Clinic Policies - Please Read
Office hours are by appointment only.
Monday through Friday
7:30 AM –12 noon and from 2pm - 7:30 PM
Please call 871-3064 to schedule an appointment.
Services offered at ECAC include general medicine and preventive care, a veterinary pharmacy, dentistry, x-rays, ultrasound and surgery as well as in-house laboratory and diagnostics. Consults with board-certified specialists are available and referrals are made to provide for your pet’s health care needs.
In an effort to provide the best veterinary service possible and to be able to answer your questions and explain in detail health-care recommendations for your pet, we reserve a half-hour for every scheduled exam. The time is reserved exclusively for you and your pet. If you need to change your appointment for any reason, we ask that you give 24-hours notice so another pet in need of medical attention can be seen. If you fail to show for an appointment, or cancel with less than a 24-hour notice, you will be charged a $25 cancellation fee. Thank you for your understanding.
While we do our best to schedule an “urgent-care” appointment within 24 – 48 hours, sometimes we have to refer people to local emergency hospitals. When the office is closed, our answering machine message leaves the name and number of the local emergency clinic in Bolton, CT. East of the River Veterinary Emergency Clinic in Bolton, CT is staffed for emergencies after 6pm weeknights and all weekend long from 1:00 PM Saturday through Monday morning. Telephone # (860) 646-6134
Other emergency clinics in the area:
Payment is expected at the time of treatment and a deposit may be required before hospitalization. The clinic accepts cash, personal checks, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express. The clinic does not offer payment plans and does not accept post-dated checks.
Financial advisors have encouraged the Ellington Center Animal Clinic to charge as much as 20% more in order to offer payment plans. Charging more would allow the clinic to pay for an accounts receivable / billing secretary, postage, bad debt and other collection expenses. We have decided to keep our costs more reasonable by not offering billing services.
Returned checks - There is a $25 charge for any checks returned for insufficient funds and for any appointments missed or cancelled with less than 24-hour notice. Unpaid balances more than 30 days past due will be sent to a collections agency.
Telephone Messages - Our doctors give each appointment their undivided attention. Messages left for the doctor will be attended to when the doctor is available. Often, messages may only be seen at the end of the business day. If you are waiting for a callback from the clinic, and have not received a call within 24 hours, please call the clinic again.
Our doctors follow a conservative vaccination schedule. Rabies vaccines are required by Connecticut law for all dogs, cats and ferrets. The doctors will discuss all other vaccines according to the risk factors associated with your pet's lifestyle. If you choose to have your pet vaccinated elsewhere, it is very important that you bring copies of your pet's vaccination records so the medical record can be kept up to date.
All surgical patients must be up to date on scheduled vaccines and annual exams. Pets who are overdue for an annual exam or any vaccines will receive these services at the time of surgery if they are medically stable.
Ellington Center Animal Clinic does not fax or phone prescriptions to internet-based pharmacies. Manufacturers (Bayer, Merial, Pfizer, Novartis) have repeatedly informed us that they do not authorize Internet Pharmacies to retail their medications. If you choose to purchase your medications through non-approved retailers, the manufacturers cannot guarantee the product. Medication purchases made via the internet are not eligible for manufacturer-sponsored rebates and coupons. For most products, you will find Ellington Center Animal Clinic competitively priced, and you receive manufacturer coupons/rebates applied to your purchase. If you choose to purchase medications online, please request a written prescription be mailed to you.
Please call to refill your pet's medication or prescription food when you have 5-7 days supply left. Calling ahead will save waiting time at the counter. Please keep in mind that not all prescriptions can be refilled. If the doctor's prescription can not be re-filled, an exam will need to be scheduled to evaluate your pet's health and the need for continued medication.
Please don’t forget to notify our office if your address or telephone number changes. We send e-mail and post-card reminders the month before vaccines and annual exams are due as a courtesy to you. We also offer courtesy reminder calls the day before scheduled appointments.
If you have suggestions to help us improve our services, or if you are ever dissatisfied with our services for any reason, we want to hear from you. Please call, e-mail or write to us and address your concerns to our office manager.
We appreciate your decision to trust us with your family’s pet health care needs. Thank you for your understanding as we strive to do our very best by you and all of our clients.
