Welcome to Neuro Vet! We’re honored that you’re considering us for your pet’s neurological care. To help you prepare for your first visit, here’s what you can expect during your consultation and some important details to ensure the best experience for you and your pet.
What to Expect
Your initial consultation typically lasts about one hour. During this time, our nurses and neurologists will:
- Take a thorough medical history to understand your pet’s symptoms and health background
- Perform a detailed neurological examination to assess your pet’s nervous system. To ensure the most accurate evaluation, this exam is often conducted in our treatment area, apart from you.
- Discuss whether we believe your pet’s symptoms are neurological, and if so, what might be the underlying cause of those symptoms.
- Explain the potential diagnostic tests that may help identify the underlying cause of your pet’s symptoms.
- Present you with potential treatment plans aimed to improve your pet’s condition.
Before Your Visit
We kindly ask that you follow these steps prior to your appointment to help the consultation go as smoothly as possible and help us determine the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment plans for your pet:
- Complete the Neurology History Form available on our website prior to your visit.
- Prior to new consultations, please do not feed your pet after midnight the night prior to the appointment, in case diagnostic test are needed.
- Contact ALL veterinary hospitals your pet has visited prior to your appointment at Neuro Vet and request that they send us any medical records AND ALL diagnostic results to info@neurovet.com. Without these records, your consultation may be delayed, or certain tests may need to be repeated—resulting in additional costs.
- Continue administering all regularly scheduled medications (especially anti-seizure medications!) unless you’ve been instructed otherwise.
- Bring videos of any episodic or unusual behaviors or symptoms your pet exhibits at home, as neurological symptoms can sometimes be intermittent and not present during the consultation.
MRI Information
If your neurologist recommends an MRI for your pet, we will do our best to schedule it on the same day as your consultation. However, please note that this cannot be guaranteed. Priority is given to patients with the most urgent or severe neurological conditions.
For pets who are stable, require additional diagnostics prior to anesthesia, or have not been fasted, the MRI may be scheduled on a separate day. This ensures the safest and appropriate care for your pet and for the other patients in our hospital.
What to Know About the MRI Process:
- All MRIs require general anesthesia for your pet’s comfort and stillness during the scan.
- The MRI scan itself typically takes about an hour, but anesthetic preparation before and recovery afterward mean your pet may be with us for 3–4 hours or more.
- If the MRI is scheduled on a different day from your consultation, you will drop off your pet in the morning, and they are usually ready for pickup by mid-afternoon at the earliest. We will provide you with a realistic timeline based on that day’s schedule.
- Depending on the complexity of the MRI and whether additional diagnostics are performed, full results may take up to a week.
For more details on our MRI services, please visit our MRI page.
Scheduling an Appointment
If you’d like to schedule a consultation with one of our neurologists, you can book an appointment online or call our front desk at 925-298-3855.
Does Your Pet Need Urgent Care?
If you believe your pet is experiencing a neurological emergency, please call our front desk immediately at 925-298-3855 for guidance. We are open 24/7 with a veterinarian on-site at all times. Our neurologists are available on-site Monday through Saturday from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM. Outside of those hours, they remain available for consultation with our overnight and Sunday veterinarians, and can come in on Sundays when necessary for urgent cases.