Your Pet's Exam
Comprehensive Exam (60 minutes; recommended for all new patients):
-
A conventional physical examination
-
A Traditional Chinese Medicine exam
-
A therapeutic nutritional consultation
-
Review of previous lab results
-
Recommendations for herbal therapies and nutritional supplements
Complete Exam (30 minutes):
-
A complete physical examination and general nutritional consultation, geared toward overall wellness or a specific health concern
The doctor may recommend additional diagnostics and treatments, such as:
-
Vaccine titer testing
-
Food allergy testing
-
In-depth bloodwork
-
Diagnostic imaging such as x-ray or ultrasound
-
Acupuncture
-
Laser Therapy
Annual Examination
An annual exam is the doctor's opportunity to evaluate your pet's entire body in a way that is simply not possible for even the most loving pet parent to replicate in a home environment. From listening to each heart chamber as they fill and empty, to palpating lymph nodes and thyroid, or analyzing stance and gait -- simply applying a trained eye to the combinations of subtle changes that may signify disease -- the doctor has an opportunity to synthesize the expert information you provide with their years of training and experience.
By law, veterinarians are required to physically examine each pet at least once per year in order to maintain a legal relationship. If we have not seen your pet within the last year, we cannot recommend treatments, prescribe medication, interpret diagnostics, or offer any other services.
If you have questions for a doctor and your pet is a patient current on their exam, a telemedicine consultation by phone or email may be offered. Fees will typically be the same as the equivalent amount of time face-to-face with the doctor.
Urgent Care and Drop-Off Appointments
We hope that your pet is never sick or injured, but when life happens we want you to know the best thing to do. On most days, we save 1-2 appointment times for established patients to see the doctor if it sounds like something is going on that shouldn't wait. When there are no more doctor appointments available, we will either recommend a dedicated urgent care facility, or sometimes offer the option to drop off your pet to be seen in between existing appointments and procedures.
A drop-off appointment differs from our typical exams in that you will not stay at the clinic for the duration of treatment or have an in-person consultation with the doctor. Instead, the doctor will evaluate and treat your pet in between existing appointments as needed, then you will come back to pick up when everything is done. We typically provide an estimate of expected fees for goods and services before you leave your pet here at the clinic, and communicate with you throughout the day about treatments that we want to provide.
These determinations are always made on a case-by-case basis, and our staff is experienced in identifying signs of distress and recommending appropriate treatment timelines and facilities if it is not something we can address here right away. Please rest assured that we work closely with emergency and referral hospitals to ensure that our patients can always get the care that they need, even if it is not always with us. We understand that emergencies are by nature unplanned, so communication is key. The sooner you reach out to us, the more options we will be able to offer you. Requests received late in the day or week or very close to a holiday are more likely to be referred to emergency facilities once our capacity has been exhausted.
