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New Covid-19 Guidelines, July 2021

As of Thursday, July 1, 2021, Vestal Veterinary Hospital is happy to welcome our clients back into the building! Please see below for information regarding our updated COVID-19 policies. At this time all clients and staff are required to wear a mask while inside the hospital. You can read more about this policy at the bottom of this page.

Our goal is  to ensure the health and safety of both staff and clients alike. We want to prioritize your time with our doctors while still providing quality care for as many patients as we can accommodate in a day. The following plan has been formulated with these goals in mind.

Curbside Services Moving Forward:

Vestal Veterinary Hospital is proud to offer the same quality of service both inside and outside our building. Any client who chooses to remain curbside at this time is welcome to do so. 

Our Tech Call appointments will continue to be curbside so that we can prioritize clients in the building that need to see a Doctor for their visit. 

The Medication Pickup Window will stay open! We are very happy with the positive feedback we have received about our Med Window and will continue to provide fast and efficient pharmacy pickup moving forward.

Regular Appointments, Urgent Care, and Emergencies:

All pets seeing a Doctor for their visit may be accompanied by One (1) family member inside the building. All clients and staff are required to wear a mask while inside the hospital. You can read more about this policy at the bottom of this page.

Scheduled Appointments & Urgent Care:

  • Stay in your vehicle and call 607-754-3933 to check in. 
  • An assistant will call you back to receive your pet’s history.
  • An assistant will call you again when it is time for your pet’s exam. You will bring your pet into the building and go with an Assistant to an exam room.
  • Once the exam is finished you may be asked to either wait in the waiting room or return to your vehicle while we continue to care for your pet in our treatment room.

Emergencies: If your pet is experiencing a life threatening emergency, come directly to the front entrance and ring the bell. You will be brought into the building and our Stat team will start caring for your animal while you check in with our receptionists. 

Surgery / Boarding: 

  • If you are dropping off an animal for surgery or boarding (between 7 am - 8 am) please come to the front entrance and ring the bell. You will be brought into the building to check in. 
  • To pick up your pet please call 607-754-3933 to let us know that you have arrived at the hospital and remain in your vehicle. Your pet will be brought out to you.

Mask Policy:

  1. Vestal Veterinary Hospital will not be asking clients to show proof of their vaccination status. We understand not everyone is able to be vaccinated.
  2. CDC guidelines still require everyone inside human healthcare facilities to wear masks. As a healthcare facility, we feel it is our responsibility to follow these same guidelines.
  3. Our hospital has many small/confined, shared spaces that do not always allow for social distancing. We are doing our best to ensure proper social distancing  whenever possible.
  4. Some of our clients and staff are not vaccinated, cannot be vaccinated, or have medical conditions that make them a higher risk for contracting COVID-19.

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding as we take these next steps toward the new normal. 


 

New Cancellation Policy, May 2021

We would like to inform you of our cancellation/missed appointment policy. Effective May 2021.

This policy has been established in order to provide the highest level of veterinary care to all of our patients.

By providing us notice of a cancellation, we may be able to accommodate other patients with your appointment slot. If it is necessary to cancel your scheduled appointment, we require that you call at least 24 hours in advance of your appointment time (48 hours for surgeries).

Failure to provide advance notice as requested above will result in a missed appointment fee; $45 for appointments and $150 for surgeries. No fee will be charged if advanced notice of your cancellation is received.

We understand that this is a change and appreciate your understanding in this matter. Appointments are in high demand, and your early cancellation will allow another patient access to timely veterinary care.


 

COVID-19 Update, May 2020

January 01 2300 12:00 am

Staying Healthy

Our staff is required to wear personal protective equipment at all times and we are monitoring for symptoms of coronavirus in accordance with state and local regulations.

Anytime you need to interact with our staff we ask that you also wear a mask. This includes picking up or dropping off your pet or picking up medications. If you are in the building accompanying a euthanasia you must wear your mask for the entire duration of your visit.

Updated Hours

We have adjusted our hours to the following to meet the needs of our clients and staff:

  • Appointments: 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. weekdays, and 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Saturday.
  • Emergencies: 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. seven days a week.

We will attempt to treat all emergency cases. However, if we are at capacity or your pet needs care after-hours you will be referred to Cornell University's 24hr Emergency Clinic to ensure every animal is cared for in a timely manner.


Curbside Service

We have instituted curbside care for all our patients. When you arrive for your appointment or emergency, please call us at (607) 754-3933. One of our assistants will meet you and your pet at the front door of the building to bring your pet into our facility. For certain emergencies we will bring a stretcher out to your car to quickly and safely bring your pet into the building.

We then ask that you return to your vehicle. Our Assistants, Receptionists and Veterinarians will contact you throughout the visit to discuss your pet's care. At the end of the visit we will ask you to come to the front of the building to retrieve your pet and send you on your way. If you would like, you are welcome to join the examination process virtually through a "Teletails" session. This is as simple as clicking a link on your smartphone that we will text to you. Ask your provider or assistant about it if you have any questions.

Why curbside service? We are following state regulations that require that we limit exposure to the virus. The New York State Veterinary Medical Society has published This Pamphlet that explains the benefits of curbside service in more detail.


Euthanasia

We understand how hard it is to say goodbye to your pet and we want their last memory to be of you. We are allowing one family member to accompany their pet into the building and sit with them during the process. The room we use for euthanasias is thoroughly cleaned between clients so we can be confident that we are limiting everyone’s exposure to the virus. However, even though it is uncomfortable we ask that you DO NOT remove your mask when in the room with your pet.


Medication Pickup

We are still offering a full service pharmacy to our clients through covid-19. However, all medication pickup will be done through our new Medication Pickup Window at the side of the building towards the exit to African Road. Please follow the signs to our side door. Someone at the window will process your prescription. If there is a line please remain socially distant and avoid blocking traffic attempting to exit the parking lot.

Our pharmacy window is open 9am – 6pm Monday through Friday. Additional hours available by request.

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