Bay Animal Clinic COVID-19 Update

NOTICE TO OUR CLIENTS:

The new Delta Variant of the COVID-19 virus is running rampant through Baldwin County. We are unfortunately back to high rates of transmission and hospitalization in our community. I have consulted with colleagues from the human medical field closely involved with the local COVID response and with several other local veterinary practice owners. To ensure the safety of our clients and staff alike, effective immediately, Bay Animal Clinic will be moving back to a “Paws Only” policy. No two-legged creatures other than staff members will be allowed inside the building. All appointments, transactions and medical procedures will be admitted using the same curbside drop-off and pick-up protocol that we implemented with much success during the last surge. Our process will be as follows:

• Please call us when you arrive in the parking lot of the hospital for your pet’s scheduled appointment.
• A staff member will come out and bring your pet inside for diagnosis and treatment.
• The doctor will communicate with you by phone for additional history, diagnostic and treatment recommendations.
• Except for end-of-life care, clients will not have access to our facilities but may stay on-site in their cars while we tend to their pets.
• Scheduled drop-off pet visits can be made for exams, blood-work, other testing, surgeries and procedures. The same intake and discharge procedures detailed above will occur.
• We will also be providing curbside service for picking up any medications, OTC products and food your pet might need. Just let us know what you need ahead of time and we will get things ready for you and bring them out to your vehicle when you arrive. We can also have medications, supplies and pet food shipped directly to your home through our online pharmacy https://bayanimal.vetsfirstchoice.com/ if you would prefer.
• In order to minimize direct contact associated with cash and check transactions, we would prefer to process payments over the phone whenever possible. Otherwise, we can utilize a similar curbside type service for payments as well.
• While we are still offering boarding services, travel restrictions and social distancing have dramatically decreased the number of pets staying with us during this time. Under the current circumstances, it is not feasible for us to continue to be open on Sundays from 3p-4p for boarding pick-ups and drop-offs. We will no longer be open on Sundays until further notice. We apologize for the inconvenience and will continue to evaluate the situation and let you know when/ if we can resume our Sunday hour. As of now, our Monday through Saturday schedule will remain the same.

We appreciate your understanding and invite you to give us a call with any concerns or questions you may have at 251-928-5630. You can also visit us online at www.bayanimal.com and email any questions or concerns to customercare@bayanimal.com. We will also be making regular posts with updates to our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/BayAnimalClinic/

Thank you for your continued support and patience during this time of uncertainty as we work to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. The encouraging phone calls and comments we have received from many of you over the last few weeks have been much appreciated. We remain committed to you, your pets and our dedicated team. God bless!

Bay Animal Clinic Family and Friends,

The number one priority at Bay Animal Clinic is to protect the health of our patients, clients and staff.

We are actively monitoring and following the guidance of the Alabama Department of Public Health, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the World Health Organization (WHO), as it relates to the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. This will help us anticipate how the virus could possibly affect our employees, clients, and business in the coming weeks. At this time, we plan to remain open and fully operational to serve our community until officials direct us otherwise. The current coronavirus is species specific and it is not believed to affect pet’s direct health. In addition to our patients, the wellbeing of BAC clients and employees remains our top priority. Please continue reading to see a few changes and recommendations we are making to help us serve you during this time as we try to help slow the spread of COVID-19.

With our first cases now confirmed in Baldwin County, and out of an abundance of caution, we respectfully ask that you refrain from coming into our hospital if you, or anyone with whom you have had close contact, have tested positive for COVID-19. We also ask that you refrain from coming in if you, or anyone with whom you have had close contact, has exhibited any symptoms of sore throat, coughing, shortness of breath or fever. We are taking these precautions to keep our staff and clients safe. Wellness visits and elective procedures can always be rescheduled at a later date. If you, or someone close to you, is sick and your pet has a medical emergency, please let us know up front about your illness so that we can take appropriate steps to see your pet in a timely but safe manner.

When visiting Bay Animal Clinic, you will find a hand sanitizer station at the front desk. We ask that everyone entering the building please use it on your way in. Every exam room has always been cleaned after every patient visit, but we are taking extra measures to disinfect the door handles and common surfaces of each exam room after every patient visit as well. We are also disinfecting commonly touched surfaces throughout the lobby and rest of the clinic on a timed schedule throughout the day.

In keeping with the recommended policy of “Social Distancing”, we are encouraging all clients to consider utilizing our existing service of “Drop Off Appointments”. You can call the clinic and set up a time to drop your pets off for most work-up and treatment needs. Our staff can discuss any questions/concerns, medical history, requests, etc. with you over the phone before you enter the building. Our doctors and staff can then treat your baby and will contact you by phone or text as soon as your furry family member has been examined to go over any questions, concerns or treatment plans. We will get them back to you as soon as possible! This option would greatly help with minimizing your time in our public spaces whenever possible.

With regards to our boarding services, anyone who has boarded with us before knows we are very strict on regularly cleaning this area and keeping it as germ free as possible. We already use strong, pet friendly products to disinfect and sanitize all areas of our kennel and play areas several times throughout the day. We are asking that no clients enter this area of the clinic and that no personal belongings like toys, bowls, etc. are brought in with your pet. We have a toybox with lots of toys, puzzles, and treats that are already heavily cleaned and disinfected after every use to keep your pet entertained and stimulated.

We also encourage you to utilize our online pharmacy ( https://bayanimal.vetsfirstchoice.com/ ) for refills of regular medications, supplements and even prescription diets. With just a few days advance notice, we can have pretty much every product we offer at the clinic (and even some things that we don’t) delivered right to your door! Orders and payments can be placed online or simply call the office and our staff can handle setting up your online order for you.

Along those same lines, we ask that you keep physical contact to a minimum with staff and other clients and not go in for that hardy handshake or big warm hug during your visit to Bay Animal Clinic. This one in particular will be especially difficult for the BAC team. We are such creatures of habit and that has always been our way!

We will continue to monitor all available information as we work through the current and emerging relevant Coronavirus impacts. These are small and temporary measures, but they may help slow the spread of this virus and hopefully keep our human health care professionals from being overwhelmed during this crisis. Thank you for supporting small businesses and for your patience and understanding!

Take Care, Stay Healthy and God bless! - Dr. Kuhn, Dr. Hoover and Our Dedicated Staff