COVID-19 Update 3/23/2020

Veterinary Wellness Partners • March 23, 2020
COVID-19 Update 3/23/2020
Veterinary Wellness Partners
Mon, 03/23/2020 - 7:47pm

COVID-19 Update 

March 23rd, 2020

As of yesterday, Governor DeWine has issue an order to shelter in place beginning at 11:59 P.M. tonight that is statewide for Ohio.  As a result, Veterinary Wellness partners continues to adjust to the guidelines and restrictions.

Like many clinics in the State of Ohio, we are beginning a protocol of not permitting public personnel/ clients into any of our buildings.  This is being done to further protect our staff and our own families.  Please read below for the changes and how we are going to be implementing them.  In addition, please click on any of the links below to see what we have already instituted along the way.  These new changes build upon those that we have previously implemented.  Thank you for your understanding during these turbulent times.  Our clinic doors will be locked to prevent clients from entering.  We will get signage up on each door explaining our procedures.  

Strict Curbside Patient Protocol

We are going to a strict curb-side service protocol effective at 11:59 P.M. tonight in conjunction with the onset of Governor DeWine's orders to shelter in place.  When you arrive at one of our clinics, please call in and let us know.   A staff member will come out to your vehicle to get your pet for their visit.  We will use a clinic leash to bring them into the clinic. Please try to hand dogs off at arm's length.  Cats should be in a carrier and the carrier can be placed on the ground prior to transfer.   Once your pet is safely in the room and the doctor comes in, we will call you from a restricted number to discuss the reason for your visit.  A thorough history can be taken via the phone, then a verbal description of the examination and findings will be relayed. The pet will be taken back to the car and any medications dispensed.  Payment will also be via the phone or Cash/ check taken at the car window

Pick up of Medication and Food

Please call ahead with your desire to pick up a medication or a food for your pet.  When you arrive at the clinic, please call.  A staff member will take a payment via the phone and then deliver the food or medication outside.  We will place the item at a predetermined location and then you can come pick up the item.  This will help to limit contact between our staff and the many clients that we come into contact with every day.

Pet Euthanasias

This policy will apply to euthanasias in the following manner.  Please call upon arrival and we will bring paperwork out to your vehicle.  A staff member will take you pet inside and we will place an IV catheter.  Once the catheter is in place, we will return to your vehicle or an outside location.  Our staff will be wearing personal protective gear for their safety.  At that point, the euthanasia solution can be administered, causing your pet to gentle experience an anesthetic effect prior to the completion of the euthanasia.

Services

We are still performing most services, as they are each designed to either prevent disease or relieve pain and suffering.  There are some services that are truly elective and will need to be delayed.  These include very basic dental cleanings, castration procedures, minor lump and bump removals, and a few other things.  If you are unsure, please call one of our clinics to discuss.  We appreciate your understanding and respect of our doctors' decisions on these matters.

Farm Calls

For large animal, we are asking techs to hold horses and the owners to step back 6 feet.  If necessary, horses can be tied temporarily, or the lead rope handed off at arm's length.  For bovine farm calls, please respect the leading of our technicians and veterinarians.  If we ask you to stand back, please understand our reasoning.

Personal Protective Equipment

There have been questions in various outlets regarding our usage of personal protective equipment (PPE).  We do need to utilize PPE, in order to best protect ourselves. Most of the PPE that we use is slightly different from that of human hospitals.  In addition, we are able to easily utilize reusable PPE (reuseable gowns, masks, etc.) without compromising any of our patients.  We have had a staff member sew us cloth masks that we can wash and reuse to cut down on the masks that we typically use in the event that they would be needed by a local hospital or local first responders.

For Staff

We are still requiring you to take your temperature twice a day.  Please call us if your temperature is above normal.  In addition, if you are sick AT ALL, STAY Home.  Call Missy (then Misty if Missy not available) to report your illness.  We greatly appreciate each and every one of you working through these trying directives.  There is a lot of time and effort that is begin spent upon every decision that is being made.  You guys make us great!

 

To all, thank you for your understanding and patience during this time.  We are blessed to continue to be able to provide exceptional service to our clients and their animals, our patients!

 

Pet Safety Tips

By Admin • February 7, 2024
Not all pets can swim – carefully monitor your pet near water until you are sure that he or she can swim without sinking. Xylitol is a sugar substitute commonly found in chewing gum and can be deadly to pets. This chemical is especially dangerous because it is sweet-smelling and tasting. Be sure to keep pets away from purses or contents of pockets, candy baskets, etc. Know your pet’s normal temperature, pulse and breathing rate; gum and inner eyelid membrane color should normally be a healthy pink hue. Take a picture of yourself with your pet for purposes of identification. This way, if your pet is lost or stolen, you can prove that the pet is yours. Never feed your pet chocolate, moldy cheese, onions, raisins, or grapes, as these are poisonous. Many common houseplants (poinsettia, varieties of philodendron) are poisonous to your pet. Keep a pet emergency first aid kit handy, complete with emergency phone numbers for your veterinarian and local 24 hour emergency facility. Think ahead and have an evacuation plan in case of emergency. Do you know which local hotels accept pets? Make sure your pet has an ID tag or microchip – especially when travelling. Never give your pet human medication unless it is prescribed specifically by your veterinarian. Carry an extra leash in your car to use as a collar/lead or muzzle. Watch your pet closely when mulching or gardening, as cocoa-scented mulch can be harmful to dogs if ingested. Never leave your pet in a parked car.

ARE COUNTERFEIT FLEA AND TICK PRODUCTS HARMING PETS?

By Veterinary Wellness Partners • December 19, 2023
The new season is a great reason to make and keep resolutions. Whether it’s eating right or cleaning out the garage, here are some tips for making and keeping resolutions.

SPORTMIX PET FOOD RECALL

By Veterinary Wellness Partners • December 19, 2023
The FDA announced a recall of certain pet foods from Sportmix Brand. These foods contain high levels of aflatoxin, a mold that typically grows on corn. This is in response to 28 deaths and 8 sick patients as of 12/31/2020. Pet owners who have purchased Sportmix pet food products should be aware that this brand is linked to the fatalities. The pet food in question was manufactured by Midwestern Pet Foods. According to the FDA's release, aflatoxin is "a toxin produced by the mold Aspergillus flavus which can grow on corn and other grains used as ingredients in pet food." In high levels, it can cause harm to pets. Clinical signs and sympotms include: sluggishness, loss of appetite, vomiting, jaundice, and diarrhea. In some cases, it can cause liver damage and can even be fatal. If you happen to have any Sportmix pet food in your possession, the FDA suggests not feeding it to your pets and consulting a veterinarian if they've ingested it recently. In the organization's recall, they wrote that their investigation is ongoing and that as more information is available, they will update their post. Affected products iclude: (copied from the FDA website) The list of recalled dry pet food products announced by Midwestern Pet Food, Inc. on December 30, 2020 is: Sportmix Energy Plus, 50 lb. bag Exp 03/02/22/05/L2 Exp 03/02/22/05/L3 Exp 03/03/22/05/L2 Sportmix Energy Plus, 44 lb. bag Exp 03/02/22/05/L3 Sportmix Premium High Energy, 50 lb. bag Exp 03/03/22/05/L3 Sportmix Premium High Energy, 44 lb. bag Exp 03/03/22/05/L3 Sportmix Original Cat, 31 lb. bag Exp 03/03/22/05/L3 Sportmix Original Cat, 15 lb. bag Exp 03/03/22/05/L2 Exp 03/03/22/05/L3 Lot code information may be found on the back of bag and will appear in a three-line code, with the top line in format “EXP 03/03/22/05/L#/B###/HH:MM” Veterinary Wellness Partners recommends the following companies for pet foods, as these companies have higher certification levels and higher quality control measures than some of the smaller companies: IAMS/ EUKANUBA ROYAL CANIN PURINA Hill's/ SCIENCE DIET Article written and published by Dr. Jeffrey R. Fink

VETERINARY WELLNESS PARTNERS COVID-19 PLAN MAY 18TH, 202

By Veterinary Wellness Partners • December 19, 2023
With the continuing COVID-19 situation across the country, many veterinary clinics continue to provide curbside care to their clients and patients. Veterinary Wellness Partners, including our four clinics, are continuing with this same curbside care for the foreseeable short-term future. What is Curbside Care? Curbside care is the term used to describe the process that we use to accommodate the social distancing guidelines by having clients wait in the parking lot. We still perform a complete examination and discuss findings and recommendations with each client. How does curbside care work? Upon arrival at one of our clinics, clients are to call the front desk. We ask that all dogs are on leashes and all cats are in carriers, as they could easily get away if not properly placed in a carrier. We also request that clients wear a mask while interacting with our staff. Once the front offices checks your pet in, a medical team member will come out to the vehicle to bring your pet into the clinic. A valid cellphone number will be obtained, so as to allow for communication from the veterinary staff to the clients. A history will be taken either over the phone or discussed at the vehicle. Once your pet has been escorted into the clinic, he/ she will be weighed and then will have a complete physical examination. Following the physical examination, you will be called by the attending veterinarian to discuss our findings, as well as to go over our suggested treatment plan. At the end of the follow-up phone calls, clients will be placed on hold. This will allow the front office staff to discuss payment. A check can be written and given to the team member that returns your pet to the car, or a credit card number can be obtained over the phone. How long will curbside care last?  We do not know the end date to this system at this time. We are monitoring the COVID-19 situation and recommendations given by the federal government, as well as the government of the state of Ohio. In addition, we take the safety and concern of our staff into consideration. Our staff members are our greatest aspect of our clinics and we need them to be comfortable and relaxed as we proceed going forward. We have had some client feedback and requests for clients to be allowed into the clinics. We will continue to listen to feedback. Some of the challenges of the social distancing protocols centers around the limited spacing in the examination rooms. With many examination rooms being too small to allow the proper 6 feet of distancing with three to four people in the rooms (one client, the doctor, and a support staff are general required for each examination). Veterinary Wellness Partners want to thank everybody for their understanding. We have had 100% compliance with clients. There have been very few client complaints and a lot of compliments as to how this process is going. We continue to be thankful to be able to provide the best care to our patients and their families!

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By Veterinary Wellness Partners • March 17, 2020
Covid-19 Policy 3/16/2020 Veterinary Wellness Partners Mon, 03/16/2020 - 11:14pm Our offices are continuing to monitor the Coronavirus situation and listening to the leaders of our state and nation. Currently we are taking the following steps; 1) We are wiping down door handles and areas every hour 2) We are offering car side delivery of medications with a call ahead and credit card payment via phone 3) We are limiting the number of clients in each room to one per appointment. If you have multiple family members, they will be asked to remain in your car. We can take your pet in if there is a reason to remain in your car 4) We are requesting that anybody with respiratory signs cancel their appointments. 5) Our staff is washing hands regularly 6) We are abiding by the social distancing rules of no handshakes and trying to keep personal space of 6 feet whenever possible. 7) We recommend that you call to get 60 day supplies of any needed medications 8) We highly recommend using our online store if you order online. As things get more and more limited, we can continue to supply medications via this route. If offices need to limit staff, we will only be able to service online orders through our online store. IN addition, this supports us directly, sticking with the spirit of BUYING LOCAL. 9)  We are limiting our usage of facemasks by reusing disposable face masks as often as we can.  We are also ordering fabric, washable, reusable masks to replace the disposable ones. Please call our office and ask if you have any questions or concerns.
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