For the safety of all clients and patients, please bring your pet either on a leash or in a carrier.  If your pet is on a flexible lead, please limit their roaming to 2 or 3 feet. Extra leashes are provided in the reception area.  If you did not bring your own, please use one of ours. Please remember that small pets are safest in a carrier or on your lap rather than loose on the floor or under your chair. Patients are usually seen on a first-come, first-served basis. However, as emergency veterinarians, our doctors are often interrupted to handle immediately life-threatening situations.  Sometimes, this will cause a delay in seeing your pet.  We apologize for the disruption this causes and assure you of the same high-quality care when it is your pet's turn. Since we are unfamiliar with your pet's medical history, we cannot provide any medical advice or cost estimates over the phone or prior to examining your pet.  Once our veterinarian has given your pet a thorough physical examination, he or she will review diagnostic and treatment options with you and explain the approximate cost of these procedures.  We will not proceed with care without your consent.  As an exclusively emergency clinic, South Metro Animal Emergency Care does not provide regular veterinary services such as vaccinations or routine surgeries like neuters, spays, and dentistries.  Our office is closed when primary veterinarians' offices are open; therefore there is no staff on-site during "normal" business hours. If your pet requires hospitalization, we will request a deposit for the "low" end of your estimate.  Deposits can be made via cash, check, or credit card.*   * Credit cards are the preferred method for deposits.  When you make a deposit via credit card, we do not actually charge anything to your account.  We verify the low end of the estimate and put a 48-hour hold on this amount.  If you use the same credit card to check out, the hold will be cancelled and your final total will be deducted.  If you use another payment method to check out, the hold will remain in place for the full 48 hours. All hospitalized patients must be discharged by 7:30 a.m. weekdays (this policy does not apply to patients hospitalized overnight on Friday, Saturday, or certain holidays).  Our hospital closes at 8:00 a.m. and no veterinarians or technicians will be on-site until we reopen at 6:00 p.m.  If your pet is not picked up, it will be left unsupervised and additional hospitalization and late fees will apply. All services must be paid in full before your pet is released from the hospital.  We accept cash, checks (processed by TeleCheck), Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and CareCredit.*   * If you do not have funds or credit available, we invite you to contact family and friends or apply for CareCredit, a flexible monthly payment plan that allows you to start treatment immediately and spread your payments over time.  There is no cost to apply, and approval can be obtained in less than 15 minutes.  For more information, or to apply before coming in, please visit www.carecredit.com or call 1-800-365-8295.  If you are approved and decide to come in, we will need your account number and credit limit information.