Business Policies

Why Walk Pets?:

The primary purpose for walking pets on a daily basis is to afford them a brief moment of exercise as well as to allow for urination and defecation outside of the pet’s cage or run. Some pets simply will not urinate or defecate within a confined area.

Keep it Brief:

Each pet should be walked within the gated/fenced walking area, for just a few minutes, as that is all that is necessary to allow the pet a chance to “stretch its legs”, as well as use the bathroom. Given the number of pets within the facility on an average day, spending more than a few minutes per pet would extend the process of kennel care to an inordinate length of time.

Which Pets are Walked:

Morning Kennels:
- Unless otherwise noted on a cage chart, all pets get walked each morning EXCEPT:
  - 1.) Pets with obvious inability to walk (down in the back-end, etc)
    ** Always ask a doctor or veterinary assistant in such cases. The pet may still need to be walked, but with two people and/or special care.**
  - 2.) Pets drooped off same morning for surgery (normally the cage chart will have a “Do NOT Feed or Water” sticker)
  - 3.) Pets which have recently awaken from anesthesia
  - 4.) Rescue Organization puppies
    **Such pets, lacking a known medical history, may be carriers for diseases that should not be spread to the pet walking areas.
Evening Kennels:
- Unless otherwise noted on a cage chart, all pets get walked each evening EXCEPT:
  - 1.) Pets with obvious inability to walk (down in the back-end, etc)
    ** Always ask a doctor or veterinary assistant in such cases. The pet may still need to be walked, but with two people and/or special care.**
  - 2.) Pets which have recently awaken from anesthesia
  - 3.) Rescue Organization puppies

CRUCIAL Rules for Walking Pets:
- 1.) Double Leashing: Always DOUBLE-LEASH each and every pet which is walked to insure that control of the pet is maintained and that the possibility of escape is removed.
- 2.) One-Pet-At-A-Time: Walk ONE-PET-AT-A-TIME. Do NOT try to leash and control two or more pets at once as this is a recipe for loss of control and pet escape.
- 3.) Only in Fenced Areas: Pets may ONLY be walked within the designated GATED/FENCED areas of the facility. NEVER, EVER walk a pet outside the gated areas as this risks escape and loss of a pet. Failure to comply with this rule may result in immediate dismissal fromPetWow.
- 4.) Use Basement Entry Door: In general, all pets being walked should come in and out through the BASEMENT door and NOT the upstairs door from the treatment area.

Medical confidentiality laws pertaining to animal care are much less restrictive or regulated than is the case in human medicine. Typically, with pet ownership, unless there are formal papers involved, documenting the name of the person who owns the pet (as when a pet is obtained from a pound, or rescue or from a pedigree breeder), determining, who exactly, is the “owner” of the pet (and therefore the “client” from our perspective) can be a bit hazy. It is notPetWow’s responsibility to establish legal proof concerning ownership before treatment (which in most cases is not even possible). We must operate on the good faith assessment that the presenting person is the pet owner, and likewise, any names or contact numbers that person formally attaches to his/her account when first coming to our establishment seems to indicate a de facto authorization for those other persons to obtain information regarding the pet.

When a PetWowmobile customer (HVC Customer) chooses to drive to one of our PetWowfacilities for a “walk-in” appointment or service, they are still to be charged under the HVC – Home Veterinary Care - Avimark software. Please note, however, that there is a distinct code within the HVC Avimark software for “Walk-In Exam”. The code is XW, and the price is $34.00, which is substantially less than the price of an Exam administered at the customer’s home.

Your premium is calculated based upon a combination of your age and your income. Hence, each person applying for a disability policy will end up with a slightly different rate once these factors are taken into account. After completing an application for disability insurance you will always be provided with a formal rate quote before you make a final decision to participate in the plan.
Premiums are calculated AFTER tax: disability premiums (unlike dental or vision premiums) are always payroll deducted on an AFTER-tax basis. The reason is that federal law allows any future disability payments that you may receive to be paid to you TAX FREE, as long as the premiums you paid to carry disability insurance were previously taxed. Since any future disability payouts would likely be far in excess of your premiums paid in, it is to your great advantage to insure that such premiums be paid after tax in order to ensure that any disability payouts remain tax free.

Initial Eligibility Enrollment Window: A staff member may initially enroll in PetWow's retirement plan during the first 60 days immediately after they have met the above "Eligibility Requirements".
Annual General Enrollment: If an eligible staff member does NOT choose to enroll in PetWow's retirement plan benefit during that initial 60 day window, then said staff member will have to wait until the next ANNUAL Enrollment Window which opens every year between November 1st and December 31st.

PetWow charges pickup and delivery fees whenever HVC Support is utilized in ANY capacity. There are two codes to handle the charging: one for “Support Pickup” and the other for “Support Take-Home”:
- SPU - Support Pick-Up Fee
- STH - Support Take-Home
In addition, customers should also be charged a Support Pickup and/or Support Take-Home fee whenever an HVC Support run is generated by a doctor in a unit who needs to have Support transport a pet to/from a PetWow facility. In short, anytime an HVC Support driver makes a “run” for anything whatsoever (for a scheduled surgery, in response to a unit doctor need, or just to drop-off a bag of dog food), one or both of the SPU/STH fee(s) should be charged.

Finally, if a customer only uses HVC Support “one-way” (for instance if the customer has HVC Support come pick the pet up at their home, but the customer drives to a PetWow facility to get their pet after service is provided), then the customer would only get charged one fee (either the SPU or STH fee).

Current Lunch Spending Limit

The Current Total Lunch spending limit atPetWowHighlandHeights= $80.00 (inclusive of tip)
Monetary Controls
- The cash for lunch purchases is to be taken from theWelcomeCentercash drawer only and aWelcomeCenterstaff member MUST PUT A POST-IT NOTE WITH THEIR NAME AND AMOUNT GIVEN IN THE DRAWER at the time the cash is taken from the drawer.
- The lunch receipt(s) and change must be immediately returned to theWelcomeCentercash drawer after lunch is purchased

Staff Member Contributions: PetWow is required by law to forward taem member payroll-withheld contribution monies to the team member's TD Ameritrade retirement account no later than 30 days of the payroll date in which the monies were withheld (however monies are usually sent to TD Ameritrade within less than one week).

PetWow Matching Contributions: PetWow's matching contribution for a calendar year is always (and by law) received by TD Ameritrade by April 15th of the year following. For instance, PetWow's matching retirement contribution for the 2013 contribution year, was received by TD Ameritrade no later than April 15th, 2014.

Paid CE time is accrued (or "earned") on a monthly basis leading to some overall annual paid vacation accrual. So, for instance, a team member who is on a paid-CE track to accrue 2 paid vacation days in the course of a year will accrue .1666 paid CE days with each passing month (.1666 x 12 = 2). If a team member has actually taken less paid CE time than they have already accrued (or "earned"), then they will show a positive "earned" paid-CE balance within their "Time-Off" tab within their "MY INFO" section of BambooHR.

If, on the other hand, a team member has already taken more paid-CE time than they have accrued (or "earned") so far during the year, then they will show a negative "unearned" paid-CE time balance within their "Time-Off" tab within their "MY INFO" section of BambooHR. This can happen, since PetWow allows team members to take paid-CE time off during a year even before they have accrued (or "earned") all of that CE time yet. See the FAQ question "Can I take more paid CE than I have "earned"?"

Paid vacation time is accrued (or "earned") on a monthly basis leading to some overall annual paid vacation accrual. So, for instance, a team member who is on a paid-vacation track to accrue 5 paid vacation days in the course of a year will accrue .4166 paid vacation days with each passing month (.4166 x 12 = 5). If a team member has actually taken less paid vacation time than they have already accrued (or "earned"), then they will show a positive "earned" paid-vacation balance within their "Time-Off" tab within their "MY INFO" section of BambooHR.

If, on the other hand, a team member has already taken more paid-vacation than they have accrued (or "earned") so far during the year, then they will show a negative "unearned" paid-vacation balance within their "Time-Off" tab within their "MY INFO" section of BambooHR. This can happen, since PetWow allows team members to take paid-vacation time off during a year even before they have accrued (or "earned") all of that vacation time yet. See the FAQ question "Can I take more paid vacation than I have "earned"?"

Staff Member Contributions: PetWow is required by law to forward staff member payroll-withheld contribution monies to the staff member's TD Ameritrade retirement account no later than 30 days of the payroll date in which the monies were withheld (however monies are usually sent to TD Ameritrade within less than one week).

PetWow Matching Contributions: PetWow's matching contribution for a calendar year is always (and by law) received by TD Ameritrade by April 15th of the year following. For instance, PetWow's matching retirement contribution for the 2013 contribution year, was received by TD Ameritrade no later than April 15th, 2014.

Team members accrue .5 paid holiday days with each passing month so as to reach an annual acccrual amount of 6 paid holidays (.5 x 12 = 6). If a team member has actually been paid for less paid holiday time than they have already accrued (or "earned"), they will retain a positive "earned" paid-holiday balance.

If, on the other hand, a team member has been paid for more paid-holidays than they have accrued (or "earned") so far during the year; they will retain a negative "unearned" paid-holiday balance.

With regard to any and all services rendered at customer's homes, including support pickups; either the owner or an owner's "authorized agent" must be present at the appointment. An authorized agent is a person of at least 18 years of age who can BOTH authorize services to be rendered AND make payment for these services. If no such person can be present, we will not be able to provide service. The following two operating protocols are to be followed in

relation to this policy:

**Verifying Authorized agent over the phone:
- If at the time the appointment is set up via telephone, the owner explicitly informs the receptionist that he or she will not be present at the appointment, the receptionist must verify with the customer that an "authorized agent" as defined above will be present in their stead.

**When someone other than the pet owner is presented with an estimate:
- When a doctor or other staff member arrives at a home where an "authorized agent" is present rather than the customer, the staff member must have the authorized agent sign an estimate for all services rendered, even, and especially out patient services.

Paid Sick Days are accrued (or "earned") on a monthly basis leading to some overall annual paid Sick-Days accrual. So, for instance, a team member who is on a paid Sick Days track to accrue 2 paid vacation days in the course of a year will accrue .1666 paid Sick Days days with each passing month (.1666 x 12 = 2). If a team member has actually taken less paid Sick Days than they have already accrued (or "earned"), then they will show a positive "earned" paid Sick Days balance within their "Time-Off" tab within their "MY INFO" section of BambooHR.

If, on the other hand, a team member has already taken more paid Sick-Days than they have accrued (or "earned") so far during the year, then they will show a negative "unearned" paid Sick Days balance within their "Time-Off" tab within their "MY INFO" section of BambooHR.

100% Portable Retirement Account: A team member's retirement account and all monies contained therein (whether contributed by the team member or by PetWow), belong to the team member after they cease employment with PetWow.

Remaining Matching Contributions Due: Any matching contributions due the team member for the year in which they ceased working for PetWow will be paid into the staff member's TD Ameritrade retirement account by April 15th of the year following the year in which the team member ceased working for PetWow.
- For instance, if a participating staff member were to cease employment with PetWow in February of 2013, any matching contributions due for 2013 would be deposited into that staff member's TD Ameritrade account no later than April 15th, 2014.

100% Portable Retirement Account: A staff member's retirement account and all monies contained therein (whether contributed by the staff member or by PetWow), belong to the staff member after they cease employment with PetWow.

Remaining Matching Contributions Due: Any matching contributions due the staff member for the year in which they ceased working for PetWow will be paid into the staff member's TD Ameritrade retirement account by April 15th of the year following the year in which the staff member ceased working for PetWow.
- For instance, if a participating staff member were to cease employment with PetWow in February of 2013, any matching contributions due for 2013 would be deposited into that staff member's TD Ameritrade account no later than April 15th, 2014.

Professional Pet Groomers
- Professional Pet Groomers may may not "carry-over" their annual CE Stipend.
Veterinarians
- However, Veterinarians, since their federal and state CE maintenance requirements work on an every/other year basis, have more flexibility. Veterinarians may carry-over all or part of one year's CE Stipend allowance into the following year. They may also use the upcoming year's CE Stipend in advance, along with the current year CE Stipend. These provisions for veterinarians are offfered to accomodate the frequent need or desire to complete all of one's 2-year CE requirements by attending one extended conference or meeting.

Decision Tree:

1. If the pet owner brings the pet toPetWow veterinarians for care:
- Medical treatment is free
2. If the pet owner chooses to go to another Veterinarian:
- a. If the bill is $100.00 or less:
  - PetWow will cover the medical care fees for the pet that relate to resolution of the grooming induced problem.
- b. If the bill for service is over $100.00
  - PetWowwill require medical records, including doctor’s notes for the medical visit.PetWow’s Chief Veterinary Officer will review the case documentation to determine the total fee amount whichPetWowwill cover in relation to the case.

If a veterinarian ceases employment with PetWow, for either voluntary or involuntary reasons, less than six (6) months after PetWow has paid the cost of annual AVMAmembership dues/fees for that veterinarian, the entire amount of those dues/fees will be withheld from the veterinarian's last paycheck.
If the gross amount of the veterinarian's last paycheck is insufficient to cover the value of the membership dues/fees payment made, any remaining difference between the owed value of the AVMA membership dues/fees benefit paid and the amount actually withheld from the last paycheck shall become a legally binding debt owed to PetWow.

If a veterinarian ceases employment with PetWow, for either voluntary or involuntary reasons, less than six (6) months after PetWow has paid the cost of a Ohio licensure for that veterinarian, the entire amount of that licensure payment will be withheld from the veterinarian's last paycheck.
If the gross amount of the veterinarian's last paycheck is insufficient to cover the value of the licensure payment made, any remaining difference between the owed value of the licensure benefit paid and the amount actually withheld from the last paycheck shall become a legally binding debt owed to PetWow.

If a team member ceases employment with PetWow, the team member may continue coverage for a limited time period via COBRA (Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act). The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) gives workers and their families who lose employer related benefits the right to choose to continue group benefits provided by their group plan for limited periods of time under certain circumstances such as voluntary or involuntary job loss, reduction in the hours worked, transition between jobs, death, divorce, and other life events. You can learn more about post-employment COBRA coverage HERE.

If a veterinarian ceases employment with PetWow, for either voluntary or involuntary reasons, less than six (6) months after PetWow has paid the cost of annual membership dues/fees for a chosen state veterinary association for that veterinarian, the entire amount of those dues/fees will be withheld from the veterinarian's last paycheck.
If the gross amount of the veterinarian's last paycheck is insufficient to cover the value of the membership dues/fees payment made, any remaining difference between the owed value of the association membership dues/fees benefit paid and the amount actually withheld from the last paycheck shall become a debt owed to PetWow.

If a veterinarian ceases employment with PetWow, for either voluntary or involuntary reasons, less than six (6) months after PetWow has paid the cost of a Kentucky licensure for that veterinarian, the entire amount of that licensure payment will be withheld from the veterinarian's last paycheck.
If the gross amount of the veterinarian's last paycheck is insufficient to cover the value of the licensure payment made, any remaining difference between the owed value of the licensure benefit paid and the amount actually withheld from the last paycheck shall become a legally binding debt owed to PetWow.

If a veterinarian ceases employment with PetWow, for either voluntary or involuntary reasons, less than six (6) months after PetWow has paid the cost of DEA licensure for that veterinarian, the entire amount of that licensure payment will be withheld from the veterinarian's last paycheck.
If the gross amount of the veterinarian's last paycheck is insufficient to cover the value of the licensure payment made, any remaining difference between the owed value of the licensure benefit paid and the amount actually withheld from the last paycheck shall become a debt owed to PetWow.

PetWow provides opportunities for customers to save money on pet care in two ways: by publishing or advertising various OFFERS, and also by establishing permanent DISCOUNTS.

Offer Types

1.) Internal (Offers attached to promotional literature which PetWow hands-out or mails, or makes available via web or email to existing customers – see current listing below)
2.) External (Offers made to the general public in various external advertising venues such as direct mailings, newsletters, billboards, radio advertising, television, or other venues).

Offer “CODES”
- On most published offers (where a hard copy is involved), you will find a “Code” located somewhere on the hard copy which facilitates easy application of the offer when presented by the customer. Simply enter the code in the customer’s account and the offer will generally be automatically applied. (Note, however, that some offers which provide a percentage (%) price reduction may still require a manual calculation.)

Discounts

1.) Senior Citizens Discount 10% (Owner over age 65)
2.) Military Discount 10% (Active or retired military personnel)
3.) Multi-Pet Discount 10% (Three-or more pets during the same visit)
4.) $10.00 Positive Online Review Discount (For posting positive Online Business Review in last 6 months)
5.) Grooming Pre-Book Discount 5% (i.e. a customer who books their pet’s next groom at the time of the current grooming visit)

If a professional groomer or veterinarian ceases employment with PetWow for either voluntary or involuntary reasons, less than six (6) months after receiving a continuing education reimbursement, the entire amount of that reimbursement will be withheld from the professional groomer's last paycheck.
If the gross amount of the professional groomer's or veterinarian's last paycheck is insufficient to cover the value of the Continuing Education benefit issued, any remaining difference between the owed value of the Continuing Education benefit issued and the amount actually withheld from the last paycheck shall become a debt owed to PetWow.

When team members receive approval for a paid Sick Day from PetWow, they are paid for that Sick Day within the paycheck whose pay period overlaps the date on which the paid sick day was approved, or the pay period immediately thereafter. Use of paid Sick Days, as well as a running total of used and available Sick Days benefit can be found within each team member's "Time-Off" tab within their "MY INFO" section of BambooHR.

"Unearned Paid Sick Days:
- In the event that a team member ceases their employment, for either voluntary or involuntary reasons prior to their employment anniversary; if he or she has been paid for more Sick Days than has been "earned", their Time-Off tab in BambooHR will show a negative "unearned" balance. Nevertheless, PetWow does not deduct any unearned balance from a team member's last paycheck.
"Earned" Paid Sick Days:
- On the other hand, if a team member ceases employment with PetWow and has “earned” Sick Days for which they have not, as yet, been paid; PetWow does not add that “earned” Sick Day pay to the team member's last paycheck.

"Unearned Vacation:
- In the event that a staff member ceases their employment, for either voluntary or involuntary reasons prior to prior to their next employment anniversary date; if he or she has been paid for more vacation time than has been "earned", their Time-Off tab in BambooHR will show a negative "unearned" balance. In such a case, that “unearned” balance will be deducted from the team member's last paycheck in accord with state and federal guidelines.
- If the gross amount of the team member's last paycheck is insufficient to cover the value of the unearned vacation time to be repaid, any remaining difference between the owed value of the unearned vacation time to be repaid and the amount actually withheld from the last paycheck will become a formal debt owed to PetWow.
- In no instance shall “unearned” vacation time be paid to a team member upon termination.
"Earned" Vacation:
- On the other hand, if a team member ceases employment with PetWow and has “earned” vacation time for which they have not, as yet, been paid; PetWow will add that “earned” vacation time pay to their last paycheck under the condition that the team member give two weeks (or more) notice before ceasing his or her employment. If the team member gives less that a full two weeks notice (even 1 day less), no earned vacation time pay shall be added to the team member's last paycheck.
- In the event of involuntary termination (firing), no “earned” vacation time shall be paid to the team member upon termination.

Team members are expected to return 3 scrub tops and 3 scrub pants upon termination (regardless of condition) since that is how many were issued at time of hiring, and also because PetWow replaces ruined uniform parts for staff members during employment free of charge.
- NOTE: PetWow does not require the return of groomer jackets, veterinarian lab jackets, or uniform items purchased by full-time managers.
For each scrub top and/or scrub pant not returned, $5.00 will be deducted from the team member's last paycheck.
- If the gross amount of the team member's last paycheck is insufficient to cover the value of the non-returned scrubs, any remaining difference between the owed value of the non-returned scrubs to be repaid and the amount actually withheld from the last paycheck shall become a legally binding debt owed to PetWow.
- If scrub tops or bottoms are not returned prior to the final paycheck being generated, a paycheck deduction for the non-returned scrub tops/bottoms will be automatically assessed. If the team member turns in his or her scrub tops/bottoms after the final paycheck has been generated, PetWow will issue the team member a separate check for the value of the scrub tops/bottoms returned.

"Unearned Holiday Pay:
- In the event that a staff member ceases their employment, for either voluntary or involuntary reasons prior to their next employment anniversary date; if he or she has been paid for more holiday time than has been "earned", that “unearned” balance will be deducted from the team member's last paycheck in accord with state and federal guidelines.
- If the gross amount of the team member's last paycheck is insufficient to cover the value of the unearned holiday time to be repaid, any remaining difference between the owed value of the unearned holiday time to be repaid and the amount actually withheld from the last paycheck will become a formal debt owed to PetWow.
- In no instance shall “unearned” holiday time be paid to a team member upon termination.
"Earned" Vacation:
- On the other hand, if a team member ceases employment with PetWow and has “earned” holiday time for which they have not, as yet, been paid; PetWow will add that “earned” holiday time to their last paycheck under the condition that the team member give two weeks (or more) notice before ceasing his or her employment. If the team member gives less that a full two weeks notice (even 1 day less), no earned holiday time shall be added to the team member's last paycheck.
- In the event of involuntary termination (firing), no “earned” holiday time shall be paid to the team member upon termination.

If a team member ceases employment with PetWow for either voluntary or involuntary reasons, less than six (6) months after receiving a shoe benefit reimbursement, the entire amount of that reimbursement will be withheld from the team member's last paycheck.
If the gross amount of the team member's last paycheck is insufficient to cover the value of the original shoe benefit issued, any remaining difference between the owed value of the shoe benefit issued and the amount actually withheld from the last paycheck shall become a legally binding debt owed to PetWow.

When customers arrive at aPetWow Welcome Center for a veterinary exam room appointment, it is important to use the correct manner of speaking when announcing their arrival via intercom to theVeterinaryCenter. The reason it matters is because the client will likely hear the announcement. Therefore the manner of speech used should be professional and personal. Therefore, the following language is to be used whenever announcing the arrival of a client/patient for an exam room appointment:

Format: “Pet_Name is here for a 10:15 appointment”
- Real-World Example: “Fluffy is here for a 10:15 appointment”

"Unearned Paid CE Time:
- In the event that a team member ceases their employment, for either voluntary or involuntary reasons prior to their employment anniversary; if he or she has been paid for more CE time than has been "earned", their Time-Off tab in BambooHR will show a negative "unearned" balance. In such a case, that “unearned” balance will be deducted from the team member's last paycheck in accord with state and federal guidelines.
- If the gross amount of the team member's last paycheck is insufficient to cover the value of the unearned CE time to be repaid, any remaining difference between the owed value of the unearned CE time to be repaid and the amount actually withheld from the last paycheck will become a formal debt owed to PetWow.
- In no instance shall “unearned” CE time be paid to a team member upon termination.
"Earned" Paid CE Time:
- On the other hand, if a team member ceases employment with PetWow and has “earned” CE time for which they have not, as yet, been paid; PetWow will add that “earned” CE time pay to their last paycheck under the condition that the team member give two weeks (or more) notice before ceasing his or her employment. If the team member gives less that a full two weeks notice (even 1 day less), no earned CE time pay shall be added to the team member's last paycheck.
- In the event of involuntary termination (firing), no “earned” CE time shall be paid to the team member upon termination.

The PetWow staff discount is immediately removed from a team member's account upon termination, whether voluntary or involuntary.
In addition, any unpaid PetWow balance at time of termination will be deducted from the team member's last paycheck.
If the gross amount of the team member's last paycheck is insufficient to cover the value of the team member's PetWow account balance, any remaining difference between the owed value of the team member's PetWow account balance and the amount actually withheld from the last paycheck shall become a legally binding debt owed to PetWow.

No staff member may use a medication or drug from a PetWow facility in any other manner except for their personal pets. All such medication use is to be entered into the staff member’s account, and dispensed according to the standards which apply to all customers. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCE are PetWow medications to be used by staff members for human consumption – their own or others. Further, ANY taking or use of controlled substances for any other purpose than administration to one’s animals with explicit veterinary prescription will be grounds for immediate dismissal fromPetWow, and will entail the notification of local law enforcement since such usage is felonious.

Medication Refills:

1. Clients wishing to refill medications for their pets need to have had that pet seen in the past year by aPetWowveterinarian (This requirement can only be over-ridden by a direct doctor authorization).
2. Any medication given to a pet within a PetWowfacility must be pre-approved by a doctor unlessa specific alert on the patient file is present. Even then, it is ideal to check with a doctor beforehand.
3. In no way are non-doctor staff to recommend pets specific pharmacological medications as a solution to some pet health problem. For both liability and safety reason, such recommendations remain the exclusive purview ofPetWowveterinarians. Of course, anyPetWowstaff member may recommend pet medications to a customer when instructed to do so by a veterinarian.

A PetWOW Veterinary client may purchase heartworm preventative if:

Dogs:
- 1. Proof of a negative heartworm test is provided.
  - *In order to honor a negative test taken at a different practice, we must have examined the pet at least once.
- 2. The pet is six months old or younger.
- 3. If the criteria above are not met, simply email Vet Center to ask for doctor approval.
Notable scenarios:
- REMINDERS: Reminders cannot necessarily be trusted. Heartworm tests entered in history mode may or may not qualify a pet for product – if it is not clear cut that the Heartworm test was taken at PetWOW, ask a doctor about dispensing.
- SAAP pets recently adopted. We must establish a client/practice relationship with the new owner before dispensing Heartworm preventative, regardless of whether we administered a Heartworm test while the pet was under SAAP’s care.

Cats:
- 1. We have seen the pet in an exam in the past 12 months.
  - **If the criteria above are not met, simply email Vet Center to ask for doctor approval.
Notable scenarios:
- SAAP pets recently adopted. We must establish a client/practice relationship with the new owner before dispensing Heartworm preventative, regardless of whether we saw the cat in an exam while the pet was under SAAP’s care.

We can fill heartworm medication for non-veterinary clientele if:

1. They provide us a written script from their veterinarian. In such a case, we are acting as a pharmacy to this customer and therefore must receive a written script in person or via fax; record of a heartworm test performed elsewhere does not suffice.
2. The script should specify the amount of heartworm prevention their vet has authorized us to dispense.

Boarding at PetWow:

All owners wishing to board their pets atPetWoware required to have all annual vaccines, including kennel cough vaccine, administered at least 2 weeks prior to arrival at our facility for boarding. If a client comes to aPetWowfacility for boarding and cannot provide proof that such vaccines are up-to-date and were administered at least two weeks in advance,PetWowwill allow the owner to board their pet under two conditions: a.) The owner signs a release acknowledging the risk of their pet contracting a communicable disease and b.) the owner agrees to have all needed vaccines administered byPetWowstaff immediately upon admission. If the client refuses either one of these conditions, they are to be turned away for boarding services.

Grooming (and other short-term stay services) at PetWow:

At the time of grooming admission, pet owners are verbally asked if their pet’s vaccines are up-to-date. If the answer is no, the client will be informed of the risks of not vaccinating pets and will assume all risk of their pet contracting an infectious disease. Petwow staff shall, of course, offer to perform the needed vaccinations during the grooming visit. However, in the case of grooming (unlike boarding), if the customer refuses the administration of needed vaccines, PetWow will still groom the pet.

Owner Administered Vaccines:

While a rabies vaccine must always be given by a licensed veterinarian, other common vaccines can, and sometimes are, administered by pet owners themselves. However, for purposes of boarding pets, where the entire pet population in the building might be exposed to risk due to improper or insufficient vaccination, we cannot accept proof of vaccination in the form of owner hand written records, or copies of the vaccine labels allegedly used, etc. For boarding purposes, we must have some form of third party verification that the correct vaccines were given at the correct times (an invoice or other veterinarian or pet care organization affirmation of vaccination). This is simply a necessity due to liability concerns.

**As a rule, we do no billing. The entire balance is due upon return of the pet to the owner.

Held Check Definition:

A held check is to be dated for the date that service is rendered, not for the date on which it will be deposited; thus the difference between a HELD check and a POST-DATED check.

PRE-Treatment Payment Options (If customer indicates they cannot pay for all services in full):
- Offer Care Credit to cover the charges
- 50% minimum for immediate deposit, and the remaining 50% via 1 held check for deposit in 1 month
- 50% minimum for immediate deposit, and the remaining 50% via 4 equal held checks for deposit over the next 3 months.
- if none the above is possible, we must decline service
POST-Treatment Payment Options (If customer indicates they cannot pay bill in full):
- If total bill is under $300.00
  - Offer Care Credit to cover the charges
  - 50% minimum for immediate deposit, and the remaining 50% via 1 held check for deposit in 1 month
  - 50% minimum for immediate deposit, and the remaining 50% via 3 equal held checks for deposit over the next 3 months.
  - If none can secure the full balance, get anything you can. Release the pet.
- If total bill is over $300.00
  - Offer Care Credit to cover the charges
  - 50% minimum for immediate deposit, and the remaining 50% via 1 held check for deposit in 1 month
  - 50% minimum for immediate deposit, and the remaining 50% via 3 equal held checks for deposit over the next 3 months.
  - If unsecured balance is under $300.00, secure as much of the balance as possible and release the pet
  - If unsecured balance is over $300.00, Keep pet and refer case to management.

Management Handling for unpaid balances over $300.00:
- Inform customer there will be an answer within 10 days, during which pet will accrue boarding charges

1. If the customer cannot comply with this credit policy, the doctor has the option to attempt contact with the hospital owners in order to get an extra-policy approval to proceed with services. If the owners are not reachable, the credit policy must be adhered to dogmatically.
2. In the case of some of the practices best clients, ownership may "pre-approve" open credit for services. Such pre-approval will always be accompanied by a computerized alert stating this client's pre-approved status. Thus, only clients with a "pre-approved" prompt in their account are allowed to bill beyond the terms of this credit policy.]

In the case where a customer has an unpaid balance yet wishes to book a new appointment with PetWow, the following rules apply unless the client has an alert or other account notation which explicitly allows billing:

1. Client with a bill over $100.00 must pay at least 1/2 of the existing balance BEFORE we will see any of their pets for another appointment. This means that 1/2 of the existing balance must be collected PRIOR to our actually booking the appointment.
2. Assuming the customer pays at least 1/2 of the existing balance, the customer must also be told that they are expected to pay the full balance for the new appointment when it is complete.
**We realize that some customers may verbally agree to this second requirement, yet at the end of the new visit fail to pay the whole balance. They key is that staff are required to at least tell the customer up front that the new visit needs to be paid in full upon completion- even if the customer somehow eventually evades this requirement.

PetWow does not admit pets for grooming which smell of having been “skunked”. If we can smell “skunk” when the pet is dry at point of admission, we must ask the customer to come back once the smell is no longer noticeable. If we cannot smell skunk when the pet is dry at the point of admission, we will admit the pet for grooming.

If upon wetting the pet down for a bath, the smell of skunk becomes noticeable, we follow the following procedure:

1.) Bathing: The pet is to be bathed with a “de-skunking” shampoo
2.) Drying: The pet can usually be dried in the main drying system, but if the smell is very strong and there is concern about the circulating air being so obviously heavy with the smell of skunk that other pets may absorb the smell into their fur coats, then the pet can be placed in a cage or run and independent blue dryers can be used for drying
3.) Grooming: The pet should be groomed WITHOUT hooking up the “Clipper Vac” hose so that the housing and filter of the Clipper-Vac does not absorb the skunk smell and pass it on to other pets.
4.) Charging: the customer will be charged a “Residual Skunk Treatment” fee due to the extra time and product involved in treating the skunk smell.

CAPSTAR NO LONGER SOLD BY PETWOW OVER-THE-COUNTER:

Capstar flea control continues to go on-and-off of backorder. Moreover, Capstar was never setup at PetWowas a primary Over-The–Counter (OTC) flea control solution. Its role within PetWowhas been (and remains) to be that of a quick knock-down flea treatment for pets which are discovered to have fleas after admission within a PetWowfacility. Therefore, we will NO LONGER sell Capstar directly to any PetWow customer. We will continue to stock the 0-25# Capstar, but it will be stocked for INTERNAL USE ONLY.

Consolidated Coding and Pricing for Treatment of Fleas Found After Admission To a PetWow Facility:

When pets are admitted to a PetWowfacility, they are told, either verbally or in writing, that IF we find fleas on their pet, we will automatically treat the flea problem in order to prevent the spread of fleas to other pets under our care. As mentioned above, the product we use for this purpose internally is Capstar. The code that should be used IN ALL CASES when we treat fleas in-house is FT (FLEA TREATMENT CAPSTAR). The pricing for this code has been made the same in ALL PetWow softwares, and that price is $12.50. So, when we find fleas “in-house” and treat them, the FT code should always be used, and the current price will universally be $12.50. Note that this is One-Price-For-All-Sizes. For smaller pets we may only use 1 Capstar pill – still the price is $12.50. For large pets we may use 3-4 Capstar pills – still the price is $12.50. This keeps things simple internally and covers our cost on average.

Exposing puppies to grooming (especially shave-downs) at too young an age can cause them great stress and dispose them to being fractious during future grooming visits. As a result, PetWow will only groom puppies which are 12 weeks or older. In addition, the first several grooms for young puppies should be “puppy cuts” which amount to a moderate trim up. After that, any form of grooming is fine. In this way, young puppies are gradually acclimated to the grooming process, making life easier on them and the grooming staff going forward. If a customer insists upon have their 12 week old (or older) puppy shaved, PetWow WILL attempt to shave the pup. However, for the reasons just given, the customer should be made aware that the procedure may traumatize the puppy, and that if the puppy becomes too fractious due to the shave, there is a chance we may be unable to complete the shave.

When a customer claims that their pet contracted Bordatella (Kennel Cough) from a PetWow facility, we will examine the pet for free to verify that the medical issue involved is truly Kennel Cough. However, if the pet does have Kennel Cough; the medications needed to treat the condition will be scripted out at the customer’s expense. Kennel Cough, very often, is simply stress induced and not a result of any contagion in our facility. Therefore, in many cases, the condition is not PetWow’s fault, but simply an unavoidable consequence of the stress experienced by pets when receiving veterinary or grooming care. Accordingly, PetWow meets the client halfway by examining the pet at no charge to insure the problem is limited only to Bordatella; but PetWow does not cover the cost of medications for the treatment of Kennel Cough.

General Disclaimer:

The general policy just described is captured in a concise way by the “General Disclaimer” which is included with ALL published offers. The disclaimer reads as follows:

“One offer per pet, per visit. Not good with any other PetWow offer or third party offer, voucher or pricing program; EXCEPT a senior, or military, or multi-pet, or grooming pre-book discount, or a free pet toy flyer”

General Policy Explained:

Any one of our published OFFERS may be used with any one of the four standing DISCOUNTS for a given pet at a given visit. However, a customer may never use two offers or two discounts for the SAME pet at the same visit. This also means that no PetWowoffer may be used in conjunction with third party offers such as rescue/shelter voucher programs or pre-arranged rescue/shelter pricing programs which PetWow honors. The most savings that a customer may enjoy in relation to any one of their pets at a single visit would be the combination of some one published OFFER (or some third party offer) in conjunction with one standing DISCOUNT (if the discount qualification is met). Please note that this policy holds regardless of the number or type of services a given pet is receiving during one visit (for instance, even if a pet is having both grooming and veterinary work done on the same visit, they can still only use a total of one offer and one discount - if applicable - for that visit). Note that flyers which entitle a customer to a free pet toy may also be used at the same time as both a monetary offer and a discount. However, all free pet toy flyers restrict the customer to one toy per pet.

Other Restrictions:

While the “General Disclaimer” is found on ALL publishedPetWowoffers, some published offers may also mention additional restrictions such as expiration dates, etc. Please pay attention to all disclaimers when accepting offers presented by customers.

Honoring OFFERS When Customers Forget to Bring a Hard Copy:

Often customers will ask to utilize an OFFER, even though they do not have a physical copy of the offer (such as a coupon or mailed card). Other offers such as those voiced in radio or television spots have no physical copy by their very nature. PetWow WILL honor offers even without a hard copy.

PetWow honors many third party offers and arrangements. These include, but are not limited, to the following:

1. Product coupons from pet food, pharmaceutical, or pet supply manufacturers.
2. Pet Rescue, Pet Adoption, and Pet Shelter organization voucher systems.
3. Pet Rescue, Pet Adoption, and Pet Shelter pre-arranged pricing programs.

**PetWow honors all such third party coupons/offers, voucher systems, or pre-arranged pricing programs ONLY at PHYSICAL PETWOW FACILITIES. PetWow does NOT honor such offers, systems or arrangements through its mobile division (Home Veterinary Care). The reason for this is that the discounted service/product rates generally associated with such third party offers, vouchers, and pre-arranged pricing programs, are simply insufficient to cover the added costs associated with premium mobile (at-home) care.

Hard Copy

Grooming Related
- $10.00 Off Next Groom
- $10.00 Off Grooming Services
- $5.00 Off Shedding Treatment
- $5.00 Off Flea Treatment
Veterinary Related
- $15.00 Off Next Vet Visit
- $15.00 Off Annual Vaccines
- $25.00 Off Veterinary Services
- $20.00 Off Spays & Neuters (Nov 1 - Feb 28)
- $20.00 Off Teeth Cleanings (Nov 1 - Feb 28)
- 50% Off Geriatric Profile Screening (Nov 1 - Feb 28)

General

Free Pet Toy
$15.00 Off Customer Referral Card (for both the referred and referring customers)

Web/Email Unique

$15.00 off Dental Cleaning
$6.00 Off Flea Prevention
$6.00 Off Grooming Furmination

In an effort to provide the best veterinary care possible for our excellent rescue organizations and their pets, we ask that rescue organizations drop off all pets for which they seek same-day surgical services by 10:30am, as we are unable to guarantee that we will be able to perform same-day surgery on pets dropped off later in the morning. If a pet is dropped off after 10:30am, we will do our best to complete his or her surgery that day, depending on volume. Nevertheless, there may be circumstances in which pets arriving after 10:30am will have to be cared for on the following day’s surgical rotation. We are happy to keep pets overnight in such circumstances, although we do charge a fee to cover kennel care expenses in such instances.

As a universal company policy, and for a variety of liability issues, PetWowwill not pickup pets, or return pets, at customer homes when there will not be anyone home at the time our drivers arrive. It is not necessary that the owner of the pet be at the residence when our drivers arrive, but at least someone must be present. This policy applies both to veterinary related pickups and take-homes, as well as grooming related pickups and take-homes.

Official Pet Visiting Hours for clients will be between 11:00am and 3:00p Monday thru Friday. If a client must have a different time, that time request will need to be approved by a PetWow veterinarian. If a customer is given permission to visit their pet after 3:00pm; if possible, such visitation should be set up within one of the grooming rooms, since such areas should be vacated after 3:00pm. This prevents an exam room from being tied up for a visitation session during a time of day when appointment volume is heavy.
Critical Care Pets: There are sometimes cases wherein a pet is in such critical condition that he or she cannot be moved into an exam room for normal visitation. In such cases PetWow does permit the customer to visit their pet in its caging area (assuming the pet is not in "isolation" - see below). Visitation of such critical care patients must take place after 5:30pm (since such visitation in the surgical-treatment or kenneling areas cannot take place during surgery time). Moreover, PetWow staff should insure that the patient is in as presentable condition as possible before bringing the cutomer to the pet's caging location.
Under no circumstances may any client, rescue volunteer, pet foster care worker, or non-PetWow staff member, visit with a pet which is under medical isolation. Such pets, by the nature of the case, may possess contagious diseases which may be easily spread to persons or other animals through contamination.

When aPetWowcustomer presents their pet for both grooming and surgical work, the prep and bath should be done right away. However, after the prep and bath are done, whether the surgery is done next, or whether the groom is done next, is solely at the discretion of the on-sitePetWowveterinarians. Groomers should ask the on-site veterinarians before starting a groom on a pet that also needs surgery, in order to find out if the doctor(s) prefers to do the surgery after the groom or before.

An Extensive groom (Denoted by the color green throughout the business) is a full professional groom administered by the grooming staff. It is called "Extensive" because it involves a dog breed that takes an unusually long period of time to complete the groom. We always take up 2 slots per extensive groom in the appointment scheduling software. These breeds are as follows:

Any pet 100lbs or heavier
Chow Chow
New Foundlands
Great Pyrenes
Keeshond
Old English Sheepdog
St. Bernard
Siberian Husky
Bouvier
Kerry Blue Terrier
Standard Poodle
German Sheppard
Bernese Mountain Dog
Collies
Doodles (Labs & Goldens)
Samoyeds
Malamute
Akita
Australian shepherd
Wheaten Terrier
Giant schnauzer
Bearded Collie
**Exceptionally matted pets
** Medically Impaired pets
- (Assuming customer conveys this information)

Generally, the Welcome Center will treat the situation much like an exam room appointment, simply letting the veterinary assistants in theVeterinary Center know there is a card up – specifically a pet visitation client. Generally speaking, a veterinary assistant should take the pet into the room and then escort the customer from the lobby into the exam room to spend time with their pet. The reason for this is that such customers almost always have multiple medical related questions which the Veterinary Center staff are is in a much better position to answer than are the Welcome Center staff. However, if there are paperwork and/or payment issues that need to be taken care of while the customer is here, those should certainly be handled by theWelcomeCenter.

Generally speaking pets are to be groomed in the order they arrive – first come – first server. Additionally, no groomer is to pre-designate any grooming pet as exclusively theirs to groom UNLESS THE CUSTOMER SPECFICALLY REQUESTED A PARTICULAR GROOMER. This means that no groomer shall put their initials or names on incoming grooming pets without a specific customer request. This policy ensures that each groomer has pets available to work on throughout each morning, as well as insuring that each groomer gets a sufficiently diverse group of pets so as to ward off any intra-staff feelings of unfair cherry-picking, as well as to insure that each groomer gets significant experience in the widest possible range of breeds and grooming styles.

If a customer wishes to schedule an appointment for their pet to have a tumor removed, it is necessary that one of our doctors has examined the pet within the last 6 months. Otherwise, the customer needs to setup an exam appointment to allow the doctor to evaluate the pet’s condition before the tumor removal itself can be scheduled (of course, often, if all is well, the doctor can go ahead and admit the pet for the tumor removal at the end of the exam consultation).

At PetWow locations which do not staff a full-time doctor, but rather bring a doctor in during the mornings to see veterinary appointments; any clients who need or wish to have their pet sedated for grooming must drop off their pet by 9:00am. This is so that the arriving doctor can immediately administer the sedation and be present on site long enough to insure that the pet is recovering from sedation properly before the doctor leaves the premises.

In most every case concerning a complex surgery the doctor has already had an extensive post-operative conversation about the case with someone responsible for the pet's care. However, it often happens that the conversation takes place say with the wife, but then the husband comes in to pick the pet up (or vice a versa); and wants a RE-explanation. In these situations, if the doctor simply cannot get free to answer the detailed questions at the time of pet pickup, let the customer know that the customers desire for further discussion with the doctor will be passed on to the doctor, and the doctor will call them back or possibly elect to have a consult appointment made (say to go over x-rays, etc) at the doctor’s discretion.

From time to time, a client may arrive for an appointment at the wrong PetWow location, or on the wrong day, or at the wrong time of day. This can occur, either as a result of an error which a PetWow staff member has made in scheduling the appointment, or else it might be the mistake of the customer. In either case, it is crucial to recognize that PetWow exists to service customer needs. If the customer has taken the time to drive to our place of business, regardless of the cause of the mistake, PetWow will generally take care of the client’s needs, regardless of any operational inconvenience that may be associated with working in an untimely appointment. Sending a customer back home in such a situation is the very poorest of customer service, and is to be avoided by all possible means. The only way in which a customer who arrives at PetWow for services may be turned away is with explicit authorization from a PetWow owner or manager.

In the case where a customer arrives so late for their morning appointment that the staff veterinarians have already begun surgery; the veterinarians in surgery should be notified of the client's arrival. The first veterinarian to finish up the current surgical case they are working on should see the customer. The customer, upon arrival, should be told that the veterinarians are in surgery and that there may be a bit of wait, until a veterinarian finishes his or her current surgical case. Of course, the customer always has the option to drop the pet off for care, rather than wait for a veterinarian to get free from surgery.

Customer’s who are late for their appointment in general:

If the customer is 15 minutes or LESS late for their scheduled appointment, we will try to work them in as soon as possible.
If the customer arrives later than 15 minutes after their scheduled appointment time, we offer the following two options:
- Drop the pet off
  - **Evening Appointment Issue: Please note that in the case of evening appointments, drop-offs MUST be approved by a doctor. In many cases, the doctor may want to have the customer stay on-site so that upon making a diagnosis we do not have to play phone tag with the customer in order to get approval to proceed with treatment.
- Simply wait until the other morning or evening appointments have been seen and then see them afterwards (which may mean they wait quite a long time)

*******In no circumstance do we send them home saying that we cannot see them at all.

Customer’s who are late for the last appointment of the day:

If the customer does NOT call ahead to say they are running behind, then we should attempt to call the customer to see if they are still coming. If we cannot reach them then the doctor(s) and veterinary assistant(s) are free to leave 15 minutes after the end of the last available appointment slot.
If the customer DOES call ahead to say they are running behind then the doctor and tech should stay up to 1/2hr after the end of the last available appointment slot in order to accommodate the customer. After ½ hour, if the client is still a no show, the doctor(s) and veterinary assistant(s) may leave.

Keeping appointments in correct order:

As customers arrive we place their card/chart in a counter slot holder so that veterinary assistants know which customer to put into an exam room next. It is critical to keep these cards/charts in the order they are scheduled in the Avimark appointment calendar, so that customers are not unfairly made to wait. For instance, if two customers arrive at the same time where one customer is simply on time, but the other customer is 15 minutes early, the customer who is on time for their appointment should be seen first (of course if someone arrives early for their appointment and there are no other persons in the lobby waiting to be seen, then we will generally go ahead and see the early-arriving customer). Finally, if a customer who arrives early is made to wait because we are seeing a customer who arrived on time and expresses frustration that they were not seen first, you should simply explain that we wish to be fair to everybody and cannot make the on-time person wait just because another client came in early. Note also, that in this situation, if there is more than one exam room open, you could avoid such tension by placing both customers in a different exam room right away, so that both customers get the sense that they are in the process of being seen by the doctor.

At PetWow we try our best to avoid long wait times for client appointments. Nevertheless, there are circumstances which can arise causing doctors to fall behind in their exam room appointment schedule. Understandably, customers can become impatient and express displeasure when such circumstances arise. When extended client wait-times do occur, PetWow Welcome Center staff should take some basic steps to acknowledge and address the situation in an attempt to calm the customer. The following policy is designed to provide Welcome Center staff with some general guidelines for interacting with customers in the event of long appointment wait times.

If the wait time is minimal (under 15 minutes):
- Generally, there is no need to say anything to a customer if wait times are under 15 minutes. However, one helpful strategy for making clients feel as though their appointment is being processed is to move the client from the lobby to an open exam room - if there is an open exam room. Moving the client to an exam room helps the client feel like the appointment is “under way” – even if it may still be a while before the doctor enters their exam room.
If the wait time is significant, but not extraordinary (between 15 and 45 minutes):
- In this case, a Welcome Center staff member should verbally apologize for the delay and give a brief explanation of the reason for the delay. There are two general reasons for delay that can be given:
  - A.) Pet Emergency Situation
    Often times, significant appointment delays occur because a pet facing an immediate emergency situation was rushed to aPetWowfacility and moved to the front of the appointment line for veterinary treatment. In such a case, simply apologize to the customer and explain that the delay was caused by an unexpected pet emergency situation which required immediate attention by the doctor. Most clients understand that situation since they would like to be treated in the same way if their own pet faced an emergency.
  - B.) Multiple Sick or Complex Appointments
    The other common reason for significant appointment delays arises from the circumstance that several prior appointments in a row all involved very sick pets or difficult diagnostic cases (as opposed to simple vaccine appointments, etc). Such a string of cases can put the doctor behind schedule. Again, in such an event, simply apologize to the customer and explain that the delay was caused by an unexpected string of very sick pet appointments that have required more than the usual amount of appointment time with the doctor. This explanation may not entirely satisfy the customer, but generally some such explanation is better than not acknowledging the long wait at all.
If the wait time is over 45 minutes:
- In this case, a WelcomeCenterstaff member should verbally apologize for the delay, give a brief explanation of the reason for the delay, AND offer the client a 10% discount for the extraordinary delay. Again, there are two general reasons for delay that can be given:
  - A.) Pet Emergency Situation
    Often times, significant appointment delays occur because a pet facing an immediate emergency situation was rushed to aPetWowfacility and moved to the front of the appointment line for veterinary treatment. In such a case, simply apologize to the customer and explain that the delay was caused by an unexpected pet emergency situation which required immediate attention by the doctor. Most clients understand that situation since they would like to be treated in the same way if their own pet faced an emergency.
  - B.) Multiple Sick or Complex Appointments
    The other common reason for significant appointment delays arises from the circumstance that several prior appointments in a row all involved very sick pets or difficult diagnostic cases (as opposed to simple vaccine appointments, etc). Such a string of cases can put the doctor behind schedule. Again, in such an event, simply apologize to the customer and explain that the delay was caused by an unexpected string of very sick pet appointments that have required more than the usual amount of appointment time with the doctor. This explanation may not entirely satisfy the customer, but generally some such explanation is better than not acknowledging the long wait at all

Obviously, no client wants to be told that we are unable to see their pet, and generally we make every possible effort to care for our client’s pets if there is any way possible – especially when their pet is facing an emergency or ADR situation. Nevertheless, there are simply times when all of our evening appointments are booked and the in-house case load is so heavy that we cannot do justice to the needs of a given pet which needs emergency or ADR attention. This usually only happens when either all evening appointments are booked, or when a client calls after appointment time is over. The following policy is designed to help staff members understand how to handle these situations, and most importantly, how to communicate with customers about such situations in the most compassionate way possible.

If a customer calls with an emergency or ADR DURING evening exam room time AND there are NO APPOINTMENT SLOTS LEFT, then BEFORE TURNING AWAY THE CUSTOMER the on-site doctor(s) should be asked if there is any way the pet can be seen or looked at during the evening in order to at least get diagnosis/treatment under way. The on-site doctor(s) has the authority to make this decision based on the nature of the symptoms communicated and other factors such as the type of exam room appointments already scheduled, the number of in-house treatments, etc. WhilePetWow’s general stance is to service our client’s needs if at all possible, there may be situations where our volume for a given evening will simply not afford the doctor enough time to do justice to the pet’s needs. In such a case the phone conversation with the customer should go something like the following:
- Initial Conversation: When the customer first calls with the emergency or ADR, and it is apparent that no more appointment slots are open, the person taking the call should say:
  - “I can see that all of our appointment slots are filled this evening, but let me check with the doctor to see if there is any way they might have time to give your pet the medical attention he/she needs this evening.”
- If the doctor decides they cannot give the pet sufficient attention that evening: If the on-site doctor(s) decides that they cannot do justice to the pet’s needs that evening, the staff member should return to the phone and convey the following:
  - “Unfortunately, given our case load tonight, our doctor will not be able to give your pet the sort of immediate attention which it sounds like your pet needs. If you think that his/her condition can wait until morning, we can definitely have you drop your pet off in the morning; or if you think your pet is facing a real emergency situation, you can certainly take him/her to the emergency clinic right away.”

If a customer wishes to schedule an "at-home" appointment, whether for a doctor and tech in a unit, or else a support pickup, but the customer has a balance, the appointment can only be booked if:

The balance is $100.00 or LESS or
The balance is more than $100.00, but there ia an alert or other account note authorizing either billing or PetWow's prior agreement to do additional home visits, despite the current balance.

With respect to elective surgeries, PetWow generally does not require that a separate "face-to-face" exam appointment between a doctor and client be scheduled before a client is allowed to drop off their pet for elective surgery. However, there are two exceptions to this rule:

a.) New clients who have never used our services, but wish to have their pet's teeth cleaned must first see a PetWow doctor in order to establish a client-doctor relationship.
b.) New or existing clients who wish to have a tumor removed from their pet must meet with a doctor beforehand in order to ensure a proper estimate and diagnosis.

Generally speaking, although many of our Welcome Center staff members are capable of performing nail trims; nevertheless, customers who call about having their pet's nails trimmed, should be instructed to do so while there are either veterinarians, veterinary assistants, pet groomers, or grooming assistants on premise - in case pet having its nails trimmed is exceedingly fractious.
However, there are customers who simply “walk-in” asking for their pet's nails to be trimmed, without calling ahead. And sometimes these "walk-ins" occur after all veterinarians, veterinary assistants, pet groomers, and grooming assistants have left for the day. In that case, if the Welcome Center staff members are capable of performing the nail trim for the customer they should do so.
However, if the Welcome Center staff members have not yet had sufficient training to competently perform the nail trim, it is permissible, in these rare cases where there are absolutely no veterinarians, veterinary assistants, pet groomers, or grooming assistant on premises to ask a customer to stop back by at a different time. Of course, over time, it is a company goal to provide all Welcome Center staff members with sufficient training in the performance of nail trims so as to largely avoid such problems.

For Home Veterinary Care surgeries, suture removals should be handled and charged as follows:

Option 1: Walk-In Suture Removal:
- A Home Veterinary Care customer may come to PetWow Highland Heights or Florence to have their pet’s sutures removed. Again, there is NO extra charge if the customer drives to our facility for the suture removal.
Option 2: Support Suture Removal
- A client can opt to have a Support driver come out and remove sutures/staples (even if the pet is fractious, we can often send an additional staff member with the driver). There is a $35.00 Charge (Code SRM: Suture Removal Mobile) for support suture removals.
Option 3: Mobile Doctor Suture Removal:
- If a Home Veterinary Care customer insists on having the doctor and veterinary assistant come to their home for the suture removal, they will be charged a Mobile Follow-up Exam fee. If the doctor who creates the original estimate for the procedure is virtually certain that the customer will want or require a doctor to come to their home for the suture removal, it is recommended that the doctor go ahead and add the follow-up exam fee for the suture removal into the original estimate, so that the customer is aware of the charge from the beginning.

No staff member should proactively call a customer to ask the customer to re-schedule the customer’s appointment without explicit permission from management.
The only exception to this rule is same-day mobile appointments where the mobile DOCTOR has the option, in an effort to better organize drive time or benefit the customer. to call and ask the customer if they might want to be visited earlier or later in the day.

There are occasions when customer service staff members working at either a PetWow Welcome Center or Call Center may face an unusually slow volume day such that there would be no business harm if a customer service staff member left work for the day prior to the end of their formally scheduled shift. Following are the rules which apply for doing so:

Only a staff member working a Non-Closing shift atWelcomeCenter orCallCenter may leave early. The “late” or closing shift in eitherWelcomeCenter orCallCenter can NEVER be abandoned for an early leave time.
A person wishing to leave early should FIRST try and find an officer to get permission to do so.
If an officer is unavailable then the staff member wishing to leave early must verify that
- The customer call volume (ifCallCenter) or foot-traffic volume (atWelcomeCenter) is in fact low
- The staff member must get agreement from his/her coworkers that they are fine with him/her leaving early

PetWow staff members may NEVER attempt to, or even assist in, bringing a dog or cat in or out of a PetWow facility, unless the dog is on a leash (or in a carrier), or unless the cat is in a carrier. For instance, no staff member may attempt to catch a loose cat or dog in someone’s car in order to bring it into aPetWow facility. All scenarios wherein a dog is not on a leash or in a carrier, or where a cat is not in a carrier, greatly increase the risk that the pet will escape from restraint. If that happens as a result of aPetWow staff member’s effort,PetWow becomes formally responsible for the escape.

If, upon admission of a pet, a customer wishes to delete or add services to their service estimate, the changes desired need to be made in the veterinary software and a new, updated, estimate needs to be printed and signed. It is no longer acceptable to simply handwrite additions or deletions on an estimate. In addition, the staff member who goes over the estimate with the customer must put their initials on the estimate so that the doctor staff know which staff member to contact if they have any questions about the customer’s wishes.

When we scan:

1.) We only scan pets which are presented by the customer as “stray” (i.e. we do not offer to scan the pets of existing customers unless asked, and we never assume a pet is “stray” unless we are told as much by the customer)
2.) It is our policy to always scan pets presented as stray as part of our ethical obligation as a veterinary practice. PRIOR to scanning, the customer is to be told:
- a.) Since your pet is a stray, we will be performing a no-charge scan for an ID chip.
- b.) IF we find a chip, we will call the relevant chip company and give them:
  - 1.) Our hospital information and the pet’s ID chip data
  - 2.) The presenting customer’s address and phone information

What if a customer presenting a pet as a “stray” refuses to allow the scan?

1.) If a customer presenting a pet as stray, refuses to allow us to scan the stray pet, we must ask them to receive veterinary care for THAT pet elsewhere, as such a refusal indicates something amiss in the ownership situation for the pet in question.
- NOTE: This does not mean we will not service OTHER pets which are presented as belonging to the presenting customer. Our refusal of service would only extend to the indicated “stray” pet for which the customer refuses to allow scanning.

What we DO NOT DO:

1.) We do not contact the owner as indicated by the chip.
2.) We do not give the presenting customer the contact information of the chip-indicated owner.
3.) We in no way get involved in trying to unite the presenting customer with the true owner of the pet. That is the responsibility solely of the chip company who has been given the information necessary to bring about that contact.

Whenever a controlled substance is prescribed by one of our veterinarians for sale to a customer who will be picking up the medication in Florence, the controlled substance to be sold is to be kept in a locked safe until the customer comes to pick it up. The key to that safe is controlled by the person working at the Welcome Center (i.e lobby) in Florence. Therefore, whether a veterinarian, vet assistant, or support driver is the one bringing the controlled drug to the Florence store, they should in each case directly take it to the Florence Welcome Center staff member so that the drug can be put under lock and key until the customer arrives to pick it up.

How do I know if I am eligible for this benefit?

How do I know if I am eligible for this benefit?

How do I know if I am eligible for this benefit?

How do I know if I am eligible for this benefit?

How do I know if I am eligible for this benefit?

How do I know if I am eligible for this benefit?

How do I know if I am eligible for this benefit?

How do I know if I am eligible for this benefit?

How do I know if I am eligible for this benefit?

How do I know if I am eligible for this benefit?

Pet Walking Policy

Customer-Patient Identification Policy

How do I know if I am eligible for this benefit?

How do I know if I am eligible for this benefit?

How do I know if I am eligible for this benefit?

Charging for Mobile Customers Who Occasionally Use a Walk-In PetWow Facility

How do I know if I am eligible for this benefit?

How do I know if I am eligible for this benefit?

How do I know if I am eligible for this benefit?

How do I know if I am eligible for this benefit?

How do I know if I am eligible for this benefit?

How do I know if I am eligible for this benefit?

How do I know if I am eligible for this benefit?

How do I know if I am eligible for this benefit?

How do I know if I am eligible for this benefit?

How do I know if I am eligible for this benefit?

How do I know if I am eligible for this benefit?

How do I know if I am eligible for this benefit?

Veterinary Center Late Assistant Lunch Schedule

How do I know if I am eligible for this benefit?

When can I enroll in this benefit?

When can I enroll in this benefit?

When can I enroll in this benefit?

What are the costs related to this benefit?

When can I enroll in this benefit?

When can I enroll in this benefit?

When can I enroll in this benefit?

What are the costs related to this benefit?

When it is Proper to Contact a Boarding Pet Owner

When can I enroll in this benefit?

When can I enroll in this benefit?

When can I enroll in this benefit?

What are the costs related to this benefit?

What are the costs related to this benefit?

When can I enroll in this benefit?

When can I enroll in this benefit?

When can I enroll in this benefit?

When can I enroll in this benefit?

When can I enroll in this benefit?

When to Charge Pet Taxi Pickup &amp; Delivery Fees

When can I enroll in this benefit?

When can I enroll in this benefit?

PetWow Highland Heights Saturday Lunch Allowance

When can I enroll in this benefit?

When can I enroll in this benefit?

When can I enroll in this benefit?

When can I enroll in this benefit?

When can I enroll in this benefit?

When can I enroll in this benefit?

How is this benefit provided or paid for?

How is this benefit provided or paid for?

When can I enroll in this benefit?

How is this benefit provided or paid for?

How is this benefit provided or paid for?

When can I enroll in this benefit?

At what interval is this benefit provided?

When can I enroll in this benefit?

What is "Earned" vs. "Unearned" paid CE time?"

When can I enroll in this benefit?

How is this benefit provided or paid for?

How is this benefit provided or paid for?

What are the costs related to this benefit?

What is "Earned" vs. "Unearned" paid vacation time?"

At what interval is this benefit provided?

How is this benefit provided or paid for?

What is "Earned" vs. "Unearned" paid holiday time?"

How is this benefit provided or paid for?

Who Can Authorize Payments &amp; Services for a Pet?

What is "Earned" vs. "Unearned" paid Sick Days?"

Once I am on the plan can I change my rate or lower or increase my contribution amount?

When to Charge Pet Taxi Pickup & Delivery Fees

Who Can Authorize Payments & Services for a Pet?

General Discussion of Offers & Discounts