Frequently Asked Questions

It’s Our 5th Birthday!

 To celebrate, we are thrilled to announce that Access Veterinary Care will be expanding our services, including but not limited to our Preventative Care Clinic, Follow Up Clinic, Urgent Care Clinic, and even some additional surgical and specialty services! Browse our FAQ for more details on the new and improved services we will be offering starting in 2023. These services will be expanding and updating throughout February so make sure to check back with us to stay up to date!

These changes were made possible thanks to the community that’s been so welcoming to us, and we greatly look forward to better serving you and your pets in the years to come!

Access Veterinary Care offers a few different clinics depending on your pet’s needs. By focusing on sick or injured animals at one clinic, healthy pets at another, and chronic disease patients at a different clinic, we’re able to expand our services by maximizing our time. We do not offer all services across all clinics, so it’s important to pick the right one.

You’ll want to sign up for our Urgent Care Clinic if:

• Your pet is sick or injured: We see everything from common ear infections to emergency surgeries at urgent care. The Urgent Care clinic is not an emergency room, nor is it a standard practice. Much like a human urgent care, we see patients who can’t get into their family veterinarian soon enough or who don’t necessarily need an emergency room.
• You need a general medication renewal: Medication renewals may also qualify for our Follow Up Clinic if your pet has a chronic condition and is already an active patient at Access Veterinary Care (Please see more information below). Medication renewals do NOT qualify for the Preventative Care Clinic
• Your pet may need urgent surgery – Depending on veterinarian availability we may be able to accommodate urgent surgery needs same day. We do have limited availability for procedures during urgent care, so there is a possibility that we may not be able to do surgery same day; however, we will be able to diagnose your pet and do the necessary diagnostics to determine if surgery is recommended, or immediately necessary. If we’re unable to accommodate a surgery, we will help you find another veterinary practice to do the surgery and give you information on financial options that are commonly accepted at all practices!
• You need a specialty service: For those looking to book an ultrasound, consultation with Twin Cities Veterinary Surgery, or any other specialty service, you’ll need to meet with one of our in clinic doctors first to go over any required diagnostics, plans, or treatments and establish your pet as a patient.
• You want to meet with a doctor to go over any concerns or questions.

You’ll want to sign up for our Preventative Care Clinic if:

• You have NO medical concerns.
• Your pet needs vaccinations.
• You would like a dental quote/assessment or you would like to book a dental procedure.
• You would like a spay/neuter assessment or you would like to book a spay/neuter procedure.
• You would like a renewal on heartworm or Flea & Tick preventatives.
• You would like yearly geriatric screening and have NO medical concerns.
• You do NOT need to see a doctor.

You can sign up for our Follow Up Clinic if:

• Your pet has a controlled chronic illness (Diabetes, hyperthyroidism, arthritis, etc.) AND your pet has been seen at Access Veterinary Care’s Urgent Care Clinic specifically for their chronic condition within the last 12 months.
• A doctor at our Urgent Care Clinic recommended signing up for the Follow Up Clinic (this is can also occur in cases where a quick recheck or recheck testing is recommended).
• You’re looking for a quote on a mass removal
• Your pet has been diagnosed with an orthopedic issue which requires surgery (TPLO, FHO, Corrective osteotomy, Fracture Repair, etc.) and you’d like to discuss surgical options with Access Veterinary Care or Twin Cities Veterinary Surgery.

Wednesday – Saturday
8:30 am – 6:30 pm
Registration opens each day at 8:00 am

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 The Urgent Care clinic is reserved for illness/injury treatment. Preventative care services (vaccinations, heartworm testing, etc.) are not offered during Urgent Care days. Please sign up separately for our Vaccine Clinic to address preventative care needs.

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How Do I Check In?

Online registration starts at 8:00 am and closes when we’ve filled up for the day, or at 4:00 pm.

There is now only one visit type: Urgent Care Visit. Select on this visit type to begin, then continue on to the next page and fill out all your information to secure your spot. Please note that you will need to fill out the intake and history forms completely to be registered.

You will be directed to a confirmation page once your registration is complete!

Click here to go to the Urgent Care Registration page.

Dental Assessments:

Dental assessments (quotes) are now offered exclusively through our Preventative Care Clinic. If you have any medical concerns outside of getting a quote for a dental procedure, or think your pet may need medications for their mouth (antibiotics, pain medications), please sign up for an Urgent Care Clinic visit.

If I don’t fill out the intake form/patient history, will I still be checked in?

You’ll need to go through the entire check in process, until you reach a confirmation page, in order to secure your visit for the day. When you secure a spot through the initial check-in page, that spot is temporarily held (giving you ample time to fill out the intake and history form). However, you are not checked in yet, so keep going! We just need a little more information to complete your registration. Once you complete the intake and history form you will be directed to a confirmation page. If you do not reach the confirmation page, we will not receive your check-in information and your visit will not be saved.

What if the Urgent Care Clinic is at capacity?

Unlike a 24-hour emergency center, we do close at night. That means there is a limit to the number of patients that we can see in a day, and a limited number of corresponding slots. We’re open until 6:30 pm, but its not uncommon for us to reach capacity right away in the morning. We always recommend checking in early if you’d like a guaranteed spot for the day. We do also have a “non-guaranteed waitlist” option available so we can see as many patients as possible each day. If someone cancels, or we finish earlier than anticipated, we will pull patients off the waitlist to see at the end of the night.

If we are full and your pet needs more immediate care, we strongly recommend contacting a 24-hour emergency center or another veterinary clinic. You can find a list of area clinics and emergency rooms here.

Can I walk-in and secure a visit?

Check-in is exclusively online. Our reception staff will be happy to help you check in using the online system when the clinic opens at 8:30. However, we do fill up quite rapidly most days and may be at capacity by time we open. All other clients will be given the option to be added to the non-guaranteed waitlist.

I’ve checked in. When will I be seen?

Urgent Care visits can take place anytime between 9:00 am and 6:00 pm. Visits are based on medical need so emergent and urgent visits will be seen first. Unlike a traditional Urgent Care, we do not require clients to wait at the clinic until it is their turn. We do our best to estimate your visit time and will notify you when it is closer to your turn. Patient concerns vary widely and can require drastically different time commitments, so we can not guarantee visit times. Once you arrive, you may still need to wait for your visit to start.

How will I be notified for my visit?

If authorized, you will receive a text notification when there are two people ahead of you (an estimated time of 30 minutes to an hour).  That way, if you’re out running errands or eating lunch, you have some time to finish up and head back! Text notifications may go out anytime between 8:00 am and 5:00 pm. If you do not confirm your visit within 15 minutes, or if you don’t have text notifications authorized, we will call. If we are unable to get a hold of you by phone, we will move on to the next client and slide you down on the list. We will still attempt to contact you a little later to see if you’d like to be seen that day or cancel your visit.

Is it safe for my pet to wait to be seen?

If we are closed or at capacity and you think your pet has an immediate, life threatening illness or injury, we always recommend going straight to an ER. If your pet is not actively in danger, but still seems like they may need to be prioritized, we can provide a triage at 8:30 am.  Please let us know that you’re requesting a triage in your check-in form. Triage is used to assess the stability of your pet. If your pet is stable enough to wait, we will have you come back later. If they are unstable, in need of extensive diagnostics, a sedated procedure, or hospitalization, we will ask you to stay while we get together your pet’s care plan.

What should I do when I get there?

Feel free to remain in your car and notify us of your arrival. You can do this by replying to our notification text, by giving us a call, or even by e-mail! You can also come into the lobby to let us know you’ve arrived.

If your pet is young or unvaccinated and has vomiting, diarrhea, disorientation, and/or inappetence, please do not bring them into the lobby when you first arrive.

Can I make an appointment?

Apart from end of life services, we do not schedule appointments for the Urgent Care Clinic.

Should I let you know if my pet or I have food allergies?

Absolutely! We have a wide variety of treats we use to make our patients happy, including peanut butter. If your pet has a protein allergy (chicken, beef, etc.) or if you have a peanut, fish, or other severe allergy, please let us know!

I’m at the Emergency Room with my pet and they need surgery. Can Access do that surgery?

In most cases, yes! We have a great relationship with the emergency rooms and can handle a variety of emergency surgeries, including removing foreign objects, pyometras, cystotomies, C-sections, trauma and more. It’s perfectly fair for you to ask the ER if your pet is stable enough to be transferred elsewhere for a surgery and then give us a call to check our availability.

Mondays
8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Registration is open up to four weeks advance

How do I Check-in?

• Go to this page starting January 30th: Preventative Care Clinic Check-In 
• Select the available preventative care clinic date in green
• Select your preferred appointment time, then continue to the next page
• Fill out all requested information about you and your pet to secure your spot!
• A nonrefundable $15 deposit is required per pet at sign up. This is credited toward your visit.
• Once your registration is complete, you will be directed to a confirmation page and an e-mail confirmation will be sent to you!

What services are offered?

At our Preventative Care Clinic, we offer:

• Healthy Pet Visits
• NEW! Dental Assessments
• NEW! Spay/Neuter Assessments
• NEW! Yearly Geriatric Screening (on otherwise healthy pets)
• Vaccinations
• Microchipping
• Heartworm/Tick Borne Disease Screening
• Routine Fecal Tests
• Heartworm, Flea & Tick Preventatives

We are currently no longer offering the following services. This may change in the future, so please check back for updates!:

• Nail Trims
• Anal Gland Expressions

How are dental assessments changing?

Dental assessments  moving to our Preventative Care Clinic starting January 30th and will no longer be offered during our Urgent Care Clinic. All assessments will include an office visit fee of $35, with the opportunity to do a pre-operative exam (at no extra charge) and pre-anesthetic bloodwork (around $100) to schedule your pet’s dental procedure! If you’d like more information on general pricing, you can check out our surgery services and pricing page HERE.

What if the date I want is in purple?

Open registration dates appear in green. Any dates in purple are either unavailable or at capacity. If your preferred date is at capacity, feel free to keep checking back with the Vaccine Clinic page! If someone cancels their visit, the registration site will immediately open that time slot back up.

Why don’t you do preventative care during the Urgent Care clinic? Why is there a separate Preventative Care Clinic?

Anyone who has a sick pet will tell you how challenging it is to get into a veterinarian right now. COVID-19 and changes in the veterinary industry has spiked demand and lowered capacity. At the Urgent Care Clinic, Access Veterinary Care has an obligation to see the sick and injured pets that need us most.  This approach is more effective and efficient at providing both urgent care and preventative care services.

We know that our friends and neighbors have trusted us to provide all care, including routine vaccines.  This approach allows us to provide safe, quality veterinary care for all your pet’s needs.

I signed up, but now need to change my booking time, modify my information, or cancel my appointment.  What do I do?

In the confirmation email that you received, there is a link provided that will let you modify or cancel your visit.  If you deleted your confirmation email, give our office a call!

The $15 deposit for the Preventative Care Clinic is nonrefundable for cancelled visits, past visits, or no shows. It will transfer for visits that are rescheduled at least 24 hours in advance!

Do you call me in for my visit like with the Urgent Care Clinic?

While you may receive a reminder e-mail or text a couple days prior to the preventative care clinic, we will not call you day of. The appointment time you made is when we’ll begin your visit. When you arrive for your scheduled time, go ahead and stop in our entryway. We’ll confirm which services you’d like and which you’re pet is eligible to receive, and then get you started! Each appointment is approximately 15 minutes long (per pet), but may go a bit longer depending on the requested services.

If you would to speak with us via phone or e-mail, our administrative team is in office Wednesday – Saturday, 8:30 am – 6:30 pm. They are not in office Sunday – Tuesday.

What if I don’t have my pet’s records?

We highly encourage people to send us their pet’s records beforehand or bring them to your visit. If you can not get your pets records, we will vaccinate as if they have no vaccine history. If you are able to acquire your pet’s records after the fact, we may be able to amend how long your pet’s vaccine is active for. For example, the canine rabies vaccination can be active for 1 year if the pet is of a certain age or does not have a vaccine history. If the pet is up to date on vaccinations and of a certain age, their rabies vaccination could remain active for 3 years.

We are unable to contact your provider and obtain records for you during the vaccine clinic.

Tuesdays

9:00 am – 6:00 pm

What is the Follow Up Clinic?

The Follow Up Clinic is for established patients with Access Veterinary Care who have chronic conditions, or conditions that need ongoing management. While having a family veterinarian to manage your pets conditions is still recommended, the Follow Up Clinic is an appointment based clinic that allows for those who don’t have access to a regular provider.

What kind of visits are there, and what is the office fee?

• Comprehensive Visits $85:  Around 45 minutes in duration. These visits are meant for more education intensive needs, managing chronic conditions, or managing new conditions.
• Recheck Visits $50: Around 15 minutes in duration: For conditions that just need quick progress checks as they’re healing, or very stable chronic disease maintenance visits. All “Recheck Visits” must be doctor approved before booking.

Do I need to go into the Urgent Care Clinic again to sign up for the Follow Up Clinic?

From now on, everyone will receive a designation at the Urgent Care Clinic if they qualify for a Follow Up Clinic appointment. However, if you’re an established client, you may qualify for the Follow Up Clinic immediately. If you meet the below criteria, you do not need to come back into the Urgent Care Clinic in order to qualify. If you have any questions, we’re happy to take a look at your pet’s account and see if you qualify. Feel free to drop us an email HERE!

You may sign up for a Follow Up Clinic appointment, without having to go back into Access Veterinary Care’s Urgent Care Clinic, if you meet the following criteria:

• Your pet was diagnosed with or was treated for a chronic condition at Access Veterinary Care’s Urgent Care Clinic in the past 12 months.
• Your pet’s chronic condition is brand new and you need additional education
  • OR your pet’s condition is stable and just requires ongoing maintenance or yearly medication renewal.
  • OR you’re struggling with your pet’s care plan and would like to discuss other options. Please note that your pet should be medically stable, even if you’d like to discuss changing their current care plan. If your pet is medically unstable, or can not wait for a standard appointment, they should be brought into Access Veterinary Care’s Urgent Care Clinic, or your local veterinary ER,
• You don’t have any additional or unrelated concerns to the diagnosed issue. 

Examples of Qualified Cases:

• Your pet was diagnosed with Hyperthyroidism a year ago, and you need their yearly bloodwork to get more medication.
• Your pet was diagnosed with Diabetes last week, is doing well on their current dose of insulin, and you need more education on how to manage their condition and to recheck their labs.
• Your pet has been seen for arthritis in the past at Access Veterinary Care, but you’re having trouble consistently administering their NSAID tablets, and they still seem a bit stiff. You’d like to learn about other medication and treatment options.

If my pet doesn’t meet the qualifications or I’m a new client, can I make an appointment? 

The Follow Up Clinic deals with very specific issues, and requires some familiarity with your pets case. If you’re a new client, have a new patient, or we’ve never seen your pet for their chronic condition before, we’ll have you establish care through the Urgent Care Clinic first. If you’re just unsure whether your pet qualifies for the Follow Up Clinic, feel free to reach out and ask! We’re happy to direct you to the most appropriate clinic offered by Access Veterinary Care.

Access Veterinary Care is proud to be expanding our available services through traveling veterinarians and specialists!

We understand access to specialists or unique services can be challenging. We’re proud to work with traveling professionals in order to offer more services at Access Veterinary Care.

What we currently offer:

• Ultrasounds
• Echocardiograms
• Orthopedic Consults
  • Consult exams with an orthopedic surgeon
  • Radiology consults with an orthopedic surgeon
• Orthopedic Surgeries
  • TPLO (Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy)
  • FHO (Femoral Head Ostectomy)
  • TPO (Triple Pelvic Osteotomy)
  • And much more!

Keep an eye on our list of specialty services as we expand our network of professionals!

How do I book a specialty service? 

Clients should bring their pets and all relevant records to the Urgent Care Clinic to establish care and complete any necessary diagnostics. Once the attending doctor determines your pet requires one of the services above, our administrative team will work with you to arrange the consultation, subsequent visit, or surgery.

Do you run on a sliding scale basis?

Access Veterinary Care is a for profit clinic, so we don’t have the functionality to run on a sliding scale basis; however, we do encourage owners to let us know if they’re facing budget constraints. We do our best to do what we can within your budget. We may also be able to help point you in the direction of additional financial resources.

Do you offer payment plans?

We do not offer in house payment plans. Payment is due at time of service. However, we do accept grants, CareCredit, and ScratchPay. Arrangements and applications for these should be made in advance.

Financial Resources Links:

• Scratch Pay
• Sunbit
• Care Credit
• Pet Insurance
  • Trupanion
• Local Grant Foundations
  • Red Rover
  • Minnesota Humane Society  (Funds are limited each month and may close)
• National Grant Foundations
  • Brown Dog Foundation
  • Friends & Vets Helping Pets
  • Frankie’s Friends National Fund
  • The Mosby Foundation
  • The Onyx and Breezy Foundation
  • The Pet Fund
• Cancer Grant Foundations
  • The Magic Bullet Fund
  • The Riedel & Cody Fund
• Crowd Sourcing
  • GoFundMe
  • Waggle

What forms of payment do you accept?

• All major credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express)
• Care Credit
• Scratch Pay
• Local and National Grants
• Samsung Pay
• Apple Pay
• Paypal
• Trupanion Pet Insurance

Starting soon, we’ll also be accepting:

• Venmo

Access Veterinary Care does NOT accept checks. 

Am I allowed to be in the building with my pet?

Our rooms, vestibule, and lobby are all open to the public! Your pet may still be brought back into our employee only treatment area to collect samples, get their vitals taken, or in some cases, to have their exam done. This decision is made with the best interest of your pet, and in consideration of your time, in mind.

A face covering is no longer required, but still encouraged for those who are feeling unwell or who are particularly susceptible to serious illness. If you would prefer a no contact option, please give us a call after registration!

What days are you open during COVID-19?

Unless there are staff illnesses, we will be open as normal. We will keep the website and our Facebook page updated if any closures or changes in hours occur. Hours are 8:30 am- 6:30 pm, but we do often hit our “max capacity” early on, so at some point we stop taking new visits. Feel free to give us a call to check how our day is going!