Our Pledge:  From the moment you walk through our door, you'll know we care.  Our friendly, knowledgeable staff will greet you on arrival and guide you through the brief check-in process.  Our spacious waiting room has a separate area for cats and their owners who may not wish to share space with any dogs whose appointment times coincide with their own.  Still, we'll try not to keep you waiting any longer than necessary!

Soon you'll be escorted to one of our spacious examination rooms, where an assistant will weigh your pet, scan its microchip, then take its temperature, heart rate and other information and ask you questions about medical history. 

The check-up will include a complete physical examination from nose to tail, with special focus on those areas you might not notice on your own - the teeth, ears, and heart, for example.  However, if there are any little lumps or bumps, recent changes in appetite or energy level, or other apparently minor things you've wondered about, this is a good time to ask the doctor about them.  No one is as familiar with your pet as you are, so you're the best person to notice subtle changes.  Then you and the doctor can decide if the problem warrants further attention.

Depending on his or her age and health status, we may wish to collect specimens such as blood or urine at this time.  Most dogs will receive a heartworm test every year or two.  Increasingly, we are also checking blood pressure on older pets and anyone with suspicious kidney function.  In most cases, these procedures are done in another room.  However, if you strongly prefer to be present, please say so.  We'll do our best to accomodate such requests.

We'll check to see which vaccinations are due, and update those at this time, if appropriate.

What You Can Do:

__Be on time.  We want to be thorough - this takes time!  To be fair to everyone, we need to stay on schedule.  If you're running more than a few minutes late, consider rescheduling for a less-hectic day.

__Have your pet on a leash, or in a carrier.  This is for the safety or you, your pet, and others!

__If you are transferring from another practice, please help us obtain pertinent medical records in advance.

__If this pet is new to you, please bring along any paperwork that came with it.  This can help us avoid duplicating tests, vaccinations, etc.  It might save you money and time!

__Make sure that the person bringing the pet in knows why we are seeing it.  Your pet can't tell us what's wrong - it's important that someone can!

__If your pet has special needs, or might bite -- PLEASE let us know.  We want to get off on the right foot!

__Understand that we must expect payment at time of service.  We love what we do, but it's still a business.  If costs are a severe concern, let us know up front and we'll keep you informed of every detail.