Frequently Asked Questions
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Why does my pet need a Drop off visit?   For your convenience, Drop off appointments give us the flexibility to be able to see your pet on a day where we otherwise have no available appointment slots available or when more time is required for us to complete your pet's procedure/treatment. You would bring your pet to us in the morning between 8:00am-9:00am for a day stay at our hospital. Drop off patients are given the same great care and attention that you have come to know and expect during normally scheduled appointments. Once the Veterinarian performs an exam, he/she will contact you to discuss their findings and go over a treatment plan with you. A discharge time for your pet will be scheduled for later in the day/evening, once treatment has been completed. 
 
What is the cost of an exam for my pet? A dog/cat wellness exam with one of our veterinarians is $64.00. Exotic pet office exams are $75.00. Vaccines, medications, preventions, testing or diagnostics are additional. Upon request, we will be happy to provide you with a cost estimate of services. *prices are subject to change without notice.

Are you taking new clients? Yes, and we would love to meet you and your pet! Please fill out a new client request form and be sure to send us your pet's previous medical records. Once we have these we will be in contact with you to set up your pet's first visit with us.

How long is a typical appointment? The length of your appointment may vary based on the needs of your pet and any questions that you may have regarding your pet’s care. Typical wellness appointments last 30-40 minutes. Sick pet visits require more time and observation.

Do you see exotic or pocket pets? (Rabbits, Guinea Pigs, Ferrets, etc.) Yes, Dr. DeGelorm see pocket pets. At this time, we do not see birds and reptiles.

Are there any pet insurance companies that you don't accept? Pet insurance is on a reimbursement basis, meaning that owners pay the vet at the time of their visit and then they request a reimbursement from their insurance company afterward. As such, we work with all insurance companies. 

Why do I have to bring in a fecal sample? Fecal samples are recommended because they help give us information on the presence of intestinal parasites in your pet. Several parasites can be transmitted from pets to humans. For the health of you & your pet, we recommend doing fecal tests routinely.

Are vaccine boosters really necessary? Yes, Booster vaccines are required in order to complete an initial vaccine series and help ensure that proper immunity and protection develop in your pet. Without the recommended booster dose, your pet may not be effectively protected. 

Do you perform titer tests for my pets instead of vaccination? We recommend annual vaccination. Please visit for more information on vaccine titer testing https://www.aaha.org/aaha-guidelines/2022-aaha-canine-vaccination-guidelines/utilization-and-interpretation-of-serologic-titers/​

Why does my pet need to repeat blood work testing for certain medications? Pets that are on certain medications need to have their blood tested routinely. Some medications can cause changes in internal organs and the blood work will alert us to these changes so we can take action. It helps us to watch the pet’s overall health while they endure a specific treatment plan.  
 
Why do I have to pay for an exam? I just want a vaccine. A complete exam is very important to assess your pet’s health status and is required annually (more often for older pets or pets with certain health conditions) Vaccines given to a sick pet will not be effective and may cause complications. Our goal is to vaccinate only healthy animals.  Exams are very important because early detection of any infection or disease results in a better response to treatment and can save you money in the long run. 

Why is veterinary care so expensive? We know veterinary care appears to be expensive. Relatively speaking, veterinary care is a great value, compared to the cost of human health care or almost any other professional services out there.  Veterinary clinics offer pet owners many services under one roof.  We do not just provide routine healthy visits; we are also a laboratory, x-ray unit, ultrasound facility, dentist office, surgical suite, physical therapy clinic, urgent care, pharmacy, and more. Having multiple medical services offered in one visit comes at a cost. The field of veterinary medicine is also expanding tremendously, such that veterinarians can now offer incredibly sophisticated procedures, treatments, and medications of the highest order. These advancements are costly. Veterinary fees are a fair reflection of the costs of; services, pharmacueticals, equipment, supplies, tests, labor and various other costs associated with the operation of a veterinary clinic. To help with the unexpected costs of veterinary care, we suggest care credit, a pet savings account and pet insurance.
 
I live in town; my dog doesn’t need tick & flea prevention, right? Even living in town, pets are exposed to fleas and ticks all over and all year round. Wildlife can bring these pests into your backyard and your pet is exposed to them when they go outside to play or go to the bathroom. It’s important to apply flea and tick preventative year-round since fleas enjoy living indoors and can be a problem even in the middle of a cold winter, and ticks can be found in all months.
 
Why do we have to pay at the time of service? We are providing a service and/or a consumable product for your pet. This requires payment at time of service since there is no contracts or physical assets involved. Requiring that payment be made at the time of your pet's appointment is a fair requirement. Not only does this help migigate the risk of unpaid bills and lengthy and costly collection processes this policy ensures that clinics can continue to provide fair and equitable veterinary care to their community.

I only give 6 months of heartworm prevention. Why do I have to give it all year long? The American Heartworm Society’s recommendations are for year-round treatment with a heartworm preventative. Heartworm prevention works by killing the small heartworm larvae that may have been introduced into your pet’s system while an infected mosquito was feeding. The medication will kill any larva that has been developing in the bloodstream, within 30 days before giving the medication. Mosquitos can arrive early in the spring and stay late into the fall. They can be around for up to 9 months of the year, so the preventative should be given longer than 6 months. The heartworm preventative also kills intestinal parasites. Year-round protection against these worms is very beneficial to the health of your pet as well as reduces the risk of children becoming infected with these worms.
 
Why do I have to have a heartworm test every year if my dog has been on heartworm prevention for 12 months?
There are several reasons why we need to perform a blood test every year. If you ever miss a dose, your dog is at risk of becoming infected with heartworm disease. In addition, if your dog vomits up the medication without you seeing it, your pet is at risk. If either of these two things happens, an annual blood test will detect the disease at an early stage, which makes it easier to treat. There are no early clinical signs of heartworm disease. Usually by the time your pet is showing symptoms, the disease is advanced and treatment becomes more complicated.  Heartworm test also detects other diseases — so it is not just a heartworm test anymore — it is more of an annual disease screen.
 
Why do I have to bring my pet in for a recheck exam or why do I need to recheck my pet's urine or ears? To determine if the infection or condition is being treated properly or has been successfully resolved, we may need to recheck your pet. If we determine that a recheck is not needed, we will not recommend one for your pet. Many conditions appear to improve while your pet is on medication, but then several weeks later the illness may return or it can be worse than the initial problem. A re-check examination allows us to determine if the condition improved or not and if we need to adjust the treatment plan so we can help your pet to feel its best. 

Why do you have to bring my pet into the back? Our treatment area located "in the back" offers our staff an open and safe workspace to properly care for your pet(s). Our treatment area is fully equipt with all of our medications, tools, monitoring/diagnostic equipment, safety resources, extra teammates to help and of course all of the toys, treats and comfort items for our pet. If you ever have questions, please do not hesitate to ask us. We would be happy to explain what procedure we are going to do and how we will be doing it.
 
Is anesthesia safe for my pet? Today’s modern anesthetic monitoring equipment and medications have made surgery very safe. At our hospital, we do a thorough physical exam on your pet before administering anesthetics, to ensure your pet is healthy and safe to put under anesthesia. Pre-anesthetic blood testing is important in reducing the risk of anesthesia. Blood testing before surgery is recommended to ensure that the liver and kidneys can process the anesthesia. Even apparently healthy animals can have serious organ system problems that can’t be detected without blood testing. If serious problems are detected in the exam or blood work, surgery can be postponed until the problem is corrected. 

Why do I have to bring my pet to the clinic for an exam? For a veterinarian to make an accurate diagnosis and come up with an effective treatment plan, we must see and examine your animal. 
 
Do I need to put flea and tick repellant on my cats if they aren’t outside much? Yes - All pets can be exposed and at risk for picking up fleas & ticks.  Even if they don’t go outside, fleas & ticks can be brought into your home by humans & other pets.

If my veterinarian doesn't clear up my pet's problem, can I get a refund? Fees cover what is done for your pet including an examination, administration of tests, diagnosis, treatment and medications. Some problems can be long-term, reoccur or involve multiple and/or changing causes. Treatment may also be ongoing. To effect, a cure is not always possible. You are paying for an honest attempt to diagnose and treat a problem. 

When will I hear back with my pet's results? The system we have in place is designed to ensure that we get in contact with you following any testing promptly, once we receive results from the laboratory and the veterinarian has had a chance to review them. On average this can take 1-5 business days. We always try to be as prompt as possible in communications with our clients. Occasionally, elements involved with practicing medicine may cause unexpected delays. You are always welcome to contact us via email at vet.churchville@gmail.com or via phone at 585-293-2270.

How often do you check your emails and messages? During normal business hours, our clinic email gets checked consistently several times a day as do our phone messages. Our email and phones are not checked outside clinic hours. For urgent matters, we ask that you please call the office.

I know what’s going on with my pet; this happened before can't I just get more meds? Federal law requires that veterinarians must examine your pet to determine a diagnosis.  Even if it is a reoccurring ailment. There is no doubt that you know your pet's best, however, only licensed Doctors of Veterinary Medicine can legally and ethically diagnose, treat and prescribe medications for your pet.