Last week Governor Hogan relaxed the restrictions on elective procedures (in human medicine), and soon after the State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners issued a statement allowing veterinarians to resume wellness and elective procedures for animals. Note that this does not change our adherence to all current COVID protocols. That means that we still are seeing pets with curbside service with only staff allowed in the office. But it does also mean that we can start providing more services for your pet. COVID protocols will limit the number of patients/clients we are able to see in a day, so there will continue to be scheduling difficulties. We will do everything we can to get your pet the care it needs, but there are times when we will need to prioritize who and what we are able to see. One thing to note is that the State Board still considers grooming services non-essential and therefore still not permitted under the Governor’s Executive Orders. Exceptions can be made for grooming that is Medically Necessary.
COVID Update — April 6, 2020
We hope all of our clients and patients are staying safe during this difficult time. To update everyone as to our status, veterinary practices are still considered essential businesses and we are still open. However, the State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners has restricted what veterinarians are allowed to do in order to preserve PPE needed by our human counterparts. This will limit the services we will be able to offer for our patients and clients until the COVID-19 situation improves. Of course we will continue to provide medical for our patients as indicated, and provide services allowed by the State Board, such as Rabies and Leptospirosis vaccinations. If you have any questions about your pet coming to see us, feel free to contact us by phone or email.
Weekly Update 03/28/20
As the COVID 19 situation continues to become more serious, we remain open and expect to continue to do so. While it is challenging to serve our patients, we feel it is very important that we do continue. One of the things we have done to improve efficiency is to make some of the forms we are using available for download. This way you can complete the form and get it back to us before your appointment, and it eliminates another physical object to handle. These forms can be emailed to: info@palmeranimalhospital.net or faxed to 301-371-0019.
COVID-19 Update—Monday, March 23, 2020
We hope everyone is staying safe and healthy.
Today Governor Hogan announced that all non-essential businesses are ordered to close as of 5PM today. This will affect many, many businesses, but veterinary hospitals are considered essential businesses, and the State Board of Veterinary Medical Directors (and Maryland Department of Agriculture) has requested that we stay open if possible to serve the needs of our patients. So, we will remain open with the policies we implemented last week—that is “STAFF AND PETS ONLY” in our building (meaning we will come get your pet from you in the parking lot) and a reduced workload. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or needs. Please be patient as at times our phone system is extra busy as we handle not only our regular load of phone calls, but also the patients currently at our office that we are communicating with via telephone.
We can all get through this together!
Corona Virus Update 03/19/20
The Coronavirus situation is continuing to escalate. We are continuing to re-evaluate our policies and have made the following changes effective March 19, 2020:
Following the policies of most local animal hospitals, we will now be allowing only “Staff and Pets” inside of our hospital. Clients will need to wait outside in their cars. When you arrive for your appointment, contact our front desk by telephone and a staff member will come out to your vehicle to get you to fill out an information form and to bring your pet into the hospital for the doctor to examine and treat. This is a major change of policy for us and our clients, and we will do out best to make this change as smoothly as possible, but please be patient as we strive to be able to provide care for our patients.
We will also be reducing our caseload especially in regards to routine care and procedures. This does not mean we cannot see or treat your pet, but our current schedule and policy was not allowing us to maintain social distancing and reduce numbers of persons in our hospital at one time. This means that some routine procedures (Well Pet Exams, vaccinations, routine testing) may be delayed past the usual dates. Please note that we will make every effort to keep your pet healthy and up-to-date, but are just not going to be able to do everything we normally do during this situation.
We will be doing more by phone and email since we will be limited in our “in house” abilities. Keep in mind that we expect our phone system will be extra busy during this time due to the above policies. Please feel free to reach out to us by email which will be monitored closely. Our clinic email address is : info@palmeranimalhospital.net
We especially ask that no one come to the office if you are sick.
Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or problems. Keep yourselves safe!
Coronavirus Update
There is a lot going on in our country right now in regards to the Coronavirus Pandemic. We would like to take this time to post some information for our clients:
–First, we plan on remaining open and being there for our patients unless something changes dramatically. We are doing things in house to reduce the risk of any disease transmission such as extra cleaning, disinfecting, limiting contact, etc.
Remember, we have to deal with diseases that are more contagious and resistant in the environment, Parvovirus in dogs for example.
–Second, dogs and cats do not appear to be susceptible to this Coronavirus, so you don’t need to worry about them too much.
–Third, if you are sick, please stay at home. We can reschedule your appointment. If your pet really needs to come in, then contact us and we will try to arrange a drop-off appointment.
–Lastly, be sure to follow good hygiene practices. WASH YOUR HANDS! Reduce physical contact with others. Maintain a “social distance” of 6 feet from other persons wherever possible. Avoid large crowds. And most of all, use common sense.
There are sure to be more cases of this disease occur, but most cases are mild and run their course with rest and supportive care, much like the flu. If you become seriously ill or have difficulty breathing, contact your own health care provider.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.