Shoemaker Avenue Animal Hospital was originally opened in 1979 by Dr. Robert Bishop. Upon his retirement, in April 2013, Dr. Sara McGarry, a native of the Greater Pittston Area, took over the practice with Dr. Bishop’s blessing.
Since Dr. McGarry has owned the practice there have been many advancements made, all of which have be in an effort to continue to provide high quality medicine throughout the life of your furry family members. We understand that the human-animal bond is very special and aim to treat you pet as if they were our own.
Waiting Room Policy: For the protection of your pet, as well as other pets in our office, all dogs must be on a leash and properly controlled. All cats must be in a carrier.
Appointments and Emergency Care: We operate primarily by appointment and do our best to accommodate your schedule when making an appointment. We also try to get your pet in for an appointment as soon as possible, especially when they are not feeling well. Please understand that our appointments generally fill up quickly and while we try to reserve time for unexpected sick exams every day, there are times when we do not have immediate or next day openings. In times when your pet needs emergency services, there are several emergency hospitals that are open 24/7 for your pet’s needs. We always make our best attempt to see your pet as quickly as possible, but in the event we are unable to see your pet in a timely manner, we ask that you consider taking them to one of the Emergency hospitals to allow for immediate care. In the event that your pet is seen at the Emergency hospital we of course encourage you to follow up with our office so that we can provide any follow up care that is needed.
Northeast Veterinary Referral and Emergency Center
242 S. River St.
Plains, PA 18705
570-208-8844
http://www.northeast-vet.com/index.html
Valley Central Veterinary Medical Center
210 Fullerton Ave. Whitehall, PA 18052 610-435-1553
Appointment Cancellation: In the event that you need to cancel an appointment we require a 24-48 hours notice. The reason for this request is that if we are not notified that you will not be coming in for your scheduled appointment it can take away time that could have been offered to another patient who is in need of Veterinary care. If notification is not provided there will be a $50.00 “No call, No show” fee added to your account that will need to be paid prior to making another appointment. If you have a second failed appointment, you will need to pay the $50 fee PLUS prepay to schedule the next office visit. A third failed appointment, we will no longer be able to offer our services. Please note that this fee is to avoid having an open appointment that could have otherwise been offered to a patient who is in need of Veterinary care.
Estimating costs: Written estimates will be provided to you upon request. If you need an estimate for services for your pet please feel free to contact our office or ask a staff member during your appointment.
Payment: Payment is expected in full when services are rendered. We accept cash, VISA, Mastercard, Discover, and Care Credit. A 3%- 5% fee is added when using credit card services due to the additional cost incurred to us to use the merchant service. We do not bill for services, but if you would like to make payments to your account prior to scheduled surgical, dental, or other procedures we will gladly apply a credit to your account in order to help with budgeting for your pet’s procedure.
Prescription Refills: We appreciate your understanding that our staff does our best to promptly address the refill of your pet’s prescription(s). If you are calling during business hours, our staff is generally in surgery or seeing patients in appointments. Prescriptions are filled as time allows throughout the day. We kindly ask if you need a prescription refilled that you allow for 24-48 hours for your medication to be ready to be picked up. Please also note, same day medication refills cannot be guaranteed if called in after 2pm!
Prescriptions from Online Pharmacies: We now offer our own online Pet Pharmacy directly from our website! We understand that having a safe and convenient way to purchase your pet’s food and medication is important. Reaching to an online pharmacy is a great resource, but unfortunately the authenticity and efficacy of food and medications being sold cannot always be guaranteed from many websites. Many manufacturers will not stand behind these products or offer reimbursement if complications from these products arise. The FDA has found companies that sell unapproved pet drugs and counterfeit pet products, make fraudulent claims, and sell expired drugs. At Shoemaker Avenue Animal Hospital, we offer our own online pet pharmacy so that you can be sure that your pet is receiving safe medication that is guaranteed by the manufacturer. To learn more, please click on the “Pet Meds” button on the homepage!