Hospital and Doctors' Hours

Knollwood Hospital for Pets is open weekdays and closed on Saturdays and Sundays. Our usual office hours are: Monday through Thursday: 8am to 8pm (last appointment for the day is 7:30pm). On Friday, we are open from 8am to 5pm (last appointment for the day is 4:30pm).

Note: These are the hours our hospital is normally open.  See below for holiday and special hours. Doctor's hours may vary, and are always by appointment.  When our Doctor is attending a seminar, lecturing, or on vacation, our Relief Veterinarians will cover most hours.

2012 Holiday Hours

May: We will be closed Monday, May 28, in observation of Memorial Day.

July: We will be closed Wednesday, July 4, in celebration of Independence Day.

September: We will be closed Monday, September 3, in honor of Labor Day.

November: We will be closed Thursday and Friday, November 22-23, in celebration of Thanksgiving.

December: We will be closed on the last two Mondays of the month, as well as Tuesday December 25, so that our Doctors and staff may celebrate a well-deserved holiday with their families.

Appointments

Visits to Knollwood Hospital for Pets are by appointment only.  If you are a new client, please plan on arriving ten minutes prior to the start of your appointment to fill out some brief paperwork. 

If you are unable to make it to a scheduled appointment, please contact us 24 hours prior to the appointment to avoid a cancellation charge.

If you are running late for an appointment, we will do our very best to accomodate you without inconveniencing other clients who have arrived on time.  This may entail a moderate to lengthy wait for you, but rest assured, we'll see you as soon as is humanly possible, and we'll feed you cookies and tea while you wait!

Payment and Identity Theft Prevention

We require full payment at the time that services are rendered.  Holistic consultations and second opinion services require pre-payment.  For your convenience, we accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover, cash, and personal checks.  We also accept CareCredit.  For more information on CareCredit and how to apply, please visit their website.  We are unable to extend credit to anyone, for any reason. 

Because we are proactive regarding current federal "red flag" guidelines designed to identify and prevent identity theft, we accept credit card and check payments only after validating authenticity of the cardholder or checkholder.  We ask for your patience if we must ask you for information regardong your identity.

Preparing for your pet's first visit

There are three important steps to proper examination of your pet: listening to your concerns, carefully evaluating your pet's past medical records, and examining your pet very thoroughly.

Please make sure to have ALL existing records for your pet faxed to our office at least 24 hours prior to your appointment.  This includes all Doctor's notes, all emergency visit reports, and all x-rays and lab tests. This way, our Doctors can evaluate your pet's past medical history ahead of time, and can then spend your appointment time examining your pet and deciding, with your input, how to proceed.

 Without receiving past medical history ahead of time, our Doctor will need to spend some of your appointment time to sort through old medical records.  This won't give her the time she needs to complete a thorough exam - and that will delay appropriate treatment for your furry family member.  None of us want this to happen - so please, don't be shy or nervous about asking your old veterinarian for those records!

Patient Safety and Handling 

For your pet's protection and that of others, all dogs must be on a leash and properly controlled (so that your pet remains contact-free from other pets and from children) while in the waiting area or exam rooms. 

All cats must be presented in an appropriate cat carrier or on a secure harness or leash. 

For their safety, all "pocket pets," such as hamsters, gerbils, rats, and mice, must be confined in a secure enclosure.

Reptiles require a secure, insulated enclosure during travel to and from our hospital.  Winter and summer outside temperatures can be deadly for these cold-blooded pets, so please make sure that your reptile pet is adequately protected.

Dr. M's Lecture/Teaching Schedule

• February 14-19: Dr. Mitchell will be teaching for the IVAS acupuncture course.
• February 1-6 and 20-26th: Dr. Mitchell will be lecturing and conducting acupuncture labs at the Western States & Midwest Veterinary Conferences.
• July 10-15: Dr. Mitchell will be lecturing for the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association Annual Conference.
• Most Fridays in 2012: Dr. Mitchell will not be seeing patients.

Our office will be open as usual for medication and food pick-up on these days.  Dr. Rosemarie Niznik and Dr. Melanie Laasch will be available for medical consultations, surgery and dental care on all of the above days.  Dr. Niznik is finishing her acupuncture training through the Chi Institute and will eventually be available for this service on Fridays.

Official Niceness Policy

Each and every day, we do our darndest to be kind, compassionate, thoughtful, and courteous to all of our clients.  We expect the same in return.  We realize that everyone can have an occasional bad day, and we are professionals who are equipped to deal with that situation. 

But we DO have a firm policy of "life is too short" when it comes to dealing with frequently or perpetually difficult, mean, crabby, sexist, or homophobic people.  Bottom line is, we won't tolerate it, whether the behavior is directed towards just one or all of us here at the hospital.  If we are not treated respectfully, we will gently but firmly advise you that we will not see you and your pet here at the hospital in the future.