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A Message from Goldorado Animal Hospital on COVID-19 and Pets

Staff wearing mask with cat

Dear Pet Parents, 

As COVID-19, or the CoronaVirus as it is more commonly known, continues to impact our community there has been considerable worry on how the virus is impacting both pets and local businesses.

Two common questions we have fielded these past few weeks are, Can my pet contract CoronaVirus, and Are you open?

Yes, Goldorado Animal Hospital is Open!

As an essential service, Goldorado Animal Hospital is open during this time. For the safety of our staff and our patients we have adjusted our operations during this time in an effort to practice social distancing, while still providing essential care for your pet, should they need it? 

Until further notice, we are restricting access to our lobby and adjusting our check-in procedures to reflect safe curbside check-in protocols until the threat has subsided. We ask that all clients please follow the following steps for the safety of all involved.

  • If you are healthy and have an appointment, upon arrival at the clinic,

     

    please remain in your vehicle or outside the clinic and call us. 

  • After receipt of the call, we will check your pet in as soon as possible from outside the clinic.

  • Please remain in your vehicle during the entire time your pet is receiving care at our facility.

  • If you need to pick up food or medication for your pet, remain in your vehicle and call us and we will take it from there.

  • If your pet is having a medical emergency and you are feeling ill, please arrange for a trusted and healthy friend to transport your pet to our facility. If this is not possible, please call us ahead of arrival for further instruction. 

Please rest assured that Goldorado Animal Hospital is taking every precaution to protect you, your pet, and our staff during this time and we respectfully ask that you do the same. After all, we are all in this together!

Can Pets Get CoronaVirus?

As you likely know, our collective understanding of COVID-19 is changing daily. What is known today may be disproven tomorrow – unfortunately, this is true for pets as well as people. Because of this, we find ourselves in a unique position to definitively answer this question, one way or the other. 

With that in mind, it is now more important than ever before that you rely on credible sources for your information on how the virus may or may not affect pets. It’s important to remember that there are a lot of sensationalist stories making the rounds on social media and the internet at large and that not everything you read is true. 

We have found that one of the most reliable sources for information on COVID-19 and pets is The University of Illinois’s College of Veterinary Medicine. Their CoronaVirus and Pets: FAQs for Owners page is updated regularly with the most recent developments on how the virus can (and cannot) affect pets. That said, at present, the most important take-away is that:

“At this time, there is no evidence to suggest that any animals, including pets or livestock, can spread COVID-19 infection to people.”

Other reputable resources include the Center for Disease Control and the World Health Organization. Again, please vet your sources and the information they are providing before rushing to worry or sharing on social media. Disinformation, especially now, can be just as dangerous as the virus itself.

Our staff would like to thank you for your continued cooperation and support during these uncertain times and we hope you and your family are safe, healthy, and washing your hands.