When Your Pet is Hospitalized
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Whether your pet is scheduled for surgery or requires hospitalization because of illness or injury, we understand that you may be concerned about both leaving your pet and the care that it will receive. We want to do all we can to make you and your pet as comfortable as possible. Please feel free to ask any questions or share any concerns you may have.
Treatment
Through diagnostic testing, examination and observation, we will work toward a diagnosis of your pet’s condition. We will request approval for all procedures before proceeding. Even before a diagnosis is reached, treatment is instituted to relieve pain, circumvent clinical signs, and hopefully slow or eliminate the progression of the problem. First and foremost—optimal care for the pet and relief of pain and suffering.
Our second goal is to provide you with a prognosis (estimate of potential for recovery or survivability). We intend at all times to work within your budget and desires. In this respect then a prognosis can give you the knowledge you need to make an informed, compassionate, and appropriate decision concerning the continuation of care. Unless we are advised to discontinue therapy, we will work earnestly to meet the medical needs of your pet...we are in the business of saving lives.
Client-Office Contact
When your pet is checked in, we will ask you to designate a person to receive information about your pet’s progress. Please ensure that this person is available at all times should we need to get in touch with you. This person can then relay information to the other family members. If we receive multiple phone calls from each family member of each hospitalized patient, it is difficult for us to devote time to the proper care of the animals. Please allow us to call you.
You will be called with updates daily or as your pet’s condition changes. We perform our morning rounds between 8:00 and 9:00 a.m., and at this time make decisions about the patient’s status, need for changes in therapy, need for additional testing, etc. We will likely call you in the mid–late morning to discuss the pet’s condition. We cannot give you an adequate progress report or have the animal ready for dismissal until this time.
Visiting Your Pet
We encourage visits from family members 9–4 each day. Please do not visit prior to 9 a.m. as this is our busy time of assessing patients, doing kennel chores, and making the days plans. Consider calling 1 hour prior to your arrival so we can be sure your pet isn’t scheduled for any treatments while you are visiting. Your pet will be comforted by friendly faces, but may be overwhelmed by too many visitors at once. While hospitalized, your pet may be connected to IV fluids, urine collections systems, or feeding tubes. While we do whatever is needed for your pet’s health and well being, we realize that this can be disconcerting, especially to younger visitors.
Payment
Full payment is expected at the time of dismissal. Please be honest and frank with us about your concerns and financial status. The lack of health insurance available for most pets makes all medical care a concern, if not a burden. We understand. We will likely require a deposit to confirm your desire for care and institution of therapy.
We will provide you with an estimate if desired. Remember that it is exactly that...an estimate.
Optional Care
We are occasionally asked if a patient might receive its intensive care at home. We certainly understand the human-animal bond and that the animal’s mental status would likely be improved at home. We must weight that knowledge with the knowledge that the medical care is usually best given in the hospital where changes in the animal’s condition are noted and can be responded to immediately. What if the animal would worsen while at home, a new symptom would develop, or you were unable to give the prescribed medications? We will discuss the home option with you if you desire, but please know that it is a complex decision.
Occasionally a patient may require intensive monitoring overnight or may require advanced diagnostic or therapeutic techniques not offered at our facility. We may then recommend transfer to a referral center for more intensive or advanced care.
Monitoring
Through closed-circuit monitors, we are now able to visualize our ICU cages from various computers throughout the building during office hours and via Internet connection to our home computers after hours. We are elated to be able to increase our evening and weekend care and monitoring with the addition of this surveillance technology.
Courtesy
In respect for other patients and our need to hear our patients and monitoring equipment, please refrain from cell phone use in the Intensive Care Unit. Please step outside to place and receive calls.
In Conclusion...
Our ethics, oath, and love of animals make it our number one mission to save lives and improve the quality of life. But you are the ultimate decision-maker of the care that your animal will receive. Let us help keep the chains of communication open.
© 2010 Diane Noll, D. V. M.