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| Frequently Asked Questions |
| Can I visit my pet when (s)he is under your care? We understand that it can be stressful for a pet and the family during the pet’s hospitalization. A family visit can often improve the pet’s recovery and give both family and pet peace of mind. We encourage visits during a pet’s stay with us. Rarely, we will recommend total rest for one of our patients if movement or increased activity will negatively impact recovery. Therefore, we encourage short visitation periods. Visiting hours are flexible and depend upon the individual patient’s needs and hospital caseload. We also request that owners call prior to visiting a patient. What do I need to know about caring for my pet when we go home? Post hospitalization care varies from case to case. Every pet goes home with a discharge form which describes in detail what condition was being treated, what medical or surgical treatment occurred during the pet’s stay, what medications, if any, are being dispensed as well as the dosages, if there are any special dietary recommendations, when the patient needs to be seen by the family veterinarian and any other special instructions that the doctor may want to emphasize. An experienced and knowledgeable team member will take the time to go over the instructions and answer any questions before the pet goes home. If there are any questions after the patient is at home, please call and talk with one of our team members. We are available 24 hours a day. What are the payment policies? Our payment policies may vary from your family veterinarian. Although we all work together for the same goal, our hospital and your family veterinarian are actually two separate hospitals with our own set of policies. Click here to learn more about our payment policies. What kinds of situations qualify as an emergency for my pet? Anytime you are concerned about your pet’s health when your family veterinarian is not available becomes a possible emergency situation. You can call us any time to talk to an experienced team member and we will be able to advise you. Click here to learn more about “What is an emergency?” How do you communicate with me when my pet is under your care? After leaving your pet in our care, we call and give updates whenever there is a change in your pet’s status or information we want to convey. We usually talk with you at least once or twice a day. Of course, always feel free to call us at (360) 697-7771 and ask for an update anytime. Due to privacy concerns and time constraints that occur in a busy hospital, we have found it best to designate one person in the family which will be the family spokesperson. This is the person we will call with updates and the person who we will expect to call us for updates. How do you communicate with my family veterinarian? If we need additional medical information after the initial exam, we will call your family veterinarian for a consultation. We FAX or email an update every morning and we call at least once a day to give a progress report. Often, your family veterinarian will call us and talk to the doctor at AETC during the hospitalization period. We pride ourselves on having close ties to our local family veterinarians. AETC has been open since 1993 and we know most of the local doctors personally. Can Animal Emergency and Trauma Center be my regular veterinarian? AETC has been open since 1993 and our expertise centers around emergency and critical care. We are an extension of your family veterinarian, not a replacement. At AETC we do not do general practice medicine or surgery such as spays, neuters, vaccines and non-emergency illnesses or injuries. Often we get referrals from your family veterinarian because we are staffed 24 hours and can give round the clock care. We take cases that are beyond the scope of your family veterinarian or when your family veterinarian’s office is closed. Why does my pet need to be shaved for surgery or to place an IV catheter? In order to perform a successful sterile procedure, it is necessary for us to shave hair. We shave as minimally as possible and the amount shaved will vary depending on the surgery or procedure. For most procedures, we will shave an area for an IV catheter, areas for monitoring equipment, and areas for surgical incisions. |
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