Appointments

Here at the Cancer Center, we have several types of appointments. The type of appointment available to you will depend on what it is your pet needs. We have established these types of appointments in order to provide the best care to all of the patients coming to see us. 

We understand that people have different scheduling needs, and we do our best to be accommodating in these situations. Unfortunately, we are not able to adjust to every need. However, we will work with you in finding a viable option that works for both of us. Please be sure to share your concerns with us in regards to scheduling if they arise.

What to expect with each type of appointment

Details about why and how each appointment is set up

Drop-off appointments are the most common type of appointment that we offer here at the Cancer Center. This type of appointment allows us to have the day with your pet so we have an adequate amount of time to complete any care that your pet may need. 

  • Drop off is at 7:45 am and you will schedule your pick up time before leaving.
  • Please arrive in the 30-minute window of time (7:45 am to 8:15 am) allotted for drop-offs.
  • If possible, we ask that you bring a recheck form already filled out from home. If you forget, we have forms available for you to fill out here.
  • We will schedule a time for you to return and pick up your pet, typically between 4 and 6 pm. Some days may be later depending on the number of patients in a day.
  • Pick-up times are scheduled on a first come, first serve basis. It is the time set aside for you to meet with your doctor or staff member about the day’s appointment.
  • Arrivals between 8:30 to 9:15 will have to wait until after patient rounds are completed before we will retrieve your pet from the lobby.
  • If you have been pre-approved for a different drop-off time, please arrival within a 10 minute window of that time.
  • Food, water, and walks/litter boxes are offered (when appropriate) to all pets.
    • We have several different types of kennels for our dog patients– including typical ‘cages’, ex-pens, and open spaces in our treatment area– to accommodate their varying needs.
    • We house our kitty visitors in our main treatment room where the noise and activity level is kept to a minimum.
    • We have an assortment of bedding options to give each patient a comfortable place to rest while they are here.
    • Pets will be offered water and possibly food, depending on what they are having done.
    • After doctor approval, they will be given any medications they are due for during the day.
    • Pets are given the option to eliminate (walks for the dogs and litter boxes for the cats).
    • While not every pet will make use of the amenities, we do still offer them to all our patients.
  • Your pet’s treatments and/or procedures will be done throughout the day.
    • Typically, the plan and cost has been discussed prior to the appointment.
    • If there are any changes to your pet’s plan or a plan has not been discussed, a doctor or staff member will call you to discuss and approve them.
    • You can also request a call from a staff member after the doctor has looked at your pet in the morning with the finalized plan for the day.
  • We will call with any questions, concerns, changes to the plan, or if you request one.
    • If there are any questions or concerns that need to be addressed during the day, we will be sure to contact you.
    • If nothing arises, discussions regarding your visit will happen at your scheduled pick up time. 
  • You may call at any time to check in on your pet. We are happy to give updates!
    • We understand that you may worry about your pet while they are here. While we may not need to contact you, you can feel free to call and check in at any time throughout the day. Our staff is more than happy to let you know how your pet’s day is going.

Drop-off new appointments are scheduled when certain procedures, such as ultrasounds, are recommended or to see a pet who is not doing well. You may also have been offered a drop-off if your schedule didn’t allow you to make an in-room appointment with the doctor.

Below is some information specific to new drop-off appointments:

  • A staff member will call you with the recommended plan.
    • Patient rounds start at 8:30 am; this is where each patient is discussed so the entire team is aware of the plan for the day.
    • After rounds, the doctor performs a physical exams and reviews records for all patients.
    • Once these are complete, the doctor will let the staff know what is recommended for your pet and someone will call you to go over the plan and get your approval.
    • This will happen late morning but times can vary based on the patients in the hospital.
  • A pick-up time will be scheduled before you leave in the morning.
    • This will be your time to meet with the doctor and discuss your pet.
    • They typically start at 4:00 pm. Times are filled on a first come, first serve basis. You will be able to choose from the times still available when you arrive.
    • If you are running late to your pick-up, just let us know. We will do our best to get you out in-between the other pick-up appointments, but know that there may be a little bit of a wait.
  • Please follow any specific directions given to you when you scheduled the appointment.
    • This includes things like fasting (withholding food) or bringing in records/samples.
    • Depending on what is needed, your appointment may need to be rescheduled if pre-appointment instructions are not followed.
    • If you are unsure or unclear about what you need to do, just give us a call and ask.

Please refer to the accompanying Drop-off Appointment Guide for other general information about drop-off appointments here at the Cancer Center.

If your pet is going to be receiving treatment with us, these appointments will be scheduled as a morning drop-off. The general guidelines for a drop-off appointment still apply. Below you will find further information about this type of appointment. Your pet’s safety is our utmost concern here at the Cancer Center. With this in mind, we have set up a specific process for all pets receiving therapy here.

  • Your pet’s treatments and/or procedures will be done throughout the day.
    • Most treatments require blood work, x-rays, and/or an ultrasound prior to approval.
    • Diagnostics are crucial in making sure that your pet can tolerate therapy and that the chosen therapy is working appropriately.
  • Please do not feed your pet the morning of your appointment.
    • This will give us the most accurate results.
    • Bring your pet’s food and any medications they need with you and we will give them once all the necessary diagnostics are complete.
    • If your pet has a medical need to eat at certain times, please discuss this with your doctor and arrangements can be made to allow for diagnostics, while still meeting your pet’s medical needs.
  • Your pet’s treatment is based on the doctor’s finding that day.
    • Your pet will have a full physical exam done by the oncologist at each visit.
    • During this time, they will also read the recheck form and review diagnostics.
  • The dose of therapy for your pet is triple checked to ensure accuracy and safety.
    • Before any patient receives therapy, the dose goes through a triple check process.
      • The doctor writes out the dose based on exam, blood work, and response.
      • The treatment nurse then checks the dose the doctor wrote and sets up the therapy for administration.
      • Prior to giving, the treatment assistant triple checks that the medication, dose, and amount of drug are correct for the patient.
    • This is done for each patient receiving treatment at our facility.
  • Individual treatments generally take less than 30 minutes.
    • In order for us to be available to the greatest number of patients, without sacrificing quality of care and safety, we have set up the drop-off schedule for treatments.
    • It also allows us to take more time with each pet, ensuring that they get extra love and attention so the process of coming to our clinic can be as low stress as possible, if not even enjoyable.
  • We will call with any questions, concerns, changes to the plan, or if you request one.
    • If there are any questions or concerns that need to be addressed during the day, we will be sure to contact you.
    • If nothing arises, discussions regarding your visit will happen at your scheduled pick up time.

We have a limited number of wellness recheck appointments available each day in the early afternoon. These are for pets that are doing well and only in need of a physical exam and blood work. Appointments for pets that are not doing well, that need additional diagnostics, or if you want an extended amount of time to speak in person with your doctor, will have to be scheduled as drop-offs.

Occasionally, our afternoon appointments fill up and we may ask you to schedule a morning drop-off appointment. We do apologize if this happens, but, unfortunately, we sometimes have several patients that must seen in a day. We do our best to accommodate all of our patient’s needs. Of course, if your schedule does not allow you to make an afternoon appointment, we are always happy to see your pet as a drop-off, even if it is just for a physical exam.

  • Rechecks are available for pets needing only exams and blood work.
    • These appointments typically take 30-45 minutes
    • They are available in the early afternoon.
    • While you wait, the staff will measure your pet’s vitals, the doctor will perform an exam, and blood work (if needed) will be run.
    • You will go home with a brief update and either the doctor or a staff member will discharge you.
  • No other diagnostics are available during this time.
    • Due to the need for a certain number of staff for other procedures and the time these procedures take, we cannot offer other diagnostics at this time.
    • Any appointment requiring additional diagnostics will have to be as a drop-off.
    • Rarely, due to extenuating circumstances, the doctor will have you schedule other brief diagnostics to be done during a recheck appointment.
      • This is done only on a case-by-case basis with approval by the doctor.
      • The doctor will need to approve each similar appointment made for that pet.
  • Depending on availability, we may have to schedule these appointments as a drop-off.
    • Unfortunately, we only have a limited number of slots for recheck appointments
    • If there are no available appointments on the day you request, you will either be offered a drop-off appointment for that day or given the option to switch to a different day (if appropriate).
  • If your schedule doesn’t allow, we are happy to see your pet as a drop-off.
    • We are happy to see any type of appointment as a drop-off.
    • If the available times don’t work for you, just let us know and we can schedule for drop-off on the day you request.

Ultrasound appointments are scheduled as drop-off appointments due to the time needed to perform the procedure. Please be sure to follow any instructions you are given to prepare for the appointment. General guidelines for Drop-off Appointments still apply. Below is some specific information about ultrasound appointments.

  • Ultrasound appointments actually start the night before the appointment.
    • For almost every ultrasound, your pet will need to be fasted.
      • Unless you are directed otherwise, remove all sources of food, do not give treats, and do not allow your pet to eat anything (including grass and plants) after 9pm the night  before the appointment.
      • It is ok to leave access to water until you bring them to the appointment in the morning.
    • Please bring breakfast and any medications given by mouth with you.
      • Food will be offered after all diagnostics are complete
      • Medications will be given either first thing in the morning (at the doctor’s discretion) or after diagnostics are complete.
  • A good fast is crucial to being able to get a good look inside your pet with ultrasound.
    • Ultrasound requires soft tissue or liquid in order to bounce back the waves it uses to create an image.
    • If something is too dense (like bone) or too thin (like air) the ultrasound waves are lost and we are left with a blank area we cannot see through.
    • When your pet eats, small amounts of air are ingested. The bacteria in the gut will also create gases as a normal part of the digestive process.
    • Sometimes, even with a good fast, there may be too much air present.
      • If this occurs, we will advise you to fast for a longer period of time.
      • If you pet is nervous, we may send home addition medications to give the night before and/or the morning of to help decrease anxiety and the amount of air that is swallowed into the GI tract.
  • Your pet’s ultrasound will be done at some point during the day.
    • Ultrasounds (and other diagnostics) are done as time allows during the day.
    • Sometimes your pet will need to be scanned more than once in order to see everything.
    • If your doctor recommends additional procedures after the ultrasound, we will be in contact with you and will do them as time allows.

Importance of the Drop-off Form

We understand the hassle of filling out forms. With that in mind, we have created a recheck form that is quick and easy to fill out, but that still ensures the safety and comprehensive care of your pet by containing all the information pertinent to our doctors. With each visit to our hospital, we require a recheck form to be filled out. Just like your doctor takes a history and checks what medications you are on, the recheck form allows us to do that for all our patients.

Our recheck form allows the following information to be easily delivered to your doctor:

  • What your pet is eating and when they last ate (important for certain procedures).
  • Their general health status since their last visit with us.
  • If they have been ill, and, if so, for how long and how often.
  • Current medications (including supplements) from all doctors providing care, including:
    • Current dose
    • When it was last given
    • If any refills are needed
  • If there are any changes to your pet’s health or if you have specific concerns that you want the doctor to address.
  • Contact information for you if we have any questions or concerns about your pet during their stay with us.

In order to minimize confusion and missed messages, we discourage you from telling the morning staff about changes or minor concerns with your pet. It is not because the staff does not care about your pet, but instead they are concerned about not getting all the detailed information to the doctors. The recheck form makes sure that all the information gets to the doctor without delay or confusion. If your pet has any immediate concerns, please don’t hesitate to inform the staff so appropriate action can be taken. Just be sure to note anything of concern on the recheck form that you leave with us.

Having a complete and accurate medication list is very important, especially when there are multiple doctors involved. Some medications and supplements interact with each other in dangerous (even fatal) ways. Providing us with a current medication list helps to ensure the safety of your pet by allowing us to avoid medication complications.

For your convenience, we keep pre-printed recheck forms at the front desk. Feel free to take several home with you to fill out ahead of time. You can also access the form on our website or we can email you a copy if you would like. Just ask the staff!

New Patient Form
Recheck Form