Key Facts: Follow-up Support

Overview: 
After a behaviour modification treatment plan (BMP) has been designed either by one of our clinical animal behaviourists or veterinary behaviourists, or a ‘Certificated Clinical Animal Behaviourist’ external to Second Nature Behaviour you have worked with previously, our team can provide you with follow-up support to help you and your animal work through the treatment plan.

When:  generally takes place approximately monthly on dates agreed in advance with you

Where:  we can meet online, or we may be able to come to you, meet on a local walk, or you can come to one of our clinics. Appointments can last 15-60 minutes depending upon individual case needs. You can also choose to subscribe to 6 months’ of additional email/text support.

What you need to do to prepare:

□          Arrange for all of the previous case documents from your previous clinical animal behaviourist to be sent to Second Nature Behaviour, which would include the vet referral, clinical history, behaviour reports and any correspondence regarding your animal’s behaviour;

□          If you haven’t already, inform your vet in writing that you have consented to Second Nature Behaviour to take on the management of supporting your animal through the behaviour modification treatment plan, copying us into the letter/email;

□          Read the safety precautions below.

What we will do:

• We go through all the information you, your behaviourist and your vet have sent us. How we conduct the follow-up support is dependent upon the accuracy and completeness of this information.
• We generally recommend follow-up sessions occur on approximately a monthly basis and each session can last up to one hour. The location and behaviourist leading each session are determined by Second Nature Behaviour and can vary between sessions, depending upon specific case management needs. The session may be virtual through an online video link, in your home, at a vet clinic, or on one of your local walks. Follow-up appointments tend to be scheduled from 9am-5pm on weekdays. If you would like more frequent practical support on a weekly or fortnightly basis, then this can be arranged – just ask us for further information.
• BMPs are updated with new material for you to work on as needed. You receive further relevant information sheets where necessary, which tie in with your pet’s BMP.
• Your vet and your lead behaviour clinician are kept informed of how your pet progresses through the BMP.
• While the behaviourist you meet at your first appointment with us will maintain oversight of your pet’s case, we work closely together on cases as a team. Our behaviourists are available for optional weekly remote support through WhatsApp text messages and email in between your sessions with us, or for 4 weeks after your last session. Alternatively, each fortnight you can book a 15-minute check-in call. Please note that this is subject to availability and our fair use policy. If we feel that you are contacting us too frequently (e.g. more than three times a week) or correspondence takes longer than 30 minutes, then we may suggest another face-to-face follow-up session, or we may have to charge for our time.  Our normal office hours are Monday to Friday 9am-5pm.  We aim to return your messages within five working days.  Please bear in mind that support across our current caseload will be prioritised according to the relative risks and animal welfare factors involved in each case, rather than when different correspondence was received, so you may need to wait for longer than five working days to receive a response.  Alternatively, you can book in an extra telephone call with a behaviourist by contacting the office. We reserve the right to block your telephone number or email address if you disregard these terms. If urgent advice is required, please contact your normal vet practice immediately.

Recording and students:  With your permission, the consultation may be recorded for training purposes.  Also, pet behaviour students may quietly sit in on the session, either in person or through an online video link, such as Zoom.

Safety for you and your pet: Please note that if the following precautions are not followed, we reserve the right to not enter the premises/leave the meeting place and either cancel the appointment and retain the fees for the consultation or change the appointment to an online consultation.

• Please shut your pets in another room prior to our arrival for our own personal safety. Once we are settled, at your behaviourist’s instruction you can bring your dog in on the lead (and potentially muzzled if advised).
• Any information regarding the pet’s health and/or existing medical conditions/treatment must be disclosed prior to any consultation, or training, or supply of equipment. Where relevant any health issues regarding you, the handler, should also be disclosed to avoid injury and other issues pertaining to the services/equipment supplied.
• Any information regarding behaviour issues in relation to your pet MUST be freely disclosed for example, fear, aggression, pet’s previous behaviour history etc. Failure to do so could cause serious harm to your pet, you the owner, your behaviourist, or other members of the public.
• If your pet is showing signs of ill health (such as vomiting, diarrhoea, coughing), or if you have a bitch in season, please advise your behaviourist as soon as possible in order to rearrange your appointment. This also applies to post-operative recovery periods. Your cancellation clause arrangement will, of course, apply in this case.
• All pets must be free from disease and up-to-date with worming, flea and tick treatment prior to consultation.
• Children, friends, and family members are welcome to attend consultations—this is at your own discretion. All involved must also comply with the Health and Safety recommendations advised herein and take proper, reasonable care during and after the consultation. We accept no liability for the health and safety of those you choose to involve.
• Children must always be supervised when around animals, and you should take proper care to ensure that they do NOT attempt to replicate any training or behavioural modification recommendations on your pet without proper, adult supervision. This applies in all cases, even if the children have been actively involved with behavioural consultations or training sessions with Second Nature Behaviour.
• It is your responsibility to ensure that your pet does not harm in the future. You may wish to consider taking out third-party insurance for your pet.
• Second Nature Behaviour does not endorse the use of physical punitive correction. For more information, please see our Animal Welfare Policy at www.secondnature.bio/animal-welfare-policy.pdf .
• In emergency situations for your animal, please call your normal vet practice straightaway.

How to get the best results:
It is important for you to follow the behaviour modification plan (BMP) and all of our advice if any improvement is to be seen. However, the BMP is not always successful, and success cannot be measured by results. The BMP may be modified as the animal’s behaviour develops. Each animal is different, and it may take a long time, depending upon the individual needs of the animal and your own circumstances. Behaviour problems are usually complex and can be hard to eliminate completely. Your animal may need additional ongoing support. Therefore, whilst we will do our very best to assess the animal’s behaviour and make recommendations, success is not guaranteed, and we cannot be held responsible if the animal’s behaviour does not improve or change.

Cost and payment terms:

All fees quoted include VAT.

Follow-up appointments:  Follow-up appointments are £240 per session and these will be invoiced and payment taken in advance upon booking the appointment. You can book a bundle of follow-ups in advance, but they should be scheduled within a maximum of eight weeks of each other unless explicitly agreed otherwise beforehand to allow continuity of the behaviour plan. You can later subscribe to 6 months’ additional email/text support at £45/month.

Paying via direct claim from your pet insurer:  We accept direct claims from select pet insurers as listed on our website here: www.secondnature.bio/accepted-insurers-for-direct-claims.pdf

Please provide us with your pet insurance certificate and policy details, including the insurer, policy number, when you first took out the policy and any excesses payable by you. In order to book an appointment, you need to pay the excess deposit and authorise us to securely store your debit/credit card details on file.

By making the booking and paying the deposit, you authorise Second Nature Behaviour to raise a claim with your pet insurer on your behalf for the above-agreed services and you grant your pet insurer permission to discuss this insurance claim with Second Nature Behaviour staff in full. Some insurers only process claims via pet owner online accounts, so in such circumstances, you need to raise a claim with your insurer, requesting them to pay Second Nature Behaviour directly and ensure we have received confirmation of this claim at least five working days prior to the appointment. Failure to do this may result in the consultation being cancelled. We are not responsible for helping to process claims involving third parties, such as psychoactive medication prescribed by your veterinary surgeon.

You are responsible for understanding the limits of your policy. If, for whatever reason, we do not receive the full payment from your insurer within 4 weeks after the appointment, then we will invoice you and take payment for the remaining balance from your card details within 5 working days.

Paying in instalments:  There is an option to pay for your initial consultation in instalments via ClearPay or Klarna, which you can request upon booking. Note that your terms of payment agreement is with this third party and so any questions should be directed to them.

Travel costs:  There may be additional travel costs, which will be added to the invoiced fees.  Travel costs are calculated using the fastest route suggested by Google Maps (maps.google.com) between your post code and one of our office hubs’ post codes (B30 1NP, ST11 9RB, TF10 9DX or CV1 2NT), whichever is nearest.  If you are outside our normal travel zone (up to 20 miles from one of our office hubs), then £2 is charged per mile return journey in addition to our normal service fees. Mileage calculations are rounded up to the nearest mile.  The travel costs will be added to your invoice, payable in advance of the session.

Other costs:  You may need to incur expenses which are related to your pet’s behaviour treatment plan, but not due to Second Nature Behaviour Ltd, such as to your vet or other animal care professionals, or in terms of equipment that may be helpful, such as leads or harnesses.  Second Nature Behaviour Ltd does not receive any benefits or commission by recommending particular equipment or professionals providing related services.

Refunds and cancellations:  
Regrettably, we only provide refunds in exceptional circumstances, which unfortunately excludes an animal no longer being in your possession or having passed away.  The full fees are required even if you choose not to go ahead with all aspects of the service or disagree with our advice.  Follow-up session cancellations with less than 7 days to the appointment will result in the retention of the full fee for the follow-up session.  Follow-up sessions can be rescheduled a maximum of two times.