APPOINTMENTS FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need an appointment?
We are by appointment only.
Do you take walk-ins?
We are by appointment only
Do you take emergencies?
We do our very best to accommodate as many emergencies as we possibly can. However, we are not an ER. If you are referred to an ER it is because we are beyond capacity. We have very busy fully booked schedules. We often accommodate numerous emergencies on top of that. It would not be in the best interest of your pet, or the other patients we are seeing, if our staff is stretched too thin. Thank you for your understanding.
If you are experiencing an emergency, our phones are difficult to get through. Please email hvcpethelp@gmail.com with your name, your phone number, your pets name, and the nature of your emergency. We will respond as soon as possible during business hours.
If you have an emergency outside of business hours please call:
Veterinary Emergency Group: 813-812-8732
Fetch: 813-603-8000
Tampa Bay Veterinary Specialists and Emergency Care Center: 727-531-5752
Blue Pearl: 813-933-8944
What is an emergency? Or, What’s the difference between Emergent and Urgent?
| EMERGENCY | URGENT | |
| How long until care is needed? | Hours | 1-3 Days |
| Bleeding | Dripping | A drop |
| Urinating | Not at all | Frequently |
| Vomiting | Every hour | Once per day for the last month |
| Diarrhea | Every hour | Once per day for the last month |
| Eyeballs | Recently squinting, pain, redness, swelling | Chronic squinting, discomfort, redness, swelling |
| Activity Level | Depressed | Quieter than normal |
| Ate something toxic | Emergency | |
| Ear Infection | Urgent | |
| Respiratory Infection | Urgent | |
| Dental disease | Don’t let it become urgent | |
| Wounds | If less than 24 hours old | If more than 24 hours old |
| Vaccines | Nope | Nope |
| Spay | If Pyometra | If Pregnant |
| Fleas and worms | Urgent | |
| Limping | Urgent |
How can I get in touch?
- Phone: You can call 813-871-0850. Please select your preferred location when prompted. ALL locations can schedule for any location, so feel free to try the other locations if one is overly busy.
- PLEASE only leave 1 voice mail per day. As we receive over 2,000 calls per day, if clients are leaving 10+ voice mails per day, there simply aren’t enough hours in the day to listen to them all. Thank you for your understanding.
- Please leave a complete and clear voice mail. Leave your name, phone number, patient name, and purpose of the call.
- MAKE SURE YOUR RINGER IS ON so you do not miss our call back.
- Email:
- EMERGENCY only: hvcpethelp@gmail.com
- General inquiry or complaints: management@harmonyvetcare.org
- Webb Rd record requests or sending records: recordsforharmony@gmail.com
- Brandon record requests or sending records: harmonyofbrandon@gmail.com
- Carrollwood record requests or sending records: harmonyofcarrollwood@gmail.com
- Volunteer or students: volunteeratharmony@gmail.com
- Valor Service Dogs: HarmonyVSD@gmail.com
- TNR day scheduling: HarmonyTNR@gmail.com
- Rescues: rescuesforhvc@gmail.com
- Online scheduling: Visit harmonyvetcare.org
- On our homepage you will see our scheduling link
- Choose your clinic
- You can schedule spay, neuter, and vaccine services online
- You CANNOT schedule other surgeries, dentals, or medical exams online.
- Text message: We do have the ability to text message, but this is not the most effective method of communication. Best to send a quick text requesting a call, and someone will call you as soon as they can.
- Facebook messenger: This can take up to 24-48 hours for a response. Please do not use this method for urgent messages.
- Smoke signal
- Carrier Pidgeon.
How much does it cost?
You can find our up to date pricing on our website!
Spay/neuter pricing: Spay & Neuter - Harmony Vet Care
Vaccines and preventative care: Wellness Clinic - Harmony Vet Care
Sick Exams and Urgent care: Sick Exams and Urgent Care - Harmony Vet Care
What type of patients do you treat?
We provide full-service care for cats and dogs. We provide neuter services for cats, dogs, pigs, rabbits, rats and guinea pigs. We provide spay services for cats, dogs, pigs and rabbits.
Do you accept donations?
Absolutely! We are always looking for donations!
- Monetary donations go towards our Simon Fund, 100% of which goes towards medical care for animals in need.
- We need newspapers! Newspaper is a safe way to insulate our surgery patients and keep them clean!
- We also need: towels, sheets, pillow case covers, wash cloths, small blankets and throws, paper towels, bleach, laundry detergent.
- We do NOT need: Comforters, pillows, dog beds, dog crates. But thank you!
- We also accept donations of unopened dog and cat food for our food bank
- We also accept donations of patient mediations you are no longer using
Why was the doctor late to my appointment?
There is a saying in medicine. Be thankful your pet was healthy enough to be the one waiting to see the doctor. While we absolutely value you, your pet, and your time. We sometimes have to make tough decisions and ask for your patience while we attend to a more urgent patient first. I am positive if the roles were reversed you would be so thankful we were able to see to your urgent pet care needs quickly.
Can I use multiple Harmony locations?
Yes! Each location has access to all your pet’s records! Most of our doctors travel between locations as well!
How do I safely transport my pet to Harmony?
Please have all dogs on leashes and all cats in a carrier (1 cat per carrier) or trap. While you may have the best pet who will follow your every direction, you cannot say the same for every other pet you may encounter during your visit. Additionally, environmental factors may startle your pet and cause them to run. All pets must be safely contained for their appointment.
MEDICATIONS FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
I need prevention/medications
No problem! You can pick up medications during regular business hours. We recommend for efficiency you email management@harmonyvetcare.org if you need a prescription refill. Please include your name, your pet’s name, the medication, and a good phone number. Once the refill is approved, we will call you to pay by phone. Once the prescription is paid for, it will be filled and ready for a quick pick up.
What if I want to pay in person?
No problem. However, the prescription will not be filled until it is paid, so please be patient while the medication is filled. This process helps keep our costs low by helping us avoid the overhead costs of re-shelving medications abandoned by clients.
What if I want my medication filled by an outside pharmacy?
No problem! If you want a written prescription, we can have one available for pick up from any location. We recommend you ask for them at your annual exam. Please understand prescriptions cannot be emailed, as emailed prescriptions can be altered. Alternatively, if you wish to fill a prescription through an online pharmacy, they will reach out to us directly for authorization, so no physical prescription is required. But please remember, we are frequently less expensive than outside pharmacies!
Why do I need an exam before the doctor will refill my medication?
It is Florida law that we have an exam documented within the last year to maintain a doctor/patient relationship. Certain mediations require more frequent monitoring such as bloodwork or a physical exam to ensure the condition is stable and doses do not need to be adjusted.
PAYMENTS FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
What methods of payment do you accept?
- Cash
- Credit
- Cherry
- Care Credit
- Scratch Pay
- Paypal
Do you offer payment plans?
We accept Cherry, Care Credit and Scratch Pay, which offer payment plans.
Can I apply for the Simon Fund?
You may have been referred to us for help with medical care. Someone may have mentioned our Simon Fund. So what is our Simon Fund, and how can you utilize it? The Simon Fund was set up in loving memory of a true animal lover. To qualify for the Simon Fund
- There must be a good prognosis with treatment, as determined by a Harmony veterinarian.
- You must qualify financially
- You must contribute at least 50% of the bill yourself
- We must be able to perform the care needed through Harmony Vet Care. This fund is not available for use through other clinics.
Why do I have to pay a deposit?
Unfortunately we were experiencing over 30% no-call, no-show for appointments. We value your pets and your time, and want to get your pet seen as efficiently as possible. To do this, we need to ensure all appointments booked are used. And appointments no longer needed are cancelled with notice so we can fill them! Thank you for your understanding.
Does this deposit go towards my bill?
Yes!
Can I get my deposit back if I cancel?
If you cancel with 24 hours notice, your deposit is refundable, or can be left on your account for future care. If you do not give us 24 hours notice, your deposit will be forfeit.
TNR FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
What is TNR?
TNR stands for Trap, Neuter, Release. Often it is referred to as TNVR or Trap, Neuter, Vaccinate, Release. This is a humane solution for intact feral cats to help prevent unwanted kittens and help prevent the spread of disease.
WHEN DO YOU ACCEPT FERAL CATS?
We accept feral cats as walk-ins (owned pets require an appointment)
They must be in a trap
They will receive an ear tip
They will receive a 3 year rabies vaccine
Up to date prices can be found on our website under surgery, then spay/neuter
If surgery cannot be completed the day they are brought in, we will house them overnight and do the surgery the following day.
Please note the feral drop off form includes consent that if we deem the cat adoptable, we maintain the right to keep the cat and place it up for adoption. This is to help prevent abuse of the walk-in surgeries we offer for truly feral cats.
Feral cat surgeries are not discounted. Feral cats deserve the same standard of care as owned cats. There is no reason to sneak an owned cat through our feral cat program. Just schedule your owned cat appropriately and let them keep the tip of their ear!
SURGERY FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
Are vaccines required?
We have heard of a couple of incidents of illness in animals in our Tampa area. As such, we strongly recommend your pet be vaccinated at least one week prior to surgery with the DA2LPPv (distemper/parvo - for dogs) or FVRCP (distemper/upper respiratory - for cats). While no vaccine is 100% effective, vaccination will lessen the chance of your pet contracting disease, as well as decreasing the severity of the disease if your pet does contract it.
Does my pet need to fast before surgery?
Pets may have a quarter of the amount of their usual breakfast on the day of surgery (animals four months or younger may have half of their usual food intake). All pets can have water up until the time of surgery
I don’t like the plastic cones, can I use an inflatable collar, soft cone, or body suit?
We do not recommend any alternatives to the traditional (annoying) plastic cone. The available alternatives simply do not prevent your pet from traumatizing their surgery site. We understand use of a cone is complicated, challenging, and annoying. But it is a short term commitment to the safe recovery of your pet from surgery.
What if I have concerns after surgery?
Please get in touch with us as soon as concerns arise. You can call 813-871-0850 or email management@harmonyvetcare.org with concerns. While we do everything we can to make surgery as safe as possible, post-op complications can occur. Minimal redness and swelling of the surgery site should resolve within several days, but if they persist longer, please contact us. You should also contact us immediately if you notice any of the following:
- Pale gums
- Depression
- Unsteady gait
- Loss of appetite or decreased water intake
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Discharge or bleeding from the incision
- Difficulty urinating or defecating
- Labored breathing
We will treat at our clinic, at minimal cost, any post-operative complications resulting directly from the surgery, if the above post-operative instructions have been followed in full. Illnesses or injuries that are not a direct result of surgery or resulting from failure to follow post-operative instructions, or from contagious diseases for which the animal was not previously properly vaccinated, can be treated at normal costs.
Always monitor your pet’s urine for blood – a small amount may be present in female animals during the first 24 hours after spay surgery. If this continues or occurs at other times, please call us, as your pet may have a bladder infection unrelated to surgery.