COVID GUIDELINES

Opening for in-office exams. Curbside remains available if you prefer.

We will be allowing fully vaccinated clients to be with their pets during exams with the following guidelines:

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• Must be fully vaccinated

• One human per pet maximum in exam room

• Please sanitize your hands before entering

• Please do not bring unvaccinated children unless you choose curbside

• We will call you in when the exam room is ready. (There will be no waiting in the waiting room before or after exam).

• You will be asked to exit the exam room directly to the outdoors as soon as exam is finished so that we may prepare the room for the next pet.

• Medicine pick ups will be done curbside, not inside. You must call in advance as medications or food refills can not be filled when we are busy with patients.

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Curbside/In Office Exams Availability

Our procedures have been fluctuating with the prevalence of Covid. Please check our Facebook page for current policies. We offer curbside service for anyone desiring to wait outside. Please inform the receptionist when you arrive.

For In Office exams, we request that only one person accompany the pet into the exam room and that you do not congregate in the waiting room. We will call you in when a room is ready and ask you to return to your car when you leave the exam room, rather than waiting in the waiting area. 

Over the past two years of dealing with Covid by doing curbside service we have discovered that many anxious pets actually do better without their owner present. If you feel that this may apply to your pet, let us know, and consider doing curbside.

As always, please keep your pet on a leash or in a carrier at all times so they do not panic and run off or get in a scrap with another paitent.

Thank you for your patience!

STAY SAFE OVER THE SUMMER HOLIDAYS!
 

Common emergencies can be avoided.

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• Make sure your pet can not run off if startled by loud noises. Keep leashed when outside even if they 'never leave your side'.... fear makes pets react differently. Make sure that the collar is tight enough that they can't "back out of it" if they pull backwards. Test it inside!

• Make sure your pet has a collar with ID on in case they get lost

• This is when microchipping is so important. If you are traveling with your pet, microchips can help reunite pets lost from home or away. Make sure your chip is registered with the manufacturer. You can check who manufactured a chip by using this chip look up site: https://www.aaha.org/your-pet/pet-microchip-lookup/microchip-search/

• Watch the heat... they love to run and chase balls but in hot humid weather it is easy to overheat. Keep activity confined to cool times of the day.

• Watch the heat in cars! 10 minutes in a hot car can be deadly. Do not leave your pet in your car, even with the windows cracked.

• They drink a lot in hot weather. This is when large deep chested dogs can BLOAT (stomach twists). This can happen to any dog if the stomach is stretched (eating or drinking a lot) and twists (dog exercising hard or rolling around). IT is mostly a danger in large breeds (St. Bernards, German Shepherds, Dobermans, Pyrenees, Newfoundlands, etc). Don't give your dogs a bucket of water to drink at one sitting. Don't exercise after eating or drinking (your mother was right, at least for dogs). Dogs retching with nothing coming up, hard abdomen right behind the left ribcage, blue gray gums= immediate medical emergency.

• Bee stings are possibly when out in the grass. You can make a baking soda paste to put on the site of the sting and give benadryl 25 mg tablet. One tablet for a 25 pound dog, 2 for a 50 pound dog to reduce or prevent swelling. Repeat in 6 to 8 hours.

• Vomiting/diarrhea- from hotdogs, hamburgers, spoiled food they find in the garbage or compost. Clear fluids only until vomiting stops. Call emergency clinic if vomiting profusely or your pet is very old, young or debilitated.

• GRAPES - that innocent picnic fruit is toxic to dogs. Do not feed grapes.

• Corn cobs - ohhh so tempting because they are chewy and sometimes buttery. They can easily cause intestinal obstruction and require surgery. An ounce of prevention is worth thousands of dollars of surgery.... Don't leave corn cobs where your pet can reach them!

• Animal poison control tel 1-855-764-7661 (Charges apply)

• Cuts/fights with visiting pets: again, prevention is best. Dogs are on edge with all the noise and activity and normally docile dogs may reach their limit and get in fights. Don't reach in to a dog fight with your hands.... you will get bit. Use a hose or bucket of water to startle/separate fighting dogs. Clean wounds with soap and water and rinse well. You can use neosporin or bacitracin on the wound. Then see your vet or emergency clinic.

• EMERGENCY CLINIC CONTACT INFO:

  • Barton Heights 570-424-6773 (emergency clinic of the Poconos)

  • Valley Central 610-435-1553 (Allentown)

  • E. PA VETERINARY EMERGENCY 610-904-1776 (Allentown)

  • Veterinary Referral and Emergency 570-587-7777 (Clarks Summit)

OUR TEAM

Our team is here to help your pets stay healthy and comfortable. We are all pet parents and know how important it is to know that your pet is receiving gentle compassionate care.