Information for Pet and Animal Owners

Appointments

Schedule an Appointment 

Appointments can be scheduled by referral or directly by calling 225-578-9600 for the Small Animal Clinic (pets and small exotic animals) or 225-578-9500 for the Large Animal Clinic (horses and farm animals). Our receptionists will inquire about the nature of your animal's problem in order to route you to the appropriate clinician.

In case of EMERGENCY after regular business hours, call 225-578-9600 for the Small Animal Clinic and 225-578-9500 for the Large Animal Clinic. The on-duty clinician will be contacted to assist you. 

Please note that our answering service cannot schedule regular appointments nor can they handle information calls of a non-emergency nature. Please call during regular business hours for this type of assistance.

Referral Appointments

Your veterinarian calls and after consultation with someone on our staff, makes arrangements for your animal to be examined. Not all services require a referral, so please feel free to call and ask.

Pets and Small Exotics: 225-578-9600

Horses and Livestock: 225-578-9500

Personnel

Your pet will undergo a comprehensive diagnostic evaluation by a team of veterinary specialists supervised by a faculty veterinarian and consisting of a team of residents, interns, veterinary students and veterinary technicians/nurses. 

We are a teaching hospital; thus, a number of people will evaluate your pet. Although this requires time, it ensures thorough and comprehensive evaluation and care of your pet. We appreciate your patience during this process as this will enable you to make informed decisions regarding you pet’s health care.

Veterinary Specialist

  • Graduate of a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program
  • Board certified as a specialist in a particular service
  • Supervises the medical team including Residents, Interns, Veterinary Students and Technicians

Interns and Residents

  • Graduate of a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program
  • In training to become a board certified specialist
  • Supervised by the Faculty or Veterinary Specialist
  • Internships are one-year programs
  • Residencies are three-year programs

Veterinary Student

  • Completing the last 15 months in the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Program, which requires rotations through different hospital services
  • Closely supervised by the entire medical team
  • Participates in each case for the service from admission to discharge to follow up

Veterinary Technician

  • Works closely with the entire Medical team
  • Provides in depth nursing care on patients throughout the hospital.
  • Provides functional guidance to DVM students in the technical and theoretical aspects of veterinary nursing
  • May have specialized training in their particular service area.

Client Services Staff

  • A customer-oriented team that provides a positive client experience from the first to the last point of contact at the LSU VTH.

Arrival, Parking and Departure

Upon arrival during normal business hours (8 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday through Friday), Small Animal Clinic clients should park in the parking lot adjacent to the Stephenson Pet Clinic; Large Animal Clinic clients should drive through the automatic gate and park in one of the marked spaces.

Proceed to the Stephenson Pet Clinic or Large Animal Clinic Office and check in with the front office admission personnel. Large Animal Clinic clients should check in first, and then one of our staff will meet you to help unload and move your animal into a stall. Small Animal Clinic clients may bring their pet with them when they check in at the reception desk. Cat owners, please have your cat in a pet carrier; dog owners, please have your dog on a leash or in a carrier. 

Please return to the admissions desk before you leave to ensure your paperwork is complete.

LSU Sporting Events

The Veterinary Teaching Hospital remains open during LSU sporting events. If you need to bring your pet to the hospital on a home football game day, we advise you to take River Road to Skip Bertman Drive. We reserve spots in our parking lot for our clients and tow those people who park there who are not bringing an animal to the hospital. If there is a police officer at the corner of River Road and Skip Bertman Drive, tell him that you're taking an animal to the hospital, and he or she will let you through. Call 225-578-9600 if you are not allowed access.

Cost Estimates and Payment Protocols

We cannot legally or ethically give you an estimate over the phone or via email without first examining your animal or consulting with your veterinarian on an official referal. The hospital will provide you with an estimated range of the cost anticipated for the diagnostic and treatment services necessary for your pet.

Please be aware that you will be required to pay a deposit at the time your pet is treated. The deposit is determined as 100% of the low end of your estimate, or 50% of the high end of the estimate range (whichever is greater).

Please do not hesitate to ask questions to make sure you understand the financial aspects of your pet’s care.

Payment in full is expected at the time your pet leaves the hospital. Payment can be made with cash, check or credit cards. We also accept CareCredit. 

INFORMATION ABOUT CARE CREDIT

Paying Your Bill

If you have questions about your bill, please contact us at 225-578-9600 (pets and small exotics) or 225-578-9500 (horses and food animals).

Payment Options

  • Cash, check, and credit card payments can be made in the clinic Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Checks can be mailed to LSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Attn: Small or Large Animal Cashiers, Baton Rouge, LA 70803.
  • Visa, MasterCard, Discover or American Express payments can be paid by phone or online (button below).
  • Application for credit through Smart Care provided by Campus Federal Credit Union may also be made.
  • If you do not qualify for credit through Smart Care or if you are already a CareCredit customer, we also accept CareCredit. 

Pay Your Bill Online

Wait Time

Please be prepared for the process to take substantial time, depending on the nature of your pet’s problem. We have a cafeteria and a waiting area for your convenience. If you leave the reception area, please let one of the receptionists know so that we can contact you if we have questions related to your pet's visit.

Hospital Discharge

Your doctor will discuss the diagnostic findings and treatment of your pet with you before your horse leaves the hospital. A typed summary of our findings along with clear instructions for further treatment and follow-up will be provided to you. If you will not be with your pet at the time of discharge and would like for us to email or fax these to you, please ask. Do not hesitate to ask questions; we want to make sure everything is clear in order for you to make decisions regarding your pet’s health. 

We invite you to complete the LSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital survey regarding your experiences with our facilities, services and personnel, and provide constructive comments to assist us in improving our customer and patient care. 

Visitation

If your pet requires hospitalization and you would like to visit, please schedule a day and time with your doctor. Check in with the receiving office upon arrival so we can facilitate a timely and effective visit. Normal visitation hours are between 8:00 and 5:00 weekdays. Visitation outside these days/times requires special arrangements with your doctor.

Biosecurity Protocol

We have a comprehensive biosecurity protocol that restricts movement in certain areas of the hospital and in the barn. This requires stringent cleaning and disinfection of stalls between horses, necessitates the use of disinfectant footbaths and hand disinfectant on each stall. This is designed to minimize the risk of transmission of disease among horses. If you are visiting a horse in our barn, please be aware that you will either need to wear the plastic boots that we provide or bring your own rubber footwear. 

Patient Updates

All doctors and students meet each morning from 8:00 - 10:00 to discuss patient status and care. If you call to check on your pet during this time, the receptionist will take a message and the doctor will return your call. It is best to discuss with your doctor the preferred method and time for communication.

If you have any questions about the care of your pet or the process, please do not hesitate to ask our doctors, staff and students. We are here to serve you and the health care needs of your pet.