A surgery slot held by a deposit, not by a promise.
An orthopaedic morning that goes empty costs more than a no-show: it costs the surgeon's time, the theatre, and the client you turned away. A deposit taken when the plan is signed makes the booking real, and makes the conversation about it happen once, in writing.
What actually goes wrong
Big-ticket surgery is where the gap between "yes" and "booked" is widest. The owner needs to talk to a partner, check the insurance, look at the month ahead. All reasonable, and all things that happen away from your counter.
Meanwhile you are holding a theatre slot on a verbal agreement. If it falls through on the Friday, filling it by Monday is close to impossible.
A written plan with a deposit does three things at once: it proves what was agreed, it gets the decision made while the recommendation is still fresh, and it puts a real cost on cancelling at the last minute. The cost you choose to set, in your own words.
What the owner sees on their phone.
Sample TPLO plan, 32 kg dog. Example figures, not our prices.
| Line | Status | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-surgical exam and bloodwork | Included | $180.00 |
| TPLO procedure, implants included | Included | $3,400.00 |
| Anaesthesia and monitoring | Included | $420.00 |
| Hospitalisation, one night | Included | $260.00 |
| Pain management pack, 10 days | Included | $130.00 |
| Post-operative radiographs at 8 weeks | Recommended | $210.00 |
| Rehabilitation, first four sessions | Optional | $340.00 |
| Second-limb screening at the recheck | Optional | $120.00 |
- Included
- $4,390.00
- Approved total, options ticked
- $4,600.00
- Deposit at signature, 25%
- $1,150.00
At 25%, the deposit on the included lines alone is over $1,000. A number worth writing carefully. Say what it covers, when it is deducted, and what happens if the surgery is cancelled. The plan shows your words to the owner before they sign.
Say it once, the same way, every time.
Copy these lines into your practice manual and change the names. The point is not the wording. It is that everyone at the counter says the same thing.
How to present it at the front desk
The surgeon has already explained the medicine. Your five lines are about the decision and the date.
- 1
"I am emailing the full plan for Bella's TPLO. Every line, with the total at the bottom."
- 2
"Two things are optional: rehab sessions and screening the other knee. You can tick or untick them and the total updates."
- 3
"When you sign, we take 25% to hold the theatre morning. It comes off the final invoice."
- 4
"If you have insurance, the signed plan is the document they will ask for. It arrives as a PDF in your email."
- 5
"The plan stays valid for 21 days. After that the prices may have moved and we would send you a fresh one."
Questions clinics ask.
Is a deposit legal for veterinary surgery?
Clinics take deposits routinely; the terms are yours to set and yours to publish. VetApprove shows your deposit terms on the plan before the owner signs and records that they saw them. We are not lawyers. If you want the wording checked, have your counsel read it once and then reuse it.
What if the owner's insurance pays directly?
The signed plan is a clean document to send an insurer: itemised, dated, signed. The deposit is still taken from the owner unless you choose not to charge one on that template.
Can I take a fixed deposit instead of a percentage?
Yes. Per template you choose no deposit, a percentage, or a fixed amount. For example $500 on any procedure over $2,000.
What happens if we have to cancel for a clinical reason?
You refund through Stripe as you would any payment; the money is in your account, so nothing has to route through us. VetApprove records the plan and the payment, not the refund decision.
Other situations
Ten clinics. Then we close the door for a while.
We are onboarding the first cohort by hand, one clinic at a time, to get the templates right for your species and procedures. Tell us where you are and we'll send the payment link and a 15-minute slot.