Frequently Asked Questions
Our team is here to help! Learn more about our hospital operations & services; as well as find resources that will assist you with your visit and pet parenting.
What to Expect
General practice well and sick appointments, surgery admissions and discharges, emergency triages, euthanasias, and inpatient admissions and discharges are the only services providing in-person experiences currently. Boarding and technician appointments will remain curbside at this time.
Any clients that wish to continue with curbside protocol are permitted to do so. We can absolutely accommodate this.
All clients arriving for appointments are still required to call into the hospital for check-in. All clients are to be escorted into the building, when capacity levels are appropriate, by a team member.
- Only one client is permitted to enter the building per pet. Euthanasias are the only exception to this rule, allowing up to three clients to enter the building.
- Only clients arriving with a critical emergency are permitted to enter the lobby without a team member.
- Be advised that all clients entering the building are required to undergo a temperature screening and must always wear their mask properly. This means it must cover your mouth and If you do not have a mask that fits appropriately, a team member will provide you one.
- You will be expected to stay in your designated exam room, unless otherwise directed by your care team. If you need to use the restroom, please let one of our team members know so they can ensure the restroom is available for you.
If at any time the above expectations are not followed, you will be asked to return to curbside protocol. This is to protect and maintain the safety of our staff and the community.
We have various personal protection equipment in place around the practice. You will encounter the following:
- Posters and directional signs indicating temperature check stations, where to stand, etc.
- Plexiglass partitions on front desk counters, pharmacy counters, and checkout areas.
- Hand-less temperature check stations.
- A front desk team member ensuring compliance with temperature checks and mask protocols.
- Automatic hand sanitizer stations.
- Extra stock of Rescue™ cleaning supplies.
- Extra stock of face masks, face shields, gloves, etc.
All our exam rooms are thoroughly disinfected and cleaned between exams with Rescue™, a Covid-19 approved disinfectant, to ensure the safety of our clients and staff.
Arrival/Check-In Instructions
General Practice Well and Sick Appointments
- Your pet’s pre-visit form must be filled out by 10pm the evening prior to the appointment.
- When you arrive to our hospital and are parked in a numbered parking spot, please call the front desk at 609-646-7013. They will alert your care team of your arrival.
- The care team will retrieve you from your parking spot and bring you into the building when your exam room is ready for you.
- The care team will perform the exam, diagnostics, lab tests, fill medications, etc. while you remain in the exam room. Your pet may need to leave the exam room to go to our treatment area for certain procedures. This will be explained by our staff prior to any procedures occurring.
- Our team will check you out in the exam room.
- Your care team will bring you and your pet back out to your car with any medication refills, food, etc. you receive during your exam.
- Disinfection and cleaning of the exam room will be done by our staff prior to the next appointment.
Surgery Admissions
- Your pet’s pre-surgery forms must be filled out prior to arrival the morning of the scheduled procedure.
- When you arrive to our hospital and are parked in a numbered parking spot, please call the front desk at 609-646-7013. They will alert your care team of your arrival.
- The surgical technician and TA will review all paperwork is complete, and then escort you and your pet into the building.
- Check-ins will be scattered in 15-minute intervals to allow to ample time for cleaning between clients.
- Disinfection and cleaning of the exam room will be done by our staff prior to the next admission.
Surgery and Inpatient Discharges
- When you arrive to our hospital at your scheduled discharge time and are parked in a numbered parking spot, please call the front desk at 609-646-7013. They will alert your care team of your arrival.
- The care team will retrieve you from your parking spot and bring you into the building when your exam room is ready for you.
- Our team will check you out in the exam room.
- The technician managing the case will go over all discharge instructions and medications/supplies thoroughly with you. They will also provide time for you to ask any questions they have about your pet’s care.
- The technician will schedule any rechecks you may need for your pet’s follow up care prior to you leaving.
- Your care team will bring you and your pet back out to your car with any medication refills, food, etc. you receive during your discharge.
- Disinfection and cleaning of the exam room will be done by our staff prior to the next discharge.
Emergency Triages
- When you arrive to our hospital for your emergency visit and are parked in a numbered parking spot, please call the front desk at 609-646-7013. They will alert your care team of your arrival.
- If this is a critical emergency, please pull directly up to the front doors so our team can get to your pet as quickly as possible.
- One client will be required to enter the building for triage of their pet. You will be directed by our staff as to when you are able to enter the hospital and our triage room.
- You will be asked to stay in your car after your pet has been triaged in order to keep capacity levels decreased in our lobby.
- Disinfection and cleaning of the exam room will be done by our staff prior to the next triage.
Euthanasia
- When you arrive to our hospital for your pet’s euthanasia and are parked in a numbered parking spot, please call the front desk at 609-646-7013. They will alert your care team of your arrival.
- The care team will retrieve you from your parking spot and bring you into the building when the bereavement room is ready for you.
- Your care team will be with you every step of the way and will ensure your comfort through this process.
- Our team will check you out in the exam room.
- You will have a separate doorway for exiting the hospital when you are ready to leave.
- Disinfection and cleaning of the exam room will be done by our staff prior to the next bereavement visit.
Pharmacy
- When you arrive to our hospital for pickup of your pet’s medications and are parked in a numbered parking spot, please call the front desk at 609-646-7013 and select “Pharmacy” from the options. You are also able to text our pharmacy staff notifying them you are here for pickup.
- Our pharmacy staff will notify you of when you are able to enter the building.
- Only two clients are permitted in line at the pharmacy counter at any given time.
- We will be able to check you out at our pharmacy counter.
- We will have a side door available to you for exiting the building.
- Disinfection and cleaning of the pharmacy area will be done at frequent intervals by our staff.
What If The Hospital Is At Capacity?
If at any time the hospital reaches inside capacity, we will be required to return to curbside protocol for all clients. You will be notified by our staff if this is the case. Should you wish to reschedule your appointment for another in-person day, you may do so with one of our client service representatives.
Please keep in mind the hospital may switch back to curbside protocol at any time we deem necessary for the safety of our staff, our clients, and their pets. We will do our best to provide ample notification.
Covid-19 Sanitation Protocols
High traffic areas will need to be cleaned and disinfected with greater frequency, including practice entrances and exits, hallways, the reception desk, seating areas, restrooms, examination rooms, procedure and surgical suites, and meeting rooms.
Surfaces in the practice that are touched frequently (i.e., workstations, shared electronic equipment, phones, doorknobs, light switches, countertops, stethoscopes, areas where products are stored) should also be cleaned often and wiped down by employees with disposable wipes between cleanings.
The hospital utilizes Rescue cleaner for disinfecting the hospital. We have Rescue™ Concentrate, Rescue™ Ready-to-Use liquid and Rescue™ Wipes.
Rescue™ should be used according to the label instructions for viruses – if using Rescue™ Concentrate, Rescue™ should be diluted at 1:64 or 2 oz. disinfectant per gallon of water. The diluted concentrate, once applied to the surface, should be allowed to remain wet to reach a contact time of five minutes.
- This concentrate should be used to clean hospital floors, and should be done midday, closing, and if any spills or animal voids are on the floor.
If using Rescue™ Ready-to-Use liquid or Rescue™ Wipes, simply apply the liquid or wipe to the surface, and allow the surface to remain wet to reach a contact time of one minute.
- These products should be used to clean surfaces between appointments (i.e., benches, counters, doorknobs, electronics), and at least hourly at pharmacy counters, CSR counters, etc.
When EPA-approved disinfectants are not available, alternatives include 1/3 cup of bleach added to 1 gallon of water or 70% isopropyl alcohol solutions (note: bleach should not be mixed with other cleaning and disinfection products).
