Many of you have likely experienced veterinary clinics, both local and emergency, that are bursting at the seams with patients. This has become a national phenomenon in light of how life so drastically changed in 2020. With many more people working from home and being much more aware of their pets, as well as a huge increase of new pet owners,  the veterinary world as we know it has changed.

Unfortunately, like many other veterinary clinics, we are experiencing an unprecedented number of “no-shows” of new clients, resulting in unfilled appointments that could have been filled with another pet owner in need. As a result, we find it necessary to update our policies regarding payment for scheduled appointments. All new clients are asked to prepay their exam fee of $55 at the time of scheduling. This is a nonrefundable deposit that will be forfeited if you miss your appointment or don’t reschedule more than 24 hours prior to the appointment. All surgeries now require a nonrefundable deposit as well, which must be paid at the time of scheduling. Routine surgeries are $50 deposits and professional dental cleanings are $200 deposits. If you feed your pet on the day of the surgery, or if the surgery is not rescheduled more than 72 hours prior to the appointment, the deposit will be forfeited.

At the Delano Veterinary Clinic (DVC), we are striving to meet all the new demands placed on us daily. Here are some helpful tips to allow us to serve you better:

1. If your pet is in need of a medication refill, please place your order a minimum of 72-hours before it is needed in order to fulfill this request.
2. If you choose to e-mail us as your method of correspondence, please know that email is not our main mode of communication and it may take more time for a response.
3. If our phone lines are busy, please leave a message if it’s nonurgent. If you have an urgent need, please continue to call until a line becomes free. We check messages regularly, but it may not happen right away if the clinic is really busy during that time.
4. We would encourage you to schedule any follow-up appointments, such as vaccine boosters or rechecks, in advance. Last-minute appointments are becoming harder to accommodate.
5. Please give ample notice if you need to cancel an existing appointment. We do carry a cancellation list for those who need it and the sooner we know about an opening the better.
6. Last but not least, please be patient if you have called to speak with a doctor or technician about a certain matter, or simply need other assistance. We are doing our very best to assist the many needs of the DVC community.

It is our goal to care for the needs of our ever-growing DVC family, both two-legged and four-legged, to the best of our ability. We thank you for helping us accomplish that goal.

Sincerely,
Your friends at the Delano Veterinary Clinic