COVID-19 UPDATE

March 23, 2020

We wanted to update you on the status of Coastal Veterinary Oncology and the ever changing COVID-19 pandemic. We have discussed the pros and cons of delaying or cancelling upcoming appointments; and we have looked at the perspectives of all parties affected including: our patients, our clients, and our staff. At this time, we will continue our normal clinical operations.

Why are we proceeding as planned? First and foremost is the health of our patients. Many of our patient’s quality of life may decline very rapidly without therapy. At Coastal Veterinary Oncology, we are medical professionals and as such are making a priority of limiting disease spread. We feel that with proper prevention techniques listed below, the risk of COVID-19 transmission should be minimal in our practice.

That said, we ask you to refrain from coming to our clinic if you are sick, experiencing some of the common symptoms of the coronaviarus (cough, fever, difficulty breathing, etc.), or think you are more susceptible if infected. If you find yourself in one of these scenarios, please contact us to see how we can help your pet while at the same time minimizing risk.

What are we doing in the clinic? Not to offend anyone but we will discontinue handshakes and consults in the exam rooms for now and will practice “social-distancing”.

The following changes will take effect immediately:

• Our receptionist/nurses will be obtaining a little more information from you during your appointment confirmation call approximately 24 hours prior to your appointment. You will not be asked to fill out any paperwork personally during your time at the clinic. This step is to minimize your contact with pens, paper, and clip boards.
• Limit the number of people who accompany your pet to the hospital.
• Once you arrive in our parking lot for your appointment, please wait in your car and call to let us know you are here. A nurse will come to your car and escort your pet into the building. ALL CATS NEED TO COME TO THEIR APPOINTMENT IN CARRIERS. For dogs, we will use CVO slip leads, so you may be asked to remove your leash and replace it with ours.
• Ensure we have your cell phone number to contact you in the car if needed during your appointment.
• When it is time to check out, we will come out to your car to collect payment. We are disinfecting equipment and hand-sanitizing between every transaction but if you are not comfortable passing your credit card, we can write down the pertinent information from your card. This will be immediately destroyed after your appointment as it has always been our policy to never store/save credit card information. We also accept payment by check.

What happens if things change? At this time, because the situation is changing rapidly and is complex, it is difficult to project what the coming days, weeks, or months will look like. We are actively monitoring and heeding the recommendations of epidemiologists, local agencies, and other medical experts. We will share any changes with you as soon as those decisions are made. This website and CVO social media will be updated with any changes or announcements.

What should you do right now? Please keep your appointment as scheduled and we will be here to help you and your pet, taking all proper precautions.

What do you do if you have questions? If you have a non-urgent question (i.e. not directly related to your pet’s current condition), we prefer you to email us at info@cvo.vet instead of calling us. That way we can continue to provide excellent care to our patients currently at the clinic in a timely manner. We will respond to your questions as quickly as possible!

Stay safe,
Dr. Daters