After-hours Policy

Our After-Hours Emergency Service Policy

We are able to provide comprehensive emergency care 24/7 for horses, cattle, sheep, goats and camelids. We are unable to provide emergency care afterhours for dogs, cats or poultry. Providing reliable emergency coverage requires significant staffing, resources and cost, so this service is reserved for clients who maintain an active relationship with Appalachian Veterinary Services and are in good standing with the practice.

• You must be an active client to be eligible for after-hours emergency services. An active client is one for whom we maintain a current Veterinarian-Client-Patient Relationship (VCPR). In general, this means one of our veterinarians has been on your farm, evaluated your animals, and completed appropriate routine or wellness care within the previous twelve (12) months.
• Routine care is required to maintain emergency access. Calling us only when an emergency occurs does not establish or maintain an active VCPR. We encourage clients to schedule appropriate wellness examinations, herd visits, vaccinations, preventative care, or other routine veterinary services throughout the year.
• We do not accept new clients after hours. When choosing where to establish your routine veterinary care, we encourage you to consider not only the cost and convenience of routine services, but also what resources will be available when an emergency occurs. Appalachian Veterinary Services maintains multiple veterinarians, emergency coverage, vehicles, equipment, haul-in capabilities and other resources specifically so we can support our established clients when unexpected situations arise. We understand that clients have many factors to consider when selecting a veterinarian, but emergency access is part of that decision. If you choose to maintain your VCPR with another practice, that veterinarian should also be your resource when emergency care is needed. We are happy to accept new clients during normal business hours, but a VCPR must be established with our practice before after-hours emergency services become available.
• Inactive clients are not eligible for after-hours emergency services. If your VCPR has expired because your animals have not been appropriately evaluated within the required time period, you will need to reestablish care with us during normal business hours before becoming eligible for after-hours coverage again.
• Clients who terminate their relationship with our practice are no longer eligible for after-hours or continued veterinary services. This includes clients who inform us that they are no longer using Appalachian Veterinary Services, have transferred their care to another veterinarian, or otherwise indicate that they wish to terminate the VCPR. If you later wish to return to the practice, please contact us during normal business hours to discuss reestablishing care.
• Clients must be in good standing with the practice. Accounts with outstanding or past-due balances may not be eligible for after-hours emergency service. Depending on the circumstances, payment of the outstanding account balance may be required in full before additional services are provided.
• Payment for emergency services is due at the time services are rendered. A deposit, prepayment, or payment arrangement may be required before the veterinarian is dispatched or treatment is initiated based on account payment history.
• Clients located within our Extended Service Area are required to haul in for after-hours emergency care. Our after-hours veterinarians do not provide mobile emergency service throughout the Extended Service Area. Eligible clients in these locations must transport the animal to our designated haul-in facility unless otherwise specifically arranged by the veterinarian.
• Emergency fees are charged in addition to normal veterinary services and are tiered based on the time emergency care is provided. The applicable emergency fee is determined by the time the veterinarian is physically present to evaluate the patient, rather than the time the initial call is received. For example, if an emergency is reported during one fee period but the veterinarian arrives during a later fee period, the fee associated with the veterinarian’s arrival time will apply. Because emergency cases are triaged by medical urgency, less critical cases may occasionally be delayed while the veterinarian responds to a more urgent or life-threatening emergency. These delays may result in the case falling into a different emergency-fee tier. We will communicate anticipated timing whenever reasonably possible. If the anticipated timing or applicable emergency fee no longer meets your needs or budget, you may elect not to have the veterinarian respond and may pursue another available option for care. Additional charges for travel, examination, diagnostics, medications, procedures, hospitalization, or other services may also apply.
• Not every after-hours concern requires an in-person visit. In many situations, telephone guidance, telemedicine, a virtual consultation, review of photos or videos, or ongoing follow-up with the on-call veterinarian may provide a faster and more convenient way to determine the next best step. This can help clients decide whether immediate examination is necessary, whether the animal can be safely monitored until normal business hours, or what supportive measures may be appropriate in the meantime. When clinically appropriate and permitted within the VCPR, these services allow our veterinarians to provide meaningful assistance without requiring you to haul an animal in or wait for a farm visit.
• Consultation fees may apply even when an in-person visit is not ultimately performed. After-hours telephone and virtual consultations still require professional veterinary judgment, review of the patient’s history, assessment of information provided by the owner, development of a treatment or monitoring plan, medical record documentation, and often additional follow-up. If an after-hours call results in medical guidance, a virtual consultation, review of photos or videos, repeated follow-up communications, or ongoing management of a case without an in-person examination, emergency and/or consultation fees may still apply. These fees reflect the veterinarian’s professional time and expertise and allow us to continue making veterinary guidance available to our clients outside of normal business hours.
• After-hours service is intended for true emergencies. Routine appointments, medication refills, health certificates, vaccinations, herd work, nonurgent consultations, and other services that can reasonably wait until normal business hours should be scheduled during regular office hours.
• Emergency coverage does not guarantee that every case can be treated in the field or at our facility. The on-call veterinarian may recommend referral to another hospital or facility if the patient’s condition requires specialty care, hospitalization, surgery, advanced diagnostics, intensive monitoring, or services that we cannot reasonably provide.
• The on-call veterinarian will determine the appropriate response to each emergency. Depending on the situation, this may include providing telephone guidance, arranging a haul-in examination, dispatching the veterinarian when appropriate, or recommending immediate referral.
• Service may be limited when conditions create an unreasonable safety risk. Severe weather, unsafe road or farm conditions, aggressive animals, inadequate restraint, unsafe facilities, or other hazards may prevent our team from safely providing mobile veterinary care. Owners are responsible for providing a reasonably safe environment and appropriate assistance or restraint when requested.
• Availability may be affected by other emergencies already in progress. Our on-call veterinarian may be managing another critical patient when you call. Emergencies are triaged based on medical urgency, geography, available resources, and the veterinarian’s professional judgment.
• After-hours coverage is provided for species and services normally supported by our practice and within the geographic areas in which our veterinarians are licensed and able to practice.

Maintaining an active VCPR before an emergency occurs allows our veterinarians to know your animals, your operation, and relevant medical history and helps us provide faster, safer, and more effective care when you need us most.

We are currently accepting clients for all species, and are always happy to discuss becoming a client or reestablishing an inactive VCPR during normal business hours.