Important Information
New Clients (or returning clients with a new pet):
Please bring a physical copy of your pet’s previous medical history, and/or adoption paperwork to your first appointment. This may mean you must call your previous vet to have them send you records. While we prefer you to bring a physical copy, you can email these records to info@howellavenupethospital.com, or fax them to 513-221-3496.
Appointments:
Howell Avenue Pet Hospital works by appointment only. Please arrive 5 to 10 minutes before your scheduled appointment for check-in. A client service representative will take a few notes, and escort you and your pet to your exam room promptly. Please make sure you have your dog on a leash, and your cat in a proper cat carrier. If you do not follow this policy, a leash and/or cat carrier will be provided to you for the duration of your visit. Please help us to keep your pet safe, as well as the pets of our other clients by maintaining proper and safe control over your pet. If you need assistance of any kind, please inform our client service representatives at check-in, or call before you appointment. We are happy to accommodate special requests when possible.
We will make every effort to work in urgent cases for our established clients. We almost always have a full schedule, so please understand that there may be wait times depending on the severity of the issue. This also means that if you are here for a regularly scheduled appointment, we may be tending to emergency situations, and there may be unforeseen wait times. We will always be as transparent as possible with you regarding wait times.
We may also be able to see your pet as a “Drop Off”, if you prefer to drop your pet off with us and pick them up later. Some appointments require a drop-off, but we also offer it as a convenience to you at no extra charge. If you drop off your pet with us, the doctor and/or technicians will communicate with you via phone to keep you in the loop during your pet’s visit, and may discuss things further with you at pickup.
For annual exams, please bring a fecal sample to the appointment. If your pet received vaccinations at their appointment, you may notice a mild swelling near the should or hip area where the vaccines were administered. This is common and should subside within a week. Some pets are sore and lethargic after vaccines. This is also common and should subside within a day or so. If your pet has a rare reaction that causes a swollen face or weakness, please call our office immediately. If you have any questions about your pet’s health or behavior after receiving vaccinations, please call our office.
For puppy and kitten exams/vaccines, please bring a fecal sample to the appointment. Intestinal parasites are common in younger puppies and kittens, so we prefer to test for them at least twice. Your puppy/kitten may have a total of 2-5 visits depending on the age of your pet and their vaccination schedule. These visits are typically scheduled every three to four weeks.
All test results requiring treatment will be communicated to you. If you do not receive a phone call regarding your pet’s fecal test, your pet’s fecal test was negative for intestinal parasites and harmful bacteria. A technician or doctor will call you with positive results within 24-48 business hours and discuss treatment. A technician or doctor will also call you with any blood work results within 24-48 business hours.
ePet Health is a digital platform that allows you to access your pet’s medical records and vaccination history, as well as a list of services your pet has received. To utilize ePet Health, you must create your account using the same email address that we have on file in our system. For more specific information regarding your account with Howell Avenue Pet Hospital, please call our office and ask to speak with a client service representative.
Surgical and Dental Procedures:
The day before your pet’s anesthetic procedure, you will be asked to fast your pet starting at midnight. Your pet should have no food or water after midnight on the day of their procedure. Some water is ok, and if your pet takes a morning medication, they may have that medication with a small snack to prevent an upset stomach. Our drop-off times are between 7 AM and 9 AM. Please plan to be at our office for at least 10 minutes so our client service representative can properly check your pet in and go over paperwork with you. Once the doctor has worked with your pet, they will call you to go over the procedure and other instructions. The majority of pets who come in for a surgery or dental procedure go home that very same day, but with some restrictions and additional home care requirements including medication.
We administer anesthesia and/or sedation for all surgical and dental procedures, any procedure that could be considered uncomfortable for your pet, or difficult for our doctors to perform if not sedated. Your pet may be slightly sedated for several hours following surgery, and may experience discomfort or confusion. To-go-home medications will be labeled with detailed dosage instructions; please call if you have any medication questions or concerns. We typically administer injectable medications such as Rimadyl for dogs, or oral medications such as Onsior for cats for pain management, but often additional oral medication(s) needs to be continued at home. If your cat received the injectable pain medication Simbadol, they will usually be slightly sedated for approximately 24 hours after surgery. It is recommended that someone is able to stay home with your pet upon bringing them home after surgery for the rest of the day; Your pet may also need help on stairs.
For routine surgeries such as spays and neuters, your pet can eat and drink that same night. Bandages on your pet’s leg from where the catheter was placed and removed should be removed later than evening upon arriving home. You may see some some mild, red-tinged fluid near the incision site for a few days, which is normal. If you notice excessive redness and/or pus discharge from the an incision site, please call our office. Incision sites do not need to be cleaned. Excessive activity after surgery can cause the incision site to fill with a sterile fluid; For this reason, we recommend limiting off-leash activity, such as running, jumping, and play-wrestling. Light inside activity is ok.
If your pet has external sutures, they should wear an e-collar (“Elizabethan Collar”, also known as a cone) to prevent licking and chewing the incision site. Suture removal should be scheduled for 12-14 days after surgery. Neutered cats do not usually need to wear an e-collar. E-collars can be removed for eating, but should be re-applied afterward. If your pet will not tolerate an e-collar, other options include an inflatable collar which resembles a neck pillow, onsies, and t-shirts worn backwards.
After dental procedures that include tooth extractions, your pet should only eat canned or soft food for approximately five days after the procedure, which we can provide to you. They can eat the same day upon arriving home. Stitches in the mouth will dissolve and fall out on their own. You may notice a mild amount of red-tinged fluid from the mouth for 1-2 days. Recheck appointments should be scheduled 14 days after dentals with tooth extractions.
Medication Refills:
To refill a medication, please call our office and speak with a client service representative. Please give our office as much notice as possible to fill your medication. Typically, we can fill medications that same day, but not always. Please understand that we are tending to appointments and procedures, so filling medications may take 24-48 business hours to be filled, or approved by a veterinarian for refill.
For your convenience, we have an online pharmacy for your medication, flea/tick/heartworm preventatives, and prescription food needs. Visit our online store at www.vetsource.com/petowners to request an item for your pet.