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The emergency service here at Metropolitan Veterinary Hospital is open 24 hours/7 days a week. The cost for the emergency exam is $89.00. This fee covers the examination and evaluation of your pet’s condition. During the exam, the doctor will give you an estimate for any further testing or procedures that are needed and recommended. The hospital does not do any billing. Payment is due when services are rendered. Cash, check, money order and credit cards(visa,m/c,amx,discover) are accepted.
Without seeing your pet, we are unable to say if it is an emergency or not. If you are concerned at all, please call and bring your pet in through our emergency service. We always have emergency doctors available.
If you are concerned you can bring you pet in through our emergency service which is open 24/7. If you chose not to come in, we recommend you call the Animal Poison Control at 800-213-6680. A veterinarian that specializes in toxicity will make further recommendations to you including if you should bring your pet in through our emergency service. If they decide for you to bring your pet in to Metropolitan Veterinary Hospital please call us at 330-666-2976.
We can’t give medical advice over the telephone because it is impossible to definitively diagnosis your pet without examining them first. It would be negligible on our part to give advice without having all possible information first.
Please call 330-666-2976 to place an order for Science Diet with a receptionist. Orders placed by Monday at 12:00pm will come in on Tuesday afternoon. We can order over 50 different types of Science Diet dog food, so please call for pricing and to find out if we carry the type you are looking for.
The hospital’s visiting hours are 10:00am – 7:00pm. Visitation will take place in an exam room when practical. Visitors are asked to limit their visit to 30 minutes. All patients, except those in isolation, will be allowed visitors unless otherwise noted by the attending veterinarian.
The doctors and staff of Metropolitan Veterinary Hospital appreciate that you have entrusted us with the care of one of your family members. We understand how important your animal companion is to you. We take this responsibility very seriously and have prepared these guidelines to help you better understand the lines of communication in our hospital. There are 20 veterinary practices that have come together to form Metropolitan Veterinary Hospital and, because of the large number of associated practices, we must cooperate in our usage of the hospital services and staff.
- The practice that is in charge of your pet’s care will provide ALL communication with you about your pet’s condition, the current status of your bill, release times, etc. Please do not ask to talk to the Metropolitan staff veterinarian by phone or during a visit, as they are caring for and monitoring all the patients in the hospital, as is their support staff.
- If your doctor’s office is an associated general practice you can check with that office for updates on your pet or ask the Metropolitan receptionist to check for an update in the computer.
- All of the in-house practices: Surgery, Neurology, Internal Medicine, Cardiology, Ophthalmology, Rehabilitation, Exotics, Radioactive Iodine Therapy, etc., have their own receptionists and will inform you of how that practice will communicate with you about your pet’s status at the time of admission to the hospital.
- If your pet was admitted by the Emergency Service, the Emergency Doctors will be available for updates and questions until your pet is released or transferred to another service in our hospital. Please try to keep calls to a minimum as the emergency service is seeing patients 24 hours a day. If you pet is transferred to another practice in our hospital, that practice will explain their system of communication to you.
Thank you for your cooperation, as always we strive to give our patients and their families the best veterinary care!
We discourage owners from bringing in blankets or toys from home. We do our best to make sure your pet is comfortable and provide bedding for them. If you bring in your own bedding, many times it can get misplaced when bedding is changed and cleaned. Items may also become damaged in the laundry.
Making the decision to have your pet euthanized is very hard. Here at Metropolitan Veterinary Hospital we understand that our pets are a big part of the family. Below we will explain how the euthanasia process here works. Also, we have a handout with local support groups, doctors and hotlines that specialize in pet bereavement.
Euthanasia is a very humane and painless way to help those pets who are terminally ill and no longer able to be comfortably managed at home. The method of euthanasia involves an IV injection of a drug that acts as an overdose of anesthesia which will stop your pet’s heart. With the exception of the initial placement of the needle or IV catheter, the process is painless and rapid, with your pet passing away quickly (typically within 15-30 seconds after the injection is given). Even after your pet’s heart has stopped, occasionally it may still appear is if your pet is breathing or that his or her muscles are moving- these are normal reactions of the body after passing away and can be expected. Also, your pet’s eyes will not close after they are deceased. Finally, your pet may lose control of their bowels or bladder after passing away, which is also a normal response of the body as it relaxes.
When you come to the hospital, there will be a series of questions you will need to answer regarding your pet. On presentation, the receptionists will need to know if you would like to have your pet examined prior to euthanasia or if you are coming in for euthanasia only. If you would like to have your pet examined and to speak with a doctor to discuss your pet’s condition prior to euthanasia, your pet will be evaluated and placed into an exam room for further evaluation, incurring an emergency fee of $89. If you present for only euthanasia, the receptionists will then ask you to complete a form with additional questions regarding the euthanasia process and care of your pet’s remains. Questions to consider prior to coming in for euthanasia that will be addressed on the form include:
This is a very personal question and there is no right or wrong answer- some people elect to be with their pet during the euthanasia process, while other people choose not to be present. One of our technicians will place a catheter in your pet’s leg to make the process as easy and painless as possible for both you and your pet. You will be placed into an exam room and can visit with your pet for as long as you like prior to proceeding with the euthanasia. Please let our staff know if you would like to visit after catheter placement and when you are ready to proceed with the euthanasia.
While this may seem like an odd question, it is important for us to know if your pet has bitten anyone within the past 14 days prior to euthanizing your pet due to human health concerns of rabies vs. infectious diseases.
If you are an established client of one of the member doctors or specialty practices of our hospital or presented through our emergency service, you have the option of having a post-mortem examination (similar to an autopsy in people) performed on your pet. Some people elect to pursue this option if their pet has developed a sudden illness with no known cause. A post-mortem examination will allow us to better assess your pet’s organ systems to look for abnormalities that may point to why your pet became ill. Unfortunately however, we do not always find an answer for the illness even with a post-mortem examination. If you are presenting for euthanasia only and are not a current client of our hospital and you would like to have an autopsy of your pet performed, you will be referred to The Ohio State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital for post-mortem examination. A fee may be charged for having the post-mortem examination performed- please ask the front desk for further information.
There are several options available for the care of your pet’s body following euthanasia:
- Return of remains to owner for personal disposition - Your pet’s body will be returned to you for burial at home
- Perform common burial/cremation- Your pet will be buried or cremated (as per your wishes) with other dogs and cats and you will not have a private grave or receive the ashes of your pet back
- Perform individual cremation- Your pet will be cremated individually and you will receive his or her ashes back. We work with reputable services that guarantee that the ashes you receive are from your pet
- Please hold remains for 3 days, pending my decision- If you are unsure how you would like to care for your pet’s remains, we can hold their body here for up to 3 days. Please call us when you have made a decision so we may make the appropriate arrangements.
We work with several local pet cemeteries and funeral homes that perform the burials and cremations for our hospital. All of the organizations are very reputable and handle your pet’s remains with care. The receptionist will present you with a list to choose from (specialty practices make their own arrangements). Cremations and burials are assessed additional fees in addition to the initial euthanasia fee.
Please let us know if you have any additional questions or concerns regarding the euthanasia process or would like information on bereavement groups. |
