Hospital Policies

IMPORTANT THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE COMING FOR YOUR APPOINTMENT

Pre-Anesthetic Bloodwork Requirement for Surgical Procedures

As of March 1st, 2024, DeWitt Animal Hospital requires at minimum CBC pre-anesthetic bloodwork.

The Complete Blood Count test provides us with important information regarding your pet's Red Blood Cells, White Blood Cells, and Platelets. Red blood cells provide information regarding your pet's oxygen-carrying ability. White blood cells show us information about your pet's immune system and overall health. Platelets are important to evaluate the ability of blood to clot properly.

All values can be affected by certain diseases and infections. Our greatest concern is the well-being of your pet. We require minimal pre-anesthetic bloodwork to help make the surgery safer for your animal.

Late Appointment Policy

If you know you are going to be late or are unable to make it to your appointment, please call ahead. If you are 15+ minutes late to your appointment, we will not be able to accommodate you.

We will cancel late appointments and you must call the hospital to reschedule your appointment for another day. 

No-Show Appointment Policy

As of December 1^st, 2023, DeWitt Animal Hospital is implementing a No-Show Appointment Policy.

As a small team and one doctor practice, our time is very valuable.

Our team makes every effort to communicate with clients to confirm scheduled appointments including email reminders, phone confirmation the day before scheduled appointments, as well as SMS reminders. Unfortunately, there are still times when we have appointments no-call/no-show.

When you no-call/no-show for an appointment, the supplies and room preparation our team and doctor have already made for your scheduled appointment must be returned to stock and cleaned up.

Our hospital receives calls every day with emergencies and other sick patients that may be scheduled to be seen if we have prompt communication from owners that they will not be available to come for their appointments.

Our management team values open communication. Our staff can cancel and reschedule appointments as long as we receive notice before your scheduled appointment time.

Clients that do not provide adequate notice of their cancellations will now receive official warnings on their account, be subject to mandatory deposits before rescheduling, and may result in client termination.

Clients that do not provide adequate notice when cancelling a surgery appointment forfeit their prior $50 surgery deposit and another deposit must be paid prior to rescheduling.

Please do your part to help DeWitt Animal Hospital provide our highest standards of care to all patients in need. Thank you!

Modified Curbside Protocol

As of 6/1/2023, we are implementing a Modified Curbside Protocol only for appointment types: healthy pet, comprehensive, and euthanasia.

*Call/text to check in STAYS THE SAME!*

When ready, staff will bring you and your pet in for your appointment, or you can remain curbside. If there is any pertinent information that needs to be addressed, the doctor will come out to your vehicle to speak with you. 

Technician appointments (anal sac expressions, nail trims, lab work), pre-surgical exams, suture removals, and re-check appointments will remain curbside.

Please do not wait in our reception foyer for the time being.

If you have forgotten your cell phone and cannot call or text to check in, do not just walk into the building. Please knock on the door, and one of our staff members will come out to get the information needed for your appointment.

Please be patient with us as we implement new policies! Thank you!

Note: Appointment Type and Scheduling

If you are scheduled for a regular vaccine appointment and your pet is beginning to show signs of illness or injury you would like to doctor to examine, please call ahead to alert us.

We ask that you keep in mind that Dr. Wilcox has a very heavy schedule. Having unexpected items added to the appointment at the last-minute cuts into the time that we have allotted for other clients and their pets.

We are not able to accommodate walk-in or emergency appointments.

Payment Policy

We require full payment at the time that services are rendered. For your convenience, we accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, Care Credit, ScratchPay, and cash.
We DO NOT offer in-house payment plans.
We accept all pet insurance. With pet insurance, payment for services is due immediately and owners submit a claim into pet insurance for coverage.

*Boarding and pre-surgical deposits may not be paid by check. We require credit or cash payments for these deposits.*

Patient Arrival Policy 

For your protection, and that of others, all dogs must be on a leash and properly controlled while in the waiting area or exam rooms.

All cats must be presented in an appropriate cat carrier.

Prescription Policy 

All pets must be up to date on any required bloodwork and testing required for medication refills.
All refill requests should be made at least 7 days in advance to ensure we will have the medication on hand and ready to go when you need it. 

As of March 1^st, 2020 DeWitt Animal Hospital no longer authorizes prescription requests from third-party online pharmacies (i.e. Chewy, 1-800-Pet-Meds, etc.).
We apologize for the inconvenience this may cause, but with the increase of fraudulent medications on the market, the safety of your pets is our priority.

DeWitt Animal Hospital utilizes VetSource, a veterinary specific pharmacy that obtains all their medications and preventatives from the manufacturers of the medication. There is no room for fraudulent medications making their way to your pet through VetSource. 
You will be able to request all your medications online through VetSource, connecting to your pets’ medical record for convenience of approval. You can find the link to the online pharmacy through the services tab at the top of the page. 

We also understand that some of our clients may still want to take the risk and order from a third-party online pharmacy. For those clients, we will write out a physical prescription, and you will need to pick it up during business hours and submit it to the pharmacy of your choice.