Hospital Client Agreement

All Clients of Hilton Animal Hospital agree to the following statement in order to receive veterinary services for their pets


TREATMENT AND CARE

Hilton Animal Hospital is dedicated to the highest standard of care. Our top priority is the humane and compassionate care of our patients. Our focus is to relieve disease, pain and suffering of our patients. To that end our clients authorize the staff of Hilton Animal Hospital to administer treatment, perform diagnostic and prophylactic procedures, surgery and supportive care on their pet(s).  Our clients consent to the administration of medications, including analgesics sedatives, tranquilizers, and anesthetics as may be deemed necessary by the attending veterinarian. Every reasonable effort will be made to communicate with our client and explain all treatments or procedures. Every reasonable effort will be made to obtain consent from our client before any treatment or surgery is performed on a pet. 


PREVENTIVE HEALTHCARE REQUIREMENTS

In an effort to prevent the spread of infectious diseases and parasites, hospitalized and boarded animals must be current on all vaccinations and free of internal and external parasites. Official medical records have to be on-file to confirm the medical status of my pet. All animals will be treated for fleas at the expense of the owner. A fecal analysis will be performed on all animals that are not on a regular deworming program, or which have diarrhea during their hospitalization. Clients authorize the veterinarian to provide vaccines and parasite control and administer preventive measures as needed for my pet if it spends the night in the hospital. All costs incurred will be the responsibility of the Client.


WARRANTIES AND LIABILITY

No assurance, guarantee, or warranty will been made as to the results of treatments, procedures, or surgery. Every surgical procedure, treatment, and anesthesia, even performed on a healthy animal, carries a certain amount of risk and probabilities of complications. The staff of Hilton Animal Hospital will make every reasonable attempt to safely, compassionately and proficiently care for our client's pet(s). Hilton Animal Hospital or its staff will not be held responsible in any manner whatever or any circumstance, on account of the care, treatment, or safe keeping of a pet, or otherwise in connection therewith.


IN CASE OF EMERGENCY

Conditions not known, may make it advisable that additional treatments, procedures, or surgery be performed on a pet. Every reasonable effort will be made to contact the client before such procedures are performed. The staff and doctors of Hilton Animal Hospital will always act "in-the-best-interest of our patient". Until the client can be contacted, the staff of Hilton Animal Hospital will perform any reasonable and humane procedure to treat a pet, as may be deemed medically necessary by the attending veterinarian. The client will bare full financial responsibility for any costs incurred.


ABANDONED PETS

Pets that remain in the hospital for 5 days past the discharge date, without notification by, communication with, or pre-arrangement by the owner will be considered abandoned. Pets, which are considered abandoned, will be disposed of, as deemed necessary by Hilton Animal Hospital, in consultation with Newport News Animal Services. Owners will be responsible for all fees incurred, and may be prosecuted by Animal Control for abandoning their pet. 


FINANCIAL STATEMENT

Clients have the right, and are encouraged, to  request a written estimate of charges at any time, before or during a treatment process. Clients are welcome to request an update on charges at any time during a hospitalization for treatment for their pet. Down payments may be required for some procedures; and for some clients with no credit history at our hospital. 

   Payment in full is due when services are rendered. A late fee of 12.5% or $25.00, if greater, will be assessed for payments received after the due date. Failure to pay in full within 14 days of services shall be a default, and accounts will be turned over collections. Clients will be responsible for all costs, including reasonable attorney’s fees of at least 33% of my unpaid balance, and any other amount incurred by Hilton Animal Hospital in collecting my account. A fee of $37.50 shall be assessed for returned checks. All cases will be litigated in the jurisdiction of the City of Newport News. 

Hospital Boarding Policy

In an effort to prevent the spread of infectious diseases and parasites, hospitalized and boarded animals must be current on all vaccinations and free of internal and external parasites.


Vaccinations: All pets must be up to date on their vaccinations, and it is the owner’s responsibility to make sure that proof of current vaccine status is on file with the hospital at the time of admission. *Boarding animals less than five months of age is not recommended because they may not have developed complete immunity.

Dogs: DHLP-PV, Rabies and Infectious Tracheo-bronchitis / Bordetella is required

Cats: FVRC-P and Rabies is required.


Internal/External Parasites: All pets must be free of parasites, including fleas and ticks. We require that all pets have been recently and correctly treated with one of the following products: NexGard, Trifexis, Bravecto, Comfortis, Revolution, Frontline Plus, Advantage or Advanticks. Any animals with fleas will be treated at the owner’s expense. All dogs that are not currently on a monthly heartworm preventive will be tested for heartworms as well as have a fecal examination for intestinal parasites. 


Spay and Neuter: Hilton Animal Hospital only boards spayed or neutered dogs and cats. An exception is made for pets under 1 year old. Unfortunately our facility is not equipped to board sexually intact animals.

Cats: At Hilton Animal Hospital we love cats. We therefore know that some cats that are not used to dogs can become very stressed when boarding. We want to inform cat owners that we board both dogs and cats in our hospital. Some cats that live in cat-only households may do better at home with a pet sitter.


Medical Illness Policy: One of the advantages of boarding your pet(s) at a Veterinary Hospital is that medical attention is readily available for our guests. If your pet needs medical attention, we will notify you via your emergency contact number. If we are unable to contact you, your pet will be treated, as we deem necessary, at normal hospital fees. If your pet is currently on medication, please inform the receptionist. Charges for administering medications are based on the frequency of dosages and the means of administration.


Aggressive Behavior: In rare cases the stress of boarding may cause a pet to become aggressive. If a pet becomes a danger to itself or the staff, we reserve the right to contact the owner and send the pet home. If there are any doubts if a pet is well socialized or in good health to board, we strongly encourage owners to bring their pet in for a meeting and brief technician evaluation.


Personal Belongings: Leaving personal belongings, i.e.: toys, blankets, bedding, etc., can make your pet’s stay enjoyable. However, we cannot be held responsible for any items becoming soiled, broken or lost. If you have questions about this, please discuss with the admitting technician. Collars and leashes should not be left at any time.

 

Illness & Inherent Conditions: Occasionally pets may develop medical or behavioral problems from environmental and dietary changes. Signs may include, but are not limited to: vomiting, diarrhea, coughing, sneezing, and self-trauma such as scratching or biting their skin. We take great care so that these problems won’t occur and we treat our guests promptly, if needed. However, please be aware and understand that these conditions can develop and that the hospital is not financially responsible for these inherent conditions, if they do occur.


Severe Inclement Weather Policy: Hilton Animal Hospital is not an inclement weather shelter. The building does not have an auxiliary power source and may be subject to flooding. If a severe inclement weather event is anticipated we will call all owners of boarded and hospitalized patients to come and pick them up ASAP. During the weather event our staff will not return to the hospital until the event has passed and roads are safe to travel. Any animal left in the building will be left alone. If an evacuation order is given for our area, our staff can only return when the evacuation order is lifted.


Abandonment: Please notify us if there is any change of plans in your pet’s scheduled release date. If you do not notify us of a change in your pet’s departure date and we do not hear from you or your authorized agent for a period of 5 days after your pet’s scheduled release date, the Hospital will consider your pet abandoned. We will make every reasonable attempt to contact you. Abandoned pets will be handed over to the city Animal Control Service. Please be advised that the pet owner will be responsible for the fees accrued and any other fees or legal services incurred by the Hospital as a result of the abandonment.


If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact us any time. Thank you!

Medical and Surgical Consent

All clients have to agree to the following statement in order to receive surgical or medical care for their pet


I, the undersigned, hereby confirm that I am the legal owner / agent of the animal described above and I am authorizing the surgical / treatment procedure(s) listed above to be performed on my pet. The nature of the procedure listed above has been described to me to my satisfaction. I consent to the administration of such analgesics sedatives, tranquilizers, anesthetics or other medications as may be deemed necessary by the attending veterinarian.


I acknowledge that no assurance or guarantee has been made of the results of treatments, procedures, or surgery. I am aware that every surgical procedure, treatment, and anesthesia, even performed on a healthy animal, carries a certain amount of risk and possibilities of complications.


Hilton Animal Hospital or its staff will not be held responsible in any manner whatever or any circumstance, on account of the care, treatment, or safe keeping of the animal described above or otherwise in connection therewith. I hereby authorize the staff of Hilton Animal Hospital to perform any reasonable treatment, procedure and care for my pet as deemed necessary by the attending veterinarian.


The cost and charges of the procedure has been disclosed to me, to my satisfaction. I acknowledge that I will bare full financial responsibility for any and all costs incurred for the treatment and care of my pet, and I am aware that all outstanding accounts are payable in full after services are rendered.

Virginia Veterinary Disclosure Form

Hilton Animal Hospital is continuously staffed by medical, kennel and business personnel during the following hours:


Monday to Friday: 7:00 am - 6:00 pm

                  Saturday: 7:00 am - 1:00 pm


Continuous staffing is not provided on Monday to Saturday 6:00pm to 7:00 am,

             from 1:00pm on Saturday to 7:30am on Monday, and on major holidays.


However, medical and kennel staff are present on a non-continuous basis each day to provide for the proper care of your pet. Patients requiring continuous monitoring and medical treatment (i.e. intensive care) at times of non-continuous staffing by this facility can be transferred by the owner or their agent to the Emergency Veterinary Clinic where after hours staffing is provided. Any expenses incurred at the Emergency Veterinary Clinic will be the responsibility of the owner and will be payable to the Emergency Veterinary Clinic. At the time of transfer of the pet from Hilton Animal Hospital to the Emergency Veterinary Clinic all outstanding accounts are payable in full.