We are open! - COVID-19 Update

We have been reviewing recent developments with COVID-19, especially with the executive order from Gov. Whitmer today, and we continue to adapt our practices to play our part in keeping our community healthy.

We want you to know that we are still here to help your pets and you through this difficult time. Your pets health and well-being is important to us, and we are not planning on going anywhere. We have been conducting curbside drop-off appointments for a full week, and have rescheduled all our routine and elective appointments and procedures.

We are here and available for emergencies and urgent care, and have a variety of other services available remotely.

Here are some important updates:

- Call us on 734-388-0102 when you arrive at the clinic, so that we can take a clinical history before bringing your pet into the clinic.

- For urgent appointments, phone consultations and medication pick-up, we are asking that clients pay remotely (no cash or checks in most circumstances). We have added multiple payment options on our website including debit/credit card payments, Care Credit and PayPal to make this as smooth as possible!

- Our online store is a good alternative to leaving home for preventives and medication refills as well as treats, toys and diets.

- Purina Proplan and veterinary prescription diets are available through our online Purina portal: www.ProPlanVetDirect.com using clinic ID M2K3E.

- Your pets information, including vaccination information, is available on our online portal. Online booking for phone consultations will be available soon.

- Our opening hours will remain 8-6 weekdays and 9-12 on Saturday mornings - we are not planning to change these.

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13 Animal emergencies that require immediate veterinary

consultation and/or care

This list was obtained from the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)

1. Severe bleeding or bleeding that doesn't stop within five minutes

2. Choking, difficulty breathing or nonstop coughing and gagging

3. Bleeding from nose, mouth, rectum, coughing up blood, or blood in urine

4. Inability to urinate or pass feces (stool), or obvious pain associated with urinating or passing stool

5. Injuries to your pet's eye(s)

6. You suspect or know your pet has eaten something poisonous (such as antifreeze, xylitol, chocolate, rodent poison, etc.)

7. Seizures and/or staggering

8. Fractured bones, severe lameness or inability to move leg(s)

9. Obvious signs of pain or extreme anxiety

10. Heat stress or heatstroke

11. Severe vomiting or diarrhea – more than two episodes in a 24-hour period, or either of these combined with obvious illness or any of the other problems listed here

12. Refusal to drink for 24 hours or more

13. Unconsciousness

The bottom line is that ANY concern about your pet's health warrants, at minimum, a call to your veterinarian.

COVID-19 Awareness

In the wake of recent news and client questions, we wanted to prepare some information regarding how we are monitoring updates on COVID-19 regarding our pet patients, as well as what precautions we are taking to protect the people in our community.

COVID-19 has not currently been linked with disease in companion animals. Although the virus has been isolated from one dog (to date), multiple international and domestic health organizations have indicated that companion animals are not considered at risk for contracting or spreading the virus at this time.

That being said, it would be sensible to increase hand-washing (especially after touching your pet and before eating or touching your face) and monitor your pet and human family closely for any signs of illness.

More information about animals and COVID-10 is available here.

From our opening day, we have taken pride in our infection control. As part of this, our hands are washed and all surfaces cleaned with appropriate disinfectants between every patient. We have reviewed our disinfection protocols to ensure they follow the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines and will be increasing how frequently we sanitize surfaces, door handles, and our non-clinical areas.

We have always had hand sanitizer available in reception, and hand-washing facilities in every exam room - we encourage you to use these facilities regularly.

We want you to feel comfortable visiting us, and to know that the health of our clients and our team is just as important as the health of our patients. If you feel unwell or have a fever, we encourage you to call us and reschedule your appointments.

Stay well,

The Team At

MiVet Animal Clinic

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Please call us on 734-388-0102 if we can help you in any way or if you have specific questions regarding your pet(s).

We recommend the below reputable sources for further research.

Washtenaw County Health Department:

https://www.washtenaw.org/3095/COVID-19

Michigan Department of Health and Human Services:

https://www.michigan.gov/coronavirus

American Veterinary Medical Association:

https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/animal-health-and-welfare/covid-19

Centers for Disease Control:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/index.html

World Health Organization:

https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/events-as-they-happen

Wow, what a rollercoaster we have had!

We are flying through the first portion of 2020 and quickly approaching our one year anniversary in May.

It's crazy to think that some dog-walking chats between Jen and I have turned into a fully fledged small animal clinic. Every day is a joy, getting to do the job we love and to spend our time with some amazing people - both staff and clients.

Our days are busy (which is fantastic), and our team is positive and dedicated (which is even better!). We have been so fortunate to have received so much support.

Getting to this point has us reflecting on how far we have come since our first few weeks, bumbling through new practice ownership. We started with no paper towel dispensers, empty cupboards in every exam room and an ordering delay on microchips and Rabies tags...

Within our first few months, we stocked up on supplies and organized our workspaces. We got to know each other and our workflow. With the help of a truly inspiring team of people, we now are well set-up to perform most of the services we intend on offering:

* Vaccination and preventive medicine *

* Dental Procedures in a dedicated dental suite *

(including dental x-ray & surgical extractions )

* Full soft tissue surgery in our surgery suite *

* In-house diagnostics *

* Separate dog and cat/exotic waiting areas and wards *

* Home visits for end-of-life care *

* Urgent care during our office hours *

Through this blog, we are hoping to share some insight into our clinic and our team, help with some education posts, and connect with our clients and community.

We are so excited to be a part of Dexter, and we cannot wait to see you!

- Dr. Anna