What to Expect for Your Visit

For Emergencies

During normal business hours, a parking attendant will meet you at the entrance of Penn Vet’s parking lot and direct you to the traffic circle in front of Ryan Hospital.
- If you do not see a parking guard, or during nights or weekends, please proceed to the front entrance in your car.
- Parking is free.
- Please proceed into the building to our emergency desk.
- A nurse will perform an in-person triage on your pet and give you further instructions.
To contact our emergency desk by phone, please call 215-898-4685 or 215-746-8911.

Ryan Hospital Guidelines

Please be advised that if you have clinical signs associated with COVID-19 (including congestion, sore throat, new cough, fever, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite), we require that you have a healthy person bring your pet to our hospital.

To Find our Emergency Diversion Status: Please check our website to see whether we are Diverting Patients or Able to Accept Patients.
Please call ahead (215-746-8911) to determine whether your pet needs to be seen and we will advise you on the best plan of action. Even when our status is Diverting, we may be able to see urgent care cases that do not require inpatient hospitalization.

For Appointments - Preparing for Your Exam – Medical Records

To best understand what's happening with your pet, we need as much information as possible. Ensure we have the last year of your pet’s veterinary records—especially bloodwork, imaging, or pathology results—as well as vaccination history.

Make sure your veterinarian has sent Penn Vet any recent images (x-rays, ultrasound, CT, or MRI). If these cannot be sent by email, bring them on disk or the film radiographs to your appointment.

To send records to Penn Vet, either you or your veterinarian can contact:
Referral Coordinator Megan Nelson
Call: 877-736-6838
Fax: 215-573-4617
Email: pennvet.referral@vet.upenn.edu

If you are looking for your pet's medical records, contact Medical Records:
Phone: 215-898-5558
Fax: 215-573-3925
Email: phlmedicalrecords@vet.upenn.edu

Medications and Food

Bring a list of the following to your appointment:

Your pet’s medications, including medication name, frequency, size of tablet (mg) for solid medications, or concentration (mg/ml) and the volume (mls) for liquids.
What food your pet eats, and how much each day, including brand names.
Any supplements you are giving your pet.
A list of any allergies; history of reaction to medications or vaccines; or known problems with sedation or anesthesia.

Please fast your pet prior to their initial consultation appointment, in case any additional imaging or sedation is needed, which means no food after 10:00p.m. the night before their visit, but water is fine.

Check with us in advance if your pet requires any medications with food in the morning, if your pet is diabetic, or there are any other special instructions needed for their health.

You do not need to fast your pet if you have an appointment with Behavior Medicine, Ophthalmology, or Primary Care.

A Team-Based Approach

Penn Vet takes great pride in training the next generation of veterinarians and veterinary specialists. Your care team will include veterinary nurses, students, house officers (residents and interns), senior clinicians, and support staff. All of our house officers have earned their veterinary degrees, are practicing veterinarians, and are supervised by board-certified specialist attendings.

Rest assured that your pet’s care team includes board-certified specialists, and your pet's case has been reviewed by a larger team. Meet Our House Officers

What Will Happen at Your Appointment

Information Gathering and Physical Exam

A rough timeline for your visit may be:

Prior to your consultation, we will review the records from your pet’s primary veterinarian.
During normal business hours, a parking attendant will meet you at the entrance of Penn Vet's parking lot and direct you to a designated parking spot.
Enter the building with your pet to register with our front desk team.
- Curbside care is an option at your request. If you prefer to remain outside the hospital, notify our parking attendants when you arrive. You may remain in your car or outside, and the medical care team will contact you by phone to collect a history and discuss your pets’ medical needs.
A veterinary student will take a detailed history and physical of your pet.
This information will be presented to the veterinary team, including house officers (residents and/or interns) and senior attending veterinarians, a process which may take 15-30 minutes.
The veterinary team will return to the exam room with the student, and may repeat parts or all of the history and physical exam.
We will make specific treatment recommendations for your pet and provide information on potential treatment side effects, prognosis, and cost. We try to discuss all treatment alternatives so that you can make an informed decision on what will work best for your pet and your family.
There is no pressure to make a decision on the day of your appointment. Many families take information home and consider all of the options before electing to start treatment. We are always happy to answer questions that you may think of after your appointment.

Please prepare for a lengthy visit: Thorough workups take time, and complicated cases can be here for the duration of the day.

We may also recommend additional diagnostic testing such as blood work, ultrasound, or advanced imaging. Every effort is made to obtain diagnostic testing within 48 hours but scheduling and emergencies may make same-day diagnostics difficult.

Following your appointment, your pet will either be admitted to the hospital for continued care or discharged to go home, with further care and monitoring instructions provided.

The Recheck Appointment

All recheck appointments should be scheduled by calling the Appointment Desk at 215-746-8387.

Fees and Policies

There will be an exam fee associated with your visit. Treatments, diagnostic tests, and medication are additional and payment is due at discharge.

If your pet is admitted to the hospital for hospitalization, an estimate will be provided and 50% of the estimated cost is required at admission as a deposit. The remaining balance will be collected when you pick up your pet.

We accept Care Credit but do not offer other payment plans.

Penn Vet Client Rights & Responsibilities

At Matthew J. Ryan Veterinary Hospital, we believe in working with you, your veterinarian and our team collaboratively to provide the best care for your pet. Communication, respect, and trust are critical in achieving this goal together.

Client Rights
As a client of Matthew J. Ryan Veterinary Hospital, you have a right to:
- Considerate, respectful, and compassionate care from our veterinarians, staff members, and students.
- Excellence in care from your veterinary team. At our academic teaching hospital, students, interns and residents who participate in caring for patients have close oversight from supervising clinicians.
- Accurate, clear, and timely information regarding your pet’s health.
  - Understand your pet’s diagnosis, prognosis, treatment alternatives, and the risks and benefits of each alternative.
  - Understand the costs associated with evaluation and treatment options, including payment options.
- Participation in decisions about your pet’s care so that you may accept or decline care.
- Information on clinical trials to determine if your pet meets criteria for inclusion.
- Clarification and understanding if communication is not clear.
- Confidential treatment plans, discussions, and medical records for your pet. We also assure you that photos of your pet will never be posted on public/social networking sites without your definitive permission.
- Prompt and courteous replies to any concerns that you raise regarding the quality of care or service that you receive.
Client Responsibilities
As a client at Matthew J. Ryan Veterinary Hospital, you have a responsibility to:
- Treat every member of our team with respect and courtesy when communicating your needs and concerns.
- Disclose relevant, accurate, and complete information about your pet’s health and history, including behavior issues that may impact safety.
- Ask for clarification when you do not understand medical terms or instructions about your pet’s treatment plan.
- Read and understand consent forms prior to signing.
- Accept financial obligations associated with the care for your pet and abide by our payment policies.
- Adhere to the safety rules and regulations while onsite at the hospital.
- Observe the guidelines of our visitation policies.
- Minimize injuries and spread of disease by limiting your pet’s interactions with other animals. All dogs must be on leashes, and all cats must be in carriers.
- Advise your pet’s caregivers if you have concerns or are dissatisfied in any way.
Cancellation Policy

Our goal is to provide the best care to our patients in a timely and compassionate manner, and appointments are in high demand. If you must cancel, please do so with at least 24 hrs. notice to allow another patient to have access to the appointment. Failure to notify us in advance can result in cancellation fees and restrictions on future appointment bookings.

Please Note: The Matthew J Ryan Veterinary Hospital will not tolerate abusive behavior from clients, including failure to comply with strict COVID-19 safety measures. Abusive behavior can result in denial of service and law enforcement intervention.