Hospital Policies

Appointment Policy

To allow ample time for all patients and scheduled surgical procedures, we operate primarily by appointment. Emergency cases shall always receive top priority, which is why occasional appointment delay is inevitable. Please realize that we make a sincere attempt to see each client on time.

For your convenience, drop-off appointments are available. A ‘drop off’ means you could bring your pet at the time that works best for you and leave him/her with us for a couple of hours. Usually, we will ask you to drop off sometime in the morning so our doctors can examine the patient in between appointments or at the time purposely reserved for admitted patients. Once the doctor is done, you will receive a call to go over the diagnosis and to give you discharge instructions.

For the safety of all animals in our care, we require that all vaccinations be up to date. Even though we make every effort to make our patients feel comfortable during visits, they may be a little uneasy about new people, new surroundings, and other pets. This is one of the reasons we ask you to restrain your pet. We recommend that animals be placed on a leash or in pet carriers before entering the waiting room.

Patient Arrival Policy

For your protection, and that of others, all dogs must be on a leash and properly controlled while in the waiting area or exam rooms.

All cats must be presented in an appropriate cat carrier or on a leash.

Payment Policy

We require full payment at the time that services are rendered. We accept cash, check, Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express. However, in order to accept checks, we do require a valid driver’s license number and social security number. Both of these numbers will be kept in a confidential manner.

Appointment Deposit Policy

A $70.25 booking fee is required to book a new client appointment. This $70.25 will be applied to your bill at the time of service. Please note that your booking fee is non-refundable and will be forfeited for any of the following reasons:

– Cancellation of appointment

– No Call / No Show for the appointment

– Rescheduling of appointment within 24 hours of the scheduled date

If you choose to reschedule your appointment after any of the previous circumstances, a new booking fee will be required. If you need to reschedule or cancel the day of your appointment because of an extenuating circumstance, it is at the discretion of the Hospital Manager and/or the Medical Director if the deposit is refundable.

Cancellation and No Show Policy

Appointments are in high demand, and your early cancellation will not only allow us to get your pet’s appointment rescheduled in a timely manner but help other patients with immediate needs and care. Please call our office within 24hrs of your pet’s scheduled appointment to cancel.

We understand that things come up and life happens! If your schedule changes and you cannot keep your pet’s scheduled appointment, please contact us right away so we may reschedule you. As a courtesy, you will receive an email reminder and/or text message of your pet’s visit two days prior to your pet’s scheduled appointment date. If you do not cancel or reschedule your appointment in a timely manner it will be recorded in the patient’s chart as a “no show”. If there is more than one occurrence of a “no show” you will be charged an exam fee for each additional “no show”. The fee is charged to the client and is due at the time of the next scheduled office visit.

It is our policy to provide you with a written estimate of fees for any case where in hospital treatment, emergency care, surgery, or hospitalization will be needed. A deposit prior to treatment may be required depending on the amount of the estimate.

Late Arrival Policy

If you arrive at your appointment more than 15 minutes late, a late fee will be applied to your balance.

Thank you for your understanding as we work to treat all of our patients in a timely manner.

Purchasing Prescriptions through an Outside Pharmacy

At Coastal Carolina Animal Hospital, we take pride in our role as your furry family member’s healthcare provider. Our primary focus is to provide high-quality, professional medical, surgical, and dental care for your beloved pets. To achieve this, we maintain a comprehensive stock of pharmaceuticals and products within our in-house and online pharmacy that are specifically tailored for your pet.

Product Safety and Quality Assurance

We adhere strictly to manufacturer’s recommendations when handling and storing the products and medications we provide.
Our inventory consists of items obtained directly from manufacturers or through manufacturer-authorized distributors. This ensures authenticity and reliability.
Products purchased from our online pharmacy are fully manufacturer-warranted and guaranteed. Manufacturer product guarantees are VOIDED when purchased through a 3rd party pharmacy.

Informed Decision-Making

We recognize that there are various 3rd party internet websites selling pharmaceuticals directly to pet owners.
Despite deceptive advertising claiming pet medications are “less than half the price from your veterinarian,” our online pharmacy offers competitive prices.
In fact, our prices may even be lower when considering manufacturer rebates.
Regardless of where you choose to fill your pet’s prescriptions, we encourage you to make an informed decision based on accurate information.

Please contact our team today at 910-792-9600 to ask about manufacturer rebates.

To purchase directly from our hospital, please visit our online store:

https://shop.coastalcarolinaanimalhospital.com/

Medication Policy

At Coastal Carolina Animal Hospital, we respect the right of our client’s to get their pet’s medications from the pharmacy of their choice. Unfortunately, because of the excessive volume of inappropriate and inaccurate medication requests from online pharmacies, which are consuming a significant portion of our team’s time, we have implemented some policy adjustments concerning medication inquiries.

We maintain a comprehensive stock of pharmaceuticals and products within our in-house and online pharmacy that are specifically tailored for your pet.

Coastal Carolina Animal Hospital offers multiple ways for you to receive your pet’s medication safely and at your convenience:

Medications can be purchased directly from Coastal Carolina Animal Hospital. We ask that you call at least 24 hours in advance so that our team can get this request processed in a timely manner.
Medications can be purchased through our hospital’s online store and shipped directly to your home.
Handwritten prescriptions can be provided at your request to submit to the pharmacy of your choice. Please request these at the time of your pet’s appointment. Requests for handwritten prescriptions outside of the appointment time have a $15.00 fee.
If you decide to purchase online from a 3rd party pharmacy (not associated with our hospital), you will be asked to sign an Online Pharmacy Waiver of Responsibility per pet. Also, you will be asked to pay a $15.00 Annual RX Administrative fee per pet. Once these items are taken care of, it may take up to 48 hours to have these prescriptions processed.

We cannot issue prescription refills for animals that are not established patients of our hospital, nor can we refill prescriptions for animals that are under the care of another veterinary clinic, even if the prescriptions were written by different veterinarians or veterinary facilities.

No Returns, Refunds, or Credits

In accordance with regulations from the Veterinary Medical Board and the Board of Pharmacy, we cannot accept returns or resell pharmaceutical products once they have left our control. This policy applies to all medications, including pre-packaged prescriptions and loose pills or liquids, as it is a matter of safety.

Therefore, once medications have been dispensed and leave our hospital, we will not accept returns or provide refunds or credits for unused or unwanted items.