True Care Veterinary Hospital, Clarence

NYS has officially ended the requirements for curbside!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We are now preparing the building to re-open. This will involve some re-training and some minor prepping to the inside. The opening will involve the following recommendations: - if you are vaccinated you DO NOT need to wear a mask - if you are NOT vaccinated YOU SHOULD wear a mask - we will not be asking who is vaccinated or not - we will still be performing almost all examinations in the treatment room... while you are in the examination room with the possible exception of most cats - if you wish to continue a curb-side service (as some have asked) you will be allowed to do so We will be returning to the prior system we had in place before the COVID mess began. Once in an examination room you should remain there throughout the visit. You will be "cashed/charged out" in the exam rooms so that you will simply leave once done. We urge you make sure you understand everything you are being charged for prior to paying and leaving - you should be getting a complete explanation of services to be done BEFORE they are done. For the sake of other clients, we will not be performing nail trims or checking anal sacs in the examination rooms. The exam rooms are primarily for us to have a discussion about your pet - wellness visit or sick/emergency visit. We look forward to seeing our clients face-to-face as this is supposed to be!!! Target is the middle of June! As an addendum to this, we may or may not have to close while we satisfy any requirements as set forth by the passage of the NY Heroes Act -we will keep you posted! TCVH

Tis the season - worth a re-post!

From the Animal Poison Control Center: https://www.petpoisonhelpline.com//top-poisoning-increas/

COVID UPDATE regarding CDC mask and social distance guidelines. The following is from the NYS Vet Med Society: """Update: CDC (and NYS) say "no masks", but NY still says "curbside" NY State has now officially adopted the latest recommendations from the CDC that vaccinated people need not wear masks in most situations. Yet the curbside intake mandate is still in place!... Changes to the mandate are still caught up in the backlog of documents for legal review in the Governor's office, that is extremely busy right now with extensive changes to the Covid-19 protocols. Where does that leave veterinarians. Even some news channels are broadcasting that veterinarians can now open their doors, although it is difficult to find what they are basing that on. Meanwhile, our legal counsel has revised his opinion on the liabilities should you decide to admit clients: "If all employees and patrons are vaccinated, it appears that the animal hospital can eliminate social distancing and mask wearing according to the new CDC guidelines adopted by New York State. If an animal hospital follows this updated CDC and State guidance, I see the risk of potential civil liability for cases of exposure as extremely low. But that’s for potential civil liability for exposure. The regulatory risk, however, remains potentially significant even with this updated guidance. That is, the risk of having the administration impose fines/penalties for failing to adhere to the curbside intake guidelines remains as long as the curbside intake guidelines remain in effect. This is true even with the updated CDC and State guidance." We will continue to push for clarity on the guidelines, and continue both our direct advocacy to the Governor's office, and we know that both the Department of Agriculture and Markets and legislative leaders are also pushing for the guideline to be adapted to current circumstances. We have not heard of any incidents of animal hospitals being penalized for failing to adhere to the curbside guidelines, It is unlikely that the State is actively inspecting hospitals for compliance, but might act on a complaint, so as our lawyer says, there is still risk in failing to use curbside intake. Meanwhile we are hearing of a significant number of animal hospitals announcing publicly that they are now opening their doors to clients, so unfortunately you will likely see increasing resistance and anger from clients who are asked to drop their pets off in the parking lot. We hope to have clarification on this very quickly, as clearly the current situation is confusing and frustrating for both you and your clients.""" So .......... we have to wait longer to receive specific guidelines before we can re-open WITHOUT legal threat to our practice. We realize some practices are letting people in - that's their problem if there is a problem!!! Frankly, curbside "sucks" but we cannot put the practice at risk. TCVH

COVID UPDATE: despite CDC easing of mask restrictions, NYS official position is curbside for veterinary clinics - operating otherwise can incur "significant liability". Our desire is to get the building open as soon as possible. The intent is to allow unrestricted access while allowing whomever chooses to wear a mask. We will announce details as they emerge but here is to getting back to how it is supposed to be!!!

PET FOODS - some important points regarding all the claims and information out there - from the nutritionists: Meat does NOT have to be the primary component but it should have a good bio availability - if the bag lists protein as the number one ingredient - IT MAY NOT BE the number one source of protein in the bag compared to other components in the diet Just because a diet is higher in protein DOES NOT mean it is better, especially for your pet - many pet foods advertise ba...Continue reading

Notification of hours upcoming: True Care will be closed on the following dates: Monday, Dec 21st, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and January 1st. Take care and stay safe!

SWEET POTATO DOG COOKIE RECIPE

Greetings all !!! Watch this space for some announcements regarding veterinary care should a general lockdown occur. While veterinary medicine was considered essential - that may change. There may also be some necessary changes in staffing which may impact hours and even the level of care we can provide. During the first or initial lockdown we did our very best to keep up with the demand for nedical and emergency appointments, while trying to see some routine appointments - i...ncluding exams for rabies. This was a very difficult time. In some instances, we received significant ire because we were unable to fit in more visits. We are a small practice staff-wise and so with that increased level if demand it was hard to keep up. Some folks were in the parking lot for 2-3 hours. We have limited pet holding space for drop offs. When we could not accomodate, some chose the E-clinic (upwards of a 6 hour wait) while some called everywhere trying to get seen (we understand this - you do what you have to). Stay tuned for further information and stay safe! TCVH