Slick, when they say they need a doctor/patient relationship, they mean they need to have at least seen you and your pet at least once. When I was new here and had an emergency with Nicki, I had a difficult time finding a vet because they take new patients as they can fit them in... usually they need a few weeks time to squeeze newbies in. If you are an established patient, they will make room for you the day you call or within a few days, I just figured this was standard practice.