Fees & Policies

In order to ensure that we are available to help your pet when you need us, we encourage families to try to plan for in-home care as much in advance as possible. 

We strive to be available for in-home care with 2-3 business day's notice, however, we know that sometimes a pet's health can change suddenly so in some cases, next-day appointments may be available. 

In situations where our schedule permits same-day scheduling for urgent situations, a $50 urgent-care fee is applied as we need to expedite the preparation process.

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In some situations, evening and weekend appointments may be available when scheduled in advance.  These appointment times of our outside of our normal operating hours, and are subject to a surcharge of $50-75.

Most telemedicine consultations are available within one week's notice and are scheduled for a one-hour time block, although we do try to provide a buffer in case additional time is required.  While we schedule one-hour time-slots, telemedicine consultations are billed based on the actual length of the call.

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In-home Euthanasia

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For all euthanasia appointments, payment is collected in advance of the appointment to ensure that everyone can focus their full attention on your pet. 

Once you have decided on your preferred aftercare and booked an appointment, we will email you an invoice along with payment instructions.  COVID-safe payment can be made at any time in advance of your appointment via e-transfer or online credit card payment. 

If you are unable to make an online payment, the doctor will collect payment in cash when she arrives at your home.  Please ensure that you have the exact change as our staff does not travel with cash on hand.

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Telemedicine

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Prior to all telemedicine consultations, our doctors will review your submitted information and any available medical records.  To reserve a telemedicine appointment, we require pre-payment for the first 30 minutes ($115 + tax).  Telemedicine appointments are billed by the hour, so for appointments of more than 30 minutes, a final invoice will be emailed to you along with payment instructions, immediately following your appointment.  Payment is required before the end of the business day via e-transfer or online credit card payment.

Our goal throughout each home appointment is to maintain a peaceful, calm, and comforting setting for the pet we are helping and their family.

Anyone who wants to be present for these appointments is welcome, including other family pets. 

During COVID, we require you to inform us of who may be present for an in-home visit, notify us if anyone is showing symptoms/has been exposed to COVID, and that Public Health guidelines are followed.

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Some pets may become upset or disruptive with a new person in their home, especially when the family is already very emotional and tensions are high. Sometimes it is less stressful for everyone if these pets are kept out of the room during the visit. For home euthanasia appointments, these pets can be brought in afterward to view the body and say goodbye to their friend – this is a very important part of the mourning process.

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Our doctors will do their part to help keep the setting calm and will only ask for another pet to be excused if absolutely necessary.

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Greenwood Veterinary Hospice knows how important your pet is and continues to be dedicated to providing consultation via telemedicine for palliative and hospice care, as well as in-home visits for those pets requiring end-of-life care.

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To reduce the risk of COVID transmission, we have instituted several steps to keep both our staff and our clients healthy and available to care for your pet:

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• Until noted otherwise, in-home visits are restricted to end-of-life care.

• For pets requiring a hands-on examination or laboratory testing, your pet may be referred to a local veterinary hospital for this portion of their care.

• Prior to all in-home visits, clients are required to complete a screening questionnaire, and to notify us of any additional persons who will be present.

• If anyone present at an in-home visit would answer 'yes' to any screening questions, we must be notified in advance so that we may take added precautions.

• During in-home visits, both our staff and all members must wear a mask and refrain from physical contact.

• To avoid unnecessary passing of objects that may carry viruses, all consent forms and payment must be completed online prior to the appointment.

• Our staff follow strict sanitizing procedures of both their hands and equipment between visits.​

Prior to each appointment, we take the time to review your pet's history, as well as your concerns.  We prepare a medical record and schedule a generous amount of time that is dedicated to you and your pet, and in the case of in-home visits, travel time.

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If you need to change or cancel your appointment, we kindly ask that you give us at least 24-hour advance notice.  

A cancellation fee may be applied to appointments that cancel or re-schedule with less than 24 hours' notice.  For those changes made within 24 hours of the appointment a $25 fee may be applied, a $50 fee within 4 hours of the appointment time, and a $100 fee (+ any surcharges and travel fees) when our doctor is already driving to your house or no one answering the door at the appointment time (our doctor will wait up to 15 minutes at the door).

*Appointments scheduled outside of regular office hours must be cancelled during normal office hours as phones are not monitored outside of these times.* 

Please understand that this fee system is necessary as short-notice changes and cancellations adversely affect our ability to help other pets and families in need. If the cancellation is due to the death of the pet outside of normal business hours, this fee will be waived.