Policies
This page contains general clinic and house call policies. It also has some general advice to help things run more smoothly during appointments.
Payment policies
Payment is due at the time of services. We would love to be in a financially stable position to extend credit to clients. Unfortunately, we aren’t able to do this at this time.
Current forms of payment:
- Cash
- Venmo
- Credit card
- Debit Card
We are not able to take Care Credit due to the higher fees they charge
New Clients
- Dr. Rider operates her practice via her website, online forms & email communication so that she can focus on patient care and safe driving.
- Please review this site prior to submitting a request form
- Each submission is treated as a potential new client who has taken the time to review the information on this site with the intention of seeking integrative veterinary medicine and working directly with Dr. Rider.
- Please note we cannot answer any medical questions via text, voice mail, or email. An appointment is required to discuss any medical issues, history or medical questions about pets, or to treat, prescribe etc. Thankyou for understanding.
- On demand reception staff is not available for this small, concierge veterinary business, so please use the contact for to reach out to book an appointment. If you are seeking an in-home euthanasia, you can easily book an appointment on-line from our contact page. Just use the pink button at the top of the page.
- If you have disabilities and have difficulties with on-line formats, please call and leave us a detailed message indicating you need help booking an appointment and we will reach out.
- We are not able to return vague messages (ex: “This is Jo. Wanna make an appointment. Call me back”). If you do not specifically need help with on-line forms, we will text you back with a link to our prospective client form to get you set up for an appointment!
Communication for Active Patients
- Dr. Rider operates her practice via her website, online forms & email communication so that she can focus on patient care and safe driving!
- On demand reception staff is not available for this small, concierge veterinary business.
- Please only use text for appointment changes or requests. Any requests for medication refills, patient updates, etc should be emailed to ridervetservices@gmail.com.
- Each submission is treated as a potential new client who has taken the time to review the information on this site with the intention of seeking integrative veterinary medicine and working directly with Dr. Rider.
- Please note we cannot answer any medical questions via text. An appointment is required to discuss any medical issues, history or questions, or to treat, prescribe etc. *If you have a question and pet has been seen by Dr. Rider in the last two weeks, you get a complimentary email consultation and reply to your questions, concerns and pet updates!*
Pet Leash Policy
Our policy is that pets must always be on a leash or cats in a carrier when coming into the building. We see many kiddos who are reactive to other dogs, humans, etc. For everyone’s safety, all pets need to be on a leash or in a carrier.
Engaging in any of our services means you are willing to follow this policy with no questions asked. You also understand that any client that places their own pet or any human or other animal in danger will no longer be eligible for services with us.
Available Hours Policy
Our hours posted on our website, on google and you can see all available appointment times with our on-line scheduling portal.
Email accounts and texts are only monitored between 9am and 6pm M-Th and Fridays 9-3. Most messages regarding making an appointment are returned the same day and we strive to return messages within 24 hours on regular business days/hours (weekends and holidays are excluded). Dr. Rider kindly requests that any refills, medical update information, etc be emailed to ridervetservices@gmail.com as texts are too easily lost in the shuffle. Please allow 72hrs for prescription refill requests to be addressed.
New clients: everything you need to know is contained in this website, from pricing, how to book an appointment as a new client, etc. On demand reception staff is not available with this very small business.
No-Show Policies:
Clinic -
We kindly ask that all clients give us at least a 24hr notice to cancel an appointment. First time No-show appointments will incur a $35 fee. If keeping appointments becomes a repeated issue, clients may be dismissed from services.
Appointments more than 15 minutes late will need to be rescheduled and will incur the $35 fee.
An invoice for cancellations less than 24 hours notice or no notice at all will be sent with a payment link. Payments are due at the time of services.
House calls -
We kindly ask that all clients give us at least a 24hr notice to cancel an appointment. First time No-show (aka you’re not home when we arrive) appointments for House Calls will incur a $100 fee. If keeping appointments becomes a repeated issue, clients may be dismissed from services.
An invoice for cancellations less than 24 hours notice or no notice at all will be sent with a payment link. Payments are due at the time of services.
Poop Policy
Please, PLEASE pick up after your pets. If your furling does a dookie, that’s OK! If you need assistance picking up the poo, we are happy to help. But please don’t ghost poop anywhere on the property. Picking up poop is appreciated by all!
Vaccine Policies
Our vaccine policy overall is very flexible, keeping your pet’s health risks in mind. However, your pet is is required to be up to date on his/her rabies vaccine. Special circumstances are allowed, so please feel free to discuss with the doctor.
Cremation for large pets
If you have elected for us to assist with your beloved’s cremation, once your pet has passed we will transport them to the crematorium. Pets over 45lbs will require assistance to transport them to the vehicle. We use a cloth stretcher for this. If you have a very large pet, please plan accordingly to have several able-bodied people assist. Dr. Rider cannot assist in lifting/ carrying pets over 70lbs. Please be sure to have at least 2 able bodied people to assist in getting your beloved from your home to the transport vehicle.
*We hate to belabor this point, but if the doctor arrives and there is not adequate assistance to move your large pet, we will need to reschedule the appointment, so please plan ahead.* If you are having difficulties in this task please let us know. If you prefer, you can also arrange for cremation pickup by Black Hawk Pet Cremation 309-283-7747 or QC Pet Cremation 563-424-7060. Please see our euthanasia information page for details.
Privacy Policies
Any information collected, such as email, phone, address is only used for communication purposes and to help with your pet’s healthcare. Contact information is NEVER sold to third parties. We will always ask you if we can take your pet’s photo and post on Facebook and you are welcome to decline. You can also opt out of receiving texts by contacting us at ridervetservices@gmail.com or our on-line contact form. Please note that doing so severely hampers our ability to efficiently communicate and manage your pet’s healthcare.