To Our Valued Clients: 

As we wrap up 2022 and face all these changes in our world and profession, it is very evident, we need to re-evaluate our practices to provide the best services possible to our community and all the animals in your lives. One of the major concerns for us, and for our profession, is the significant shortage of veterinarians and technicians. The shortage is projected to get worse over the next several years. This will not stop us from putting forward a persistent effort searching for quality vets and staff to continue high-quality care standards for everyone.

Your help is needed to make changes that will greatly enhance our ability to care for your pets/animals as efficiently as possible while giving our talented staff the proper amount of time to provide the outstanding care you are accustomed to. Below are the guidelines we would like you to follow that will allow our staff to schedule appointments day to day.

Appointment Guidelines:

For our small animal clients:

• For routine small animal wellness exams please schedule as far in advance as possible, at least 3-6 weeks in advance of the vaccine’s expiration.
• For elective small animal procedures or surgeries (neuters, spays or dentals) please call ahead and schedule appointments at least 4-8 weeks in advance of your desired time frame.
• For minor illness appointments or medical conditions, please call as soon as you can, so we can schedule an appointment as it may be several days before for an appointment is available.

For our equine clients:

• As our spring equine season approaches, please plan to schedule appointments 3-6 weeks prior to expiration of vaccines/Coggins.
• Maintain annual exams so our doctors are familiar with your animals and can detect potential chronic disease early and PREVENT emergency calls
• If your location is outside of our normal practice radius you may be required to transport your animal to our clinic. Our new state of the art equine center in Athens will allow our doctors to treat and even hospitalize your patient for optimal care. This allows us to reduce our driving time greatly, which gives us more time to be interacting with you and see more patients.
• If you have the ability to trailer your horses, even if you are in the regular practice area and for routine services, consider doing so. This saves travel time for the vets and may make it possible for you to be seen sooner.
• Daytime emergency services, be aware that some conditions need to be seen immediately and some are able to be seen in the next 12-24 hours. When you call the clinic, our expert team will triage your emergency to make the appropriate arrangements.

Emergency Cases:

• Small animal examples include: hit by vehicles, broken limbs, vomiting multiple times for longer than 24 hours or lacerations.
• For horses this includes lacerations, colics, broken legs and inability to rise. 
• Emergencies will be triaged, and an appointment scheduled ASAP, or a doctor sent as soon as one is available.
  • This may include a drop off appointment (day stay) so the doctor can examine and treat your patient between scheduled appointments (for small and/or equine)
• There are times when only one vet is on call for both the Athens and Phillips office, clients may be required to travel to receive emergency care. This means driving your pet to the Athens clinic or trailering your horse to the Athens equine center for treatment. If you don’t have a trailer, it would be best to work with neighbors and friends to always have a plan and transportation options.   

Non-Emergency Cases - These appointments will be scheduled at the earliest time available.

• small animal examples: ear infections, scratching, diarrhea, mild coughing, lumps etc.
• horse examples: mild lameness, mild coughing, minor illness, eye problems, swellings, skin issues etc.

As everyone helps us work with these guidelines our team of care givers will be able to give the greatest attention efficiently to your animals. We greatly appreciate your support and allowing us to be your animal health care team.  

Sincerely,
Athens and Phillips Staff