Welcome to Albany Animal Hospital!
Thank you for giving us the opportunity to care for your pet. We are committed to providing compassionate, high-quality care, and we are happy to answer any questions you may have about your pet’s health. To help us serve you better, please take a moment to review the following policies.

Appointments

Your scheduled appointment time is reserved exclusively for you and your pet. We strive to accommodate your scheduling needs and provide timely care. In return, we ask that you:

• Arrive on time for your appointment

• Notify us at least 24 hours in advance if you need to cancel or reschedule

Timely cancellations help us serve other pets in need of care. Failure to follow this policy will result in the following fees:

Missed Appointment Policy:

• 1st Missed Appointment:
  You’ll receive a courtesy call to check in and reschedule. We’ll provide a verbal warning about our missed appointment fees:

  • $40 for missed doctor appointments

  • $20 for missed technician appointments

• 2nd Missed Appointment:
  You’ll receive a call to notify you that the fee has been applied to your account. This fee must be paid to continue receiving services.

• 3rd Missed Appointment (within a calendar year):
  We will inform you that we can no longer accommodate you on our schedule. We will gladly send your pet’s medical records to the clinic of your choice.

Note: These fees are assessed per pet for multi-pet appointments.

Late Arrivals:

If you arrive 10 minutes or more past your appointment time, you will be offered the option to:

• Reschedule, or

• Be seen as a walk-in, which will incur an additional “work-in” fee and may involve a wait time as we accommodate you between scheduled appointments.

Technician Appointments Policy

Technician (Tech) appointments are designed for routine services that do not require a doctor’s evaluation, such as:

• Nail trims
• Anal gland expressions
• Injections previously prescribed by the veterinarian
• Microchipping
• Routine sample collections

However, if a veterinarian is consulted during the appointment or if your concerns require a medical assessment, an exam fee will be charged.

To avoid unexpected charges, please let our staff know the reason for your visit when scheduling, so we can determine if a doctor appointment is more appropriate.

Urgent Care Services

We offer urgent care services during business hours, subject to availability.

• Please call ahead whenever possible so our team can prepare and reduce your wait time.

• Walk-ins are accepted for urgent needs; however, please expect longer wait times as we fit your pet in between scheduled appointments.

Pet Safety During Visits

For the safety of all pets and clients, we require that animals be properly secured during visits:

• Dogs: Must be on a leash

• Cats and small pets: Must be in a secure carrier

• Please note: Cats on harnesses alone are not permitted, as they can easily slip out or become distressed. This is for your cat’s safety, as well as the safety of others in the clinic.

• If you do not have a carrier, one can be provided at cost, or borrowed from the clinic (just let us.

Annual Exams Policy

To ensure the ongoing health and safety of your pet, Albany Animal Hospital requires annual physical examinations for all patients. This is especially important for pets receiving long-term medications or prescription diets.

Medication Refill Requirements:

We take every step possible to ensure that our patients receive the very best pharmaceutical products available.  Veterinarians are required by law to have a valid client/patient/veterinarian relationship in order to prescribe certain medications for patients.  We carry several prescription products, veterinary prescription diets, and products labeled by the manufacturer ‘for sale by licensed veterinarians only’.  

• We require at least 24 (business) hour notice for refills of all medications.  If it is a special order or compounded medication (usually located out of state), please give us at least 7 business days’ notice to have it shipped. 

•  If you request a prescription and would like to pick it up within 24 hours, there will be a $15 Rush Fee for regular medication, and a $20 fee for controlled substances. If you are needing multiple prescriptions filled within 24 hours, there will be a $15 Rush Fee per pet. 
  

• If it has been 12 months or more since your pet’s last exam (or required bloodwork), we legally cannot continue to refill medications without an updated evaluation.

• You will receive both verbal and written notification when your pet is due for an exam or bloodwork.

• We allow a 2-month grace period beyond the annual exam due date. After that, we will no longer fill or renew prescriptions until the exam is completed.

• For prescription diets, we allow a 6-month grace period past the exam due date.

Keeping up with annual exams and any doctor-recommended diagnostics ensures safe, effective treatment and supports your pet’s long-term wellness.

Written Prescription Policy

Effective August 1, 2025, Albany Animal Hospital will implement a $5 written prescription fee for all prescriptions requested for fulfillment outside of our partnered online pharmacy.

This includes:

• Written prescriptions for third-party online pharmacies

• Written prescriptions sent to local human pharmacies

This fee accounts for the administrative time and effort required by our staff to process, document, and respond to external pharmacy requests, which often involve additional verification steps and communication hurdles.

⚠️ Important Notice:
Beginning January 1, 2026, this fee will increase to $7.50 per written prescription.

We encourage clients to use our partnered online pharmacy, which is fully integrated with our system for accuracy, safety, and convenience—and does not incur this fee.

Thank you for your understanding and continued support in helping us provide safe, efficient care for your pets.

Respectful Conduct Policy

At Albany Animal Hospital, we are committed to fostering a safe, respectful, and professional environment for our clients, patients, and team members. We have a zero-tolerance policy for any form of:

• Abusive behavior

• Threatening language or actions

• Harassment

• Disrespect or rudeness toward staff or others on the premises

Any client who engages in such behavior will be dismissed from the practice immediately and fired as a client on the first offense. 

We appreciate your understanding and cooperation in helping us maintain a supportive and safe space for everyone.

Payment Policy

At Albany Animal Hospital, we are committed to providing high-quality veterinary care at fair and reasonable prices. To help us continue delivering the best medical services to our patients, payment is required in full at the time services are rendered.

For your convenience, we accept the following forms of payment:

• Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express

• Cherry

• Care Credit

• Scratch Pay

• Cash

• Personal Checks (accepted from established clients only)

Please note:
If you are paying by credit card, debit card, or Care Credit, the cardholder must be present and provide valid photo identification at the time of payment.

 PLEASE BE AWARE WE ARE NOT ABLE TO TAKE CHECKS AS PAYMENT FROM FIRST-TIME CLIENTS

Pay with cash, check or debit card and SAVE.  There will be a 2% price adjustment for all transactions paid for with a credit card to help us cover the higher processing fees associated with these transactions (this does not include Care Credit transactions.)

Financial Agreement and Authorization

• I hereby authorize the veterinarian to examine, prescribe for, and treat the above-described pet(s).  
• I assume responsibility for all charges incurred in the care of these animals.  
• I understand that these charges must be paid at the time of release and that a deposit may be required for surgical treatment or hospitalization.  
• I understand that Cherry, Care Credit and Scratch Pay are the ONLY FORM OF PAYMENT PLANS. 
• I understand that a service charge of 2% per month or $5 per month, whichever is greater, will be charged on all past due accounts, and costs incurred in collecting said past due accounts.
• I understand that to protect my privacy, information regarding client and or patient information can only be released to the owner(s) named above, and a medical record release form will need to be completed and signed by the above-named owner(s).

Please inform a staff member if you require an estimate before services are performed.

If there are any disputes regarding products sold or services provided, they must be addressed in person or in writing within 7 days of the product purchase or service date.