EMERGENCY ANIMAL CLINIC

Our puppy Bailey was in alarming intestinal distress, and our regular vet was closed. I took her to the Emergency Animal Clinic as soon as they opened on May 1, 2013. When Bailey and I went into the reception area, the on-call vet Dr. Schmar was just arriving. He immediately spoke to and petted Bailey. I described the events that I thought had led to the problem as well as the symptoms. The vet technician took Bailey and me to an exam room, where she took Bailey's temperature and had me complete a consent to treat and owner information form. She then told me that an exam would cost $94.50, because our regular vet, where we have a purchased wellness plan, did NOT have an agreement with them to waive the fee. Even though I told her I would pay, she went out to
speak with the vet. The vet had her come in and tell me that since Bailey's temp was normal, and based on his cursory "exam" in the
reception area, he thought she could wait to see our vet the next morning. So, we left the exam room. When we encountered the vet again in the reception area, he told me he thought my assessment that the distress was caused by the bark and twigs I had observed Bailey eating, and that he believed she would be fine until the next morning. He also said that I should return to the clinic immediately if her symptoms worsened. He recommended I give her some Kaopectate or Pepto-Bismal, and to withhold food unless I could get her to eat some yogurt with live cultures. That regimen proved to be effective. I was so impressed at the kindness and concern shown to both Bailey and me. And to not have to pay a fee only made me feel better about the clinic.