CORONAVIRUS UPDATE (COVID-19)

UPDATE on COVID19 ALERT LEVEL 2 beginning 14/5/2020

The clinic will be open for business under level 2. We will be open for most veterinary procedures and face to face consultations. The following changes to our normal procedures will apply

• To maintain social distancing we ask that only ONE person brings the pet to the vet
• A maximum of 3 people to be waiting in the reception/waiting area. If you see more than 3 people in the area when you enter, please exit and wait for someone to leave.
• There will be a limit of 15 minutes of close contact time with the vet. This means double bookings with multiple animals will not be possible. This is to minimize risk to veterinarians who will be in close contact with clients throughout the day.
• We currently do not have the staff capacity to offer homecalls
• We encourage prior ordering of medications and food to reduce congestion at the front desk
• Hand sanitizer will be available to all

Our hours of operation will be from Monday 18th May will be 8.30 am until 5.30 pm Mon-Friday and 8.30 am until noon on saturday.

As usual if you have any signs of respiratory infection, stay safe and stay at home.

UPDATE on COVID ALERT LEVEL 3

At 11.59 pm on 27/4/20 the country will enter COVID ALERT LEVEL 3.

The clinic will continue to operate as an essential business. The focus or scope of practice has been widened from essential work to include all areas of Veterinary practice including neutering and adult animal vaccinations as long as it can be conducted in a safe manner.

Under level 3 conditions the clinic will still be substantially operating as per the conditions below for level 4, except the broader range of procedures that can be performed. Please refer to these.

We need more staff time per animal to work under these conditions and appointments will still be allocated on a priority basis. Telemedicine (phone or email consultations) are likely to still be a feature of level 3 practice as fewer consultation slots will be available on any given day.

If you have any concerns about your pet please call the clinic to arrange it to be seen as walk up, non scheduled visits will not be admitted.

We are able to sell pet food, both prescription and regular varieties, but this need to be arranged by ordering in advance. For the first week of operation at level 3 we are still restricting the sale of worming and flea products until we are confident we have staff resources that we can allocate to this task. 

We are looking forward to being able to provide a wider range of services for your animals. Please call us on 4882690 if you have any health concerns affecting your pets

COVID 19 ALERT LEVEL 4

The Clinic has been classified as an essential service and will continue to operate but the focus will be on essential work.

This means our priority will be to attend to cases that involve serious pain and suffering (Guidelines from the Veterinary Council of NZ)

WE WILL THEREFORE BE TRIAGING (working out the most important cases to see first), ALL CALLS

WE ANTICIPATE THERE MAY BE TIMES WHEN WE CANNOT SEE PETS AS SOON AS OWNERS WOULD LIKE. WE WILL BE DOING ALL WE CAN TO GET TO THE SERIOUS CASES FIRST AND ASK FOR YOUR CO-OPERATION AND UNDERSTANDING

DURING LEVEL 4, WE ARE NOT OPERATING BUSINESS AS USUAL. IF THE CASE DOES NOT INVOLVE DEALING WITH URGENT ISSUES INVOLVING PAIN OR WELFARE WE MAY DECLINE TO SEE THE ANIMAL. THIS IS TO SUPPORT THE GOVERNMENTS AIM OF LESS MOVEMENT AROUND OUR COMMUNITY AND TO PROTECT OUR STAFF. EACH CASE IS ASSESSED BY A VET AND WILL BE CONSIDERED INDIVIDUALLY.

We are committed to providing the safest possible environment for our clients, their pets and our staff.

WITH A STAGE FOUR ALERT (commencing Wednesday 25th March 2020 11.59 pm)

• No animals will be admitted to the clinic without a prior appointment, CLIENTS MUST CALL FIRST TO ARRANGE THEIR ANIMAL TO BE SEEN
• To protect our staff and to be able to keep operating as long as possible(avoiding staff illness), the clinic will be CLOSED to PHYSICAL access by clients. We will obtain a history from the owner, discuss the nature of the problem and admit the animal to the clinic for examination and treatment. The owner will be asked to remain outside.
• We will only be dealing with urgent cases that involve serious pain or suffering or to avoid future pain or suffering or welfare issues
• We check guidelines from the Ministry of Health about public safety on a daily basis
• We will set aside more time daily for increased cleaning frequency of all areas of the clinic
• We educate staff about keeping themselves and others safe
• We are reducing appointment frequency as we anticipate the examination process will take longer
• HOMECALLS WILL NO LONGER BE OFFERED
• Supporting any Ministry of Health Guidelines
• Will not be selling non prescription food or toys etc

We would ask the following of our clients,

• If you have a fever, cough or any signs of respiratory illness, please DO NOT visit the clinic, rather call us on 4882690 and we will arrange a safe way to treat your pet.
• IF YOU ARE IN SELF ISOLATION we would appreciate that you delay seeking veterinary consultation for your animals until the end of the isolation period if the nature of the problem or visit is not urgent.
• WE NEED TO KNOW if an animal is being bought in from a home under self isolation before you get to the clinic
• If possible we would appreciate just one person attending a consultation with a pet. We do appreciate there are situations where this is not practical
• Like any business at present, we may experience staff shortages and would ask for your patience if you want your pet examined by a vet. In this situation we will prioritize cases on the basis of urgency

  https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=513817142873722

We will try to keep disruptions to a minimum but would ask for your co-operation and understanding.

As always, cases will be allocated veterinary time on the basis of urgency. Please always call the clinic in advance of visiting so we can allocate the best resources to the needs of your pets.

Scott Drummond