Frequently asked questions
1. How much does it cost for an Office Visit/Exam? An office visit costs $59. Further pricing for diagnostics, treatments and surgeries can be discussed at the time of the visit.
2. Do I need an appointment? At this time we are only taking scheduled appointments. Please call to schedule an appointment. If you are unable to make it to your scheduled appointment please call us as soon as you can. If you miss your appointment without prior notice, a $50 rescheduling fee will be required. This fee will be applied to your next visit.
3. What if my pet has an emergency? During office hours we can accommodate most emergencies. We ask that you call and inform us of your arrival time. After hours we recommend going to one of the local emergency clinics. Blue Pearl Eden Prairie 952-942-8272 AERC Oakdale 651-501-3766 Allied Emergency Minneapolis 952-521-3030
4. How do I schedule a House Call? Currently we are not able to schedule any house calls.
5. Is there a dog/cats food you recommend? We recommend foods based on your pets activity level, weight and medical history. There are many options that may be right for your pet and budget which we can discuss with you at your appointment. We do not recommend feeding a “grain free” or “raw” diet.
6. How often does my pet need vaccines? Rabies, required by law, is given every 3 years for dogs and every year for cats. The other core vaccine for dogs is Distemper which is given every year to 3 years. The other vaccines (Lyme, Leptospirosis and Bordetella) can be given to your dog dependent on factors such as hunting, camping, dog parks and travelling. Cat "Distemper" is the other core vaccine for cats, which is given every 1 to 3 years. Feline Leukemia vaccine is given to primarily outdoor cats once a year. If you have any questions or concerns please talk to Dr Sven for further recommendations.
7. Do you do any grooming? We do "medical" grooming, which entails removing mats from fractious cats, removing burrs, sanitary clipping, medical bathing etc. Nail trims and ear cleanings can be scheduled as a technician appointment, there's no exam fee.
8. Do you have boarding? We offer boarding for cats owned by established clients. Please call for more information. We do not offer dog boarding.
9. Do you offer coupons or discounts? We offer 10% off of services for those currently serving in the Military and any Service animal. On Tuesday afternoons we offer a 10% discount for Senoir Pets (dogs 10+ and cats 14+). Thursday afternoons we offer a 10% discount for owners that present their AARP card. See the Services page.
10. What kind of payment do you take? We require payment at the time of services. We accept cash, VISA, Mastercard, AmEx, and checks (from established clients). We also offer Care Credit, a health care credit card.
11. How can I get my pet's medications refilled? Most medications can be refilled by giving the office a call. There are certain medications that will need to be monitored closely with bloodwork semi-annually or annually.
12. Help... my pet ingested poison/sock/rock/. What do I do? Call the office asap. We can then determine what is the best course of action, ie call Poison hotline, physical exam, induce vomiting, referral etc. Poison Helpline 855-764-7661 (a $49 fee) or www.petpoisonhelpline.com.
13. Do recommend year round Heartworm and flea/tick preventatives? Although the most important time in Minnesota is April to November, the American Heartworm Society (heartwormsociety.org) and the Companion Animal Parasite Council (capcvet.org) both recommend parasite preventatives to be given year round. We believe most dogs and cats should be given preventatives year round if they are outdoors, hunting or exposed to other animals (kennels, dog parks etc.) If you have any concerns or questions please do not hesitate to call us.
14. When do you recommend spaying/neutering dogs and cats? We recommend spaying (female) your dog at 6 months of age. There is no medical reason, at this point, to wait (after first heat cycle, after 1 years old etc) to spay your dog. Postponing spaying your dog (and cat) can have long term health consequences. Neutering (male) your dog at 6 months of age is primarily done to decrease the male characteristics (ie. urine marking, aggressiveness, wandering, unwanted pregnancies etc) that most intact (non-neutered) male dogs exhibit. We strongly recommend neutering and spaying all cats. Due to the abundance of feral and unwanted cats we always recommend it.