As prevention strategies for the COVID-19 pandemic change at an exponential rate, we’d like to take a moment to update our clients with our current goals and to share a few more requests.
We intend to stay open to provide medical services to our patients through the upcoming weeks. The American Veterinary Medical Association is advocating that veterinary clinics to be considered essential businesses in the case of mandated closures of non-essential businesses, should things progress to that. There is similar advocacy occurring at the state level as well.
In order to provide medical care to our patients in need, we must take precautions to mitigate the risk posed by close contact with our clients and patients. There are adjustments we can make to reduce everyone’s contact and improve safety:
- It may be prudent to postpone appointments for healthy patients with no time sensitive concerns.
- There may be circumstances in which we can schedule a paid phone consultation with a doctor for patients we have been working with regularly and have seen recently.
- Please consider having us ship any refill requests.
- If you have an appointment scheduled that you would like to keep for the well being of your animal, please notify our staff before your appointment if you have had:
- any recent international travel
- any known regional community transmission
- any known contact with an infected human
- any recent history of respiratory disease.
- This information will help our staff to make the best recommendations regarding how to manage your visit to the clinic.
- Please have only one caregiver bring in your pet (unless you require assistance).
- Please use good hygiene practices as recommended by the CDC.
- We may request that you stay in your car and have a staff member collect information from you (without entering the clinic).
- We also may ask that you schedule a drop-off exam.
- We may recommend that you have a healthy person bring the animal.
And finally, please know that we are here to support you through this unprecedented community challenge. Anxiety is thick in the air right now and even more contagious than the novel coronavirus. Our pets are huge sources of emotional support during times of stress and we owe it to them to keep a level head and to keep each other in our hearts. We are grateful for all of you who care so deeply for your animals.
Remember, according to the World Health Organization, there is no evidence to suggest that dogs or cats have become ill with this virus or will become a source of infection of COVID-19 in other animals or humans.
For up to date information on COVID-19 and pets, please go the following resources:
The CDC’s Animals and Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) website:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prepare/animals.html
The Oregon Veterinary Medical Association’s COVID-19 Coronavirus & Pets website:
https://www.oregonvma.org/care-health/zoonotic-diseases/coronavirus-faq