Mid-Peninsula Animal Hospital™ Blog

Thank goodness for the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA). They recently brought our attention to a new dynamic happening as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. We're grateful since we have been keeping our heads down, working to take care of our staff and your pets. It's unlikely we would have seen it otherwise.

Pet poisoning is up since the outbreak of COVID-19. Call volume to pet poison hotlines have picked up as more people started working from home. It's unclear whether the dynamic results from a) far more use of disinfecting cleaning supplies b) the animals are actually getting into more things than ever before or c) their behavior hasn't changed, just our ability to see it has changed. 

Puppies and younger dogs, in particular, tend to explore the world with their mouths. Since the first shelter-at-home was ordered, pet adoptions have also seen an uptick. It's most likely the rise in pet poisoning cases is due to "all of the above." 

The most common danger is your medication. You may drop a pill and it bounces, or your pet is simply faster to get it than you. Since you are now spending more time at home, this kind of incident is even more common. Also, common household cleaners can pose an issue. For example, if an animal walks through a puddle with bleach in it, they are not only exposed with their skin, but are likely to lick their feet and ingest it.

In an effort to minimize exposure to disinfectants, confining pets to a room or crate while using these products is recommended. It is also important to prevent their access to products, like hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes, which are toxic if ingested.

If you have five minutes, the Animal Poison Control Center has published a video with common concerns resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. You can watch it here:

It's that time of year to focus on heartworm prevention, and we sweeten the deal with (not one, but) two special offers available only through Mid-Peninsula Animal Hospital. 

Each offer makes an important point, but first a little context. We've written before about the dangers of heartworm. As you may know, heartworm is transmitted by mosquitos. In our geographic region, the culprit is the tree hole mosquito. If you are unfamiliar with the topic, our previous blog posts and our Heartworm information page are recommended reading.

Heartworm disease is one area where an ounce of prevention is truly better than a pound of cure, particularly since the cure is not 100% sure. What is guaranteed is the prevention medication, literally. 

Unlike some online or theoretically discount sources, our preventatives come with a full medical care guarantee**, backed by the drug maker themselves. When you work directly with your Vet, you get the highest quality medication, adhering to strict handling and storage protocols, a known chain of custody, and a known provenance, all of which combines to facilitate the guarantee. 

The first offer: Now, when you get your year's worth of heartworm prevention medication, you get two free doses. 

This means you can get the assured high quality medication, handled and stored properly, with the manufacturer's guarantee at a decent savings per dose. 

The second offer: When you get a full year's worth of heartworm medication, we will waive the cost of the heartworm test needed to purchase the medication. 

For dogs, your veterinarian may recommend Interceptor Plus, but they may recommend something else. We carry multiple products, some of which take care of multiple parasite types. 

Cats experience heartworm differently, are far more challenging to diagnose, and if they get it, can only be managed, not cured. Thus, cats should also be on a heartworm preventative, which is fairly new within the last couple of decades as feline targeted preventatives have been developed.

Whether dog or cat, each case is different and your doctor will take everything into account on a case-by-case basis, plus explain the logic for the choice they recommend. You and your veterinarian will decide together. 

To recap both offers combined: come in for a heartworm test, and when you get a year's worth of heartworm prevention medication, you get two bonus doses and we'll waive the cost of the test.

Clearly, proper heartworm prevention is truly very important to us. Getting the heartworm test and consulting with the veterinarian about which prevention treatment is right for your animal provides the quality of care your animal deserves and provides peace of mind for you.

**Unlike a guarantee that refunds the cost of your prescription, a full medical care guarantee means that with our documentation of annual heartworm testing and the appropriate medication dosing, if your animal tests positive, the manufacturer will cover all of the costs of treatment. They stand by the medication to work.

With drive-in and drop-off appointments, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, people are using the Appointment Parking garage more than ever. We thought you might want to know about the improvements we've made since opening the garage. 

We're very pleased with one change in particular -- the displays that 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 sadans 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. The moving images on the display may help in this regard.

The Stop signs may also help in this regard. To adequately view and evaluate the oncoming traffic on the displays, one must stop at the Stop sign. Getting in the habit now, while the pedestrian traffic and street traffic are low, will have you in the habit when the street traffic returns to normal. 

Under normal conditions, we've noticed the typical street traffic consists of "big waves" of very heavy traffic, punctuated by welcome breaks which are reasonably long with low traffic. This pattern is caused by the traffic lights on the corner. For typical street traffic conditions, it always helps to pack one's patience. While you're stopped and checking the display, you can also admire the refreshed paint on the curb. Parking cars should be able to see the different zones better, and behave accordingly. If they do, they won't park too close, and it will continue to give you a good line of sight once you have moved past the traffic displays.

If you haven't been in the garage lately, you may not have seen the lovely waiting bench. If you are bringing in a dog, you'll notice the hospital dog leads hanging on the walls. We always request you add one of those, along with your own leash. It's a "belt-and-suspenders" approach, to go along with the other classic wisdom: "stop, look and listen."
 

We have the best clients in the world! Here goes your proof:

It's impossible to put into words, how much this means to us. We're not immune to the increased anxiety and stress caused by this pandemic, which is hard on everyone. As an essential service, we want to stay open, and be there for the community. This gesture has put wind beneath our wings, encouraged us, and we greatly appreciate it.