An Update for Angell Animal Medical Center’s Referring Clinicians

While it is comforting that the World Health Organization (WHO) has established that dogs are not likely to get sick from and transmit COVID-19, due to the evolving nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, clients arriving to the Emergency Service at Angell Animal Medical Center will be asked screening questions to determine whether they could carry COVID-19. If the result of the screening suggests a client may have been exposed to COVID-19, rest assured we WILL provide care for the pet, we will just change the flow of the appointment. The client will be asked to wear a mask and return to their car or otherwise leave the building, and the intake specialist will call the client on their cell phone. The pet will be taken directly to our clinic or critical care unit for evaluation by a doctor and if stabilization is required, the client’s consent will be obtained for those procedures remotely. After the pet is either deemed stable or stabilized, the doctor caring for the case will call the client to obtain a history. All consent and financial transactions will occur via email or over the phone.

Clients with currently booked appointments will be phoned prior to the appointment and asked screening questions regarding exposure to COVID-19. If the results suggest exposure or the client is currently sick, our team will work with the client to reschedule their appointment for at least two weeks from the date of the call.

If, out of an abundance of caution, the client wishes to reschedule their currently booked wellness or non-emergent appointment, we have asked them to contact our call center at 617-522-7282 and we will do our best to reschedule their appointment for as close as possible to two weeks from now or to a later time that is convenient for them.

Please know that we have cancelled the visiting of hospitalized patients but we will continue to text pictures and updates so that clients can stay in close contact with their pets while they are hospitalized.

The goal of these measures is to limit traffic in the hospital as much as possible. We have also implemented internal measures to further reduce the number of people traveling throughout the hospital. When traffic is high, some aspects of social distancing (specifically keeping 6 feet between yourself and other individuals) are challenging in a hospital as busy as Angell Animal Medical Center. Our goal is to reduce unnecessary traffic to make it easier for clients and staff to achieve effective social distancing which includes:

• Not shaking hands
• Avoiding touching (including hugging)
• Keeping 6 feet between individuals (both doctors and clients as well as clients amongst themselves in the waiting room)
• Permitting only one adult accompany a patient to the hospital
• Suspending visiting for inpatients

We are committed to serving our mission to help animals in need while maintaining the safety of our clients, staff, and volunteers.