Dear Clients,
Recent news reports indicate a high number of COVID-19 cases. The safety of you, your pets, and our team remains our absolute top priority. An outbreak inside RAH would significantly reduce our ability to care for pets, which is why we have decided to continue “curbside check-in”. Furthermore, we have been taking aggressive precautions to try to prevent such an occurrence, including employee screening and rigorous cleaning protocols.
Please continue to follow our safety guidelines that include "curbside check-in", not visiting RAH if you are unwell or could have been exposed to COVID-19, and wearing a face covering and maintaining at least 6 feet of distance when interacting with our staff. Although vaccinations against COVID-19 are becoming available to the public, clients, vaccinated or not, may NOT enter the hospital. Please see the bottom of this document for additional safety guidelines and details.
During this pandemic, there has been a nationwide increase in the demand for veterinary services. This is especially the case in our local geographic area. We have made internal changes to accommodate appointment requests as soon as possible. Even with these changes, the wait for appointments is still longer than many pet parents are accustomed to.
Please book appointments at RAH as early as possible. The typical waiting periods for appointments are as follows:
Sick or injured pet appointments:
We make every effort to see or provide medical advice to sick and injured cases on the same day.
Outpatient procedures (nail trims, vaccinations, lab work):
Please plan to book outpatient procedures one to two days in advance.
Wellness appointments including annual physical exams and puppy and kitten visits:
Please plan to book wellness appointments 2-3 weeks in advance.
Surgery and dentistry:
Our licensed technicians coordinate surgeries and dentistry with our veterinary team. Procedures are booked based on the urgency of the procedure.
Medication and diet pickup:
Please allow approximately 6 hours for prescriptions and diets to be prepared for pick-up. Controlled substances and compounded medications require 24 hours notice to fill.
We very much look forward to seeing you in person in RAH in the future. While we miss seeing our pet parents inside the hospital, we believe that inviting them inside at this time would increase the risk of COVID-19 infection for everyone.
Thank you for your continued patience, support, and trust through this difficult time. Please feel free to email us at [email protected] or call (845) 876-6008 with any questions you may have.
Sincerely,
Greg Tumolo, DVM
Medical Director
RAH COVID-19 SAFETY GUIDELINES
Hours
- 8:00 am-6:00 pm Monday through Friday (closed 12-2 pm on Friday for staff meetings)
8:00 am-4:00 pm on Saturday
Closed Sunday
Appointment check-in
- Please wait in your car when you arrive in the parking lot.
The parking spaces are labeled with numbers 1 through 11, and each will be marked with a sign with instructions for checking in. (Please check in by calling or sending a TEXT MESSAGE to 845-876-6008). Please be sure to include your name, your pet's name, your reason for visiting RAH, and the number of your parking space. A Client Care Representative will check you in. - After checking in, a vet assistant or licensed technician will come to your car to retrieve your pet. Your pet will be taken into the hospital for treatment and then returned to you.
- The doctor will call you after your appointment to review their recommendations and any medications that may be prescribed.
- You will be given the opportunity to pay for the products and services with a credit card over the phone (or online through our payment portal).
- Please wear a face covering while interacting within 6 feet of RAH staff. For example, a face covering must be worn when handing your pet to our staff member and again when receiving your pet.
Boarding
- Please complete the Boarding Intake Form on our website's Boarding and Grooming page before checking in. If you are unable to complete the form online, please contact us and request one to be mailed or picked up at your convenience.
- Please follow the same check-in instructions for appointments above.
- Please limit your pets' belongings to medications, diets, and ONE toy. Please do not bring any blankets or bedding; we will provide clean bedding to boarding pets.
- Please wear a face covering while interacting within 6 feet of RAH staff. For example, a face covering must be worn when handing your pet to our staff member and again when receiving your pet.
Medication and diet pick up
- You will be given the opportunity to pay for your products with a credit card over the telephone (or online through our payment portal). Once payment is taken, most medications and diets will be placed in a "self-service" box near the front door of the hospital.
- Most medications (excluding controlled substances and refrigerated medications) will be placed in a “self-service” box near the front door. If your pet’s medication is not ready and waiting in the box, please call us and we will bring it to you.
- Diets will be placed in a “self-service” box near the front door. If your pet’s diet is not ready and waiting in the box, please call us and we will bring it to you.
Other important details
- Although vaccinations against COVID-19 are becoming available to the public, clients, vaccinated or not, may NOT enter the hospital.
- Please wear a face covering while interacting within 6 feet of RAH staff. For example, a face covering must be worn when handing your pet to our staff member and again when receiving your pet.
- Please maintain six feet of distance from our staff when speaking with them.
- If you have symptoms such as a cough, shortness of breath, fever, chills, muscle pain, sore throat, or new loss of taste or smell, or have reason to believe that you have been exposed to COVID-19, we ask that you call ahead of your pet’s appointment to notify us. This will enable us to take the necessary precautions such as providing pet care by telephone or rescheduling your appointment. For everyone’s safety, it is critical that individuals exposed or potentially exposed to COVID-19 not enter the property.
- To help stay well, continue to practice social distancing, thorough hand washing, and follow the CDC’s recommendations.
- Depending on staff availability, a telephone recording may answer the telephone and will provide you with options to speak with a team member, or it will ask you to leave a message so that we can return your call.