Examinations and patient assessments

There are very few medical problems that are simple and straightforward.  The solution to all medical problems starts with an evaluation. The first step in this evaluation process is an assessment of all the circumstances associated with the problem and an examination of the patient.  The physical examination provides us with information about your pet that is essential to providing you with an accurate diagnosis and effective treatment.

It is unethical and illegal to prescribe medications or to give medical advise for a patient that has not been examined and evaluated by a veterinarian. While we are happy to discuss very general health requirements for your pet, if you have a medical concern about your pet’s health, it is very essential that you schedule your pet to be evaluated by a veterinarian.

Appointments

Scheduled appointments are recommended. We do see patients on a walk-in basis, time permitting, but scheduled appointments or procedures will always be seen first. The exceptions to this are emergency cases.

While we make every effort to stay on schedule, and minimize your wait time, unforeseen circumstances such as emergencies, may contribute to getting behind schedule.

Emergencies

Emergencies are given priority.  If your pet has an emergency, please try to call ahead to allow us to prepare to assist your pet.

For some emergencies ( for example, ingestion of a poison) the care will be greatly facilitated by:

• Bringing information about what the patient has been exposed to; product packaging is often helpful
• When the exposure occurred
• There may be special instructions we can give for transport or treatment.

For emergency or concerns about your pet when our clinic is closed please call Animal Emergency Clinic of the Fraser Valley or Mainland Animal Emergency Clinic

Follow-up Appointments and Re-evaluations

Many medical disorders are not cured , but are managed. With time both the disease and the patient changes. In these cases, re-evaluation is required to monitor for requirements for changes in treatment.  These evaluations re-quire follow-up appointments. These appointments are not covered by the initial fee paid for the initial consultation. In some cases, follow-up appointments may be done by telephone.

Cancellations

We request clients advise us as soon as possible if a scheduled appointment cannot be kept. If an appointment is missed more than once, without advising us, further appointments cannot be made at our clinic.

Patient Etiquette

For the health and safety of all out patients, all pets brought into the clinic must be appropriately restrained at all times. Many patients visiting our clinic are ill and interaction with unfamiliar animals and people while waiting for their appointment may  increase their stress.

Pets cannot be allowed to wander in the clinic

Dogs MUST be on a leash and kept at their owners side. Cats must be in carriers.

We ask all clients to be considerate of other patients and clients.

Fees

For all major procedures we provide you with a treatment plan which includes estimated costs . While we make every attempt to provide an accurate cost estimate,  the nature of most medical problems cannot  always be fully assessed at the outset. It must be understood that treatment plan estimates are estimates, not quotations for services. We will always try to keep you updated on the need to change a treatment plan and  are happy to discuss our fees with you.

Payment

Payment is required at the completion of your pets visit. A deposit is required if your pet is hospitalized  for a diagnostic  procedure or treatment

We accept debit card, Mastercard, Visa or cash. We do not accept cheques

Alternative Therapies

If you are considering  therapies such as acupuncture or manual physical therapies, please schedule an appointment to evaluate your pets needs and options for treatment. If your pet has had previous care by another veterinarian for this condition, please ask your primary care veterinarian for a copy of your pets medical record of previous tests and treatments or authorize us to request them, including any tests or radiographs done. This will facilitate assessment and possibly prevent added costs of repeating procedures that have already been done.

Prescriptions

Prescription medications can only be dispensed under the order of a veterinarian  for a patient’s specific medical  condition. No prescription medications can be dispensed without the veterinarian having current knowledge of a patient’s medical condition.

Refilling prescriptions: all prescription refills must be approved by a veterinarian.

Please allow 24 hours to have your prescription to be refilled

Dentistry

Some removal of tartar can be done without the patient being anesthetized, however, we do not recommend or condone dentistry without anesthetic.  “Anesthetic free” dentistry is often promoted as being safer because it is implied that anesthetic is inherently unsafe. 

In extreme cases, such as advanced kidney, liver or heart disease, anesthetic procedures do have more significant risk. However, it is not possible to effectively and safely examine an animal’s mouth or clean a patient’s teeth without complete access to their mouth.  This can only be achieved with General anesthetic.   Without the ability to access all parts of the patient’s mouth to evaluate disease and effectively treat it, removal of dental tartar is entirely cosmetic. There is no reasonable argument that can be made for putting an animal through the process  of prolonged  restraint while have someone using sharp dental instruments in its mouth, to perform a treatment that has no medical benefit. In addition to this, there is no regulated training for non veterinary personnel to perform these procedures.  Therefore, these procedures are usually done by untrained or poorly trained personnel, on patients who are not provided with proper medications to allow them to be relaxed and pain free, and are  not effective in preventing or treating dental conditions other than cosmetic tartar removal. For an animal  to be physically restrained and have prolonged use of dental instruments in their mouth, is stressful.

The anesthetic medications and protocols we use are extremely safe. All patients are assessed thoroughly prior to general anesthetic using blood and urine test, radiographs and ultrasound if necessary ( cardiac assessment). During the anesthetic, patient monitoring includes continuous visual observation by a qualified, trained technician or veterinarian, temperature, respiratory, cardiac and blood pressure monitoring, patients are kept warm with warmed intravenous fluids and external body heating devices.

We minimize the risk of anesthetic to much lower than the risk of leaving dental disease untreated.

Vaccination Policy

Vaccines are given only after it has been determined that the patient does not have any conditions that would compromise their ability to respond normally to the vaccine or that would be made worse by being vaccinated.

We do not :

• Vaccinate a pet without a prior physical examination
• administer, injected vaccine products made by different companies or two separate vaccine types at the same time
• vaccinate pets that are ill
• vaccinate pets when they are undergoing a surgical or dental procedure

Pet Insurance

As with our own health care insurance, health insurance for our pets provides a safety net for emergencies. While health care insurance is something we hope we won’t need, it can be a life saver.

There are many companies offering various pet insurance products: a wide range of insurance policy types and coverage: some cover only accident coverage, some cover routine procedures. Premiums, deductibles and co-insurance are other variables.

The details of products offered are accessible on the websites of the insurance companies offering medical insurance products for pets.

We are happy to discuss the general principles of pet insurance.

Links to Pet insurance companies:

Telephone and Internet Advice

Telephone or internet advice is given only in appropriate situations when the patient has initially been assessed and examined. When ongoing care is required, situations may arise when further advice is required and can be assessed based on current knowledge of the patient and its medical circumstances.