Large Animal Medicine

Here are some things you should know before arriving for your animal’s appointment with the Large Animal Medicine service at the Atlantic Veterinary College.

• Medications:  Please continue to give your animal any medications as prescribed by your local veterinarian. Please bring all current medications in their original bottles with you to your appointment.
• How to be referred:  Your local veterinarian will discuss with you if referral to a veterinary specialist is recommended for your animal.  If you choose to proceed with that option, your local veterinarian will contact us to provide all of the necessary information and to request an appointment.  Our Client Services representatives will then contact you to schedule your appointment date and time.
• Medical Records: We require your animal’s previous medical records in order to fully evaluate their condition. Your local veterinarian will send your animal’s records to us without the need for you to do anything. If your animal has visited more than one veterinary clinic for the current condition please arrange for all records to be sent to us.
• Payments:  At the Atlantic Veterinary College Teaching Hospital we accept debit cards, most major credit cards and cash.  If you have any questions about your payment options please contact our hospital for more information.
• Insurance:  Do you have insurance?  If so, please bring your policy details with you for your appointment.  If not, we encourage you to research insurance options, which can help ease your financial worries for your animal’s unexpected healthcare costs.
• Financing:  The Atlantic Veterinary College Teaching Hospital works with PayBright to offer our clients low-cost financing support.  Please visit the PayBright website to learn more about what financing options may be available to you.

• What is a teaching hospital?

As the teaching hospital for Atlantic Veterinary College veterinary students, our goal at the AVC-VTH is to provide exceptional veterinary care to your animal while also providing clinical teaching and instruction to our senior (final year) veterinary students, interns and residents.  Students participate in many aspects of examining and treating our patients under the immediate supervision of our licensed veterinarians and board-certified veterinary specialists.  Incorporating teaching into your animal’s appointment does take additional time, but our clinical care team does their best to provide prompt, efficient service within the hospital’s teaching environment.  As the only institution in Atlantic Canada educating doctors of veterinary medicine, teaching is essential to our hospital, however the well-being of our patients remains the highest priority for our clinical care team.

In addition to educating our students, our specialty services also provide advanced clinical teaching to interns and residents.  These are licensed veterinarians pursuing additional training to gain advanced competency in a specific area of veterinary medicine.

The AVC-VTH is a multi-disciplinary hospital.  Our Large Animal Medicine service works in conjunction with other specialty services within our hospital including large animal surgery, radiology, and anesthesia, as well as our diagnostic laboratory, to ensure that your animal has access to the best in specialty care, diagnostic testing and treatment.

• What to expect during your appointment?
  • AVC is a veterinary teaching hospital and we strive to provide the next generation of veterinarians the best teaching experience in order to prepare them to look after your animals in the future. Rest assured however that all diagnostics and treatments are performed under the care of a specially trained medicine clinician who will oversee all aspects of the animals care. Students are invaluable in taking special care of the patients and monitoring them very closely with the whole team of technicians, residents, interns and students coming together under the supervising clinician to provide excellent 24-7 care of your animal.
  • Typically, you will be greeted at your trailer by a senior (final year) DVM student assigned to your animal’s care and other members of the large animal medicine team. Your animal will be taken into the hospital, weighed and made comfortable in a stall while the student and veterinarians obtain history and pertinent information about feeding and handling.
  • Once your animal is settled in, a full physical examination will be performed and the clinician overseeing the case will discuss their findings with you and any recommended diagnostic tests, treatments and procedures, giving you an opportunity to ask any questions you may have.
  • If your animal is admitted to the hospital for diagnostic tests or treatments, a member of the clinical care team will provide you with regular updates during your animal’s stay.
  • You and your referring veterinarian will be provided with full written instructions regarding aftercare upon discharge.
  • You are encouraged to contact us if you have any concerns after discharge and we will work together with you and your local veterinarian to find the best possible treatment and outcome for your animal.

• Do I have to leave a deposit and how are payments made?
  • The clinician responsible for your animal will discuss all of the recommended diagnostics and treatments and will review with you an estimate for your animal’s care.    We understand that each animal and client is unique and we will work with you to determine the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment options for your family.
  • This estimate will cover a range because some elements of your animal’s stay may vary, such as the treatment and length of hospitalization, depending on what they find and how your animal responds to treatment.
  • Before we can proceed with your animal’s diagnostic and treatment plans, you will be required to leave a deposit of 50% of the upper range of the estimate.
  • If changes are recommended to your animal’s care plan during their hospitalization, you will be provided with an updated estimate and may be asked to top-up your deposit amount.
  • The remainder of the balance will be due at the time of discharge.
• Payments:  At the Atlantic Veterinary College Teaching Hospital we accept debit cards, most major credit cards and cash.  If you have any questions about your payment options please contact our hospital for more information.
• Insurance:  Do you have insurance?  If so, please bring your policy details with you for your appointment.  If not, we encourage you to research insurance for your animal, which can help ease your financial worries for your animal’s unexpected healthcare costs.
• Financing:  The Atlantic Veterinary College Teaching Hospital works with PayBright to offer our clients low-cost financing support.  Please visit the PayBright website to learn more about what financing options may be available to you.