While not as sexy as the romance and nostalgia of Gabriel García Márquez’s novel, there are common themes relating to dedication and perseverance that fit both the book and companion animal care during this unprecedented time.
Unfortunately, the health of cat and dog companions doesn’t come to a standstill even when life as we know it does. While our lives may be put on pause, your pet’s healthcare needs, just like all of our own, still keep going.
while owners stay outside
Urban Animal Veterinary Hospital is doing everything we can to care for companion pets while ensuring the safety of pet owners and our hospital staff.
Urban Animal and a number of forward-thinking practices are using a “curbside’ model to address essential pet care needs.
Currently, for everyone’s safety, we are not having pet owners enter the hospital. Instead, pet owners can call and make an appointment and drive to our parking lot. Once there, you can call us and we will take your pet’s medical history and current concerns over the phone. While you wait in your vehicle we will examine your pet and design a treatment plan.
We will call you when finished and make our recommendations and receive approval. Payment can be done over the phone with any major credit card or CareCredit account.
Once finished, we will return your companion animal to your vehicle, minimizing contact while maximizing social distancing and providing the same excellent standard-of-care.
If you would like to visually interact with us during your pet’s visit, you can set up a Skype orFacebook telemedicine real-time appointment. Just let us know you would like to do this prior to the visit.
Essential services for your companion animal has no legal consensus at this time. Urban Animal feels that it should include the following and potentially more:
- Annual wellness and prevention to avoid potentially life-threatening issues such as heartworm disease
- Vaccinations to prevent diseases that can infect people such as Rabies and Leptospirosis
- Vaccinations against distemper and parvo (DA2PP) as well as the feline equivalent (FVRCP) are considered essential in our eyes as it can lead to life-threatening diseases in cats and dogs that remain unvaccinated.
- Annual examinations can also reveal important health issues that need to be addressed.
- Surgeries such as spaying at the appropriate time reduces the risk of mammary cancer and we view as essential for your pet’s well-being
- Surgeries for painful orthopedic, serious medical or cancer issues are considered by us to be essential
- Advanced dental disease care should also not be postponed
- Monitoring, diagnosing and treating ongoing or newly developing medical issues
- And much more…
Issues that can likely wait include cosmetic grooms and nail trims (that are not medically essential). Mass removals for long-standing and unchanging benign lumps and bumps and things along those lines.
If you have questions about whether your pet’s needs are essential or not, call us and we can help guide you.
As always, we remain dedicated to the health and well-being of your animal companions as well as the health and safety of our staff and all of you dedicated pet owners!
Click the link below to see Urban Animal in action from KRPC channel 2 news in Houston: Houston-area animal shelters report uptick in animal fostering, adoptions amid coronavirus pandemic
