Clinic Policies

Appointment Policy 
We are an appointment-only clinic. This allows us to better schedule our day, which results in less wait time for you!  If the need arises, and your pet should need to be seen that day, calling ahead will allow us to schedule your pet utilizing the emergency appointments we have set aside when such occasions arise. *Emergency appointments due will incur an additional fee.

Triage
Emergency cases will be triaged upon arrival. Critical cases will be expedited, ahead of regularly scheduled appointments, to the medical team. Non-critical emergency appointments will be seen in chronological order.

Missed Appointments
At The Family Pet Clinic, your scheduled appointment time is reserved exclusively for you and your pet.  The Family Pet Clinic does not overbook appointment times. We believe optimal veterinary care can be provided only if we have enough time set aside to adequately examine and diagnose your pet, then discuss treatment options in detail with you.

We will make every effort to accommodate your scheduling needs.  In return, we ask that you help us by keeping your scheduled appointments, arriving on time, and notifying us, a minimum of 24 hours in advance, if you are unable to do so.  When The Family Pet Clinic receives advance notice of cancellations, we are able to avoid misspent employee time and, more importantly, we are able to accommodate other patients needing care.  Failure to comply with this policy will necessitate the assessment of the following fees:

• First missed appointment – One of our client care representatives will call to ensure you and your pet are okay, and to reschedule your appointment. You will be informed of incurring a missed appointment fee for future missed appointments.
• Second missed appointment – You will receive a phone call stating this is your second missed appointment and that you will be charged a Missed Appointment Fee of $31.00. An invoice will be mailed to you. This fee must be paid in order to reschedule your pet’s appointment.
• Third missed appointment – You will receive communications from our management team to discuss your account.

Late Arrivals

Appointments involving clients arriving 10 minutes late or more will be considered “Missed Appointments” and will need to be rescheduled.

Thank You for choosing The Family Pet Clinic!

We strive to provide the best care and treatment for your pet.  In order to offer such care and to maintain a well-equipped, properly staffed clinic, we would like to explain our financial policy.

All routine procedures must be paid in full at the time of services. This would include, but is not limited to, all exam fees, vaccinations, prescriptions, food, over the counter products, diagnostics including lab work and x-rays, and elective surgeries such as spays, neuters, declaws, dentals, etc.

For non-routine surgical, non-routine care and emergency care you will receive a treatment plan with a cost estimate before any of these services are performed.  However, a treatment plan and cost estimate are not an “exact” price and expenses could be more or less than quoted.  We understand unexpected surgeries and/or treatments and emergency care can be costly to pet owners. It is our policy to collect 50% of the estimated cost of procedure at the time you leave your pet with us.  The remaining balance is to be paid in full when you pick your pet up.  In the event your pet does not need to stay in the hospital, payment is due in full at that time.

Payment Options:

You can choose from:

              -Cash, Visa®, American Express®, Mastercard® or Discover Card®

              -Convenient Monthly Payment Options with:

CareCredit® Health Card

*Allows you to begin treatment today and pay over time

*Available for any treatment amount

*Can be used repeatedly- for your entire family- without having to reapply

*You can apply at www.carecredit.com prior to your visit OR you can apply in our office

Scratch Pay Loan

*Apply at scratchpay.com OR text “PLAN” to 1-213-296-0817

*No hard credit check

*Available to use immediately, if approved

*Select a payment plan that fits your budget

If for any reason you have a balance on your account and it exceeds 30 days, this account becomes delinquent and will be accessed a finance charge of 1.5%.

Collections accounts, declaration of bankruptcy, and repeated default on an account will terminate services with this clinic.

Non-emergency services/treatments will be done only after a delinquent account is paid in full.

As your pet’s care provider, it is our top priority to ensure your pet receives not only the right medication for their individual health needs, but medications that are produced and sold by reputable manufacturers and distributors. With the increasing popularity of online pet pharmacies and retailers, the veterinary industry has seen a rise in problems associated with the authenticity and efficacy of medications sold through non-accredited and/or certified veterinary pharmacies.

To help protect your pet from potential hazards, it is now our policy to only fill medications prescribed by our veterinarians through our hospital’s pharmacy. Filling your pet’s prescription through our pharmacy will ensure your pet is receiving safe, high-quality medications and your pet’s medical records stay up-to-date. In addition to being able to purchase your pet’s medications inside our clinic, we also offer a convenient online pharmacy that can be accessed via our website. Our online pharmacy offers the same benefits as the larger online retailers, such as competitive pricing, rebates, auto-ship, and more.

Benefits of Our Online Pharmacy

• Medical integrity & proper handling
• Manufacturer guarantee
• Vendor rebates (when applicable)
• Your pet’s medical records will reflect purchases, therefore maintaining up to date information
• Medications are made and shipped directly from our trusted and accredited manufacturers
• Supports your family veterinarian and their dedicated team members

If you’d like to continue to purchase from outside pharmacies, our new policy is to issue handwritten prescriptions that you can pick up and take anywhere you’d like. This allows us to keep accurate medical records and eliminate the amount of time it takes to manage the faxes, emails, and phone requests from outside pharmacies so we can focus on taking care of our patients and clients. Please allow 48-72 hours for your prescription to be approved and ready to pick up. Please check with your pharmacy on how they handle written prescriptions in advance so there won’t be any lapse in medications if they require you to mail them in.

Thank you for your understanding! Visit our online pharmacy here.

We are constantly striving to create a safe environment that will allow for the most enjoyable visit for you and your furry one!

Dogs:

We require that all dogs visiting our property, and entering our building, be kept on a STANDARD, NON-RETRACTABLE, 6 FOOT OR LESS, leash. No belts, yard leads or bulky chains please.

This is to ensure the safety of all clients, patients, and team members. Retractable leashes are prohibited because they can lead to unwanted interactions, behavioral issues and physical injury to people and pets. These injuries include cuts, burns, strangulation, and amputations, all which are highlighted in the retractable lead package inserts.

We will provide you with a leash if your pet arrives on one of the prohibited leashes listed above.

Cats:

We require that all cats visiting our property and entering our building be contained in a secure, clean, and easily accessible pet carrier. Please DO NOT carry your cat across the parking lot and into the building without them being contained in a proper carrier. Doing so puts your pet, other pets, clients, and team members at risk. The veterinary hospital can be a very stressful and overstimulating environment in which pets may react differently than normal.

If you should need a carrier for your appointment, we have cardboard carriers available for purchase.

We strive to provide the best care and treatment for your pet!

Please plan ahead when it comes to your pet’s medication needs. We require 24 to 48 hours to process your pet’s prescription refill request. This timeframe is required to give your veterinarian time to review your pet’s medical record, make sure no changes are needed for the prescription, and approve the refill. In addition, it also gives our team time to fill the prescription. You will receive a text message once your prescription is ready to be picked up. Once you receive the text, call our office to prepay for your pet’s medication, therefore allowing for a more efficient pick-up process.

For the safety of your pet, certain medications require blood testing and check ups at specific intervals in order for your pet to continue on the medication.

In compliance with Ohio Pharmacy Law, any prescription medicine that has left the building, regardless of whether or not it has been opened, is NON-RETURNABLE and NON-REFUNDABLE.

Requested/prescribed medications that are not picked up within 2 weeks of the date ordered will be subject to a $6.00 restocking fee.

For the safety of our team, your pet and other patients, we require proof of a current rabies vaccination when scheduling your pet for non-medical or elective type technician appointments. These services include, but are not limited to:

• Nail Trims
• Routine anal gland expression
• Application of topical heartworm/flea preventatives

Proof of your pet’s rabies vaccination can be provided via fax, email or printed copy of a rabies certificate or veterinary records. If your pet needs to obtain a rabies vaccine, we will schedule you with one of our veterinarians for an exam, the rabies vaccine and the elective service requested.

Ohio law requires cats and dogs to have a current rabies vaccine. The veterinarian must perform a physical exam prior to administering the vaccine.