5.1. Public Spay/Neuter Appointments

Scheduling Public Client Spay/Neuter Appointments

Public clients are individual pet owners who book appointments or bring their animals directly into the clinic. This section will guide you through setting up Spay/Neuter (S/N) appointments for public clients in HQ, previewing both client details and animal details, which form the foundation of every S/N appointment.

Starting a Public Client Appointment

You have two options when beginning a Spay/Neuter appointment in HQ:

Option 1: From the Calendar

1. Navigate to Spay/Neuter by Capacities in the left-hand menu.
2. Click on the desired date.
3. Select Make Spay/Neuter Appointment.

Option 2: From Quick Search

1. Press Ctrl + K on your keyboard, or use the Quick Search bar in the left-hand menu.
2. In the Spay/Neuter box, click Make Appointment.
3. You will be directed to the main calendar. Choose the desired date, then click Make Spay/Neuter Appointment.

Step 1 – Client Information

By default, Public Client is pre-selected on the Client Information page. Below is a breakdown of the key fields:

• First & Last Name (Required): Must always be completed.
• Cell Phone: Highly recommended. Enables two-way texting with clients.
• Home Phone: Optional but useful as a backup contact. Either cell or home phone is required.
• Email: Required unless you check No email available. Many features in HQ (e-pay, consents, reminders, receipts) rely on email.
• Client Address (Required): Uses an API lookup. If not found, use +Enter Custom Address to manually input.
• Additional Address Information: Apartment numbers or secondary address details.

✅ Pro Tip: Collecting the address during scheduling helps streamline checkout. Addresses are geocoded at entry and used later for Reports > Geographic Metrics when the animal is checked out.

Address Best Practices

• Physical address preferred: Required for rabies certificates and recommended for microchip registration.
• PO Boxes: Allowed if a physical address isn’t possible (e.g., on some reservations).
• Homeless clients: Use the last known long-term residence, following federal guidance.

Client Notes

• Add Client Quick Notes: Private notes displayed in future appointment pop-ups (e.g., client owes money or banned).
• Client Tags: Also helpful for tracking specific statuses or restrictions.

Booking Returning Clients

1. If the client already exists in your database, entering their name (or other info) will prompt a pop-up with their details.
2. Select the correct client to pull in saved information.
3. If it’s not the right person, click Cancel to create a new record.

Step 2 – Animal Information

Once client details are entered, proceed to the Animal Information page. Collecting this thoroughly during scheduling saves significant time at checkout.

• Animal Name (Required): For returning clients, click Search Owned Animals to check for existing records.
• Species / Sex (Required): If unknown (e.g., feral cats), default to female for scheduling accuracy, then correct at checkout.
• Age: Enter the animal’s current age. Do not project the age for future appointments. Update during the exam if necessary. Avoid DOB entry unless essential.
• Color & Breed: Required for rabies certificates and microchip registration. Gather this early.
• Weight: Required if your clinic uses weight-based capacities. Estimate if necessary.
• Animal Type: Tracks ownership (e.g., owned, foster, shelter). Placement on the calendar depends on this selection.
• Animal Notes: Permanent notes (e.g., allergic to penicillin). Stays with the record.
• Appointment Notes: Appointment-specific details (e.g., might be pregnant). Do not carry forward to future visits.

Special Flags & Options

• Caution Flag: Marks anxious or aggressive animals with a red exclamation system-wide.
• Trap Indicator: For feral/owned cats arriving in traps. Displays as a Trap flag in Patient Flow.

Step 3 – Services, Products & Discounts

Use the +Add Services, Products & Discounts link to select procedures, add vaccines, or apply packages.

1. Begin typing the service name (e.g., rabies) and select from the dropdown.
2. Review pricing.
3. Apply subsidies (discounts) by clicking the green Discount button.

Note: Some services are species-specific (e.g., Bordetella vaccine is dogs only). Only eligible items will appear in the dropdown.

Rules for Spay/Neuter Appointments

You cannot create another S/N appointment for an animal if:

• They already have a pending S/N appointment.
• They were spayed/neutered at your clinic.
• They are marked as previously altered elsewhere.

You can book if the animal was previously declined for reasons other than already being sterilized.

By following this process, you’ll ensure accurate scheduling, proper reporting, and smooth client communication for all Public Client Spay/Neuter appointments.