocols or instructions on how to do chemotherapy through your office (this is beyond the scope of this type of consult)
How it works:
• These consults are done for veterinarians only and all communication is done with the originating veterinarian, not the pet owner. If you are a pet owner interested in this type of consult, please point your veterinarian to this web page and ask them to obtain a consult on your behalf, as described below. The instructions below are for veterinarians.
• Contact Dr. Sarbu via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to request an initial virtual consult. The typical turn-around is 1-3 business days after all records and payment have been received. The current cost charged by VOC for the initial virtual consult is $200. A requesting veterinarian may add additional fees for their time and involvement.
• The requesting veterinarian must submit ALL of the following information:
- your clinic information (name address, phone, fax)
- your information - name, DVM license number and state, best email contact for you
- name and signalment of the patient, name of the owner
- summary of the case and tests done (written by the veterinarian)
- all pertinent records and test results, including the actual radiographs
- current clinical symptoms experienced by the patient
- list of all medications the patient is receiving
- list of any other health conditions
- travel outside WA in last year? If yes, when and where.
- weight of the patient and date when was obtained
- any specific questions you and the client may have, to make sure they are specifically addressed, in addition to what I would normally include in my report
• Your clinic will need to submit payment for the consult via credit card or make arrangements for payment by check. We cannot accept payment directly from the pet owner. typically we send an invoice with the report.
• Once all in information is received, Dr. Sarbu will generate a comprehensive written report specifically for your patient, including interpretation of cancer-related tests performed already, recommendations for further tests (if appropriate), general treatment information and prognosis. The report will not contain doses for chemotherapy or details on how to do a specific chemotherapy protocols.
• The report will be sent to you via email.
• You will have 2 weeks to ask any additional questions you or your client may have regarding the information in the report (via email or call). This does not include interpretation of additional tests performed after the original records were submitted.
• A recheck virtual consult can be requested if you have additional tests results that need interpretation or included in the treatment plan and prognosis. Cost will vary depending on the extent of the recheck ($60-100)
• The virtual vet-to-vet consult does not represent transfer of care or that this pet is being managed by our oncologist. All medical decisions remain the responsibility of the managing veterinarian.
• If your client decides to pursue treatments through Veterinary Oncology Center after a virtual consult (within 1-2 months), the initial consult fee charged in our clinic will be discounted (it will be $100). They will still be scheduled as a new appointment and treated as such, since things may have changed and Dr. Sarbu would need to examine the pet and assume responsibility of medical decisions. We cannot guarantee that we will see all virtual cases due to limited number of in-person appointments available and types of treatments we can provide, but we will try to prioritize these patients.