Coming to the clinic with your pet can be a stressful experience for them, in the same way, a lot of us humans don’t enjoy visiting the hospital or dentist. Our staff tries our best to ensure you and your pet are comfortable and happy, but we appreciate the cooperation of clients, especially in the waiting room, to make sure everyone stays safe.
- Please keep your dog on a short leash at all times, while in the clinic. This is for the safety of both your dog and the other animals and people in the clinic. Even the most well-natured dogs can act out of character when in a stressful environment, such as the veterinarian. As well, you can never be certain how other pets will react, even if your dog is happy to try and make new friends in the waiting room. We try to keep pets with contagious illnesses separated from other patients, but these illnesses are not always known beforehand, so it is best to try and avoid close contact with other patients.
- Please keep your cat in a carrier at all times, while in the waiting room. Similar to dogs, the stress of a veterinarian visit can cause even generally docile cats to scratch or bite and try to flee. There are a lot of nooks in the clinic that a frightened cat can get into to hide and it is difficult to retrieve them. As well, with the front door opening so frequently, your cat may be able to slip out into the parking lot. We know that some cats resent the carrier more than the veterinarian visit itself, but it is in everyone’s best interest that your cat stays safe and sound inside the carrier, until they are in an examination room.
- If your dog is not friendly with other animals, please, if possible, let us know beforehand, and we will do our best to place your dog straight into an exam room, so they can wait by themselves.
- If your dog has an accident while in the clinic, please tell a staff member. We do not always notice right away and take pride in maintaining a clean and sanitary environment, so we appreciate prompt notice, so we can have it cleaned up right away.
- Please treat the staff with respect. We are all trying our best to accommodate the needs of you and your pet. As a medical facility, emergencies do come up, and sometimes scheduled appointments run behind. We appreciate patience and understanding when this happens.
- We are a family-friendly clinic and we welcome children of all ages to join their furry friends for their visit. However, we cannot guarantee that every patient that comes into our hospital is friendly with children, so we ask that dogs in our waiting room are given a respectful space. Please ask the owner before your child interacts with another animal. The back half of our clinic contains medical equipment such as needles and drug containers that could potentially be dangerous, so please supervise your child to ensure they do not stray too far and they stay safe.
Written by West Hill Animal Clinic
