Office Policies
We are committed to providing optimal integrative veterinary medical care for your family. With the increasing trend of appointments being skipped with little notice, some policy changes have become necessary. We have tried to be compassionate and fair to our clients and staff with our revisions. Please discuss any questions with our staff or office manager before your appointment.
Leash & Carrier Policy - For the safety of all pets, clients and the hospital staff, we ask the following: All cats come into the building in a carrier; all dogs come into the building on a standard, flat 4ft - 6ft leash. We are no longer allowing retractable leashes or bungee (elastic) leashes in the building or parking lot. If you do not have a standard leash, we will provide you with one at no cost while you are here.
Office Visits, Appointments – Office visits are by appointment only. Every effort will be made to give you an appointment as soon as possible. If you have an urgent situation, we will do our best to see you as soon as possible during normal business hours. We also do our best to respond to any communication quickly, however our doctors each have days off during the work week so please allow up to 48 hours for a return call on non-emergency communications.
During your appointment, our doctors are committed to spending quality time learning your pet’s medical history while performing a thorough physical exam. New patients are scheduled for 60 minute visits, and follow-up visits for 30 minutes. Each doctor appointment is charged an exam fee plus any treatment fees for other services such as acupuncture or chiropractic. Please arrive for your appointments a few minutes early to ensure that you and other patients are seen in a timely manner.
Due to the increased same day cancelations and no shows, all 60 minute appointments are asked to prepay for the appointment time.
Cancellations and Missed Appointments Fees – If you need to cancel or reschedule your appointment, please give us the courtesy of at least 24 hour’s notice so another patient may have the opportunity to see the doctor. Many times this makes the difference between a patient going to an ER or coming to see us. If you are more than 10 minutes late for your scheduled appointment, your appointment may need to be rescheduled and this will count as a missed appointment.
“Missed appointment” is defined as failing to give us a minimum of 24 hours notice for your appointment time change. A missed appointment will be charged a fee. Every effort is made to fill missed appointment slots and charges will only be made if we are unable to fill this time. Accrued fees are invoiced and may be paid at your next appointment if it is within 30 days.
New patients missing their initial visit or established patients who accrue two missed appointments within 12 months, will be asked to prepay for visits for the next calendar year.
Pre-Appointment Medication – If your pet has been prescribed a medication to give before an appointment (including, but not limited to, Gabapentin and Trazadone) and that medication has not been given at the prescribed dose and time, you will be charged for the appointment and will need to reschedule. Pre-Appointment Medications are prescribed for the safety and wellbeing of both the patient and our staff.
Environment and conduct - Our staff is here to support our doctors and help our clients with question or concerns. We strive to create a healing environment for everyone and expect our staff to conduct themselves as professionals. We appreciate that a sick pet can cause emotional turmoil; however, at no time will we allow our staff to endure rude, offensive, or degrading behavior. If this becomes an issue, it is grounds for immediate dismissal from our practice.
Prescription and Refills – If a medication is prescribed at the time of your appointment, you will be given enough to get you through to your follow-up appointment. If refills are needed on existing medication, please give us 48 hours to get that filled, and we will notify you once your prescription is ready.
Fees and, Payments - All payments are due at the time of service. We accept cash, checks, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, Care Credit, and Scratchpay. There will be a charge for returned (bounced) checks.
After Hours Calls – If you call after hours, you will reach our answering machine and we will respond to you the next business day as quickly as possible. If you have an emergency, please go to the emergency hospitals listed below or call. More information is available on our voicemail and website.
- MedVet located at 9650 Mayflower Park Dr. Carmel, IN (317) 872-8387
- VCA Advanced Care located at 7712 Crosspoint Commons, Fisher, IN. (317) 578-4100