What to Expect When You Come In

Before coming in it is always good to call if you feel you have time to do so. This will allow us to ask important questions that will help us be better prepared for your arrival.

After you arrive, it is important that our staff gathers as much information as possible about the nature of your pet’s emergency. Generally, an Animal Health Technician or a Veterinary Assistant will meet you at the front desk to ask you a few questions and assess your pet’s condition to determine if the case is immediately life threatening.

We always strive to see each case as quickly as possible, however our triage process is intended to ensure we see the most urgent cases during times when multiple patients arrive at our facility. This means that if your pet’s condition is not critical, you may have to wait awhile longer for service, which is no different than how you would be treated at a human hospital’s ER. Simply stated, a pet needing CPR should be seen before a pet with a minor incision or torn nail.

After triage, a member of our support staff may notify you that he or she needs to be seen right away. We will also ask you some important questions and discuss any additional information we believe is necessary to properly treat your pet.

Once we have evaluated your pet’s condition, we will provide treatment recommendations, answer any questions you may have, and give you a written estimate (treatment plan) of what it will cost to treat your pet. In order to facilitate this part of the process we accept a wide range of payment options.

cat and coffee

Pet Updates and Visiting

We are happy to provide you updates by phone, text or email. We prefer there is one contact person but if there is a second individual please ensure our client care team is made aware of that. If you are calling in for updates you will likely speak to the nurse that has been assigned to your pet. Please note that our shift changes are at 9am, 5pm and 1am which is typically a very busy time as all staff members are informed of the status of each patient and all treatments they are receiving. If you call within an hour either way of these times, our medical staff may be unable to provide an update.

We understand your desire to be able to spend time with your pet while they are in the hospital. We will make every effort to allow you to do so, however, depending on the number of cases we have in hospital, it is not always possible. Keep in mind that while your pet may enjoy a visit, they are often more anxious once you leave.

Any visits immediately after surgeries are discouraged. Clients are not permitted to stay ‘overnight’ in our hospital and all visits should be kept to 30 minutes or less. Visitation of infectious animals will be handled on a case by case basis.

cat receiving veterinary care

Our Fees

While we do everything within our power to keep our fees and charges as affordable as possible, it is important for us to charge an emergency fee together with a consultation fee in order to maintain our high level of care. After an initial evaluation of your pet’s condition we will provide you with a written estimate of the costs and then we require a fifty (50) percent deposit upon admission. The balance is due at the time of discharge.

We do understand that these are unplanned costs for your family.  We will do all that we can to minimize the cost of care. We also accept a range of payment options, which include cash, Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Interac.  We have a close working relationship with the various pet insurance companies. Alternatively, we can provide you information for external payment plan options. 

If you have any financial concerns, please do not hesitate to discuss them with the veterinarian on duty or any other staff member in advance of care.