• • • UPDATE ON BUSINESS AT LAKE HARRIET VETERINARY • • •
—June 29, 2020 Update—

Dear Lake Harriet Veterinary clients and friends:

☞ FOR EXISTING APPOINTMENTS ONLY

Click here for Curbside Appointment Form

Lake Harriet Veterinary is open for all services Monday–Friday, 8am–5pm and Saturday 8–1pm. Curbside service will continue for the foreseeable future and we are trying to make this as safe and efficient as possible for all parties. Covid-19 has changed the way we can interact with our pet owners but the medicine is still as thoughtful as ever. We miss having the physical face to face visits with our pet owners and chatting with you about your family. Please rest assured all these changes protect you, your pets, and the team members at LHV. We are fortunate to have such wonderful clients who have entrusted us with the care of their four-legged family members during this challenging time. We understand the central role pets play in providing comfort and stability in our lives, and our team is dedicated to helping you make the most informed decisions for them.

Safety first:

Suddenly, many of us are making lifestyle choices based on safety, including distancing measures that individual businesses are taking. The current data tells us the safest approach to minimizing infection is to wear masks, decrease the number of people in close proximity to one another, and to limit the amount of time we spend together in small shared spaces. To meet these ends, we are masked during our entire time at the clinic, sanitize phones, computers, and work spaces regularly, take staggered breaks and use separate spaces for lunches, and work in dedicated and separated work spaces. In addition, we are gloved throughout the day and disinfect our hands after every encounter with a pet. All deliveries made to LHV are left outside and brought in by our employees. Please see below for general Covid-19 animal recommendations.

Appointments:

Please call 612-822-1545 to make an appointment and we will direct you to our website to complete a “curbside appointment form.” It is essential this be filled out completely so we can anticipate your pet’s medical needs and address all your concerns. In order to meet the needs of current patients we are not seeing new clients at this time.

All veterinary services are being provided “curbside,” meaning your pet will be brought into the clinic while you remain in the car. Cats must be in a carrier and dogs must be leashed to a securely fitted collar. When you arrive please park as close to the clinic as possible and call 612-822-1545. Please be patient if we do not pick up right away as we have limited staff available to answer phones.

One of our team members will retrieve your pet on the sidewalk and bring it into an exam room. You must wear a mask while handing off your pet. The doctor will call and review the physical exam and treatment recommendations. Please remain nearby the clinic and wait for your pet’s exam to complete, unless the doctor says you can leave. Payment will be collected over the phone while we complete the medical treatments, and your pet will be returned to you with any medications or written instructions.

☞ FOR EXISTING APPOINTMENTS ONLY

Click here for Curbside Appointment Form

Thank you for your understanding and patience—we look forward to seeing you!

Update on surgery:

We are now providing all normal surgeries including those done by a traveling board certified surgeon (Direct Veterinary Surgery). Because we did no surgery from mid-March to mid-May, we have a backlog of surgeries; we will do our best to work your pet into our schedule based on the urgency of the situation. If we cannot meet your immediate needs we will refer you to another specialty center.

Heartworm prevention and flea and tick medications:

Now more than ever we ask you to support your local independently-owned small businesses. Please consider buying your pets’ Heartgard (heartworm prevention) and Frontline Gold or Nexgard (flea and tick prevention) directly from Lake Harriet Veterinary—your purchases will help sustain our business during the pandemic and support our employees. We carry a manufacturers’ guarantee and are competitively priced. Please see our listed prices below for comparison:

Heartworm prevention: We recommend year-round (12 doses) prevention. 

  • A 12 month supply of Heartgard is $63 for a dog 1-25 lbs, $86 for a 26-50 lb dog, and $99 for a dog between 51-100 lbs.

Flea and Tick prevention:

  • A 6 month supply of Nexgard (oral medication) is $93 for a dog 4-10 lbs, $95 for a 10.1-24 lb dog, and $100 for any dog over 24 lbs.
  • A 12 month supply of Nexgard (oral medication) is $186 for a dog 4-10 lbs, $190 for a 10.1-24 lb dog, and $200 for any dog over 24 lbs.
  • An 8 month supply of Frontline Gold (topical medication) is $86 for a dog 5-22lbs, $88 for a 23-44lb dog, and $90 for a dog 45-88lbs.

 

General COVID animal recommendations:

  • If you yourself are sick with a respiratory illness, please do not bring your animal to the veterinarian. If possible, call us to set up a phone consult or have someone else bring the patient to the clinic. If this is not possible, please call us for advice.
  • Pet owners should adopt good hygiene practices (including hand washing before and after being around or handling animals, their food, or supplies, as well as avoiding kissing them) and should maintain a clean and hygienic household environment.
  • People who are sick should restrict contact with animals. If there are any changes in the health condition of the pets, please seek advice from a veterinarian as soon as possible.

It is important to know that there is currently no evidence that pet animals can be a source of COVID-19 for humans or that this virus can cause the disease in dogs. Pet owners should always maintain good hygiene practices, and under no circumstances should they abandon their pets.

If you are COVID-19 positive, these are the pet handling recommendations: Owners are advised to separate themselves from the rest of their family, including using a separate bathroom if there is one (this is for human protection), and have another member of the family care for the pet(s) within the household. Pets should not move out of the household unless absolutely necessary. If a single individual needs to care for their pet, or for someone with a service animal, that individual should minimize contact and practice good hygiene for themselves and for the pet (copious washing of hands before and after interactions, including handling of bedding, bowls, etc). If a COVID-19 positive individual is no longer able to care for their pet, they should contact their local public health department for direction and assistance.

For general questions, please call 612-822-1545 or email: lhvfront@gmail.com

Thank you, and wishing wellness to you all!

—Staff at Lake Harriet Veterinary

COVID-19 ALERT FOR PET OWNERS

At this time there is no evidence dogs, cats, or other household pets can spread COVID-19. To date, there have been no reports of pets becoming infected with COVID-19 in the U.S. The CDC is recommending that people who are sick with COVID-19 limit their contact with pets and other animals, just as they would restrict contact with other household members. As a precaution, we recommend having sufficient pet food and prescription medications on hand in case pet owners or their families need to stay home.