Thank you for your interest in scheduling a holistic consultation at Natural Pet Animal Hospital. Please read the following information carefully before scheduling your appointment.

If you have an exotic animal (non dog or cat), please bypass this information and call the office to schedule your appointment. You’ll need to arrive a few minutes prior to your appointment to fill out some information about your pet. Please bring copies of all previous medical records or have them faxed to our office prior to your appointment.

If you have a dog or cat and are seeking integrative therapy for your pet, please read the following background information carefully. It highlights many differences in our unique practice and will make your visit more enjoyable by helping you to understand our hospital’s format. Because of the specialized services we offer to our clients, we are very busy. Our goal is to provide the best service to you and your pet while maintaining the needs of our established clients. It is also important to us to be available for other new patients seeking our services. To avoid misunderstandings, please read the following information so you are aware of our policies and procedures.

First things first; it’s important to know that our phone rings off the hook. It is not uncommon for you to get a busy signal, even with 5 lines. Most clients wait 3 weeks to 3 months to acquire their first appointment. Although rare, there are times we book out so far in advance that we temporarily close the practice to new clients to allow for adequate care of our current clients. It’s very important to know that most people wanting appointments have pets with significant health concerns. We make our appointments on a first come, first serve basis and cannot “bump” already scheduled patients, regardless of urgency. We are booked everyday, all day, for weeks to months in advance. There’s no way around it (bullying does NOT work with our receptionists!) so please make your appointment as soon as you are able and continue seeking care from your current veterinarian until you can be seen by Dr. Becker. There is no way we will be able to “squeeze anyone in” if there are no available appointments on the day you desire to visit. We will happily find you the first available appointment, but it’s important to remember this may be a month or more away, regardless of your pet’s current symptoms.

Because there is one doctor and many patients, receptionists and technicians have been trained to answer questions and relay messages to and from Dr. Becker once you are an established client. If you prefer to consult directly with the doctor after your first visit, we recommend scheduling a quick appointment or phone consultation to go over your questions. The doctor may ask you to call in a few weeks with an update report. The receptionist will record the information and pass it along to the doctor. If you call with a question for the doctor, it will be relayed to her and a receptionist will return your call with a response.

We are happy to be a primary care provider for those clients that understand our hospitals’ unique approach and adhere to our outlined policies. Because we do not offer emergency services and have limited business hours, many clients maintain an active relationship with their current primary care veterinarian and also consult with Dr. Becker. We encourage this. Please be aware that Natural Pet is not an emergency hospital and cannot provide adequate emergency services. We recommend you have an emergency clinic lined up for your pet prior to actually needing their services. Although cancellations sometimes occur, you will most likely not be able to see the doctor the day you call the clinic with a problem so if your pet is having an urgent care need, we recommend you have an established relationship with a local emergency/after hours/urgent care facility. We are unable and unequipped to provide emergency medical services. Our focus is on integrative therapy (which is usually not utilized in emergency situations).
If you have a fractious pet, please leave them in your car while you check in so we can arrange for a safe entry for all of our guests.

Because Dr. Becker believes in proactive care, she must be in touch with your pet’s recent medical history and be kept abreast of changes in your pet’s response to her protocols as well as overall health changes. Once a maintenance protocol is achieved she requires your pet be seen for an appointment every 6 months to review medications. If your pet is not on maintenance medications or a formulated protocol, Illinois law states an annual veterinary visit is required to maintain an active veterinary-patient relationship. If we’ve not seen your pet as an appointment in over one year from the date of the original examination we will inactivate your file and assume you have sought care elsewhere and are choosing to not remain an “active client.”

Because of the volume of patients Dr. Becker sees, she is not available for non-client consultations. She does not consult with perspective clients due to time restraints. Before arriving for your first consultation we need your pet’s previous medicals records (not bills you may have at home) faxed 24 hours prior to your first visit. Dr. Becker will review what’s already been done and become familiar with your pet before your visit. Coming to your first appointment without having your local vet fax records decreases the quality of your visit by not only wasting valuable time (the doctor will have to spend time asking you lots of questions she could have found answers to in the medical records). It also narrows the medical knowledge base (the doctor often sees patterns in records that owners may not have correlated) and could shortchange the truly “holistic” approach your seeking by not being able to address underlying or undiagnosed problems.

Although very rare, Natural Pet Animal Hospital can refuse to accept clients or patients and can refer these clients elsewhere. We also reserve the right to terminate the veterinary-client relationship at any time. You may, of course, seek veterinary care elsewhere and you are welcome to maintain your relationship with your local veterinarian while also seeking Dr. Becker’s advice.

If you need to cancel your appointment, please notify us 24 hours in advance. Natural Pet Animal Hospital understands that missing appointments is sometimes unavoidable. However, empty time slots mean another pet was denied that time with the doctor. There is a $50.00 no show fee after the first missed appointment.

Due to the abuse of credit, Natural Pet Animal Hospital requires immediate payment for services rendered (If you have an estimate for services, a deposit for the estimated cost is expected). We don’t have a payment plan but accept all major credit cards.

Thank you for choosing Natural Pet Animal Hospital for your pet’s proactive healthcare. We hope this is the beginning of a long friendship! If you understand and accept the information you’ve just read, give us a call, 815-929-9393.