What actually is “normal” these days? That is a topic that could take hours to address….probably best over a beer or a glass of wine. Ooops, I forgot…..can’t do that right now either. At least, that is, we can’t do that in public. But a few things we can do at the Brockton Animal Hospital is to begin to allow clients in the building on a limited basis. So here is the new outline of how we can make this work.
1. Once arriving at the hospital, please continue to call from your car (or outdoors in the open air since the weather is nice as long as you maintain 6 feet of distance from others who may be enjoying the outside) and let us know you have arrived.
2. One person per family may enter the hospital with their pets AFTER one of us comes out to get you (remember we like the fresh air occasionally as well).
3. Before entering the hospital please make sure a mask or adequate face covering is properly worn to cover BOTH your nose and mouth.
4. Once entering the hospital, please follow us directly to the exam room. Do not stop to allow your pets to socialize with any other pet that may be within reach. We will do our best to ensure there are no more than two clients in the reception area at any one time.Since these two clients will be members of different pet families please maintain physical distance.
5. While in the exam room with the doctor or technician, please maintain physical distance. This can be diffcult given the size of the room but we will help to direct you. Once your pet is on the exam table or floor, please do not reach to reassure her or him while the exam is in progress. (THIS IS THE HARD ONE), I know. Depending on the situation we may tell you it is ok but only after we have let you know. Make sure your face covering stays properly placed while in the exam room.
We have put the above protocols into place on a trial basis this past week. With everyone’s cooperation it seems to work quite well and again allows us to have face to face (from 6 feet, that is) contact with our clients. Although we try our best to keep on time for appontments, the current protocols seem to make everything take that much longer. In addition, we have had an influx of new clients who have found it difficult to receive care elsewhere. Not wanting their companions to deal with issues longer than they need to, we have been doing our best to help them out. As always, we appreciate our existing clientele more than you can imagine. Thank you all so much for your patience and understanding.