If you keep birds, poultry or have a backyard bird feeder, headsup. A particularly nasty strain of bird flu is skyrocketing here in the US with the fall migration of wild birds. Worldwide, people are acting to try to mitigate its spread. In the UK, some call it the “flockdown.”

This week, San Mateo County Animal Control formally notified us about recent detections of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in San Mateo and neighboring counties, and asked us to inform you. Why? Because there are things we can do together to slow the spread of this disease that is highly fatal to birds. For example, mortality rates in domestic poultry can be up to 100%.

They also assured us that poultry and eggs remain safe to eat; cook thoroughly.

The big picture is to keep our birds socially distant from the wild birds who are migrating south for the winter. If you have pet birds or backyard poultry, whenever possible, secure birds inside an enclosure that wild birds cannot access. To avoid attracting wild birds, remove bird feeders and bird baths from your property. Clean up any uneaten feed promptly. Use water from commercial sources, rather than ponds shared with wild birds.

One can add more mitigations like, clean and disinfect clothing, footwear and equipment before entering bird housing areas or handling birds. Wash hands with soap before and after handling birds. Wash vehicles in a commercial car wash after driving onto other farms or areas with birds. Veterinarians working with birds will wear the full Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) garb.

If you want to do a deeper dive, information is also available from the Department of Fish and Game. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) offers information on “How Bird Flu Spreads” to other birds (and rarely to humans), and “What to know about Bird Flu.” Another terrific flier, particularly for sharing with family, comes from the California Department of Food and Agriculture called “Biosecurity for backyard birds.” You can also read the official statement from the County of San Mateo, which includes even more resources.

Please tell people you know who have backyard bird feeders and bird baths about this warning. Together, let’s do what we can to slow the progression and mitigate the spread.

We will be closed on Friday, June 17th for a very exciting garage door upgrade. You may want to adjust plans for food or med orders, but it’s also a good time for a few thoughts about the garage.

“Go slow” usually goes without saying, but a couple of other helpful tips go a long way when it comes to leaving the garage.

The first tip is: check the two displays for outside pedestrian, bike and car traffic. The displays (or TV monitors) let you see the sidewalk and street traffic before exiting the garage. From within the garage, when you stop your car at the Stop signs, the displays are positioned on each side of the exit at a height which should be comfortable for sedans and SUVs alike. That said, it’s not a typical habit to look at the side of the door opening; the habit requires practice to develop. But try it: check the displays and see what’s out there.

Second tip: also when you’re at the Stop signs, if there’s a lot of traffic, just hold that thought. Don’t battle trying to get out in it. Just chill, because the typical street traffic consists of “waves” of very heavy traffic, punctuated by welcome breaks which are very low traffic. The low traffic part of the pulsing pattern is about as long as the high traffic part of the traffic pulse. This pattern is caused by the traffic lights on the corner.

So, if you stop and there’s traffic, sit back and relax for a bit, until the no-traffic time when you can exit in the leisurely, no-stress luxury that you deserve.

Those are our two helpful tips, but we also want to thank our wonderful client community for keeping animal safety in the garage top of mind. People do use the free leashes, and do transport cats in carriers, taking care to not open the car door without first securing the animal. It’s pretty wonderful. You’re pretty wonderful. Thank you!

Happy Spring! We have three updates for you — a Covid update, a thank you, and a reminder.

First, this Covid pandemic is causing us a bit of whiplash lately. Just when we began to think about slowly loosening up on protocols, we got smacked back into reality. We had started to take a limited number of in-person appointments for a few cases which we thought warranted more intensive interaction. Then, earlier this month, we had a small outbreak amongst our staff.

The good news is that nobody ended up hospitalized (thanks to getting our vaccines and boosters, no doubt). The other good news is few were involved. Everyone’s recovering nicely, but it was a harsh reminder that we are not in charge — the virus is in charge.

Apparently, “lifted mandates” that infer an “all clear” are not the same as boots-on-the-ground reality. As such, we are back to being more careful and conservative. We’re still suspending House Calls, and conducting appointments as dropoffs. In addition, for a little self care, we will be closed on Sundays during June.

Secondly, we want to sincerely thank you for your response to our new cancellation policy. The response has been very positive, overall. We appreciate all the support and respect. Implementing a new policy like that is a little nerve wracking, but it did the trick. It’s allowed us to accommodate more of your fellow community members. We are most grateful.

Finally, with spring comes an increase in mosquitos, which carries Heartworm. Consider this your friendly reminder to ensure heartworm prevention is up to date. If you are new to pet care or just want a refresher on the topic, see our helpful information page on Heartworm. The bottom line is: a little prevention makes all the difference.

Those are our three quick updates.  Enjoy the terrific weather and have a Happy Spring!

There’s been a lot of talk lately about getting booster shots for COVID, but today we’re talking about getting booster shots for canine distemper for our dogs. There is reason to pay attention right now in the Bay Area.

Recently, there have been several media reports, including the San Francisco Chronicle who warns of “an outbreak of what is believed to be canine distemper, a sometimes fatal viral disease that is highly contagious among some mammals. It appears to be spreading at high rates, threatening to infect domestic dogs.”

Canine distemper can be prevented or greatly reduced by a vaccine. Typically, puppies are given a series
of vaccinations “to increase the likelihood of building immunity when the immune system has not yet fully matured.”

Vaccinations need to be done on a schedule to maintain immunity throughout your pet’s lifetime. Yearly wellness checks will include keeping canine distemper vaccinations up to date, along with any other recommended vaccinations.

Here’s where the COVID pandemic and this effort intersect. COVID has made it more challenging for all of us, and these days the schedule is pretty tightly packed with appointments booking out weeks in advance (except for bona fide emergencies or urgent care, of course). If your animals haven’t had their wellness exam on schedule during the pandemic, it might be a good idea to get that appointment on the books.

It’s particularly important if you are starting to get out more and your animal is likely to come into increased contact with other animals. Canine distemper is spread through airborne exposure, as well as from shared food, water bowls and equipment. Infected dogs can shed virus for months. And like we already said, canine distemper can be treated, but can not be cured, and is often fatal. Vaccination is the key.

Viruses on surfaces and spread with airborne exposure – it all sounds so familiar, doesn’t it? So, while we clearly encourage everyone to get a COVID booster, we definitely encourage making sure your dog gets their canine distemper booster too.

We have some of the best clients in the world. They tend to be smart and nice, and really partner with their veterinarian collaboratively. We not only recognize it, but we also really appreciate it.

Here’s why:  

For the most part, our clients know this profession requires a complicated mix of medical knowledge, laser focus and warm compassion on the patient front, plus education, patient communication and more compassion on the client front. You appreciate our skills and work with us to really be proactive partners in your animal’s health. You “get” the importance of yearly wellness exams, and tend to them.

On our side, we have also been taking steps to try to protect and care for ourselves during this extra stressful pandemic time. We discussed and implemented a boundary on the no-shows front. We closed on Sundays for several months when we detected the need. And we will be taking our time to figure out any COVID-related protocols for slowly allowing clients back in the hospital space. 

In the meantime, we thought you might find the TEDx talk enlightening and informative. Most of all, we wanted to express appreciation for our wonderful, kind clients, and point out we DO recognize the outsized impact your patience and kind words have on our day and on our mental health. We appreciate you. Thank you!

Please be advised: We will be closed from Thursday, January 13th through Sunday, January 16th, due to a small Covid outbreak amongst our staff. If you had an appointment during this time and were contacted to reschedule, please know that we will do our utmost to get you in as soon as possible. If your animal needs emergency care, please refer to our Emergency Services page. Clearly, we apologize in advance for any inconvenience.

Like so many other businesses our staff is like a family to us, and we had to nip this Covid outbreak in the bud. We’re also scrambling to get more testing because our reopening will depend on confirming negative Covid status. We have some tests, but if you have a line on getting more tests, we’d love it if you let us know. We’re not too proud to accept the help.

The good news is our staff and our community generally have a fairly high vaccination rate, which makes us optimistic that breakthrough cases will not prove dire. We’re also encouraged by news of this surge starting to crest in other parts of the country. The bad news is this Omicron variant is really transmissible. We encourage everyone who is eligible to get boosted as soon as you can.

Meanwhile, we will post an update here on the blog when we have one.

Please take care of yourself and be extra kind to each other.

For nearly 59 years, since we began in 1963, Mid-Peninsula Animal Hospital has never needed a cancellation policy.

It isn’t that “No Shows” never happened in all these years. They did, but infrequently. Indeed, they were rare enough to provide a welcome respite — an opportunity in an otherwise packed schedule to take a breath and take a moment to catch up.

Since Covid-19, we’ve seen many changing dynamics. Each appointment takes extra steps to ensure social distancing and keep our staff safe. It’s been challenging. We miss our clients, some of whom have booked a lot farther out than they’re used to because of the demand for appointments.

As the pandemic has dragged on, we’ve seen an explosion of people making appointments and just not showing up. It’s definitely a pandemic thing, not a demographic or generational shift, or a new-patient thing. It isn’t even just happening to us — it’s happening across the industry. But it is new and unusual, and it has a ripple effect to the rest of the community.

When we make an appointment, we reserve that time exclusively for your animal. The veterinarian and her entire team sets aside the time, ready to focus. We don’t double-book and risk other clients having to wait. We respect your time. We have a waiting list of people who want to get in sooner.

At Mid-Peninsula Animal Hospital, we value the relationship we share with every client, and we understand that sometimes schedule adjustments are unavoidable. Appointments may need to be changed or canceled.

We respectfully request 24 hours’ notice for all appointment cancellations. Effectively immediately, late arrivals, missed appointments or insufficient notice will result in a fee for the first occurrence. Full details are outlined on our new Cancellation Policy page.

When appointments are canceled with sufficient notice, our team has the opportunity to fill the vacant appointment time with another wait-listed patient or an urgent care request. We hope the new policy results in less disruption for everyone, and more patients can be better served. Thank you, in advance, for your cooperation.

Throughout October, we are taking Sundays off.

It’s been a long pandemic. Since the first moment, we’ve worked hard to adapt to a model that accommodates our clients, our staff and the science. Everything takes longer. Both our clients and our staff have adjusted, and have been terrific! Amazingly so. Nevertheless, it’s been quite something.

Throughout the pandemic, we’ve tried to stay open seven days a week. Right now we need a little slack in the schedule, to take care of ourselves. Apparently, we’re not alone.

This change is not intended as a permanent hours change. If the pandemic has taught us anything, it is to be flexible and continually reassess conditions.

We appreciate your understanding. So many of you have reached out with kindness and support, and have been truly wonderful and accommodating this whole time. We understand the stress one feels when an animal is sick. We really appreciate you working with us through the turbulence of this historic period. It’s hard to put into words just how much we appreciate it. Thank you.

And thank you for understanding while we take a breath once a week for a while. Sometimes people need a break.

End-of-October Update: Taking Sundays off throughout October has been a good thing with positive results. While we still do not intend being closed on Sundays as a permanent hours change, we do plan to continue taking Sundays off until further notice. Thank you for understanding.

We made it this far! As California lifts many Covid-19 mandates, businesses strategize how best to re-open. We’re also thinking about our eventual full re-opening and we’d like to take this opportunity to check-in with you.

If you would take a few minutes to answer a quick 3-question survey, we’d certainly appreciate it. In the survey we ask:

* Do you have any suggestions for how you would like to see us re-open?
* From our pandemic practices, what would you like for us to “keep”  on an ongoing basis once everything is back to normal?
* Anything else you’d like to share with us?

To take this survey visit this webpage: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HSN2P5G

All answers will be kept confidential and treated anonymously using the survey link above, so feel free to be as candid as you’d like.

Thank you very much for taking the time.

What a year it’s been! We’ve all had to adjust to a fast moving situation, and then re-adjust, and then re-re-adjust. You’ve adjusted with us, and we can’t thank you enough.

This year, there aren’t the usual holiday parties or staff photos to share. This year, not-having a party means you care.

Instead, we bring smiles from Ireland. The Dog Trust’s Santa Paws dog-toy giveaway provides us a glimpse into how a dog picks “their” toy, and two minutes of smiles for us all.

If you need two more minutes of smiles, here’s the same event from last year, with puppies.

We’re so grateful to you for kindness, support and cooperation throughout this unusual year. We wish you and yours all the best for 2021!