Setting Expectations

At Steeplechase Veterinary Hospital, we have assembled an expert team of veterinary professionals to bring you the best possible health care for your pet.  You can expect us to:

• Have a state of the art veterinary  facility which is clean, comfortable, and welcoming for you and your pet
• Be sensitive to the comfort of your pet and take steps as necessary  to avoid any significant pain
• Take the time necessary to gather adequate information to support a sound diagnosis
• Keep you fully informed in a timely  manner of any findings, recommendations, or costs being incurred
• Direct you to background material  that will help you get more fully educated on your pet's condition
• Answer any questions you may have about your pet's condition
• Provide you with competitive pricing on the goods and services you purchase
  

You can either click here or call 678-208-2200 to schedule an appointment, and we will find a time that is convenient for you.     

When you come in for the first time, please bring any of your pet's medical history you have so it can be scanned into your pet's record as baseline information.  You will also be asked to provide a completed New Patient Information form, which is available here (medical patients or behavior patients) for your convenience if you wish to fill it in at home.  

Medical Patients

After obtaining your pet’s current weight, the receptionist will escort you into a private Exam Room where, typically, a technician will review the history with you and take your pet’s vital signs.  Some people keep a journal of their pet’s health throughout his or her life, including behavioral shifts, diet changes, etc.  If you have something like this, share it with our team at this point in the process. If not, let us know anything that you think will be important. 

Dr. Amiri will perform a thorough physical exam of your pet from head to tail in an effort to determine whether any abnormalities are present.  With your consent, samples of your pet's fluids may be taken for analysis in our lab.  Occasionally other examination techniques, such as ultrasound or x-rays, are desirable to support a good diagnosis and will be recommended to you.  You will be informed promptly of any findings.

Based on her findings, the doctor will discuss potential diagnoses with you, and answer your questions.  Any recommendations for treatment, such as medications, will also be discussed with you.  The doctor may provide you with written information about your pet’s condition for your review when you get home.   You may also want to review information from the We Help Your Pet With, Video Newsroom,  or Veterinary Resources sections of this web site.

Normally an appointment concludes with the technician reviewing the diagnosis and treatment recommendations with you again in case there are any more questions you wish to have answered.  The receptionist will review your bill with you and make any necessary follow-up appointments during the check-out process.

Typically our appointments start on time and initial appointments conclude 45-60 minutes later, depending upon the number of tests necessary and complexity of your pet’s medical condition.  Occasionally there might be a short delay if, for example, an unscheduled pet arrives with an emergency condition.  We will notify you as soon as possible if such an issue has occurred.  If the delay is inconvenient for your schedule, you can feel free to leave your pet with us; and we can contact you on the phone to discuss our findings.

We also accept drop-off appointments for pets whose owners’ schedules don’t allow for the interaction of a regular appointment.

You can expect a follow-up telephone call from a technician or a recheck exam scheduled  to discuss our findings if it was necessary to submit samples to an off- site lab or if your pet has a medical condition which should respond to the treatment prescribed.

Behavior Patients

Dr. Owens will have a detailed consultation with all available family members.  She prefers for all adults and older children to be present so she understands everyone's perspective on the problem behavior and so everyone understands the treatment plan.  Dr. Owens will ask many questions about the family dynamics, the patient's history, and when and how the problem behavior manifests.  It is helpful if you keep a log of events and precursors to a problem behavior during the weeks prior to an appointment and bring it with you.  A videotape of the behavior can also be extremely useful to the doctor in correctly diagnosing the problem.  

If the problem behavior is one that will manifest in the hospital environment, Dr. Owens will thoroughly evaluate the patient in our facility.  However if the behavior only exists in the home environment, she normally recommends a home visit to facilitate a more thorough evaluation of the problem.

Next, Dr. Owens will discuss the likely diagnosis, any behavior modifying medications she recommends, potential side effects of any medications, and a behavior modification plan.  Often she will recommend behavior modifying equipment such as Gentle Leaders, basket muzzles, and motion detected deterrents  She will demonstrate any behavior exercises that she recommends and have all available family members practice them.  A typical initial behavior consultation lasts 1 to 1 1/2 hours. 

After the appointment is completed, Dr. Owens will email the family a written behavior plan and schedule any follow up visits that are needed.  She is always available to answer questions after the initial consultation by email.

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