OAH Client Policies
Welcome to our veterinary clinic. We strive to provide quality individualized medical care for patients, and excellent customer service. In order for us to assist you to the best of our ability, we do have a few client policies in effect for all clients.
❖ Veterinary – Client – Patient Relationship (VCPR) Policy: The North Carolina Veterinary Board (NC General Statute 90-181(7A) ) requires a VCPR. To be in accordance with the VCPR requirement, we require a yearly physical exam for any vaccinations, prescription medications (including preventatives), or medical diagnosis/recommendations. The veterinarian may also require more frequent physical examinations for senior patients, or patients with chronic illness.
❖ Rabies Vaccination Policy: For the safety of staff, and to comply with North Carolina law (G.S. 130A-185), all patients over 16 weeks, are required to be up to date of rabies vaccination. There are no legal waivers or exemptions under North Carolina law. If you are unable to provide proof of an up to date rabies certificate (tags are not considered proof of vaccination), a 1 year rabies vaccine will be administered at the doctor’s discretion, and you will be responsible for the cost. If you have questions or concerns about rabies vaccination, one of our doctors will be happy to speak with you to address them.
❖ Appointment Policy: In order to provide the highest quality of care, our hospital operates by appointments.. We understand emergencies happen and your pet may need immediate care. During our business hours we do our absolute best to work with established patients for same day care (an urgent care or emergency fee may apply). At times, depending on the severity of the emergency we may need to recommend you seek care at Carolina Veterinary Specialist Emergency Department.
❖ Appointment Cancellation Policy: Appointments are in high demand, and by providing us notice of cancellation, we are able to accommodate other patients in need of care in your appointment slot. Please provide 24 hours notice for appointment cancellations, or 48 hours notice for surgical/in hospital procedure cancellations. We understand there may be times when unforeseen circumstances
happen, and may not allow you to keep your scheduled appointment without notice. If you miss 2 or more appointments without the requested notice, we may charge a non refundable deposit at the scheduling of your next appointment. (deposits will be equal to the exam fee for appointments, and 50% of the procedure cost for surgeries/in hospital procedures). You may email the office (clientsupport@oakes.vet), or call the office (336 986 9388) and leave a message if needed for cancellations.
❖ Late Appointment Policy: We make every effort to be on time for your appointment, and be respectful of your time. We ask that you let us know if you will be running late for an appointment. One patient arriving late for an appointment can cause our entire schedule to run late. We schedule 30 minute appointment slots to provide quality care for each patient, and a late arrival shortchanges the patient and can contribute to a decreased quality of care. If you arrive more than 10 minutes late for your appointment, you can reschedule, be seen as a work in appointment, or we can change your appointment to a drop off appointment. Work in appointments, may have an extended wait, and will be seen by the first doctor available (you may elect to wait for your preferred doctor). For drop off appointments, you will leave your pet with us, and the doctor will examine them as the schedule allows. Drop off patients are provided a blanket, water, and bathroom breaks (litterbox for felines).
❖ Financial Policy: Payment for all services are due at the time services are rendered. We do not offer monthly billing, and do not have in house finance/payment plans available. We do work with both Carecredit and Scratchpay, which offer payment flexibility. Visit scratchpay.com or carecredit.com for more information about these services. We accept cash, checks, and most major credit/debit cards. (There is a $35.00 processing fee for returned checks).
❖ Prescription Policy: All prescription requests must be reviewed and approved by the doctor. Please allow 24 hours for all prescription requests to be processed. We respect your right to get your pet’s medications at any pharmacy of your choice, however due to repeated problems with large online pharmacies (such as Chewy, Petmeds, Walmart PetRx), we have adopted a prescription policy to remove ourselves from the middle of the transaction and have three options for prescriptions: (1) written prescription – we will provide an emailed or physical copy of a written prescription for you to use at the pharmacy of your choice (note: some pharmacies may not accept an emailed prescription), (2) Oakes Animal Hospital Online Pharmacy, which is available on our website oakes.vet, or (3) our in house pharmacy.
❖ Return Policy: Per FDA regulations medications/supplements opened or unopened, once they leave the hospital, cannot be restocked. Therefore, they are not eligible for return. The only exception is products guaranteed by the manufacturer (such as all Vetri Science products have a palatability guarantee).
❖ Mutual Respect Policy – We expect our staff to be respectful and courteous to all clients. If you feel a staff member has treated you in an unprofessional or disrespectful manner, please immediately notify a member of our management team, or email office@oakes.vet. We also expect all clients to be respectful of our staff members. Any disrespect towards our staff will not be tolerated, and depending on the severity our veterinarians/management team may decide to terminate the doctor/client/patient relationship.
If you disagree with our above policies please speak with our office manager (Anne), Dr. Rocky Oakes, or Dr. Jessica Oakes to discuss policies.
