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* Please be sure to include your phone number in appointment email!
* Please make sure to read our drop off instructions and appointment policies, procedures and
FAQ before booking.
* Please note that The Bridge Clinic is a full-service, volume curbside clinic. Find out more about our quality, affordable model by clicking here​.
*Click here to view all accepted forms of payment.
POLICIES, PROCEDURES & FAQ
Thank you for choosing The Bridge Clinic--we are so excited to serve you! Please take a moment to review our frequently asked questions, as well as our policies and procedures. We look forward to assisting you and your pet!
Please note that The Bridge Clinic is a full-service, volume curbside clinic. As a nonprofit organization, in keeping with our mission, we require any pets undergoing sedation or anesthesia to be spayed/neutered while under sedation/anesthesia. Find out more about our quality, affordable model by clicking here.
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What are your clinic policies and procedures?
What are your hours?
Where are you located?
How does drop-off work?
What are accepted forms of payment?
How do I prepare my pet for their appointment?
How are you able to be full-service and low-cost?
How does your model work?
Can The Bridge Clinic be my regular veterinarian?
How do dental procedures work?
Does my pet stay overnight?
What services can be performed during a 15-minute wellness appointment?
How do medication pick-ups OR your online pharmacy work?
Policies, procedures & FAQ last updated 10/18/2024.
What are your clinic policies and procedures? *Please note, there are several enumerated policies and procedures, and not an exhaustive list.
Appointment Deposit Policy: Please note that The Bridge Clinic is a full-service, high-volume facility. As such, we charge a deposit to book the following appointments: new client/first time visit, all surgical appointments, two or more pets coming in at one time, or to reserve an additional appointment after a missed appointment (including cancellations not made more than 1 business day [12 noon the day before] ahead of scheduled time). Please note, we are not open on weekends, so Monday appointments must be cancelled by noon on Fridays.
Deposits are applied toward the balance of your bill on the day of your appointment, or rescheduled appointment. Deposits are non-refundable if the appointment is not cancelled or rescheduled more than 1 business day (12 noon the day before) ahead of said appointment/new appointment. Please note, we are not open on weekends, so Monday appointments must be cancelled by noon on Fridays. For appointments made less than 24 hours ahead, staff must be notified by 4:00 pm of the day of booking in order to be refunded the deposit.
*Depending on staffing availability, a courtesy reminder text or call may or may not be issued. The above appointment cancellation/deposit refund policy remains in effect whether or not a courtesy reminder text or call is received.
*Please arrive 10 minute ahead of your scheduled appointment time. Due to our nature as a full-service, high-volume clinic, late appointments may be forced to reschedule, and lose any deposits retained.
*A late fee may be collected for late surgery pick-ups.
* All services are charged as an individual item; price listed on the website does NOT include visit fee (either Veterinary Exam or Tech Visit), subsequent vaccine boosters if needed, or additional services.
* As a full-service, nonprofit facility, in keeping with our mission we require any pets undergoing sedation or anesthesia to be spayed/neutered while under sedation/anesthesia.
Note: The Bridge Clinic is a private, non-for-profit organization. We are happy to provide quality, low-cost services to our community of stakeholders. However, The Bridge Clinic retains a zero-tolerance policy for any client behavior or language--both directly with clinic staff or indirectly in public forums--that could be deemed as abusive, threatening, damaging, degrading, dishonest or otherwise. As a private organization, The Bridge Clinic reserves the right to refuse service in response to client behavior in violation of this policy, without advance notice.
How do I prepare my pet for their appointment?
Please refer to the drop off instructions page for specific questions about bringing your pet to either the Bensalem or Philadelphia location.
To prepare your pet for surgery, please do not give them anything to eat after midnight; they can, however, have water. For appointment or surgery drop-off, all cats must come in a closed, secure cat carrier with a towel or blanket inside. Dogs may come in a carrier (if under 25 lbs), or must have a secure collar/harness and leash for transport inside. If you are bringing more than one cat for surgery, they must come in separate carriers. All carriers must be clean and free from other items or debris (aside from a single towel or blanket inside).
We encourage you to remove any additional items/apparel (for instance, bandanas, pet "shirts", etc.) from your dog or cat aside from a collar/harness, and any toys, additional blankets, or other items from pet carriers. As a high-volume facility, The Bridge Clinic does not take responsibility for lost, damaged, or soiled items.
If your pet has any pre-existing issues or conditions (i.e. diabetes, behavioral issues), please disclose to staff when making the appointment, on your client info/check-in sheet, as well as verbally upon drop-off.
Please email all medical records to records@thebridgeclinic.org.
How are you able to be full-service and low-cost? How does your model work?
The Bridge Clinic is a full-service, nonprofit facility. This means we are not owned by a larger corporate entity, and all revenue generated from services is invested back into the organization.
We are able to offer such quality, low-cost services (typically between 25% - 75% lower than for profit general practice and emergency hospitals, depending on the services) by innovating a volume model.
There are a lot of elements that go into a quality, volume model, but here are a few: 1) all appointments aside from euthanasia are curbside, and clients talk to doctors over the phone. This allows us to maximize our time with patients, focusing on their appointment, procedure, diagnostics, and more to ensure thorough examination, superb treatment, and optimal results for surgeries. 2) our staff, particularly our veterinarians and technicians, are highly trained and experienced in nonprofit organizations. They are extremely mission-aligned and passionate about the work we do and service to our community, 3) as a nonprofit, we are able to receive a host of financial support, whether that is grant funding, donor-sourced equipment and supplies, and even manufacturer and distributor pricing discounts to bring the costs of goods (everything from brand vaccines to surgical supplies) lower than our for-profit counterparts. 4) We forge strategic partnerships with a vast array of stakeholders in service to our mission.
Furthermore, we focus on quality care with maximal efficiency. For this reason, we utilize technology to streamline processes and lower costs (i.e. taking all electronic payments, sending all paperwork electronically, utilizing texting and email services). We perform all procedures outpatient, and do not offer hospitalization, which requires costly overhead. Rather, we work with area emergency hospitals for referral if a patient requires hospitalization post-op.
While our Customer Services Representatives are always available for questions, clients may notice that aside from scheduled appointments with a veterinarian, a follow-up callback/multiple callbacks from a veterinarian may not be guaranteed. We do this in order to maximize time that doctors are spending directly with patients, or having scheduled over-the-phone consults with other clients.
All of these elements, and many more, help create an innovative, effective model to serve pets and the people who love them--at affordable rates!
Can The Bridge Clinic be my regular veterinarian?
Yes! In fact, we have thousands of repeat patients!
As a full-service, nonprofit clinic, we strive to provide all the services of a for profit general practice--and in some cases, more services than the average GP!
As your family is deciding to use The Bridge Clinic as your regular veterinarian, please take a look here for some of our services, here for more information on our model, and here for more pricing info.
How do dental procedures work?
It is recommended for most animals to have a dental cleaning every 1-2 years. A good way to determine is by taking a look at the teeth for build-up of tartar and smelling their breath. Another sign may be a pet who is chewing on one side or crying in pain while eating. It is common for older pets to need dental procedures with extractions as they age, particularly if regular dental care by an owner or cleanings by a veterinarian have not been performed. Unfortunately, this is sometimes the case even if the latter interventions have been performed, depending on the pet.
In order to schedule a dental with us, your pet will need an examination by a veterinarian. This examination allows us to provide a preliminary estimate for your pet's procedure. For the procedure itself, your pet will be put under anesthesia and a technician will remove all plaque from the teeth (also called scaling/polishing). At that time, the veterinarian will further examine your pet’s mouth and confirm if any teeth need to be removed (e.g. loose, diseased, decaying teeth). Oftentimes, our veterinarians are able to perform a much more in depth examination while your patient is under anesthesia (as opposed to their initial, awake exam). This may result in slight changes in the estimation provided during the awake exam.
Dental Extractions: If you paid for extractions with your dental procedure, we will remove any diseased/loose teeth. If you paid for extractions, following your pre-operative consultation with the doctor, we will not wait for approval before removing any diseased/loose teeth deemed necessary for removal by the veterinarian. You will be sent home with a dental chart describing your pet’s mouth and any needed medications.
Dental Cleanings: If you did not pay for extractions ("cleaning-only"), we may attempt to call you to inform you that extractions are needed. Depending on the day's schedule, we may or may not be able to perform any extractions at that time. If the day's schedule does not permit extra time for extractions, your patient will have to be rescheduled for further dental work. If the day's schedule does permit needed extractions, and you consent to an extra charge, an additional fee will be collected at the time of pickup.
If your pet came in for a routine dental cleaning and no teeth were removed, we do not expect you should see any change in their eating/drinking or behavior following the procedure. If your pet did have teeth removed, we recommend switching to a softer food for the next 10-14 days as their mouth may be sore. This can be either soaking their kibble in a small amount of water, feeding canned wet food or switching to a bland diet like boiled chicken and rice. After 5 days, you can slowly transition them back to their regular food by adding small amounts to the “soft diet” for a few days.
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If you have any further questions regarding dental procedures with The Bridge Clinic--we are here to help! Please ask our Customer Service Representatives OR our veterinarians during your scheduled consultation.
Does my pet stay overnight?
The Bridge Clinic is an outpatient, day facility only. Pets are discharged at the end of the day, typically no later than 4:00 pm. The vast majority of procedures performed at The Bridge Clinic do not require overnight care or hospitalization.
However, we may recommend that your pet needs overnight care if they are very sick. In this case, we can refer you to one of several local veterinary emergency centers following your procedure. Our services are intended to provide clients with an quality, affordable surgery. Our hope that our lower costs will allow clients to afford overnight hospitalization--in those cases where it is needed. We make ourselves available during normal business hours for suture removals or rechecks if related to a procedure performed in our clinic.
What services can be performed at a 15 minute wellness visit?
Wellness visits are for the following routine services only: vaccines, microchips, FeLV/FIV testing, heartworm/4DX testing, nail trims (only as an add-on service for other offerings), health certificates/license (see health certificate section of FAQ for guidelines below), and routine anal gland expression. Any services outside of this enumerated wellness scope, and requiring extra time as deemed by a TBC staff member, must be scheduled for a 30 minute visit and charged accordingly.
What is your policy regarding health certificates and/or pet licensing?
The Bridge Clinic veterinarians perform most health certificates (domestic travel only) and pet licensing during 15-minute wellness visits. Please note, there is an associated cost for both the doctor visit/exam and the completion of paperwork. If there is a question as to whether a health certificate or licensure paperwork is covered under The Bridge Clinic purview, please forward a copy of the paperwork to info@thebridgeclinic.org for Bensalem or philly@thebridgeclinic.org for Philadelphia.
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Please note that The Bridge Clinic staff does not provide any paperwork for domestic air travel health certificates, local municipality licenses, or otherwise. All paperwork must be supplied by the client at the time of the visit. The Bridge Clinic veterinarians do not provide or complete any USDA paperwork, or certificates for international travel.
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The Bridge Clinic cannot guarantee the acceptance of any paperwork by an issuing entity, whether an airline, local municipality, or otherwise.
How do medication pick-ups / the online pharmacy work?
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Medication and preventatives are an essential part of every pets' care! For this reason, The Bridge Clinic has two options for dispensing medications outside of visit times:
1) Pick-ups on-site: For prescribed medications that we keep in stock, clients are welcome to pick-up at our physical locations in Bensalem and Philadelphia. To ensure prescriptions are filled in a timely fashion, all medication pick-ups must be scheduled. To schedule a pick-up, please call the clinic at (215) 639-3333, and we can schedule a convenient time for your pick-up. Please note: medications prescribed by The Bridge Clinic are bound by refill dates assigned by the prescribing veterinarian.
2) The Bridge Clinic online pharmacy: The Bridge Clinic has an online pharmacy with an extensive inventory. Orders can be made here!
*** Note for all prescriptions:
For refills, to ensure timely processing before a medication runs out, requests must be made to The Bridge Clinic 5 business days in advance.
Requests made from online pharmacies can take up to 1-2 business days to process/approve. We do NOT process prescriptions late in the day on Friday, or over the weekend.
Pets must be a patient, and have a current veterinarian visit/exam with The Bridge Clinic (within one year) for TBC to issue prescriptions.
ACCEPTED PAYMENTS
