“What type of services do you provide?”
We are happy to provide all routine animal care services including vaccinations, check ups, sick animals, X-rays, ultrasound, blood work and chemistry, spay & neutering, lump & growth removal, emergency services and some orthopedic surgeries like the all too common “Dog Knee” (torn ligaments, which you can read more about here).
Columbia Veterinary Hospital is not a 24 hour hospital. Our services are during office hours only.
“Do I need an appointment?”
For our upstairs clinic, we do not offer appointments unless you are scheduled for a surgery. Elective surgeries need to be scheduled ahead of time and can not be done as a walk in – with the exception of feral cats. Please contact our office at 503-325-2250 or stop in to chat with reception to discuss the process for walk-in feral cat spays/neuters.
We’ve found that we can serve more broadly and effeciently with a “First Come, First Serve” policy. Though we understand that wait times can be frustrating, we appreciate your patience as we do our best to get everyone seen and provide quality care.
Please try to get here early as we often reach our morning and afternoon limits quickly. Our sign up list goes outside of our door btween 7:30am and 8:00am whenever our first employee arrives. We require you to be here in person to sign up on the list or check in – we cannot hold places in line over the phone. Please add your information to the list and wait in your vehicle with your pet and we will call over the phone to check you in. If arriving later after the list has already been checked in – please just come inside and speak with reception.
If your pet is sick or unvaccinated we ask that you keep them in your vehicle and do not let them roam the surrounding grounds for their and other pet’s safety.
If your pet is having an emergency please notify staff as soon as possible and/or indicate it is an emergency on the list when checking in. We triage to the front of the line for emergencies and euthanizations. We are not an emergency veterinary clinic, but we do assist with emergencies when able and will do our best to accomodate your needs. If you need immediate emergency care and we are not available, Tanasbourne Veterinary Emergency in Beaverton is the closest available 24/7 clinic available.
We do offer appointments for general exams, vaccines, and some rechecks that can be scheduled on Tuesdays and some Saturdays – please call or text and leave a message for our Downstairs Clinic to schedule a confirmed appointment slot. There is an additional $35 appointment fee added to the $55 exam cost for scheduled appointments and we require a deposit payment of $80 that will be applied to your final invoice.
“How much is an office visit?”
$55 to get a private room with one of our Vets to discuss your concern for your pet. If it is a quick discussion, we will charge less. If you have additional pets during the same visit, the next pet(s) will only cost $35 each for the consultation.
“What if I just need shots?”
Check in with our front desk and let them know you don’t need to see a Vet because your animal is feeling fine. A technician visit will only cost $20. Rabies Vaccines are $20 all other Vaccines are $30 each! A tech will come out for your animal when they are available and you will be on your way in no time.
“Do you offer payment plans?”
Unfortunately we no longer offer payment plans at this time. We did offer payment plans in the past, however there were a large number of people who neglected their payments and we were unable to feasibly maintain the option for deffered payments.
At this time, payment is due in full upon checkout, please budget accordingly. If you have limited financial resources available, please discuss this with reception and/or your doctor about what your available budget is so we can collaborate effectively for the best plan of care for your pets.
We understand that sometimes animals get very sick or do unexpected things and you may not be financially equipped to handle an emergency situation – in those cases we will try our best to work something out for the sake of your injured pet while keeping financial concerns in mind. We remain committed to being as affordable as possible.
At this time we accept Care Credit and Scratchpay and can take payment over the phone if you have friends or family wanting to assist from afar.
If you are a Clatsop County Resident:
Clatsop Animal Assistance at the local Humane Society has discount vouchers available for cat and dog spays and neuters and will sometimes offer emergency financial assistance as well.
Spay and Neuter Thrift Shop in Seaside also offers spay and neuter discount vouchers for cats and dogs that can be used in addition to the vouchers from Clatsop Animal Assistance.
“How do I schedule a surgery?”
Call or text us and we will get back to you to schedule your pet’s surgery – all elective surgeries need to be scheduled ahead of time and cannot be done as a walk-in, with the exception of feral cats. Please call or text us or stop in to talk with reception to discuss feral cat walk-in spays and neuters.
“My pet is scheduled for a surgery/dental, what do I need to know?”
Reception will call or text ahead of your scheduled surgery with a reminder about your appointment and to go over the following instructions:
No food or water after midnight the night before surgery, for your pet’s safety.
Check in is between 8:00am and 9:00am – no need to sign up on the list in the morning, we are expecting you. Just come inside when we open at 8:00am and leave your pet in the vehicle if possible when you come to check in.
When you check in we will have you fill out a consent form, one form per pet. You can save some time by downloading and filling out our Columbia Veterinary Hospital Client Consent Form in advance of your visit, if you have access to a printer.
Reception will go over the procedure and services you’ve requested and confirm that your pets are up to date on their required vaccinations – please bring any records you have if we do not have current records in our files so we can confirm your pet is ready for surgery.
Depending on the surgery, the surgeon may want to have a short consult with you, reception will let you know.
Plan for pick up between 3:30pm and 4:30pm the same day for almost all surgeries, unless told otherwise.
If you have any additional questions please call or text us and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
For Dogs:
All dogs need to have completed their DHPP (Distemper-Parvo) series of vaccines before they are safe to undergo surgery – a series of three vaccines given as a puppy or a series of two vaccines if given after 6 months of age and then kept up to date. If you are unsure of your pets current vaccination status, please discuss this with us when making your appointment so we can make sure all vaccines are up to date before surgery.
We cannot spay dogs who are in heat. They need to be several weeks out from the last known symptoms of their heat cycle to be safely spayed.
For dogs we will measure their weight in the lobby before taking them to the back.
For cats:
If bringing in a cat or cats we ask that they are brought in individual carriers that are functional and not damaged. If you can label the carriers it is much appreciated, but we have stickers available in office if needed.
“How do I get a refill for my pet’s medication?”
Give us a call or text and if we have seen your animal within the last 12 months for the issue we will usually have it ready for pick up within the hour. We can also ship most medications to your home.
“I’M HAVING AN EMERGENCY!!!”
Please call or text us right away and we will do everything we can to help you. We provide emergency services most days of the week but we are not a 24 hour veterinary office and not an emergency clinic. If you have an emergency situation after hours you may be directed to the nearest 24 hour animal hospital which is currently Tanasbourne Veterinary Emergency in Beaverton, OR.