What to Expect Before and When You Arrive

As a referral facility, the Ohio State Veterinary Teaching Hospital strives to provide the best possible service and patient care. Several factors, however, may cause a delay in your visit--the complexity of the cases that arrive before you, the emergencies added to existing appointments, and the teaching mission of the hospital. To help expedite your visit, it helps to understand your animal's problem. Here are a few tips on how to prepare for your visit:

Before your appointment

• Please bring the referral form (provided by your veterinarian) with you, along with any test results, x-rays, and/or history regarding the health of your pet.
• If you have any questions about medicating your pet on the day of the appointment, feeding on the day of appointment, or any questions regarding the referral of your pet, please contact your regular veterinarian. He or she will be able to advise you.

Emergencies

Our hospital accepts emergencies daily from 8am to midnight. If you are being referred on an emergency basis, you will meet with the veterinarian and students who are assigned for the day or evening to treat emergencies. The most critical cases will be seen first. Your pet will be stabilized and, if necessary, hospitalized to be transferred to the appropriate specialty area on the following working day. You will be contacted by the veterinarian in the specialty area after case review.

Waiting room time

At times the wait at our hospital will be greater than that at other facilities. We pride ourselves in the thoroughness of our care. Since this is a teaching hospital, the staff veterinarians are also responsible for teaching future veterinarians as they work, which sometimes causes appointments to take a little longer. Be assured that we will do everything we can to expedite your visit. If you feel you have been waiting too long, please inform the reception desk so we may check on your pet’s progress. We thank you in advance for you patience.