Question 1

What do I do if there is an emergency with my pet?

Accepted Answer

For small animal emergencies - Monday through Friday between the hours of 8 am - 5pm call our office at 607-746-2230 (we recommend calling at 7:30AM for immediate assistance) and we will do our best to get you in. We do not guarantee availability during business hours, and might refer you to an urgent or emergency facility. We are not a 24-hour care facility and may refer the critical patient to an overnight emergency center as we do not  have staff overnight. If there is an after hours emergency between the hours of 5 pm - 8 am we recommend the following emergency clinics:
Upstate Veterinary Specialties in Latham, NY - (518) 763-3198
Emergency and Critical Care Service at the Cornell University Hospital for Animals in Ithaca, NY - Call: (607)-253-3060
Animal Emergency Clinic of the Hudson Valley in Kingston, NY - Call: (845) 336-0713
Catskill Veterinary Services (not fully 24/7 but extended late evening/weekend hours) in Rock Hill, NY - Call: (845) 796-5919
Valley Veterinary Associates in Unadilla, NY  - Call: (607) 563-1345

For large animal emergencies - We are on call to provide emergency assistance to large animal clients with an established, current "Veterinary Client Patient Relationship" (VCPR) - see below for what a VCPR is. Please call the office number at (607)-746-2230 between 7:30AM-5:00PM to connect with our office, and after 5:00PM to reach our answering service. For equine patients, we may refer surgical cases to the following emergency clinics:
Cornell University Emergency and Critical Care Service in Ithaca, NY Call: (607) 253-3100
Rhinebeck Equine in Rhinebeck, NY - Call: (845) 876-7085
Leatherstocking Veterinary Services - New Berlin, NY - Call: (607) 847-9990
Rood and Riddle Equine in Saratoga, NY - Call: (518) 583-7273

Question 2

Can my veterinarian fill my online prescription?

Accepted Answer

For clients who wish to use an online pharmacy, we recommend our online pharmacy which can be found here. For third-party pharmacies (such as Chewy, 1-800 Pet Meds, etc.), clients must request a written prescription, which can be picked up in the office. Written prescription request may take up to 5 business days to process; clients will be alerted via text message when their prescription is available for pick up. Written prescriptions are unable to be mailed, and must be collected in the office.

Where possible, written prescriptions will be filled with enough refills to get your pet to their next annual exam.

Question 3

Why do I need to pick up a written prescription for a third party pharmacy?

Accepted Answer

We respect your right to get your pet's medication at the third party pharmacy of your choice. There are two reasons why we have clients come in to the office to get a written prescription.

The first is due to the high number of requests by third-party pharmacies that consume a large amount of our staff's time. When we receive an electronic prescription from a third party pharmacy, we must: 
Ensure this is an actual patient we've seen before
Confirm they have an active veterinarian-patient-client relationship with them in order to legally prescribe or refill (this means an exam once a year)
The client is asking for the right medication
The patient doesn't have any outstanding requirements for refills (monitoring labwork or rechecks to see how treatment is progressing)
The client is asking for the correct dosage and a quantity that doesn't exceed the amount we can give them
The client isn't asking for more in a time-frame that suggests they're using it incorrectly
We haven't made any adjustments to the dosage since it was last prescribed (in which case the medication dose or its instructions on the prescription may be incorrect and need changing)

The second reason is because we cannot guarantee that the medication you are getting from a third party pharmacy is actually the correct medication, or that it is stored and handled properly. We cannot mail, fax, e-mail or verbally approve prescriptions over the phone due to the potentially unethical values of certain pharmacies and liabilities. We respect your option to fill your pet’s medication at the pharmacy of your choice and accept that you are assuming the responsibility and liability for your choice, and for notifying us when you need a written prescription. An original, signed copy of the prescription can be picked up at the clinic. Please allow 3-5 business days for us to create the written prescription.

Question 4

What are your office hours?

Accepted Answer

Our office hours are: 8:00AM - 5:00PM, Monday through Friday. Please check our social media pages for up to date alerts on changes in hours for holidays, office meetings, etc.

Question 5

Can I get health insurance for my pet?

Accepted Answer

There are many options for pet insurance available for pet owners. We do not directly take pet insurance for payment. Payment is due at time of service and clients with pet insurance can then submit a claim with their insurance for reimbursement.  To figure out what pet insurance is right for you, we recommend using a company like Pawlicy Advisor to compare pet insurance plans.

Question 6

Do you offer telemedicine?

Accepted Answer

For clients with a current VCPR, we do offer telemedicine options where possible. If bloodwork or additional testing is required, you might need to come into the office.

We warn clients against using alternative telemedicine services where a veterinarian may be diagnosing or prescribing medication without having an established, in-person VCPR, as required by law.

Question 7

Do you offer payment plans?

Accepted Answer

We do not offer payment plans and payment is due at time of service. For clients who are having trouble with the cost of veterinary care, we recommend applying for Care Credit. You can apply for Care Credit online prior to your visit by clicking here.

Question 8

What is a veterinary client patient relationship (VCPR) and why is it required to prescribe or distribute medications to a patient?

Accepted Answer

A veterinary-client-patient-relationship (VCPR) is a formal relationship between an animal owner or producer and a veterinarian who serves as the primary contact for veterinary services needed by the animal owner or producer. By law, New York requires a yearly VCPR to diagnose or treat animals and to prescribe/dispense medications. If we have not seen the patient/been to the farm within a year we can legally not dispense/prescribe medications whether that be for an illness or yearly flea/tick medications.

Ideally, if this condition has been over 3 months since last treated the patient needs to be reevaluated prior to being treated.

We also require a annual VCPR to be done for any emergency services.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions