UPDATE ON OUR SERVICES AS OF JUNE 14TH 2021
1. Delivery of curbside service and care:
While we do understand that some businesses are allowed to reopen with a limited capacity, we will be continuing with curbside care for the foreseeable future.
We are very eager to welcome you into our clinic and it is absolutely our preference to be able to provide in-person consultation. However, because of the number of staff we have working at any given time as well as the layout of our space, it would not be feasible for us to do this while still being able to maintain the social distancing needed to continue prioritizing everyone’s health and safety. Furthermore, monitoring and managing the limited occupancy restrictions will only result in more demand on the front office staff and will likely result in longer wait times.
Another important factor we would like everyone to keep in mind is regarding the consequences of a positive case among our staff. Based on current guidelines, prolonged clinic closures are still a very real possibility based on the proximity with which we must work together when handling and examining our beloved patients. As you may know, we have already faced one of these closures and, despite our best efforts to provide service and triage patients remotely, it was exceedingly difficult for us to not be able to be here for you and your pets during that time. We will continue to do everything in our power to prevent this from happening again, hoping that these enforcements are loosened as vaccination becomes more widespread.
I have decided to outline all of this because we know that curbside care is not anyone’s preference and we’d like to be transparent regarding the thought process that has gone into making this decision.
A few things to note to help us effectively and safely manage curbside care:
A: If you drove to the clinic, please call (416-522-7173) to let us know you have arrived. This is requested regardless of the reason for your visit (food/medication pick-ups or for consultation). Let us know what number you can be reached on and we will then call you back to let you know when we are ready to assist you and/or receive your pet. This greatly helps us ‘direct traffic’ and reduce the number of people waiting in close proximity outside.
B: On hotter/humid days, please remember that our pets cannot control their temperatures nearly as effectively as we can and are prone to heatstroke which poses a serious risk to their health. This is another reason why it is preferable to wait in your vehicles where possible. If you arrived on foot or by public transit, let us know when you get here and we will do our best to get your pet indoors and cool as quickly as we possibly can.
C: Please continue to wear a mask and try to remain 6 feet from our staff and other clients, regardless of your vaccination status.
D: We ask that you please remain near the clinic during your pets’ appointments and keep a close eye on your phone. We have set appointment times and there have been many instances where it has proven exceedingly difficult for us to adhere to our busy schedule when we cannot track people down to discuss the outcome of their pets’ examinations and discuss a diagnostic/therapeutic plan.
E: If you feel that it is possible for us to offer advice or care for your pet remotely, keep in mind we have a telehealth platform in place to accommodate it (which can be found on our website). If it turns out that your pets’ concern is not something we feel we can safely address remotely, rest assured that you will not be charged for the telehealth consultation. Medical advice will not be offered through our general email and, although we strive to reply to non-urgent inquiries as quickly as we can, general responses may take up to 2 business days depending on volume. If your pet is in urgent need of care, call rather than email during our office hours or contact your local emergency hospital(s).
F: Finally, we ask that you all remain patient and know that we are doing our best to serve you in a timely and thorough manner. Please understand that our staff are dealing with a huge number of correspondence requests, largely resulting from each clinic visit being curbside regardless of the reason. We are extremely appreciative of the fact that the vast majority of our clients have been kind, understanding and very respectful towards us all. It should be noted, however, that rude and abusive behavior towards any staff member will not be tolerated and will result in a denial of service.
2. Booking/response times:
The demand for veterinary care has never been greater than it is right now. There continues to be a mass emergence of new furry family members entering our lives while the number of veterinary professionals to care for them remains the same. As a result, wait times and availability for general/emergency and specialty care has never been of greater concern.
We would like nothing more than to be able to see each of our patients on short notice and during our clients’ preferred appointment times. However, there are only so many patients that an individual veterinarian/veterinary technician can accommodate on a given day while still prioritizing thorough care and personalized service. To help us manage this, routine appointments are being booked with more advance notice and we continue to try our best to reserve several ‘sick’ appointment slots on each day. Our priority is to be able to be here for our patients when they are in need. We greatly appreciate your understanding; we are doing everything we can to accommodate you and your pets.
3. Dr. Miller
It is with great pleasure that we can formally introduce Dr. Delaney Miller as the newest member of our team! We have known Delaney for many years now and were extremely excited to have the opportunity for her to join our clinic. Many of you have already met her and we are very appreciative of the positive feedback we have already received about her care and bedside manner. She is excited to practice in the neighbourhood where she grew up and to get to know you and your pets as she becomes more established with the clinic.
4. Thank you!
I would like to close by extending a sincere and heartfelt thank you to all our staff. These last 15 months have, without question, been the most challenging any of us have faced throughout our careers. Offering our service and care curbside throughout the pandemic has certainly not been straightforward and has led to a volume of phone calls and email requests for service like we have never experienced before. Let alone the external stressors we have been managing above and beyond what we typically experience when caring for people’s beloved pets. Our staff are stretched extremely thin on a daily basis trying their best to accommodate all of our clients and patients. They have been doing so each day with a positive attitude and the desire to provide the best possible service and care has not wavered. We feel extremely fortunate to be able to work with such a caring and committed group of people.
I really appreciate you taking the time to read this update. We will get through the remainder of this pandemic together!
Sincerely,
Dr. Macgregor Spinks and all of us at Spinks Veterinary Clinic
Update on our essential services as of May 19, 2020:
We are very happy to announce that we will begin to accept some routine appointments such as: annual examination and vaccination visits, SNAP 4DX tests (Heartworm/tick disease screening) and nail trims.
However, please note that this is not as simple of a process as it may seem. Over the past two months many of these routine visits had to be postponed and we have quite a bit to catch-up with as a result. Also, for the time being we will still be operating on reduced hours and all of the social distancing and precautionary measures that we have in place will remain. Your safety, and that of our staff and our community continues to be our utmost priority. As a result of all of this, we will be carefully regulating our schedule to avoid overwhelming our ability to achieve these goals. We kindly ask that everyone remains patient as we gradually attempt to return to normal service. Wait times for these bookings may be significantly longer than usual as a result.
An update on our operating hours as well as when we will be re-introducing routine and elective procedures will be coming within the next few weeks.
Update on our essential services as of March 27, 2020:
As most of you have heard by now, the Ontario government recently announced that businesses providing veterinary services are permitted to stay open and continue to deliver essential services. As a result of this announcement and in line with the guidelines set forth by our public health and veterinary authorities, we will be making a conscious effort to provide essential services only. This means that for the time being, we will be cancelling and postponing all non-essential visits. Notably, that includes: annual wellness and vaccinations, routine and non-elective surgeries (spay, neuter, dentistry), nail trims and some routine lab testing. We will continue to prioritize our ability to see urgent and sick patients as well as emergencies. If you are unsure whether your pets needs would be considered essential or not, please don't hesitate to contact us for guidance.
*Please note that our automated email reminders are still operating as usual. Please disregard them, and we will ensure to notify you once we resume full service.
In the interim, we are encouraging teleconsults where possible and working on new ways to implement telemedicine and video consulting to connect with our clients and continue to provide the highest level of care.
We know these are unprecedented times and appreciate your patience and understanding.
Sincerely,
The Spinks Vet Team
Updated Practice Policies for Clients as of March 17, 2020:
Our utmost priority is taking measures that we feel are necessary to help protect the health and safety of our staff, our clients and the community at large. With that in mind, we have implemented significant changes to our cleaning and disinfection policies within the practice and there will be some changes to the services we will provide for the time being. Further, as space within our facility is limited, we will be making concerted efforts to improve social distancing and reduce traffic within the practice. In doing so, we are hoping to limit the potential spread of infection and improve our chances of being able to stay open as long as we possibly can in order to deliver care and service to our patients and clients alike.
Service reduction:
We will be increasing the interval between appointment slots available which we are hoping will allow us to sanitize between appointments effectively and reduce the number of people within the clinic at any point in time. To facilitate this:
· Non-urgent or elective surgeries and procedures will be postponed. This will give us more time to accommodate a reduced consultation schedule.
· Availabilities for non-urgent or routine consultation will be limited in order to allow us to focus our efforts on those patients in more immediate need of care.
· As a result of increased leniency of our professional standards as set out by the College of Veterinarians of Ontario in face of this crisis, we are able to offer telemedicine consultation wherever possible. These consults will be at reduced charge and will only apply to those patients where making a therapeutic recommendation is possible remotely. To enquire about this please call reception.
· Please be patient with delays due to high call volume and longer than average wait times as we field questions and screen appointment bookings.
Social distancing and Public Health measures:
PLEASE DO NOT ENTER THE CLINIC IF:
· You have travelled outside of Canada within the past 2 weeks.
· You are feeling ill or have any form of respiratory illness.
· If you are in close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.
If this describes you and you have a pet in need of urgent care, please call the clinic so we can make arrangements to more safely accept and care for your pet.
CHANGES TO PRACTICE POLICY FOR PURPOSES OF SOCIAL DISTANCING:
· Only one person permitted per patient at each visit.
· We ask that everyone calls the clinic before entering the practice, including those coming to collect food or medication. This will allow us to ‘direct traffic’ and limit larger gatherings of people within our small reception area. Please wait outside or in your vehicle until we let you know it is appropriate to enter.
· When in the practice, please make a conscious effort to limit what you touch and keep a respectful distance of 6 feet or more from other people.
· Upon arrival for an appointment, you will be taken promptly into an exam room. After obtaining a brief history your pet will be taken to the treatment area for examination and medical care. If preferable or necessary for any given appointment, communication between you and our staff can take place over the phone or within a safe distance as we examine your pet.
· For the time being we would greatly appreciate card payments rather than cash.
If your pet becomes acutely ill or injured and we are unable to arrange a timely appointment while maintaining these precautionary measures, the possibility of dropping your pet off with us until we are able to provide care will be discussed. Also, for the time being emergency clinics are still providing service, but it is recommended that all clients call ahead before taking their pet to one of these facilities to ensure they are prepared to receive you.
We greatly appreciate everyone’s understanding that, although significant, these changes are designed to protect everyone’s best interests and to allow us to continue to care for your pets as long as we possibly can.
Thank you from all of us at Spinks Veterinary Clinic
Tel: 416.522.7173
Email: info@spinksvet.ca