New Patient Center
New Patient Center
First Visit Overview
Before visiting Marion Veterinary Clinic, it’s important to prepare for your pet’s safety and comfort. Ensure your dog is secure with a flat buckle collar and a short leash, or consider a front clip harness for better control. Cats should be brought in with a carrier for their safety and the safety of other patients.
First Visit Overview
Our team is dedicated to providing compassionate care and welcomes your input to ensure the best experience for you and your pet. Before your first visit with us, please review our suggested procedure below to familiarize yourself with our practice.
Before You Leave Home
When visiting the veterinarian’s office, your pets’ safety starts before you leave home. Here are some tips on the type of gear we recommend putting on your dog or cat.
Dog Collar and Leash
We recommend using a flat buckle collar with an ID tag attached. The collar should be fitted so that your dog can not slip out of it, but you can still fit your fingers between the collar and the dog’s neck. Use a short leash (4-6ft). For better control of excitable dogs, try a front clip harness or a head halter.
Cat Collar and Carrier
Please bring your cat in a carrier, not on a leash. A carrier not only keeps your cat safe but can also make them feel more secure in a strange environment.
Click here for a video on training your cat to use a carrier.
Riding in the Car
To keep your pet safe while in your vehicle, please use either a carrier, crate, or pet harness (for dogs). Below are links to crash-tested pet confinement devices.
Click here for carriers that have been crash-tested by the Center for Pet Safety.
Click here for crates that have been crash-tested by the Center for Pet Safety.
Click here for harnesses that have been crash-tested by the Center for Pet Safety.
The Exam Room
We want everyone in the room to feel cared for and confident in our commitment to you and your pet. Please bring your questions, concerns, and observations. You are your pet’s voice.
A regular check-up is the most important thing you can do to prevent disease or to catch early warning signs of health issues. Please partner with us to make the exam as detailed as possible. Animals instinctively hide illness, and your observations are very important.
Feel free to make a list ahead of time and bring it to the visit. Information that we find helpful includes:
- Your pet’s diet (food, treats)
- Any changes in appetite, amount of water they drink, energy levels, sleeping habits, etc.
- Have you seen any signs of discomfort or pain?
- Has their behavior changed, such as being more vocal, urinating outside the litter box, and asking to go outside more frequently?
Marion Veterinary Clinic is proud to serve the Marion, Illinois, area for small, large, and exotic animal care. Together with our sister clinics, Pet Wellness Center and Thompsonville Veterinary Clinic, we are proud to be part of a locally owned corporate entity, Greater Vision Veterinary Care.
They have built a new 17,000-square foot facility in Marion near the Williamson County Airport to replace Pet Wellness Center, which hosts a full-service hospital, upscale boarding facility, grooming salon, and 24-hour on-call emergency facility.
Our team is committed to educating our clients on how to keep their pets healthy year round, with good nutrition and exercise. Marion Veterinary Clinic stays on top of the latest advances in veterinarian technology and, above all, remembers that all animals and pets need to be treated with loving care during check-ups, procedures, and surgeries.