What to Expect at Your VSP Evansville Visit
Your experience at VSP Evansville will depend on the type of specialty care your pet needs. A first consultation, recheck visit, and drop off appointment each follow a slightly different process.
Below, you can review how to prepare, what happens during your pet’s appointment, and what information you will receive before going home.
What to Expect: Urgent Care Visit (VSP Louisville Only)
Before You Arrive
Come Directly or Reserve a Spot: You may bring your pet directly to VSP Louisville without scheduling an appointment. An optional online reservation may be available to help you plan your arrival. Review the VSP Louisville emergency and urgent care service before traveling to the hospital.
During Your Visit
Check In and Triage: When you arrive, the emergency team will evaluate your pet’s condition and determine how urgently treatment is needed. Patients with life threatening conditions are treated first. You may be asked to provide your pet’s current medications, recent medical records, primary veterinarian information, and details about when the problem began.
Physical Examination and Testing: A VSP clinician will examine your pet and may recommend bloodwork, imaging, monitoring, treatment, or another procedure based on their condition. Some laboratory samples may need to be sent to an outside laboratory and can require additional processing time.
Findings and Treatment Plan: After the examination and available testing, the veterinary team will explain the findings, immediate treatment, and recommended next steps.
Before You Go Home
Written Visit Summary: You will receive a written summary of your pet’s examination findings, diagnostic testing, treatment, and continued care recommendations. This may be provided at discharge or sent electronically afterward.
Medical Records: Relevant records and test results can be shared with your pet’s primary veterinarian to support continued care.
Home Care Guidance: The discharge plan may include medication instructions, wound care, activity restrictions, symptoms to monitor, and recommendations for additional testing or follow up treatment.
What to Expect During a New Specialty Consultation
Before You Arrive
During Your Visit
Arrival and Registration: A VSP team member will greet you, review your completed history form, and confirm that the most recent medical records and test results are available.
Specialty Examination and Consultation: A VSP clinician will perform a detailed physical examination and discuss your pet’s medical history, current symptoms, possible diagnoses, and recommended next steps. Our Evansville location focuses on specialty internal medicine for dogs and cats with complex or ongoing health conditions.
Diagnostic Evaluation: When needed, bloodwork, urine testing, veterinary diagnostic imaging, or another diagnostic procedure may be recommended. Some tests may be completed during the visit. Others may require an outside laboratory or a separate scheduled appointment.
Results and Care Recommendations: After reviewing the examination and available results, the specialist will explain the findings and discuss the recommended treatment or testing plan with you. You will have an opportunity to ask questions before making decisions about your pet’s care.
Before You Go Home
Written Medical Summary: You will receive documentation of your pet’s examination findings, diagnostic results, treatment recommendations, and medication plan. The summary may be provided at discharge or sent electronically within 24 hours.
Primary Veterinarian Communication: A copy of the consultation summary and available test results can be shared with your primary veterinarian.
Continued Care Plan: Your discharge information will explain which tests or appointments may be needed next and when they should be completed. When laboratory results are still pending, additional recommendations may be provided after the results become available.
What to Expect During a Recheck Appointment
Before You Arrive
Recheck Visit Options: Recheck care may be provided through a scheduled appointment or an early morning drop off, depending on your pet’s medical needs and appointment availability.
Scheduling and Forms: Arrange your pet’s recheck in advance and complete the Recheck Patient History Form before arriving. The form allows you to document changes in symptoms, appetite, activity, medication response, and any new concerns since the previous visit.
Communication With the Veterinary Team: Veterinary technicians manage much of the routine communication for recheck visits to help the process move efficiently. A VSP doctor will review your pet’s condition and speak with you directly when findings are unexpected, your pet is not progressing normally, or changes to the treatment plan are needed. You may also request a doctor recheck consultation for routine findings. An additional consultation fee may apply.
Fasting Instructions: Unless otherwise directed, do not provide food after midnight before the recheck appointment. Water may remain available.
Medications: Bring all current medications and include any questions or refill needs on the Recheck Patient History Form. Eligible prescription refills may also be coordinated through our online veterinary pharmacy.
During Your Visit
Check In: A VSP technician will review the completed history form, clarify recent changes, and discuss the tests or procedures planned for the visit. An estimate may be provided before additional diagnostics or treatments are completed.
Physical Examination: A VSP doctor will perform a physical examination during every recheck visit to evaluate your pet’s progress and current medical condition.
Testing and Monitoring: Recommended care may include bloodwork, urine testing, imaging, medication monitoring, or another diagnostic procedure. Some samples may need to be sent to an outside laboratory, which can delay final results.
Review of Findings: Available findings and recommended next steps will be discussed before discharge. If results are still pending, the team will explain when additional communication can be expected.
Before You Go Home
Results and Discharge: When the findings and treatment plan are routine, a veterinary technician may review the results with you at discharge. You will receive a copy of the current plan and any available diagnostic results for your records.
Follow Up Plan: Your discharge instructions will identify which tests, treatments, or future appointments are recommended and when they should be completed. If outside laboratory results are pending, the final plan may be updated after those results have been reviewed.
What to Expect During a Drop Off Appointment
Information for All Drop Off Visits
Veterinary Examination: A VSP doctor will perform a physical examination during every scheduled drop off appointment.
Technician Communication: Our veterinary technician team will manage most routine updates so the specialist can focus on examinations, diagnostic testing, and treatment.
Direct Doctor Communication: A VSP doctor will contact you when sedation is required, your pet’s condition has changed, unexpected findings are identified, or a major treatment decision is needed.
Results and Discharge: At pickup, you will receive available results, continued care recommendations, and a follow up plan.
Recheck Drop Off Visits
1. Purpose
- Designed for routine monitoring after a diagnosis or previous treatment
- May include a physical examination, bloodwork, urine testing, medical imaging, or medication monitoring
2. Arrival and Check In
Bring your pet at the scheduled morning drop off time so our team has enough time to complete the planned evaluation and testing. At arrival, a veterinary technician will:
- Review the completed Recheck Patient History Form
- Discuss changes in your pet’s condition
- Answer relevant questions
- Confirm the planned tests or procedures
- Provide an estimate when needed
3. During the Appointment
Your pet will remain with our team while the planned physical examination, testing, monitoring, and treatment are completed. A technician will generally review routine findings and recommendations at discharge.
When unexpected findings are discovered or your pet is not responding as expected, a VSP doctor will contact you to discuss possible changes to the care plan.
4. Preparation
- Do not provide food after midnight unless instructed otherwise
- Fresh water may remain available
- Bring all current medications and supplements
- Complete the Recheck Patient History Form before arrival.
Chemotherapy Drop Off Visits
1. Purpose
- Intended for pets receiving scheduled chemotherapy
- Includes a pretreatment examination and laboratory testing to confirm that treatment can proceed safely
Our Evansville oncology and cancer care service supports dogs and cats receiving cancer evaluation, chemotherapy, and continued medical management.
2. Arrival Time
The time displayed when scheduling may serve as a temporary placeholder. A VSP team member may contact you closer to the treatment date to confirm the appropriate arrival time.
3. During the Appointment
- A VSP doctor will examine your pet before treatment
- Laboratory testing will be completed when required
- The team will review appetite, energy, medication response, and possible side effects
- Chemotherapy will proceed only when your pet is medically ready
- A treatment summary and home care instructions will be provided at discharge
4. Preparation
- Fast your pet unless the oncology team provides different instructions
- Complete the Recheck Patient History Form
- Bring all medications, supplements, and dosage information
- Inform our team about any vomiting, diarrhea, appetite changes, weakness, fever, or other concerns before treatment
Cushing’s Disease Drop Off Visits
1. Purpose
These appointments are intended for pets requiring post pill ACTH stimulation testing or continued monitoring for Cushing’s disease.
Learn more about Cushing’s disease in dogs.
2. Arrival Time
The scheduled time may be a placeholder. During booking, you may be asked to provide an estimated arrival time.
For post pill testing, your pet should arrive approximately 3.5 hours after receiving Vetoryl, unless our team gives you different instructions.
Notify VSP as soon as possible when the medication time or planned arrival time changes.
3. During the Appointment
A VSP doctor will examine your pet and oversee the ACTH stimulation test.
Most pets remain at the hospital for at least two to three hours. The process includes collecting an initial blood sample, administering the stimulation medication, waiting for the required interval, and collecting a second sample.
Your pet may need to stay longer when additional testing, treatment, or medical monitoring is required. Our team will provide updates when the expected discharge time changes.
4. Preparation
- Follow the medication timing instructions provided by the veterinary team
- Fast your pet unless otherwise directed
- Complete the Recheck Patient History Form
- Bring all current medications and supplements
{Your pet’s} visit begins here!
Schedule Specialty {Appointments}
Cancellation Policy
Our goal is to provide excellent care to each patient in a timely manner. If it is necessary to cancel or reschedule an appointment, clients are required to call or leave a message at least 24 hours before their pet’s appointment time. Notification allows the practice to better utilize appointments for other patients in need of prompt medical care.
Read the complete “no-show”, late arrival, and appointment cancellation policy here.