Frequently Asked Questions

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Yes, office calls are arranged in advance by appointment, please call our main number (732) 269-0003 to speak with us to arrange a time. If however your pet is acutely ill or you have an emergency, no appointment is necessary and we can provide first line emergency care within hospital hours. For outside hospital hours please see below. Please note that all emergencies are triaged upon arrival and may take priority over non-emergency appointments if necessary to ensure that they get the medical attention they need. This may sometimes result in a short wait and we appreciate your understanding!

Not unlike yourself, your pet should have preventative care. A yearly check up is recommended for young and middle aged animals even if they seem healthy- this usually coincides well with your pet's annual vaccinations! For older animals twice yearly checkups may be recommended and routine blood tests may be advised to look for common age related conditions that may be diagnosed before they impact on your pet's quality of life.

If we are closed, we recommend the following places that are open 24/7 and will see your pet without an appointment:

* Garden State Veterinary Specialists 1 Pine Street, Tinton Falls NJ 07753 (732) 922-0011

* Red Bank Veterinary Hospital  197 Hance Ave, Tinton Falls NJ 07724  (732) 747-3636

* NorthStar Vets  315 Robbinsville Allentown Road, Robbinsville NJ 08691  (609) 259-8300

     or the following hospital which is open only on nights and weekends:

* Jersey Shore Veterinary Emergency Services 1000 NJ 70, Lakewood Township NJ 08701 (732) 363-3200 [Open Mon-Fri 8pm- 8am and Weekends: 3pm Sat - 8am Mon]

We accept cash, check, credit/debit cards, and Care Credit. We accept all major credit cards. Please note that payment is expected at the time of your appointment. We do not offer payment plans.

Please contact us on our main number (732) 269-0003 with the details of your pet's medication. Please note that most prescription medications require that your animal is seen and assessed by the veterinarian on a regular basis, usually at their yearly checkups, but for some medications more frequent monitoring is required. Some also require routine blood tests and other procedures to make sure your animal is doing well on the medication before it can be prescribed again.

Heartworm disease is a serious and potentially fatal disease in some animals including cats and dogs, and is caused by foot-long worms (heartworms) that live in the heart, lungs and associated blood vessels causing severe lung disease, heart failure and damage to other organs. It is transmitted by mosquitoes and the American Heartworm Society recommends that your pet be treated with a preventative prescription medicine every month of the year. 

For dogs, annual testing is necessary even if they are on heartworm prevention year-round to ensure that the prevention program is working. Heartworm medications are highly effective, but some dogs can still become infected. If your dog is tested and is positive for adult heartworms, giving the preventive medication at this point can lead to rare but possibly severe reactions that could be harmful or even fatal, and they will require a different treatment plan. This is why we need to test them - for their own health.