Animal Medical Services FAQs

During normal business hours, bring your pet in immediately. Call us right before you leave or while you’re on your way to help us prepare for the situation.

If your pet gets sick outside our normal hours, call our emergency line (276) 236-4212 or Carolina Veterinary Specialist Emergency Clinic at (336) 896-0902.

Don’t panic, but call us right away. If it’s outside our normal business hours, call our emergency line at (276) 236-1315. If your pet is not showing any adverse symptoms, you can also call the ASPCA poison control helpline at 888-426-4435. You may be charged a consultation fee.

If it is recommended that you induce vomiting to get material out of your pet’s stomach, we may recommend using Hydrogen Peroxide. This is something you should keep in your pet “first aid kit”.

Thanks to advances in veterinary medicine, pets are living longer, which means you may be spending more over the lifetime of your pet. However, in general, the annual cost of caring for a pet hasn’t increased much over the past several decades. (Consider how much the costs of many professional services, such as human healthcare, have risen over that same period!) Certain advanced procedures may come at a higher cost, but as the owner, you decide what care you want to provide your pet. Overall, veterinary care is a terrific value for pet owners.

It may seem like you’re paying more for your pet’s care than for your own, but that perception may stem from the fact that you’re paying the entire cost of a service or procedure, rather than a percentage or set fee determined by an insurance company. If you want to save money on your pet’s care, there are several pet insurance plans available. These plans may cover or help keep costs down for many routine veterinary services, prescriptions, medical conditions, and diseases. (See our page on Trupanion Pet Insurance) We also offer a third-party healthcare line of credit, known as Carecredit, as an option.

Unfortunately, we can’t offer refunds for veterinary care. Our fees cover the cost of examining, testing, diagnosing, and treating your pet.

Not all health problems have a straightforward solution. Some may be chronic, requiring a long-term management plan; others may be more difficult to diagnose or may involve several causes. A cure may not always be possible, and treatment may be ongoing. Before you get frustrated when a medical issue is not resolving, please talk with us. If the treatment is difficult, we can often suggest different forms of medication that suit you and your pet better. We can also offer alternative therapies, such as eastern medical treatments. We want to help in any way we can. Our veterinary team will do everything they can to find answers and continue to help your pet.

If the diagnosis is the same as the previous, we still strive to try to get at the root cause of your pet’s problem. By just prescribing medication over and over, we may be missing the chance to treat the underlying illness.

A variety of pain medications are available for dogs and cats. Your veterinarian can help you determine which one will fit your budget and help alleviate your pet’s pain.

Certain behaviors can be extremely frustrating and difficult to overcome. We offer behavior counseling and can recommend obedience training. Call our clinic to set up a behavior assessment.

We are happy to make arrangements to help make your visit as smooth and convenient as possible. When you call to schedule your appointment, please let us know that you would prefer to wait in an exam room.

We are happy to make arrangements to help make your visit as smooth and convenient as possible. When you call to schedule your appointment, please let us know that you would like to be billed in advance. We typically ask for a credit card and will send you a receipt at your request. Depending on what services or procedures we have provided your pet, we may need to add additional fees to your bill. We will contact you to let you know if this is the case.

For the safety and protection of all clients, patients, and veterinary team members, we require all pets to be on a leash or in a carrier when they arrive at our hospital. They must continue to be restrained while they are in the reception area and while traveling to and from the exam rooms. Your veterinarian or veterinary technician will let you know when it’s OK to let your pet off leash or out of his or her carrier.

There is often a lot going on at our hospital. Combine that with the unfamiliar surroundings and new animals, and any pet—even one that is well trained—might become uneasy or overly excited. We want you and your pet to stay safe and have as pleasant an experience as possible every time you visit our hospital, so we ask all our clients to respect our policy.

Put simply, a veterinarian is a doctor who studies animal health; prevents, diagnoses, and treats diseases and health issues in animals; and helps protect the welfare of animals and people. The schooling period for veterinarians is 8 years, like human medical doctors.

Veterinarians are knowledgeable and well educated on many aspects of animal care and fulfill a range of roles across the private and public sectors. You can find veterinarians working at small animal clinics, emergency and specialty hospitals, universities, research facilities, pet food and drug manufacturing companies, and government organizations.

A veterinary technician is trained to assist veterinarians in caring for pets. These professionals perform many of the same tasks that a nurse would for a doctor. Veterinary technicians have received extensive training, either in accredited programs or on the job. Responsibilities vary among clinics, but the basic duties remain the same.

For instance, technicians collect patient samples, perform lab tests, assist during patient exams and dental cleanings, and take x-rays. Senior techs also train and mentor other staff members. Some technicians work in research facilities or for manufacturers.

To stay current with veterinary medicine, techniques, and technology, practicing veterinarians read scientific journals and attend continuing education symposiums, seminars, and courses.

Getting into veterinary school is extremely competitive. Because veterinary programs have a limited number of positions to fill, not all students who apply get in. Those who hope to become a veterinarian must have high grades in their pre-veterinary studies. In addition, any real-world experience or additional years of college may be beneficial.

See the American Veterinary Medical Association’s Career Center for more information about veterinary colleges.