Face masks are encouraged when visiting the Veterinary Medical Center hospitals.
Client Rights & Responsibilities
When you bring your farm animal to the Ohio State Veterinary Medical Center for evaluation and leading-edge care, a fully-dedicated, compassionate and highly-skilled team of caregivers will devote their time to perform accurate and thorough examinations and communicate their findings and recommendations with the primary goal of improving your animal’s health.
Appointment
When you call to schedule an appointment, the Client Services staff member will ask for information to complete the registration form. If your personal veterinarian calls to schedule your appointment we will obtain as much information as he/she has available and call you for the additional information that may be needed.
When you come for the appointment please bring a list of the animal’s drugs, dosages and how long the animal has received these medications, information about prior surgeries or other treatments the animal has received, and be prepared to describe a description of the symptoms (signs) that are the reason for the appointment or visit. If transportation personnel (hauler/trucker) will be delivering your animal, please provide that individual with the information so he/she can provide it at the time of registration or provide that individual a phone number where you can be contacted at the time of registration so we can follow up with any questions. This will help expedite and optimize evaluation and care of your animal.
Emergencies
Our hospital accepts ill and injured farm animals on an emergency basis 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Since we do not have an emergency veterinarian on duty in the hospital around the clock, you should call ahead (614-292-6661) to indicate you wish to have your animal evaluated and the estimated time of arrival. At that time, we will put you directly in touch with the veterinarian on-call to discuss the animals problem(s) with you. If the patient needs to be transported to the hospital, the on-call veterinarian can also advise you of anything you might need to do before loading your animal or to help prepare appropriately for the transportation. While you are in transit to the Veterinary Medical Center, we ask that you call us (614-292-6661) when you are one-half hour (30 minutes) away so we can make sure our staff is in place by the time you arrive, again so we can expedite and optimize evaluation and care of your animal. If for some reasons your plans change and you will not be bringing your animal in or will not be arriving at the estimated time, we ask that you please extend the courtesy of calling to let us know.
Arrival
The entrance to the Hospital for Farm Animals is located in the center of the Veterinary Medical Center complex between the Hospital for Companion Animals and the Galbreath Equine Center, surrounded on the North and East sides by wooden fencing. Trucks and trailers should come through the gates off of Vernon Tharp Street and proceed to the double garage door labeled overhead with a green sign that has the number “1”. You should come inside and follow signage to the Large Animal Reception office to register. Please DO NOT unload your animal until you have checked in. A staff member(s) will assist you with the unloading process. Following unloading of your animal(s) you will be asked to park your vehicle in the parking lot located in front of the building.
Registration
Weekdays between 8:00 am and 5:00 pm we ask that you please check in at the Large Animal Reception desk as soon as you arrive. Our Client Services staff will ask you to provide a government issued photo ID, sign the registration form and provide answers to any questions that were left unanswered at the time the appointment was made. If a hauler/trucker brings your animal in, that individual will be asked to sign the registration form as your agent.
For emergency admissions that occur between the hours of 4:00 pm and 8:00 am Monday through Friday or between 12:00 noon on Saturday and 8:00 am Monday, the drive-up process is the same, but registration will take place in the lobby of the Hospital for Companion Animals. You will be required to pay the current emergency fee at the time of registration. After your animal has been evaluated, the Veterinarian may suggest options on how to proceed (submit diagnostic blood samples, radiography, anesthesia, surgery). At this time, an initial estimate of the costs (including the emergency fee, examination fee, blood tests or other diagnostics, hospitalization fees) will be prepared. Once an agreed upon course of action is obtained you will be asked to pay approximately 60% of the original estimate prior to continuing on with the work-up.
Waiting Time
We pride ourselves in the thoroughness of our advanced care and the education we provide future veterinarians. Although the wait time at our facility may be a little longer than that at other veterinary care facilities because our veterinarians also teach veterinary students as they work, we ensure our patients receive the very best care. To provide the most comprehensive assessment, your animal may be examined by multiple professionals (cardiology, dermatology, anesthesia, neurology). Be assured that we will do everything we can to expedite your visit.
Services
- The Hospital for Farm Animals is staffed by a team of board-certified faculty specialists, residents, interns, senior veterinary students, registered veterinary technicians and veterinary assistants.
- During your animal’s visit, you will most likely be greeted by a veterinary student and/or technician (nurse) or staff member, who will ask you a series of questions regarding your animal’s illness/injury (if applicable), housing, vaccinations, diet and other relevant information. Obtaining a comprehensive history of your animal’s health, including diet, exercise, housing, vaccinations, prior illness or injury, and other related information, is a vitally important part of our approach to the assessment and care we provide. You may find that the faculty clinician or resident asks similar questions, which provides a more thorough approach. All procedures are performed under the direct supervision of or by a veterinarian.
- At the conclusion of your appointment or the animals hospitalization, you will be provided with a detailed, written “go-home” (discharge summary) and instructions. This will detail the results of your animal’s examination and care, and any next steps that will need to be taken by you and your primary care or family veterinarian.
- Your primary care veterinarian is a vitally important member of our patient care team and we communicate before, and after our evaluation, care and discharge of your animal. In addition to telephone communication with him/her, we also will provide him/her with a copy of the discharge summary.
Payment
After your animal is initially examined, a plan will be established for further diagnostics or treatment. The veterinarian will discuss this plan with you and present you with the estimated costs for services. You are encouraged to ask questions and seek clarification if the medical explanation or the estimated costs are not clear. If you are in agreement with the recommended course of action, you will be asked to sign an estimate form. If your animal will be receiving services on an outpatient basis you will be asked to pay for services rendered at the time of discharge.
If your animal will be hospitalized, we will present and discuss the estimated costs of the recommended care with you and will request payment of 75 percent of the high-end of the estimate before we continue with your animal’s care. If your animal is brought in on an emergency basis we will keep you informed of diagnostic and treatment costs, which will be deducted from your initial deposit. During the workup of the case, we will discuss what additional diagnostic and treatment options are being proposed, if any, before performing them. If you agree to pursue with a specific plan, hospital staff will request providing verbal/written approval as well as additional payment. At the time of discharge, if diagnostic and treatment costs are less than your payment(s), your account will be reviewed to verify all charges have posted to your account. A refund check will be issued for any credit amount due.
If a hauler/trucker will be the only person with your animal at the time of discharge, that individual will be responsible for submitting your payment before we release your animal. If you elect to have us bill your credit card, you will need to make arrangements via telephone by providing us the type of credit card, the name as it appears on the card, the number, and your verbal authorization to charge the needed amount to your card.
Client Financing
Client financing is available for qualified pet owners through an independent company, Care Credit.
