COVID-19 and Lane Animal Hospital’s reponse:
- Lane Animal Hospital will continue to see patients, as we always have, throughout our regular business hours. We have not made, nor do we currently have plans to make, any adjustments to our regular schedule.
- We want to assure our clients we are taking your health just as seriously as we take your pets.
- We ask that for appointments, 1 healthy adult bring in your pet for their visit. We are asking that ill adults and children not come into the hospital at this time to limit exposures for all.
- If you are feeling ill and are the only person who can bring your pet to LAH, we ask that you please call us from your car and wait there rather than coming into the lobby. We will discuss options with you and the doctor on the best approach to helping your pet.
- We won’t be offended if you decline a handshake and ask that you not be offended if we don’t offer our hand. We are all trying to avoid shaking hands and human to human contact, but old habits are hard to break.
Sanitizing at Lane Animal Hospital
Although human to human contact is the most worrisome means of transmission, surface spread is still a concern. The following precautions are being taken to keep everyone healthy at Lane Animal Hospital.
- Examination rooms are cleaned and disinfected between each client using antibacterial products. This has always included any areas pet are touching, and a general wipe down of client chairs, however becasue of COVID-19 we are now santizing all electronics (including credit card swipe machines), light switches, and door handles.
- Hand sanitizer bottles and sinks with liquid soap are located within each of our main examination rooms for staff and client use to promote healthy hand hygiene.
- Our reception lobby will be sanitized throughout the day- door handles, electronics, and countertops. It is normally cleaned throughout the day from pet visits, but the concern is now for human health.
Are your pets at risk or putting you at risk?
- Thursday, February 27th, there was a report released in Hong Kong that a dog was quarantined after samples obtained from its naval cavity and mouth tested “weak positive” (fecal testing was negative) for the virus that causes COVID-19. The dog was retested February 28th, March 2nd, and March 5th with the same “weak positive” result. The dog’s owner had previously been diagnosed with COVID-19. Based on the consistency and persistence of the results, it is suggested that the pet dog may have a low-level of infection, though has remained asymptomatic and this may have been a case of human-to-animal transmission, this is however still spectulative and further testing is being conducted.
- Although there have not been reports of pets or other animals becoming sick with COVID-19, out of an abundance of caution, it is recommended that those ill with COVID-19 limit contact with animals until more information is known about the virus.
- At this time, experts have not expressed concern about transmission to or from animals. Multiple international health organizations have indicated that pets and other domestic animals are not considered at risk for contracting COVID-19.
- As always, animal owners should continue to include pets and other animals in their emergency preparedness planning, including keeping a two-week supply of food and medications on hand.
- This is a rapidly evolving situation and we will continue to try to update as new information becomes available.
Last but not least, we ask you to be patient with us. We have asked our staff if ill to not come to work and potentially spread something contagious. Therefore, as a small business, we expect to be short staffed at some points in the next few weeks. As school closures until April have now begun, we also understand daycares may also be forced to close. These will both have a large impact on the LAH team and we are expecting at least some staff shortages over the next few weeks. Please bear with us as we try to accommodate all of our patients.
As always, Lane Animal Hospital remains committed to the pets we treat, the clients who have been so loyal to us, our staff and their families, and the community of Chelsea. Please reach out to the hospital directly with additional questions and concerns. We are hopeful, that with appropriate precautions and safety measures, everyone will stay healthy and safe.
Sincerely,
Lane Animal Hospital