Policies

1. Payment is expected when services are rendered. In order to focus on our patients’ needs, customer service and minimizing costs, we do not bill.
2. We accept debit cards, credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express) and cash.
3. When unexpected illness strikes a pet, unexpected expense strikes as well.  Lockerby Animal Hospital understands this and can refer you to a third party finance company called PayBright. You will complete an application and if approved by PayBright, this will allow you to receive assistance with payments which can be broken down into 6 or 12 monthly installments. You can apply at home or at our veterinary hospital, where we’ll help you fill out your application.

Highlights of the PayBright program:

• Low Monthly Payments
• Determine Approval in a Few Minutes
• No Annual Fee

Insurance For Your Pets

Another option we strongly recommend is insurance coverage. To learn more, please visit some of the available pet insurance websites:

• Pet Secure
• President’s Choice
• Trupanion

At Lockerby Animal Hospital our goal is to provide your pet with the best quality of care.  In order to provide this care, there are certain guidelines that need to be followed as per the College of Veterinarians of Ontario.

According to the College of Veterinarians of Ontario Position Statement June 2011,

“The veterinarian-client-patient relationship is the foundation of effective veterinary medicine and animal care.” This relationship is said to exist when the veterinarian has sufficient knowledge of the animal including its health status, immunization history, nutrition, management, environment and hygiene to initiate a general or preliminary diagnosis of the medical condition of the animal.

The CVO also states that in order to establish this relationship the animal must have had an examination within the last year. The examination enables our veterinarian to ensure the current medication and dosages are still appropriate for your pet, no other underlying medical conditions are occurring that may interfere with current medications and to monitor any effects medications may be having on your pets system.

It is therefore a policy of Lockerby Animal Hospital that no animal may receive medications if they have not been examined by our veterinarian in the previous 365 days.  This includes chronic conditions for which your pet has been taking medications on an ongoing basis as well as medications for intermittent conditions such as ear infections.  All medications and refills must be approved by our veterinarian. Reception staff and technicians are not able to dispense medication without this approval.

If our veterinarian feels that he does not have sufficient information to comfortably prescribe a medication refill for your pet, he will request that you come in for a consultation. This enables our team to provide the safe and quality care your pet deserves.

Thank you for your understanding.