Why is my pet’s surgery date being re-scheduled?

With the current pandemic, we are changing our protocols in an effort to uphold our oath as veterinarians to promote animal welfare and protect public health. This is an unprecedented time with COVID-19 on the rise and as veterinary professionals, we are making important changes to help protect our pets, clients, and staff. The demand for personal protective equipment (PPE) is far exceeding the current supply available to not only us, but to health care professionals around the world. PPE includes any item that we use to protect our staff, patients, and owners including gloves, masks, and gowns.

At this time, we will be re-scheduling all non-essential surgeries. These include surgeries like spays, neuters, and low-grade routine, preventive dentals on healthy patients. Surgeries that are being re-scheduled for the future are for those patients where quality of life will not be affected by a delay.

As an AAHA accredited hospital, we hold ourselves to high standards. As such, we are not willing to perform surgeries without the supplies that protect your pets. While some hospitals may be still performing elective procedures, please consider they may either be doing it without appropriate PPE in place, or are doing it with a lower regard for the current shortage of supplies that our nation and world is experiencing. Either way, we are not willing to make those concessions. We are conserving our limited supply of PPE for emergency surgeries, procedures that are necessary to improve quality of life of our sick patients, contagious disease patients, patients that present with potential zoonotic diseases that are transmissible to humans, and to help protect our staff during this time. By temporarily postponing non-essential procedures, we are also able to conserve the limited supply for our human health care professionals that are working around the clock to treat humans affected by COVID-19.

If you have any questions or concerns about your pet’s surgery being re-scheduled, please do not hesitate to call and talk with your veterinarian. Certainly, exceptions will be made based on the health and well being of your pet, so don’t be afraid to ask if this applies to you. We will work with you to determine a plan that works best for your family and your pet moving forward.

Thank you for your understanding and supporting us in our commitment to keep everyone safe.

-Dr. Cline