COVID-19 UPDATE APRIL 4, 2020
Mountainside would like to assure you that we, and other veterinarian services have been deemed as an essential service by the Government and that Mountainside Animal Hospital & 24 Hr. Emergency Services remains OPEN & FULLY STAFFED 24 HOURS OF THE DAY.
Please read the following points of communication:
- First, we thank you, the family members of our patients who continue to demonstrate patience, understanding and support as we experience a high volume of patients during the Covid pandemic. As always, we triage all patients according to severity of illness and appreciate your patience if you and your pet experience any amount of wait time.
- We also completely understand the stresses you all are dealing with and how difficult it can be to entrust us with the care of your pet. At this time, we are not allowing clients into the building in order to protect you and your family as well as our own staff so they can continue to work safely. Please be assured that not only are they receiving excellent medical treatment and diagnostics, but that we always have time for extra TLC.
- We are currently not administering vaccines except for new puppy vaccines as we are primarily an emergency and urgent care hospital. However, many General Practice clinics remain open and can fulfill those needs for you. Please contact us to send any records we may have to any of these clinics.
- Please do your best to plan and provide a minimum of 48 hours’ notice for any prescription refills or food orders. Our suppliers and distributors remain operational but do warn of potential delays in delivery due to demand. We also ask that people do not feel pressured to over-stock on food or medications so that we can distribute supplies as possible.
- Finally, we must also acknowledge and give tremendous gratitude to all the veterinary professionals on the front lines. At Mountainside Animal Hospital, our staff have been working tirelessly and with great compassion with your furry family members to give them the best care possible. This includes everyone- our veterinary staff, our technicians and assistants, our receptionists, and our cleaning staff. You all are truly amazing!
COVID-19 UPDATE MARCH 24, 2020
Mountainside Animal Hospital & 24 Hr Services remains open and fully staffed around the clock. To ensure the safety of our clients and staff, we are no longer allowing members of the public into the hospital.
We have a very effective system in place that is designed to get patient information communicated by phone from your car while a medical team member escorts your pet into the hospital where they are treated and cared for the same as they always are.
Whenever possible, call ahead to help us prepare for your arrival and upon arrival please remain in your car and call our main hospital line (604-973-1247) to receive instructions on how to proceed.
We thank you for your support and understanding as we continue to function as a gold-standard 24/7 emergency facility while providing the necessary care for our patients, staff and clients.
COVID-19 UPDATE MARCH 19, 2020
We are a designated emergency and critical care facility. We remain open 24/7 to care for your pet’s time-sensitive medical needs. At this time, we will be discontinuing non-urgent services such as elective spays, neuters and routine vaccination appointments.
Until further notice we have closed our reception area and request that any visitors use the buzzer beside our after-hours entrance and we will advise you how to proceed.
We request that food and prescription orders be made by phone or email. Upon arrival for pick up, please call reception and your items will be placed in a bin outside.
There is currently no shortage of veterinary supplies or food as distribution and delivery has not been affected. Please plan ahead and order in a timely fashion but there is no urgency to stockpile.
IMPORTANT MESSAGE REGARDING COVID-19
At Mountainside Animal Hospital and 24hr Emergency Services (MAH), the health and well-being of your pet and family is our top priority. As the situation with respect to coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to evolve, we want to assure you that we plan to remain open 24/7 for emergencies and time-sensitive medical care.
We are taking stringent steps to keep our patients, clients and employees healthy and safe including:
- In addition to the rigid cleaning and disinfection protocols already in place, we have increased the frequency and duration of our cleaning processes.
- For hospitalized patients, visitation will be approved on a case-by-case basis at doctor discretion with a maximum visit time of 10 minutes no more than twice daily.
- Employees who feel ill are instructed to stay home and contact their doctor.
Additionally, our hospital is equipped with state-of-the-art air circulation and conditioning systems identical to those found in human hospitals.
- We have 9 independent air zones.
- We use a high-efficiency HEPA filter with ultraviolet exposure to circulate the air and remove 99% of airborne particles.
- All our air systems use 100% outside air and we do not recirculate air within the building.
If you are feeling unwell, we ask that you please call us before travelling to the hospital so we can either reschedule your appointment, or in the case of emergency, provide information as to what you need to do when arriving at the hospital.
We are closely monitoring the guidance from the Canada Center for Disease Control and local authorities regarding the spread of the virus to ensure the actions that we are taking are comprehensive and appropriate.
Side Note* Pets do not appear to be affected by this virus and it has not been demonstrated that they can transmit the virus to people.
Make sure you have a reasonable supply of pet food and any medications your pet may need in the event that you feel uncomfortable coming in.
There is currently no shortage of medications or pet food and distribution remains consistent. As a result, there is no need to “stockpile”.
As always, do not hesitate to contact us or your primary care veterinarian if you have any questions or concerns.
If you are concerned about your pet in any manner, Mountainside Animal Hospital is here for you. Our team is focused on providing quality care for all patients around the clock. Centered on compassion, respect, knowledge, and dignity, we recognize that every patient and their circumstances is unique.
As pet owners ourselves, we appreciate coming to the hospital can be stressful. At Mountainside Animal Hospital we strive to make your visit a little bit easier by providing the necessary services in a friendly, accessible, and comprehensive manner focused first and foremost on what is most important: the best interest of your pet.
