AVC Multi-Pet Visit Policy
In general, we discourage multiple pet visits because our goal is the best medical attention and the least stress for you and your pet. It sounds like it’s easier to bring multiple pets than to make multiple visits, but trust us – we do this every day – most of the time it’s the opposite!
• It’s much more difficult for everyone to focus – pets, you, and AVC Staff – when there are multiple pets. Often, that also means everyone gets a little less value out of their visits.
• Any anxiety issues are compounded with multiple pets, as they will respond to each other’s cues. Likewise, since it’s understandably more stressful for you to manage multiple pets at once, they recognize this and respond to that negatively too.
Still, we understand that making multiple visits can be inconvenient, and we want to accommodate where we can without major impacts on patient care. Wellness appointments are accepted for up to two pets provided that:
• Neither pet has current or chronic medical issues. Thorough care comes first, so if your pet is sick the team (us, you, and your pet) need to focus on that.
• Both pets are under 7 years old. This is because older pets are more likely to have issues (whether you know it or not) that likewise need everyone’s focus to address well.
• Neither pet has known behavior or anxiety issues at the vet. Again, bringing multiple pets makes these issues worse, not better.
• Established patients only. We need time and focus to get to know new pets (and clients!). It’s also important to make their first visit as low-stress as possible to reduce future anxiety.
A non-refundable deposit is also taken for multi-pet appointments to reduce last-minute cancellations or no-shows, since we reserve extra resources for them and this impacts all our patients. Please understand these policies are truly made in the best interest of you, your pet, and all our patients and clients.