For Pet Owners
How to Make an Appointment After Referral
If you've been referred to Foster Hospital by your veterinarian and need to make an appointment, please call the appointment desk at (508) 839-5395. Appointment hours are normally Monday through Friday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, although the exact hours and days vary with the specialty.
Specialty Services
The veterinary medical services at Foster Hospital are staffed by a team of board-certified faculty specialists, residents, interns, senior veterinary students, registered veterinary technicians and veterinary assistants.
Your primary care veterinarian will advise as to which service you should see. Occasionally, when patients’ conditions change during hospitalization, our veterinarians elect to transfer them to a different service to ensure that optimal care is delivered. You will be informed in advance if a transfer to another service is being considered and the new service will be thoroughly updated on your pet’s condition.
What to Bring
- Contact information (name, phone and address) of your primary care veterinarian.
- Lab results, X-rays and other diagnostic images, and a copy of your pet's medical record or a referral letter from your veterinarian. Occasionally Foster Hospital for Small Animals recommends repeating tests that have already been performed if the initial results were borderline or if there is a chance that key results have changed since the tests were initially performed.
- Your pet should be on a leash or in a pet carrier. We discourage bringing bedding and toys, as these are provided by the hospital.
If you have any questions about medicating your pet on the day of your appointment or any questions regarding the referral of your pet, please contact your primary care veterinarian who will be able to advise you and will contact us regarding recommendations.
Parking
Please park in the spaces near the main entrance of the Foster Hospital or in the designated parking spaces within the lot adjacent to the hospital. For emergencies, park in the emergency parking area located on the right side of the Foster Hospital.
Directions to Foster Hospital for Small Animals
55 Willard St.
North Grafton, MA 01536
Registration
Please check in with one of our client service staff members at the reception desk as soon as you arrive. Please keep your dog on a leash and your cat or exotic pet in a carrier at all times. If you need to take your dog outside while waiting, please be sure to inform the receptionist, so we can make sure to assist you in a timely manner should you be out of the building when called into the exam room.
What Happens During an Appointment
We recommend allowing one-to-two hours for an appointment. During your animal's visit, you will be greeted by a senior veterinary student who will ask you a series of questions regarding your pet's illness (if applicable), medical history, housing, diet, and other relevant information and conduct a physical examination of your pet. The student will leave the examination room and briefly discuss the pet’s history with the specialist, resident or intern. That veterinarian will come to the room and may ask similar questions and re-examine your pet, which provides for a more thorough approach.
After the examination, a care plan will be made for further diagnostics or treatment. The veterinary specialist will discuss this plan and the associated estimated cost with you at this time. While we do our very best to try to explain your companion animal's recommended care plan, we encourage you to ask questions and seek clarification if our medical assessment or the estimated costs are not clear. In certain situations, your pet may need additional testing which may require another appointment or an overnight stay, depending on specific procedures your pet will need.
At the conclusion of your appointment, we will provide you with written discharge instructions that will detail the results of your animal's examination and any next steps that will need to be taken by you and your primary care veterinarian. If follow-up appointments or medications are necessary that information will also be included in the discharge orders.
Waiting Room Time
We pride ourselves in the thoroughness of our veterinary care and the education we provide future veterinarians. During peak times, the wait at our hospital may be a bit longer than what you might experience at your referring veterinarian's office. Behind the scenes, each of our patients receives the advantage of carefully orchestrated, team-based care led by board-certified veterinarians, residents, interns, dedicated staff and students who are energized to provide the very best in quality, compassionate care.
Be assured that we will do everything we can to expedite your visit. We encourage you to please let our reception staff know if you have been waiting longer than 15 minutes after check-in.
Payment
Similar to other veterinary providers, payment is due at the time of service. We also require all inpatient and some outpatient services to leave an initial deposit prior to admission/treatment. If you have any questions regarding our payment policies, please call our accounting department at 508-839-7938.
At the end of your appointment or consultation, we will ask you to wait in the lobby until our client services staff calls your name to receive your payment. The staff member will give you any medications prescribed and a copy of your discharge orders. Please check to see you have everything with you including any medications, collars and leashes before leaving the hospital.