Expectations

Just as we strive to provide professional and compassionate care for our patients and clients, we ask that you kindly respect all of the dedicated team members here at Sewickley Veterinary Hospital. To keep our team safe, please note that the following behaviors will not be tolerated: foul, sexist, racist, or derogatory language; screaming, inappropriate physical contact; threatening language or actions; refusal to appropriately restrain or medicate aggressive animals; refusal to pay for services rendered. Incidences of these behaviors will be documented, and if deemed necessary, management reserves the right to terminate service at any time.  Any observed or suspected animal abuse will be reported to the appropriate authorities.

Veterinary-Client-Patient Relationship

The veterinarian-client-patient relationship (VCPR) is the basis for interaction among veterinarians, their clients, and their patients and is critical to the health of animals.

Your pet must be current on their annual exam with one of our doctors for there to be a valid VCPR with Sewickley Veterinary Hospital.  Any patients not seen within the past two years will no longer be considered an "active" patient at SVH and there may, at times, be a longer wait to reserve appointments as priority is given to our active clients and patients.

Medication Requests

SVH understands how important your pet's medical care is and will always strive to work in a partnership with you to provide the best care.  Our team works diligently to fulfill medication requests and refills as soon as possible.  Please allow 48 business hours for any medication requests to be processed (including refills).

Third Party Pharmacy Policy

Our policy for several years has been to not directly deal with third party online pharmacies.  There is too much liability, risk of counterfeit medications, and staff time involved.  Our policy has always been to provide a written prescription at no charge, to anyone that requests one so that the client can purchase their medications wherever they see fit.

Please realize that a third party online pharmacy is not automatically less expensive.  Sewickley Vet makes an effort to make important chronic medications and preventatives as affordable as possible to purchase from our local small business so that we can provide convenience and quality products for our patients.

Sewickley Veterinary Hospital has its own online pharmacy, one that supplies medications from the same suppliers we purchase from (so no risk of counterfeit or poorly stored medications), for our clients that want the convenience of home delivery.  The prices there are typically very close to third party pharmacies.  Here is a link in case you are interested: sewickley.myvetstoreonline.pharmacy

Appointment Policy

To allow ample time for all patients and scheduled surgical procedures, we operate primarily by appointment. Emergency cases shall always receive top priority, which is why occasional appointment delay is inevitable. Please realize that we make a sincere attempt to see each client on time.

Patient Arrival Policy

If your pet does not do well in a waiting room environment or if you arrive over 20 minutes early for your appointment, please call from the parking lot at arrival for check in.

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.

Drop-off appointments are available with prior notice.  A 'drop off' means you could bring your pet at the time that works best for you and leave him/her with us for a couple of hours.  This type of appointment is useful to allow us to perform certain diagnostic tests that take more time to run than is allotted in a regular appointment time. Usually we will ask you to drop off sometime in the morning so our doctors can examine the patient in and performed the necessary diagnostics. Once the doctor is done, they will give you a call to go over the diagnosis and to give you discharge instructions.

For the safety of all animals in our care, we require that all vaccinations be up to date. Even though we make every effort to make our patients feel comfortable during visits, they may be a little uneasy about new people, new surroundings and other pets. This is one of the reasons we ask you have your pet properly controlled in the clinic. We recommend that animals be placed on a leash or in pet carriers before entering the waiting room.

Patient Vaccination Policy

At Sewickley Veterinary Hospital the health and safety of all pets under our care is our utmost priority. To maintain a safe environment and comply with local laws and regulations, we require all pets to be up-to-date on the Rabies vaccine. We also highly encourage other core vaccinations to be up to date and are happy to discuss these with you at the time of your appointment. Only medical exemptions supported by a veterinarian will be considered.

Payment Policy

Sewickley Veterinary Hospital is not currently able to arrange payment plans. Payment is due in full at the time of service.  We currently accept cash, checks (from established clients only), or major credit cards.