AVMA information regarding COVID-19

The American Veterinary Medical Association has released extensive information with what we know about the novel coronavirus in animals, including pets. The attached article details how to keep your pets safe during the pandemic, the latest information on dogs and cats in other countries that have tested positive, and an accurate update on the COVID-19 positive tiger in a New York Zoo. They have also summarized some of the most recent literature about cats and COVID-19 and they list their recommendations for your pets if you test positive for the virus. There is additional information about when it becomes necessary to test a companion animal for COVID-19.

AVMA information on COVID-19 in animals

Please continue to practice good hygiene and social distancing during this time. For information on our latest hospital policies to keep everyone in our WVH community safe please visit our updated policies post. As always, please call the clinic with any questions. Stay safe and healthy!

WVH Online Pharmacy

Many of you have already discovered our convenient online pharmacy and used it for your pet's prescription food and medication refills. As we continue to practice social distancing and while we have shortened hospital hours, we will be directing all clients to the online pharmacy for all refills. You can get to our online pharmacy directly from our website here.

As with most things these days, it is taking longer to receive medication and food orders through our online pharmacy and all compounding pharmacies. Please try to order any medication or prescription food well before you need it to allow for these longer wait times.

Currently we are open from 9am - 2pm Monday through Friday and 9am - 1pm on Saturday. If you encounter any problems using our online pharmacy or have additional questions, please call us at (734) 971-5800.

Update to our policies

At Washtenaw Veterinary Hospital our goal is to provide the highest quality medicine and exceptional patient care. This has not changed in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, for your safety and that of our employees we will be asking you to remain in your car for all appointments starting Tuesday March 24th.

• Please call the clinic when you arrive at (734) 971-5800. We will check you in over the phone and come to your car to collect your pet. We will bring our own slip leash for dogs and all cats must be in a carrier. Please note that we will discuss special arrangements for euthanasia appointments.

• We will only be scheduling sick pets. Until further notice we will only be scheduling appointments for sick patients. If you have an urgent concern regarding your pet please call the office.

• Please utilize the online pharmacy for all medication and prescription food refills. In an effort to limit human exposure we will be redirecting you to our online pharmacy for all medication and prescription food refills. Your pet's medication will be mailed directly to you after our office staff approves your request. You can access our online pharmacy directly from this page of our website.

• All booster vaccines will be rescheduled for a later date. If you have a puppy please keep them isolated until we can have them finish their vaccine series.

• Until further notice WVH will be open from 9am - 2pm Monday through Friday and 9am - 1pm on Saturday. These shortened clinic hours are to help reduce exposure for clients and staff.

You can find additional information in our previous news posts here. Please do not hesitate to call the clinic with any questions or concerns.

WVH Policy Changes to address COVID-19

**Please see our updated policies for the latest scheduling information**

The COVID-19 pandemic is a serious issue and we are changing some of our hospital policies to help reduce the spread of this novel virus. Beginning Wednesday, March 18th, WVH will be reducing hours of operation to care for sick patients only, until community exposure restrictions are lifted. We will not be scheduling wellness appointments, annual exams, or tech visits for the next few weeks. The exception to this will be adult dogs and puppies that need to stay on their preventative booster vaccine schedules and other patients that receive regular injections for chronic diseases or allergies.

**Our hours of operation will be 9am to 2pm Monday through Friday and 9am to 1pm on Saturdays.**

During this time please follow these guidelines when scheduling sick pet appointments:
1. To prevent the spread of illnesses, please do not come to our clinic if you are sick. Clients with the flu or flu-like symptoms should not come into the building and should reschedule their appointments to a later date. If your pet is ill and needs care please have a healthy family member or friend bring your pet in for you.

2. If you are a client who has traveled internationally, we ask that you reschedule your appointment for at least 2 weeks from the time you returned. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advise that travelers returning from international travel should self-isolate for 14 days to ensure they have not contracted the virus.

3. If you need medication or prescription diet refills please utilize our online pharmacy whenever possible. If your medication must be filled at the clinic then we will call you when it is ready for pick up and collect payment over the phone at that time. To avoid additional foot traffic inside the building, please call the clinic from your car when you arrive and we will bring your medication to you.

4. If you do not feel comfortable coming into the clinic but you have a sick pet that requires care, please let us know. We would be happy to collect your pet from your car and have our technician and veterinarian communicate with you over the phone.

We will keep you updated as this is a rapidly evolving situation and we will get back to routine wellness care as soon as possible. For more information on how OCVID-19 is impacting pets and their owners please visit: https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=9548687. Please do not hesitate to call us with any questions. Thank you for your patience during this unprecedented time.

Coronavirus and your pets

The World Health Organization recently declared the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) a pandemic, which means this virus is widespread over multiple continents simultaneously. At Washtenaw Veterinary Hospital we are committed to giving your pets the best possible care and this includes providing you with accurate information regarding this virus in relation to companion animals. Please find answers to some frequently asked questions below. We have also included links to credible resources if you would like to learn more. As we work through this global crisis please don’t hesitate to contact our office if you have questions that are specifically related to your pet.

• COVID-19 is spread from person to person through contact with an infected person’s bodily secretions such as saliva or mucus droplets.

• There is no evidence at this time that companion animals play a role in the spread of this disease.

• Infectious disease experts agree that there is no evidence at this point to indicate that pets become ill with COVID-19.

• The veterinary services of the Hong Kong region reported that one dog had tested positive for COVID-19 after close contact with its owners who were sick with the virus. The dog did not show any clinical signs of the disease.

• Until more information is known about the virus it is recommended that those infected with COVID-19 limit their contact with companion animals.

• Dogs can contract a different strain of coronavirus that causes gastrointestinal symptoms and there is a vaccine available for this disease. However, the canine coronavirus is not related to COVID-19 and there is no cross protection against COVID-19 from the canine coronavirus vaccine. For more information on intestinal coronavirus in dogs please click here.

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Coronavirus website

Michigan.gov Coronavirus website for Michigan specific news and information

World Organisation for Animal Health Coronavirus FAQ