Guidelines

The following guidelines are very important for the safety and efficiency of our clinics. We ask that you please review and follow them when you bring your pet to one of our clinics:

In order to be efficient:

When you arrive at our clinic, you will be asked to fill out a Clinic Health Form to provide us with information about you and your pet. Please write legibly as we maintain these records and need to be sure the correct information is entered in our system for reminders and contact information. We ask that you please try to include your email address and two phone numbers.

To avoid crowds at the checkout table, we ask that after you’ve filled out the paperwork and read these instructions, please hold onto your clipboard and remain in line. As quickly as possible one of our assistants will come and speak with you about your pet’s needs. When it is your turn to be seen, you will be called. Since we routinely number our charts, you will not lose your place in line so feel free to wander around the store and shop if you choose!

Your Time is Valuable:

Well Pets utilizes “sign-up” sheets” at each clinic. Their purpose is to help us gauge how busy a clinic may be and plan accordingly. It also provides us the opportunity to give clients a reminder call prior to the clinic. Very rarely, a clinic may be so busy that we cannot see everyone who comes with their pets. In this case, preference will be given to those who sign up. Despite our best intentions and the clear statements on our literature, clients sometimes believe or are mistakenly told they have appointments.

Given how challenging it is to predict how crowded a clinic may be, it is impossible to guarantee we can see anyone at a prescheduled time; therefore, we operate on a first come – first served basis. To avoid wait times exceeding 45 minutes, our clients may choose to fill out their paperwork, give us a contact phone number, leave the store, and we will call 10-15 minutes prior to the time they would be seen.

To Prevent Injuries:

Please remember that during our clinics, pets may be near unfamiliar pets and people. Please be careful to ask permission before allowing your pets or children to interact with other people’s pets. If your pet is “extremely enthusiastic or vocal”, please position yourself so that your pet can’t easily see other pets nearby while you fill out your paperwork.

By doing this, you help create a safer, calmer environment which enables the veterinarian to thoroughly examine each patient and communicate effectively with their owners. If your pet has any history of biting, nipping or aggressive behavior, please tell us before they are examined or handled.

As a Matter of Courtesy to our Host Stores:

We ask that you keep your pets well restrained and close to you (dogs on a short leash by your side, cats in carriers) and be aware of what they are doing at all times. If your pet should urinate or defecate on the floor, many of our stores have clean-up stations to help you clean up your pets “accident” or you can ask a store employee for help.

Lastly, you can ask one of our assistants for help, especially if you forgot to bring a stool specimen and your pet “provides one”. We at Well Pets like to call that “turning adversity into opportunity!!”

For Your Pet’s Safety:

We must examine it to be sure it is healthy and establish a medical record before giving any vaccines. Rabies vaccine, for example, is a federally regulated vaccine and we do not give it to any pet without an exam. However, the exam fee may be discounted for healthy pets needing only a single vaccine.

For Your Convenience:

Well Pets, unlike many “low cost shot clinics”, maintains office staff available 5 days a week to answer questions about our clinics, maintain medical records, and fax copies of those records to animal hospitals, kennels, or grooming facilities should you lose your copy. We have a $5 service charge per invoice to help cover the costs of providing this service, processing payments, and mailing reminder cards.

We discount this fee $2 for cash and check payments, and $1 for debit cards as processing costs are lower with these forms of payment. Payments for Well Pets services are received by the Well Pets receptionist, whereas any store purchases should be made at the store’s cash registers. In many cases, our flyers contain a coupon for store merchandise which may be used if a vaccine package is purchased.

To Avoid Any Confusion:

Payment is expected at the time services are rendered. We do no billing and allow no partial payments. Bounced checks will result in a $15 fee and must be paid with a cashier’s check or credit card (called into our office) within 30 days or it will be viewed as a check fraud and turned over to the prosecutor’s office as a criminal matter. Overdue accounts will be assessed a $10 per month late fee. Lastly, if remedy must be sought in small claims court, the client will be required to pay twice their outstanding balance plus all court costs.

Also, please understand that Well Pets is a wellness clinic providing examinations, vaccinations, routine testing and treatment of minor health problems, but we are not a full service veterinary hospital. We have no advanced medical, surgical, or emergency care capabilities. Vaccination is generally a safe process, but very rarely severe events can occur, including anaphylactic reactions and death.

Also, for 24-36 hours after vaccination, it is not abnormal for pets to be tired, run a mild fever, experience tenderness at the site of injections, or have a decreased appetite – not unlike what many of us have experienced after a tetanus or flu vaccine.

Well Pets has an excellent safety record primarily because we strive to minimize risks at all times. Understanding this, please read the release form in the center of the clinic health form carefully, and sign it if you wish to receive services from Well Pets.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask one of our assistants.