What We Do

MexiVet Express is a transportation service. Our mission is to connect pet owners with reputable veterinary clinics in Mexico when the cost of care in the U.S. becomes too burdensome. MexiVet offers complimentary services which are necessary to accomplish our mission such as scheduling appointments with clinics, facilitating communication between pet owners and doctors, keeping veterinary records, and handling foreign payments. MexiVet offers extended services for clients at an additional cost.

MexiVet is not, however, a veterinary care provider. We take no responsibility for veterinary outcomes and cannot give medical advice; we only guarantee services which we provide directly. Veterinary clinics that we work with have been chosen for their reputation and experience. We have total confidence in our partner clinics’ ethics and abilities. Generally, we help clients choose a vet that should provide the best care for their pet based on the circumstances. In some cases, the client chooses the vet independently. Although MexiVet can facilitate communication between client and doctor, we encourage clients to communicate with their doctor directly if possible.

Vaccine Requirements

MexiVet requires that all pets have up-to-date vaccination records before they ride with us. You will be asked to provide your pet’s vaccination records and other required documents during the intake process with MexiVet.

Exceptions can be made for animals that are unable to receive vaccinations due to illness or that are only missing their rabies vaccination. In the latter case, your pet will be vaccinated for rabies during its vet consultation in Mexico.

If your pet is diagnosed with an infectious disease that requires MexiVet to perform deep cleaning and disinfection of its service vehicles and equipment, you will be charged $100 to compensate.

Deposits

We require a $50 deposit to book an appointment. The deposit amount will be applied to your invoice in full and is non-refundable. You will receive the entire amount of your deposit as a credit toward your invoice. If you need to cancel or reschedule the appointment, the deposit is forfeited.

We have this policy because leading up to any appointment we are working on logistics and scheduling drivers. In addition, space in the vehicles is limited so we are often turning down other clients in order to hold your pet’s spot. For these reasons and more, the deposit is nonrefundable.

Explanation of rates

MexiVet Express transportation rates:

Tier 1: $100

  • Special rate for stitch and staple removal appointments

Tier 2: $125 - $150

  • Fast half day appointments (pick up in the morning and drop off in the afternoon)

  • Examples include a consultation with an imaging or a lab service

Tier 3: $175 - $200

  • Long half day appointments (pick up in the morning and drop off in the afternoon)

  • Examples include consultations with multiple labs, imaging, and/or light sedation

Tier 4: $225 - $300

  • Full-day appointment

  • An appointment that spans the whole day, for example, dental cleaning, small tumor removal, or simple surgical procedure

Tier 5: $300-$400

  • Multi-day/overnight appointment

  • Larger surgeries or hospitalization requiring MexiVet transportation service over multiple days

  • Price depends on appointment length for check in and check out. Here are some examples: 2 x tier 2 appointments OR a tier 2 and a tier 3 appointment OR 2 x tier 3 appointments

Same-day second opinions or consultations can sometimes be accommodated for an additional fee. An example of this would be booking an echocardiogram at the imaging clinic and then a dental cleaning at the dental clinic. Or if the general practice vet wants your pet to see a specialist and we can coordinate an appointment on the same day. In both these cases we have to take the pet to a second clinic to complete the trip; we charge additional for that service and the amount is based on the situation.

Filling a prescription at a human pharmacy has an additional cost of $20 per pharmacy.

See: MexiVet Express Services: What’s Included And What Is Not for more details on pricing

Delivery:

  • Single-stop medication deliveries: $25-$40

    • $25 - rate applied if the client sets up the med delivery

    • $40 - rate applied if MexiVet sets up the med delivery

  • Multi-stop medication deliveries: $25-$40 + $20 per additional stop

  • Cremated remains: $50

We charge a lower rate for clients that set up their own med delivery with the clinic. This means they were in communication with the clinic, they’ve agreed on the med they want delivered, they got the estimated price from the clinic and approved that price, and the medication is waiting at the clinic’s front desk for a MexiVet team member to pick it up. If you want us to take care of all that coordination for you, we’d be happy to at our $40 rate.

IMPORTANT: We charge the non-refundable medication delivery fee before we begin working on the order.

At-home pick up and drop off:

If you require at-home pick up and/or drop off for any of these services, an additional minimum charge of $15 will be applied each way. Actual charges vary by distance and drive-time, but you can always make use of our convenient meeting locations to avoid this additional charge.

Payments

We do all our invoicing through our patient portal (Time to Pet). You will be able to find a copy of your invoice in your email inbox and on the patient portal. All payments are invoiced and paid via debit or credit card through our patient portal. Full payment is due upon receipt of your invoice. Our system will automatically charge the card on file for any unpaid amounts daily at 7pm.

We offer a 3% cash discount on vet services. You can access the cash discount by paying with cash (reserved for invoices under $300) or Zelle (no invoice amount limit).

Cash Payments:

To ensure a seamless experience, we kindly request that you inform us of the exact cash amount you intend to provide on the day of your appointment. Your MexiVet driver will collect that cash pre-payment when picking up your pet from you on appointment day. Please note that your driver will not be carrying change; they will collect the exact amount that you specify beforehand.

Please be aware that any remaining balance will be returned to you at the conclusion of the day's services. In the event that we do not receive the cash beforehand, please note that we will need a credit card on file before we can authorize any vet services on your behalf. This will ensure that your pet gets all of the services that you are counting on.

Note: Regarding pet insurance, please submit your invoices directly to your insurance provider, as we do not complete insurance forms.

MexiVet Express Services: What’s included and what is not

What’s included in the base transportation rate ($100-$300):

• Careful, safe transportation of your pet across the border to the clinic and back to San Diego

• Your pet will be cared for by our loving and knowledgeable drivers while waiting on the doctor

• Regular communication with your MexiVet driver during transportation and consultation at veterinary clinic

• Phone consultation with the vet on your day of service

• Translation and advocacy at the clinic as needed

• Digital delivery of lab results, images, and other diagnostic records

• Answers to non-urgent questions after your service day

Not included with base transportation, but available services:

• At-home pick-up, drop-off, and delivery are subject to additional charge - amount depends on location ($15 minimum)

• Medication refills and delivery on a day without pet transportation service - $25-$40 at one of our meeting locations ($15 minimum add-on charge for at-home delivery)

• Phone consultations with the vet facilitated by a MexiVet team member after the pet’s day of transportation service - $25 (and charged at MexiVet’s discretion)

• Same-day second opinions or consultations can be accommodated at the discretion of a MexiVet team member - priced on a case by case basis

• Filling a prescription at an outside pharmacy is an additional $20 per pharmacy

Tipping

If you appreciated the service and would like to tip your driver, you may do so through one of the following ways: tip in cash, through the business Venmo (@mexivetexpress), or you can add tip through our payment portal, Time to Pet, click here for instructions.

Waiting during pick up or drop off

We understand that it can take a while to come outside to meet the driver; especially for our clients that live in large apartment complexes. We have a 5 minute grace period once the driver arrives, and then we charge a rate of $1/minute. Our drivers will always text their eta before arriving. We encourage you to be ready and in the case of our clients in the larger complexes, waiting in the designated meeting area is the safest way to avoid the waiting up charge.

door-to-door transportation

We provide free pick-up and drop-off at our meeting locations in Mission Valley, Chula Vista, and Imperial Beach. Door-to-door service is also provided for an additional charge, calculated on an individual basis based on mileage. Our minimum charge for door-to-door service is $15.

Procedure/appointment estimates and clinic fees

All of our estimates are simply estimates. We at MexiVet Express do not set the clinic fees. It does occasionally happen that the vet will quote $300 for a surgery and once they’re in the procedure, it’s clearly a more complicated surgery than anticipated, and the final cost will increase by $100-$150 or so. We do our best to have the vet contact you for approval if the price will fluctuate by more than $100-$150.

Let us know what your priorities are when you schedule your pet’s service with MexiVet. Sometimes cost is a major factor, other times direct communication with a doctor who speaks English is more important. Some pets have special care requirements or require specialized diagnostic tools. The more we know, the better we can match your pet with a vet in Tijuana that will provide the right kind of care.

Hospitalizations and updates from the clinic

If your pet is hospitalized, we can always help get you in touch with the clinic Monday-Friday within our normal business hours. However, we are not always at the clinics on the weekends, and so our ability to help facilitate conversations and updates outside of our normal working hours is limited. If your pet was hospitalized and you do not have the contact info, tell a team member and we will get that to you.

Personal belongings

We are not responsible for lost personal belongings that are given to us at the time of pick up. We understand that the client sometimes wants to send their pet with a blanket or t-shirt and we will do our best to ensure those items are returned with your pet. But we cannot guarantee this, especially when the pets are hospitalized and will return on a different day, with a different team member. Please do not send your pets with sentimental belongings.

Medication

If your pet is prescribed medication during their visit, MexiVet Express will make sure to deliver that medication, including the prescription and instructions, along with your pet when you are reunited after the appointment. Sometimes a pet will require a refill of medication without needing another trip to the vet’s clinic. In those cases, MexiVet Express will be happy to set up a medication delivery - allowing you to get the medication your pet needs without sending them back to the vet.

Records

It is important that you maintain your pet’s vaccination records as the veterinary clinics will not retain them. We suggest taking a picture of it, along with filing it with your records.

If you’d like the vet’s notes from the appointment, they must be requested. The clinic will not maintain patient files.