Hiya, I board small furries (
www.vipiggies.co.uk) and I ask all customers to sign a declaration when they leave their pets with me. Amongst other things, the declaration states that they give me permission to seek emergency veterinary advice/treatment if I deem it necessary.
If I know that the owner is contactable, and I'm confident that they'll reply quickly, then I always ask them permission before taking their pet to the vet. If not, I will take the animal to the vets without contacting the owner first.
At my vets, I hold two accounts; one for personal use and one for business use. The only difference is that the business invoices are printed with V.I.Piggies on the top, which is vital for when I submit my insurance claim. Even though I have an excellent relationship with my vets (they often recommend my boarding services to their clients) I still have to pay all vet bills from my own pocket (there's no 'credit' account available), and then I claim this back from my PetPlan Sanctuary insurance.
In case there are any follow-up appointments needed whilst they're still with me, though, I always wait until the animal has gone home to make my claim.
However, this potentially leaves me vulnerable, as the insurance company might not pay out for some reason (this has only happened once so far), leaving me out of pocket.
So, to protect myself from this, if their pet has generated a vet bill whilst with me, I ask the owner to leave a cheque to the full value when they collect their pet which I store and do not bank. If the insurance pay out, then I send the unbanked cheque back to the owner. If the insurance
don't pay out, then I let the owner know (I send them a copy of the letter from the insurance company) and I bank their cheque.
So far, this system has worked for me. I have to say that PetPlan are brilliant, and the only time they've rejected a claim was when the rabbit in question was clearly suffering from a pre-existing dental problem (as declared by the owner on the booking form) which led to stasis whilst he was in my care.
Hope that helps!
Tracey