May 15, 2020: COVID-19 Update
We are very happy that, with the strategic re-opening of Ontario businesses on May 19th, the government is allowing us to go back to providing full services instead of just urgent care.
This means that we are once again able to perform elective surgeries (like spays and neuters), vaccines, annual visits and preventive care blood work (including, but not limited to, 4Dx testing for heartworm and tick-borne diseases like Lyme).
We are committed to the long-term health and wellbeing of not only our community, but also our team and so, plan to take a cautious and diligent approach as outlined below.
- We will continue with closed-door policies and curbside protocols for at least the next 2-3 weeks and then re-assess accordingly. Within the hospital, our team will still be operating on two distinct shifts and wearing PPE to minimize risk.
- There will be 2 exceptions to our closed-door policy. If you absolutely need to pay by debit we will allow you in the building with the appropriate precautions. As well, closed-door policies do not apply during euthanasia appointments as, this is a time for family to be together; but we will provide and require the appropriate PPE for all pet owners in the building.
- We will still be utilizing telemedicine to suit the needs of our clients – not everybody will feel comfortable to, or be able to, travel to the hospital and so we are still available to you from the comfort of your home.
- We have our webstore up and running so that food, treats and retail items can be purchased online and delivered directly to your door.
We appreciate your patience as we get back up and running. With closed-door policies and heightened disinfection protocols in effect, everything takes a little bit longer these days. Combined with ensuring we catch up on all of our wellness services, it is going to be a busy time.
Call us to schedule your pet in for any necessary services – we can’t wait to see them again!
A COVID-19 Update for our Valued Clients and Patients
April 5 - 2020: The government has seen it appropriate to consider us an essential service but has limited our scope to helping pets that require Urgent Care only. For sick pets, we will be scheduling appointments at the hospital but, for those who do not require urgent or immediate emergency care, we have set up telemedicine to support you via phone, message and video consult. This will allow us to still be there for you to address those health questions and concerns you have that are important, but not urgent. If you are uncertain as to your pet’s health status, we may utilize telemedicine to help you determine whether your pet is in need of an in-hospital visit.
A COVID-19 Update for our Valued Clients and Patients
March 29 - 2020: We are committed to being here for you when your pets need care. We are grateful to the government for recognizing veterinary medicine as being an Essential Service despite the COVID-19 pandemic, confirming that all animals matter.
In the past 2 weeks we have made changes within our hospital in order to protect the animals, pet owners and our team from contracting COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel corona virus. Those changes and protocols were based on the latest directions from public health and veterinary authorities; they may evolve as the recommendations evolve.
Our Closed-Door Policy requires pet owners to call us when they arrive at the hospital, either from inside their vehicle or the plaza balcony. We will coordinate your visit while practicing social distancing, utilizing physical distance, phone and email as appropriate. This enables all of us to be safe while putting your pet first and ensuring they get the care they need.
If you have an appointment scheduled with us, you may be directed to a Patient History Form on our website – to be completed by you from the comfort of your home. We designed this to help us prepare for your visit proactively, but we find it also allows us to maximize the time spent during your appointment. We are providing all essential care services and are limiting elective procedures that can be safely postponed.
While the excitement over buying food and medication seems to have calmed down, we are still strongly encouraging our clients to give us 10 days notice if you need products for your pets as our distributor continues to struggle with the sudden demand and we are busier than normal between patient care and maintaining additional protocols and safety measures.
Sick pets continue to be our number one priority so please do not hesitate to call us if you have concerns regarding your pet’s well-being.
We are currently exploring telemedicine as another option for safely providing veterinary care for you and your pet. As we finalize details, we will share more information so stay tuned!
We are working tirelessly to make sure we can continue to help owners and their pets through this ongoing situation. Please continue to watch our facebook page and/or website for any further changes or updates with respect to our operations.
Thank you for your understanding,
Your Westway Animal Clinic Team
COVID-19 Hours & Protocols
March 20 - 2020: We are all aware of the concerns and rapidly changing situation with COVID-19. Our team is working hard to ensure we can continue to remain open and provide excellent care for our patients.
Hours of Operation are currently Mon to Fri – 11am to 7pm, Saturday and Sunday – 9am to 3pm.
We have implemented a “closed-door” clinic policy to protect our clients and staff. We ask you to stay in your vehicle and use your cell phone to call our front desk once you have arrived. If you are ordering food or medications, please allow up to 10 business days as our suppliers are dealing with delivery issues. We kindly ask that you pay by credit card or debit only. You can prepay for your order over the phone ahead of time.
Thank you for helping us be diligent for everyone's safety.
A COVID-19 Update for our Valued Clients and Patients
March 18 - 2020: As the Government of Canada has been making recommendations regarding the spread and containment of COVID-19, the team at Westway Animal Clinic is exercising every precaution in order to keep you, your pet and our team safe and healthy.
Please rest assured that we are instituting additional cleaning protocols in common areas to ensure that our frequently used areas are disinfected hourly.
Westway Animal Clinic will be reducing its hours and staff. As this is an ever-evolving situation, please contact us for the most up to date information on our hours.
To ensure the upmost safety to all, we are also implementing the following client guidelines, EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY.
1. If you have an appointment with us but are experiencing any signs of flu-like illness: fever, respiratory illness, cough, shortness of breath or aches/pains, we ask that you please reschedule for a later date.
2. If you have recently travelled outside of the country (i.e. in the last 14 days) and have a non-essential appointment booked with us (ie. wellness, vaccines, elective dentistry), we ask you to please call us to reschedule.
3. Please practice social distancing. For this reason, we ask you to limit the number of people coming in with each patient to ONE PERSON. We also ask that all individuals please use the hand sanitizer provided at our clinic upon arrival.
We would like to thank everyone for their patience and cooperation during this time. If we remain proactively cautious; we will be able to protect both ourselves and our beloved pets.
Sincerely,
The entire team at Westway Animal Clinic