Grand Strand Equine Policies Updated 1/1/2023

Wellness Exams 

All horses must have a wellness exam once a year. These healthy exams help us to establish the baseline for your horse, identify any potential problems sooner, and legally establish a valid veterinarian-client-patient relationship. These are not exams done if we see your horse in an emergency situation or when they are sick.  Medication will be dispensed for that specific problem at the time of examination.  If your horse does not have a wellness exam within the last 12 months we will not be able to dispense medications or give advice until one is completed. The cost for an exam performed during your wellness visits such as Coggins or vaccines is $20, a discount of the normal wellness exam price of $75.00.

Current Client

A current client is defined as a client who has a valid Veterinary Client Patient Relationship. Per the American Veterinary Medical Association this is established by having a wellness exam performed for each of  your horse(s) in the last 12 months. Current clients are given priority when scheduling and are guaranteed emergency services. If you are not a current client emergency services may not be offered, and will be billed at the non-client rate if the veterinarian is able to see your horse.  

Emergency

Emergency services are guaranteed to current clients. Emergency services are provided to others at the discretion of the practice. Please call as soon as you think you have an emergency. Emergency services are provided 24/7 every day of the year. We are not open on the weekends or holidays and any calls on the weekends or holidays will be treated as an emergency. If you have an emergency please call, don’t text, 843-340-9461, and please leave a message. Following this policy will guarantee your call goes to the veterinarian on call.   

Referrals

We greatly appreciate the positive word-of-mouth advertising and referrals to our practice. Please encourage friends that would like to use our services to get in touch with our office to schedule a wellness visit as soon as possible.  We know that emergencies are unexpected, and as stated current clients are given priority in emergency situations.  

Medication Administration 

We understand that we have owners in our practice who have varying comfort levels with giving injectable medications to their horse(s).  If your horse requires injectable medications and you would like us to administer the medications it will be subject to a lower farm call fee and a medication administration fee. This does not apply to medications given during routine or sick visits but to visits where we travel to the farm specifically to administer a medication.   

Medroxyprogesterone 

Medroxyprogesterone or depo has made the news in recent years due to several horses dying from its administration. We have not had any adverse effects to medroxyprogesterone in our practice at this time. Medroxyprogesterone is a compounded medication, and as such it is not approved or regulated by the FDA. We have other medications that may work similarly if you would like an alternative to medroxyprogesterone please let us know and we can discuss options with you.

Quarantine Recommendations for New Purchases

We recommend that new horses brought into your private barn or any boarding facility be quarantined for 14 to 21 days, even if they have had a pre-purchase exam. There are several diseases that can be highly contagious and cause an outbreak in the population of horses they may expose if not properly quarantined. Even if a pre-purchase exam has taken place it does not guarantee that the horse will not develop clinical signs after that exam that were not previously present. We have had a few cases this year of varying illnesses, and feel it necessary to remind everyone of recommended quarantine times for new horses entering a new environment. 

Payment

Payment is expected at the time of service. We will no longer be able to bill clients. We accept all major credit cards, checks, cash, and care credit. If you would prefer we can keep a credit card on file and run it after your visits. If you are not going to be at the appointment please make sure payment is arranged beforehand.  

LatePolicy

Owners are expected to be ready at their appointment time. If you are late you may be subject to a late fee. Please make sure you have your horse(s) caught and pulled up before their appointment. If your horse is dirty please groom them to allow us to examine and treat them.  While we do our best to be on time to appointments we can always give you a call when we are on our way if requested. 

Appointment Scheduling 

Please call the office at 843-340-8450 to make appointments. When you are calling please let us know all the horses that need to be seen, what services they need, and any medications you will need. Gathering all of this information allows us to allocate enough time, ensure we have the supplies needed, correct quantity, and medications needing to be dispensed. If you need to add services after your appointment has been made please call us as soon as possible as we may need to extend your appointment or reschedule to a time where we can accomplish all services requested. If you add on services at the time of your appointment we will do our best to accommodate you, but in some cases we may need to schedule a follow-up appointment to get everything done.