Dear Valued Clients and Friends of West Lynn Vet Clinic,
We hope that everyone and their families (human and of the furry kind) are hanging in there. We are so fortunate to be able to continue to be open and provide you and your pets with continued care. We want to thank you again for your patience and understanding while we navigate these uncertain times. We are continuing to follow our COVID-19 protocols set in place last week (please refer to our new webpage for a summary of our current policies). As of April, 4, 2020, we have made some adjustments to our hours, number of staff in the clinic at one time and curb side protocol in order to improve our social distancing and minimize exposure to our staff and clients.
- We will be open from 7:30 am – 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday, starting April 4th, 2020
- We will be closed on Saturdays for appointments indefinitely but will offer telemedicine consultations from 9 am – 12:00 pm.
- Please email info@westlynnvet.com or leave a voicemail to request a consultation
- Please list your name, pet’s name, contact number and concerns. Please include any video or images that may assist our doctors.
- A Brief telemedicine consultation is $40 and Extended telemedicine consultation is $60
- We will coordinate pick up of any needed medications/food that day
M-F Schedule appointments:
- if you do have scheduled an appointment, we will ask you to place your pet, if brought in a carrier (all cats) and even small dogs, on the bench by the front door for our staff to pick up.
- Please have your dog on a leash and follow the instructions of our technicians as they retrieve them for their appointment, keeping in mind social distancing.
I want to assure you that we are doing everything we can to ensure the safety of you, your pets and our valuable staff. Next week we will have only one doctor in the clinic each day, in order to avoid a complete shut down in the face of a COVID 19 exposure. Please be patient with us. We will do the best we can to be sure your pets are taken care of. We will have another doctor working remotely for telemedicine, which will help lessen the workload of the primary doctor. We encourage you to use this service for minor medical issues.
Again, we are so thankful for our clients and for being able to continue to work. It is honestly therapeutic to see your wonderful pets every day. Thank you!
Sincerely,
Dr. Angie Whitworth
Dear clients and friends of West Lynn Veterinary Clinic:
We wanted to communicate the steps that West Lynn Veterinary Clinic has taken to ensure the safety of our community and patients with regard to the COVID-19 pandemic. As of today, we are open regular business hours and continue to monitor recommendations from the AVMA, the CDC, and the state daily. AVMA is advocating for all veterinary hospitals and ambulatory practices to be considered essential businesses in any situation in which non-essential businesses are asked to close for COVID-19 risk mitigation. Veterinarians and our teams provide important animal and public health surveillance and deliver essential medical care for ill animals.
Currently, we are recommending that any wellness visits, when possible, and elective surgical procedures be rescheduled for mid-April and May in order to conserve supplies and resources for sick pets and emergencies.
- WLVC has dramatically enhanced disinfection within the hospital to include surfaces that are commonly touched, including in exam rooms, clinical areas, and lobby spaces and have increased our frequency of disinfecting.
- Staff and doctors have been instructed to follow CDC guidelines on good hygiene to prevent the spread of infection.
- Any staff member that has clinical signs consistent with COVID-19 or that has potentially come into contact with a person suspected of having COVID-19 will be instructed to home quarantine for 14 days or more.
For our clients, we are also taking additional measures beginning Tuesday, March 17th:
- We are asking clients that have clinical signs compatible with COVID-19 (fever, cough, shortness of breath, etc.) or who have been exposed to a person that has tested positive for the COVID-19 virus refrain from coming to the clinic.
- We are now using the car-side admission and discharge process:
- Please call us when you are in the parking lot of WLVC for your pet’s scheduled appointment.
- While on the phone, we will have a technician get a brief history before bringing your pet into the clinic for diagnosis and treatment.
- The doctor will communicate with you by phone for additional history, diagnostic and treatment recommendations.
- Clients will have limited access to our facilities but may stay on-site in their cars.
- Scheduled drop-off pet visits can be made for exams, blood work or another testing. The same intake and discharge procedures detailed above will occur. Communication will happen over the phone.
- Drive UP to pick up medications and food: We can bring medications and food to your car. We can also mail medications. In order to minimize direct contact time, PayPal payment to info@westlynnvet.com is preferred or our Customer Service Representative can get credit card payment options over the phone. We would like to minimize cash and check transactions if at all possible.
- Scheduled phone appointments (TELEMEDICINE) will also be an option. We are only able to provide this service to patients that already have a client-patient relationship (who have been physically examined by one of our doctors within the past year). There is a $50 fee for a TELEMEDICINE APPOINTMENT. If we can gather enough information from the phone call and possibly any visual aids like videos or photos, then the doctor can prescribe medication for you to pick up or be prescribed through our online pharmacy if not urgent If the doctor feels it is essential to examine your pet, and you are not under quarantine, then you can drive to WLVC where we can retrieve your pet from your car in the parking lot to be examined in the clinic.
- Clients needing prescription refills for their pets should call WLVC or visit our online Pharmacy at https://westlynnvet.vetsfirstchoice.com/
- Please allow extra time for medications to be filled due to possible decreased staff numbers and supply chain issues.
- In addition, clients who are unsure whether their animal’s condition is urgent or emergent are encouraged to call us for guidance.
- We anticipate increased wait times for our clients and we greatly appreciate the patience of all as we work to deliver the very best care in the safest way possible.
As always, our goal is to continue to provide outstanding patient and client care.
Below are some useful links for more information:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html
https://www.avma.org/sites/default/files/2020-03/covid-19-faq-pet-owners_031520.pdf
Thank you for your patience and kindness during this challenging time. We will continue to keep you updated on any changes to clinic hours or policies regarding COVID -19.
Sincerely,
Dr. Angie Whitworth and Staff
West Lynn Veterinary Clinic
