Pioneer Veterinary Services Payment Policy and No-Show/Late Policy for

Companion Animals (Small animals and Equine)
Our goal at Pioneer Veterinary Services is to serve you and your animal in every way possible.
This includes ensuring our veterinary team provides the level of care that fits within your
budget. It’s important that your financial commitment and responsibilities are made clear
before treatment begins to ensure that we can assist you appropriately.

Full payment of your preliminary bill is required at the time that services are rendered for
companion animal services (Small animal and Equine).

Our veterinary team is fully dedicated to patient care. Occasionally, we will get pulled away
from record keeping to tend to immediate patient needs, which means that all treatments and
services may not be entered into the patient record at the time a client checks out after a visit.

While we do our best to ensure comprehensive billing is complete when you check out, this
may not be possible (especially if we are seeing you on farm). In such cases, a final bill will be
completed and sent out by the end of the month in which the service was provided. Owners
have 30 days after receiving a final bill to pay any outstanding charges in full. If payment is not
received after 60 days, our office manager will attempt to establish communication with clients
so that we we can address any miscommunication and establish a financial plan. All unpaid
companion animal accounts will be sent to collections should they remain unpaid 90 days after
time of service.

In the case of an emergency, your pet will be stabilized before your medical options are
presented unless otherwise stated. We work closely with several speciality clinics to ensure
your animal can receive the best possible care within your financial means.

We offer a wide range of services, equipment and medicine in order to give your animal the
best chance to thrive. We aim to discuss all medical options with you and help you in deciding
on a course of action for diagnostics and treatment that is within your financial means. We are
happy to provide written estimates at your request; simply ask your veterinarian, or any
member of your veterinary team and we will create one specific to your animal’s needs.
Estimates and treatment plans may change during the course of treatment based on decisions
you and your veterinarian make. If you are on a budget, it is your responsibility to let your
veterinarian know as soon as possible so that we can customize a treatment plan for you and
your animal.

For your convenience, we accept the following payment methods: cash, cheque, MasterCard,
Visa, debit, and Interac e-transfer

We understand that veterinary care can be expensive. While we are sympathetic, the
equipment and highly educated staff required to provide our veterinary services is costly.
Balancing client finances with animal care is the most difficult and devastating part of our job.
In the hope of helping you provide the utmost care to your animals, we can offer the following
options:
Clinic Payment Plans: If you are a regular client of good standing, our office staff would
love to work with you to determine a financially achievable payment plan. A meeting with our
office manager will be arranged at which time a monthly payment plan with an achievable
completion date will be established. Please let our reception staff know if this is an option you
would like to pursue.

Pet Card: Should you be a new client to us, but faced with a difficult financial situation,
Pioneer Veterinary Services works with Petcard – Canada’s Veterinary Financing Company to
help you finance your required veterinary care.
-Insurance: As with other types of insurance, pet owners can pay a regularly timed
premium to transfer the economic risk of having to pay directly for their pet’s medical
expenses. Choosing an insurance plan can be overwhelming. Please let us know if we can help
you with this process. One widely used insurance program available to you is Trupanion |
Medical Insurance for Pets

Insurance: As with other types of insurance, pet owners can pay a regularly timed
premium to transfer the economic risk of having to pay directly for their pet’s medical
expenses. Choosing an insurance plan can be overwhelming. Please let us know if we can help
you with this process. One widely used insurance program available to you is Trupanion |
Medical Insurance for Pets

Request Help from an Organization.-There are several organizations such as Tails of Help (squarespace.com) who are
focused on helping low income families get their pets the medical care they need. Please let us
know if we can assist you in finding the help you need.

Late Cancellation and No-Show Fees
Please respect our time by arriving for your appointments on time and providing 24 hours of
notice for any cancellations. We understand that accidents happen; however, if two
unaccounted for or late appointments arise, we will charge a fee of $30.00 per late or missed
visit to your account. Late cancellation and no-show fees are required because we reserve time
in our staff’s schedule to provide skilled support for your animal and the missed time could
have been filled by another animal that is waiting to be seen. Failure to pay no-show and late
cancellation fees may result in your account being sent to collections (see Preliminary and Final
Billing for details).
Should you be late to your animal’s appointment, please be aware that you may have to forfeit
your appointment time as we are often tightly booked throughout the day. As always, we will
try our best to accommodate you at a later time, but this cannot be guaranteed.

We understand that making the decision to euthanize your pet is one of the hardest decisions
to make, but it is sometimes also the most gracious and selfless one. If you are wondering
whether or not euthanasia is the best option for your pet, here are some things to consider:

• Is your pet chronically painful?
• Can your pet control their urination and bowel movements?
• Is your pet able to move around freely?
• Is your pet eating and drinking without constant coaxing?
• Does your pet still enjoy their daily activities?
• Does your pet still recognize you?
• Do your pet’s good days outnumber their bad days?
• Are you able to manage the necessary care for any long-term conditions your pet has?

If you are having trouble deciding whether it is time to say good-bye to your pet, please don’t
hesitate to ask us for assistance. We would be happy to discuss all of your pet’s options with
you, as well as assessing the progression of any conditions or illnesses your pet may be
experiencing and their quality of life. While we can help to guide you, give our insight, and
provide you with advice, the decision will always be ultimately up to you.

What to Expect
If you know that it is time to euthanize your pet, our clinic staff will do their best to ensure that
both you and your pet have a peaceful experience. At the time of your pet’s appointment, the
veterinarian will discuss the euthanasia process with you in a private room and make sure that
you have the time you need to say good-bye to your pet before proceeding. You are not
required to stay for the procedure, but you are welcome to remain in the room with your pet
during and after the euthanasia until you are ready to leave.

After They’ve Gone
We know that holding on to the memory of your pet can bring comfort for years after their
parting. We offer several ways that you can memorialize your pet that we will discuss with you
prior to, or at the time of, your appointment; these options include cremation services and clay
and ink paw impressions.

There is no denying that losing a pet is painful. If you need help handling your grief, please
don’t be afraid to ask for it. Our staff will support you as best they can, but we can also guide
you to professional support if you need it.

Please remember that you made your decision for the sake of your pet and that they are
grateful for the hurt you endure so that they can go to rest untroubled.