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Animal Hospital of Signal Mountain

Dog Friendly Places in Chattanooga

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What to Expect

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In your search for a veterinary facility, we believe you should expect high-quality care as well as great service. Our goal has been to assemble a veterinary health care team committed to providing exceptional client service and veterinary health care. Our commitment to you is to continue to offer our world-class service and a state-of-the-art veterinary facility. Your pet's annual wellness exam will include a complete physical to include a thorough examination of the eyes, ears, teeth, heart, lungs, abdomen, body condition, and hair coat. Because even the most cooperative pet may not readily go along with a tooth and gum brushing, an annual dental cleaning by your veterinarian may be in order. Like you, your pet can lose his teeth due to decay and neglect. It's a good idea to keep an accurate medical diary not only of the procedures and vaccinations your pet receives at the vet but also of notes on things like your pet's elimination habits and any physical changes or unusual occurrences. Keep track of small shifts in your pet's behavior, including urinary marking habits and mood swings, along with diet and routine modifications. Take this notebook when you visit the vet. These seemingly unrelated occurrences may help explain the results of your pet's medical tests. Your veterinarian may refer you to a specialist, veterinarians who have completed studies in specialties such as internal medicine, surgery, and emergency care if your pet must undergo a procedure that requires more precise knowledge and experience.

Hospital Policies

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Policies

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

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 or on a leash. We offer 'drop-off' appointments for your convenience. A 'drop off' means you could bring your pet at the time that is pre-determined and leave them with us. Usually, we will ask you to 'drop off' sometime in the morning so our doctors can examine the patient in between appointments or at the time purposely reserved for admitted patients. Once the doctor is done, they will give you a call to go over the diagnosis and to give you discharge instructions and set a pick-up time for your pet. 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 to restrain your pet.

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, and cash.

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Exam Policies

Consultation Exam: A consultation exam will be chosen for all new patients presenting to the hospital and any patient presenting for a non-yearly exam. This examination includes a full-body physical exam. This exam may also be charged in cases where an appointment takes longer than expected or if multiple problems are discussed with an owner.

Yearly Exam: This examination is used for routine, yearly assessment of an established patient. Core and lifestyle vaccinations will be discussed along with other preventive care tailored to your pet. This includes a full body exam.

Recheck Exam: Recheck exams are for reassessment of an ongoing issue that has already been diagnosed by an attending veterinarian. Typically, this examination is used at a 2-3 week time period after an initial consultation examination. This type of exam ensures that a patient is responding to recommended treatment and if not then the course of treatment can be amended to increase the chances of a positive outcome/resolution.

Emergency Exam: Emergency examinations include any pet presenting that requires immediate stabilization and/or interrupts the flow of scheduled appointments throughout the day. In most cases multiple doctors and/or staff are required to attend to these cases.

Paw Plan Exam: This type of examination is reserved for our patients participating in one of our Paw Plans, which are preventive care packages tailored to a pet's lifestyle and needs. It may include routine and non-routine care. Paw Plan exams do NOT include emergencies.