What follows below is a short guide for what you can expect while your pet is an inpatient at our hospital. If you have any questions, or concerns, please don’t hesitate to ask.
What to Expect When your Pet has been Admitted
Specialty Consults and Appointments
Patients are normally referred to Premier by their family veterinarian. Typically, your primary care veterinarian will send us a referral form. The form will describe your pet’s problem and identify the appropriate specialty department to see your pet. While this is appreciated, and it enables us to maintain open lines of communication and share updated medical records, you do not require a referral to make an appointment with a specialist.
To schedule your appointment for your initial visit, call 775-516-5800. If you have questions about your appointment only, you can also contact us here.
Curbside Care during the Pandemic
COVID Updates: visiting our hospital and curbside procedures
More information on our curbside service for emergency patients.
If Your Pet is Admitted to the Hospital
Prior to admission, you will receive information from the medical team about your pet’s specific condition and/or treatment plan. This may include changes in feeding schedules or medications. Please ask if anything remains unclear following this conversation. Our team’s goal is to ensure that all of your questions are answered. We will always go through an itemized treatment plan with you.
CONTACT INFORMATION
During your pet’s hospitalization, our medical team will call at regular intervals with updates on your pet’s condition. Please be sure to provide our Client Care representatives with your preferred telephone numbers if you have not done so already. Our commitment to you and your pet is to provide the highest standards of medical care and personal service possible.
During Your Pet’s Hospitalization:
MEDICAL UPDATES
- During your pet’s hospitalization, we will call if there are significant changes in your pet’s status. You may call for information about your pet at other times, but please understand that you may not be able to talk to a member of your medical team directly. If you are asked to leave a voicemail, a team member will return that call in a timely manner.
- In an effort to streamline all communications, we ask that you designate one family member for all medical updates, and ask that he or she relay information to the rest of your family.
- We treat each patient’s medical condition as confidential. You can be assured that we will not discuss your pet’s condition with anyone but you or the person you have designated on the patient information sheet, nor will we be able to discuss the condition of another patient with you. We will however keep your family veterinarian updated of your pet’s condition.
When Your Pet is Ready to Leave the Hospital
Please be prepared to spend up to one hour during the discharge process for your pet. It is important that enough time is available to review important information regarding your pet’s care and that you have time to ask any questions.
Once your doctor feels that your pet is well enough to be sent home, a member of our medical team will contact you. At this time they will discuss:
- Your pet’s current medical condition
- Briefly review the discharge instructions and discuss any rechecks that may need to occur
- Update you on your balance
THE DISCHARGE PROCESS:
Your pet’s technician or doctor will review the current treatment plan, and discuss home and follow up care with you. You will receive any necessary medications for your pet, and we will discuss instructions for administering.
Once you feel comfortable with the at home instructions, you will be directed to a member of our client care team to complete the financial part of your discharge and to schedule any recheck appointments that may be necessary. During this time, the technician or doctor will retrieve your pet.
- Please do not hesitate to ask if you require any assistance getting your pet into your vehicle. We are here to help.
- Our policy is to remove all bandages related to IV catheters or blood draws from your pet prior to leaving the hospital; however, in some cases, it may be necessary to leave a bandage on until they get home. The medical staff will instruct you on removal of the bandage.
- If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask before you leave.
