Visiting Essentials PetCare

Important info to know before visiting our clinics.

Clinic Policies

Essentials PetCare’s policies protect our clients, patients, and staff, helping facilitate efficient visits, minimize wait times, and keep prices affordable. Please review our guidelines below prior to visiting.

Proof of a current rabies vaccine is required for all patients. Please email or bring your pet’s current rabies certificate with vaccine info. Rabies tags and vaccine reminders are not considered proof of vaccination. If your pet is not current, we can administer their rabies vaccine at the same time as other services.
Pets must be well-behaved and easily handled for treatment as we have limited staff working together.
Records must be sent prior to the pet’s visit or brought to the visit, if applicable.
We can see up to 2 pets per family per visit.
Dogs must be on a short, non-retractable leash (6-foot or less) or in a carrier. Cats must be in a carrier.
Please do not bring in: coughing dogs or stray animals.
Portable (paper) prescriptions will be provided at the time of your pet’s visit, or for convenience, medications can be delivered to your door from our online pharmacy. Prescriptions must be filled by the pet owner – our staff cannot do authorizations for prescriptions submitted via phone/fax/email. Lost prescriptions may not be replaced or will incur an additional fee. If you are having trouble filling your pet’s prescription, we recommend first trying to fill at the Walmart pharmacy in the same store where your clinic is located as most items should be readily available or can be ordered for you. For human medications that can be safely used in pets, many retail pharmacies should carry these items. Pharmacy notes: If asked for an NPI number, please note that veterinarians do not and cannot have an NPI number. If the pharmacist has an issue, please reach out to us with their contact info so our doctor can contact them.
We accept payment by cash, debit or credit card (Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express,) or Affirm. We do not accept checks or CareCredit®.
There are no refunds on services rendered, or partial refunds on unused services from bundled and pre-paid packages. Packages are not transferrable to other pets or clients.

Our team deserves the right to work in an environment without bullying, threats, or aggressive behavior. Most of our clients respect this right. Those who abuse our staff or policies will not be permitted to receive service at Essentials PetCare. Thank you for your cooperation.

When Not To Visit Us

We are here to take care of your pets and serve their basic health needs. Since we focus on preventative and minor illness care, we refer out to full-service animal hospitals for issues that are beyond our scope.

We Refer Patients To Full-Service Hospitals For:

Any issues that may require sedation, anesthesia, same-day diagnostics, dental procedures, x-rays, ultrasound, surgery, hospitalization, or euthanasia
Pets that have extreme behavior or social issues and cannot be handled safely by our staff for examination/treatment (sedation may be necessary)
Very severe, complicated, or multiple health issues that have been untreated for months or years
Abscesses, wounds, draining hematomas, suture removal
Ongoing monitoring or treatment for diabetes, seizures, or behavior issues
Any condition requiring a prescription for a controlled substance

Emergency/Critical Care

Pet emergencies and indicators for needing more advanced care include, but are not limited to, the below circumstances. Please do not delay treatment – seek care at a full-service hospital soon!

Pet was hit by a car (even if they can walk and are acting normal, they need x-rays)
Open wounds or lacerations
Difficulty breathing, increased respiratory rate and/or effort, or heart failure
Ingested a foreign object, hazardous material, or is experiencing an allergic reaction/rash
Seizures
Pet is eating and drinking but has vomiting or diarrhea for more than 3 days
Pet will not eat or drink AND has vomiting or diarrhea for 2 days or longer
Dogs: persistent coughing
Cats: persistent vomiting

For all issues listed above, we will refer you to the nearest emergency or full-service animal hospital. If you are unsure if we can see your pet based on their symptoms, please give us a call before requesting a visit. Please note that without our doctor seeing your pet, our staff cannot give medical advice via phone, email, or social media. We can let you know if it sounds like an issue we may be able to help with or if we recommend seeking treatment at a full-service hospital.