Frequently Asked Questions and Answers at Hill Creek Veterinary Hospital in Pittsboro, NC
1) Why do you have a 24-hour policy on filling prescriptions?
We started this policy to allow our staff time to fill your pet's prescription. Unlike a pharmacy, filling prescriptions is only one of many tasks our hospital performs each day. After the receptionist takes your call with a refill request, she pulls your record and checks to see if refills are available. Depending on how busy the front desk is, this can take several minutes or several hours. Then, if there are refills available, the chart goes to a box in our pharmacy area. When a technician or assistant has a chance, they fill the prescription. If there are no refills available, the receptionist places the chart in the appropriate doctor's box for approval. Depending on the doctor's schedule (or if the doctor is in the hospital that day), the chart may be reviewed in several hours, or perhaps not for most of the day. If the doctor approves the prescription, she writes it in the chart and places it in the box in the pharmacy area. As you can see, these steps can take anywhere from an hour or two to up to several days. This is also assuming that your pet's medication is in stock; some medications must be special ordered, and this can add up to a week to the timeline. We try to keep this process as streamlined as possible so that your pet can receive his or her medication in a timely manner, but the best way to ensure that your pet does not run out of medication is to call several days (or longer with special orders) before you run out of medication. Alternately, we have partnered with Vetcentric, an online pharmacy. They have several methods to prevent your pet running out of medication, including automatic refills. Click here for more information on Vetcentric.com.
2) What types of heartworm prevention do you carry?
We carry heartworm prevention for both dogs and cats. For dogs, we carry Interceptor, Sentinel, and Heartgard. For cats, we carry Heartgard, Interceptor, and Revolution. The injectable heartworm prevention for dogs, Proheart, has been taken off the market for safety concerns. Hill Creek Veterinary Hospital never carried this product. If your pet is on a heartworm preventive that we do not carry and you do not wish to switch, please ask our veterinary staff if you can order this through Vetcentric, our online pharmacy partner.
3) What types of flea and/or tick control do you carry?
We carry flea and/or tick control products for dogs and cats. For dogs, we carry Frontline Plus, Frontline spray, and Preventic collars. For cats, we carry Frontline Plus, Advantage, and Revolution. Due to a deadly tick-borne disease in our area (called Cytauxzoon), we only recommend Frontline Plus for outdoor cats, as it is the only product with tick control. We also carry Knock-out area spray. We recommend treating both the pet and the area in homes with severe infestations. If you normally use a flea/tick product which we do not carry, ask our staff about ordering this through Vetcentric, our online pharmacy partner.
4) Do you recommend over-the-counter flea and tick control products, like Biospot or Hartz?
No. These products are often less effective than those we carry, and in some cases are hazardous. Cats are especially sensitive to permethrins, which are often used in over-the-counter products (even those labeled for use in cats). These products can also be toxic to small children.
5) What foods do you carry?
We carry Hill's Science Diet and Prescription diet, Natura's Innova and California Natural foods in stock. We also regularly order Royal Canin foods. Other foods are available either by special order, or through our online pharmacy partner, Vetcentric.
6) Why do I need to pay for an exam to get my pet vaccinated?
We feel that it is very important that all pets receive an annual exam. If it has been over a year since we have last performed a full exam on your pet, we need to do this prior to vaccinating to ensure that your pet is healthy. This is also a good time for us to talk with you about diseases and parasites that your pet may be at risk for, and discuss any behavioral, nutritional or other concerns you might have about your pet.
7) My pet is overdue for rabies and I can't afford an exam. Can I just get the rabies vaccine?
We feel that it is very important for pets to receive an annual exam. The only exception to this are our rabies clinics, which we hold four times a year. During the clinic, you may bring your pet in for a rabies vaccination without an exam. We still recommend that you return for a physical examination as soon as you can afford it, though.
8) Why are your surgery prices higher than some other hospitals?
We have a very high standard at Hill Creek Veterinary Hospital. All surgical patients receive an intravenous catheter and fluids. A licensed veterinary technician monitors your pet throughout the procedure, using ECG, pulse oximetry, and/or blood pressure as adjunctive monitoring devices. Your pet receives prophylactic pain medication prior to the procedure, and additional pain medication directly after the procedure and as needed thereafter. They are monitored throughout the post-operative period. These standards add to the price of surgery, but we feel that they are important to the health and well-being of our surgical patients.