Hospital Policies
For their safety, all animals are required to be on a leash or in an appropriate carrier.
If children are accompanying you during your visit, for their safety and out of respect for other clients, they must be supervised at all times while on our premises. Children should not be allowed to approach any animal they do not know, or does not belong to your family.
Appointment Policy
Southern Veterinary Hospital prefers to schedule ALL appointments in order to better serve our clients and give each patient the care and attention they deserve. Drop-off appointments may be accommodated on a case by case basis.
Current demands for veterinary care have dramatically increased, which often means our schedule is at its maximum capacity for our one veterinarian on staff. In order to provide a safe level of patient care, there must be limits on how many patients that can be seen or “worked-in.” Our appointment schedule is frequently booked 4-6 weeks out for new clients. Priority is given to our established clients with pets that need to be seen or require ongoing medical treatments.
Not being able to see patients right away is frustrating and stressful for both you and our veterinary team. Unfortunately, we are unable to offer 24-hour care and services. There are times when we cannot fit any more patients into our schedule and we must refer you to other veterinary practice or emergency services. Dr. Martin may also need to refer you and your pet elsewhere for more specialized veterinary care.
Late Arrivals, No-Shows, and Cancellations
Late arrivals, no-shows, and last minute cancellations interfere with our ability to provide veterinary care to other pets in need. As a courtesy to us and our clients, we require 24-hour notice of appointment cancellations or rescheduling.
Repeated failure to comply may result in a pre-payment requirement of $50.00 to cover exam fees; this is non-refundable. For your convenience, we provide reminder calls, texts, and/or emails before the day of your scheduled appointment. The responsibility of remembering your appointments ultimately falls upon you and not the veterinary staff.
If you are more than 15 minutes late for your scheduled appointment, you may be asked to reschedule or experience extended wait times. Please call if you are running late.
Drop Off Policy
When dropping your pet off for any reason, please be available for our doctor or staff members to call you with regards to your pet and his or her treatment options.
Patients scheduled for surgical or dental procedures should be dropped off between 7:30 am to 8:00 am. If you arrive late, you may be asked to reschedule your pet’s procedure.
Prescription Policy
In accordance with the North Carolina Veterinary Medical Board, a valid veterinarian-client-patient-relationship (VCPR) must be previously established in order to receive any prescription medication(s) for your pet(s).
Pets are required to have been physically examined within the last year or have a valid prescription from another licensed veterinarian.
Code of Conduct
Southern Veterinary Hospital strives to provide a safe and welcoming environment. Our employees work hard every day to provide the best possible service to our clients and patients. We will not accept the following behaviors:
- Verbal abuse, malicious or harmful statements about others
- Disrespect and/or the use of profanity towards employees or others
- Any form of harassment
- Discriminatory comments
- Intimidation tactics and/or threats
- Failure to comply with requests from staff
Southern Veterinary Hospital reserves the right to decline any and all services and will use local law enforcement to facilitate compliance if necessary.