Summer is finally here! We wanted to reach out with a few reminders and share some information about our services.
Have you booked your dog’s Lyme/Heartworm test yet?
The Accuplex ( 3 tick-borne diseases + heartworm blood test) and blood screening panels are being offered at special discounted pricing until July 31st. This is a great way to check that your pet’s internal organs are healthy and your pet is parasite free. Early detection of disease processes helps us to make recommendations to help your pet live longer.
Lyme disease is transmitted by an infected black-legged deer tick after it bites and attaches to your pet (or yourself) for 24-48 hours. It is important to check your pet & yourself after each outdoor activity. Equally important is to give them their parasite prevention medication during parasite season. Prevention is given to help prevent the transmission of Lyme disease, intestinal parasites, flea infestations & heartworm disease within that time frame, often killing the tick within 8 hours. Heartworm is transmitted by infected mosquitoes who have picked up the parasite after biting a heartworm-positive dog and then biting another dog. Sources of infection can include rescue dogs transferred from other countries and wildlife, such as coyotes. If you have questions about what product is best for your pet, please give us a call at 519-624-9760, we will do a risk assessment based on your pet’s outdoor lifestyle.
** Reminder**
Start your flea & tick prevention in the spring and carry it through until the fall! Just a reminder that 1 dose of Bravecto lasts for 3 months, so make sure you pick up the remaining doses for summer and fall! Other products are given once monthly and should be given on the same day each month.
Watch this quick video on how to reduce contact with ticks for you & your pets around your home: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/video/lyme-disease-reduce-ticks-around-your-home.html
Congratulations to our 3 Early Bird Winners
For every cat that purchased feline prevention and every dog that completed their Accuplex test before May 31st, 2022, their name was entered into our prize draw. These are the lucky winners:
Pumpkin – Pumpkin purchased their 1st dose of Kitty Bravecto to prevent fleas/ticks before May 31st. The prize basket included cat toys, treats and 1 free dose of Bravecto.
Dante V. (pictured) & Star G. – Each dog completed their Accuplex test before May 31st. The prize basket included dog toys, treats, and 1 free dose of Bravecto which will provide flea & tick protection for 3 months.
Follow us on our social media pages: Facebook & Instagram. And coming soon… watch us on TikTok!
Is your Contact & Mailing Address Info Up to Date?
Do we have your current mailing address and most up-to-date email address? If we do not have your email on file please call or email to update us (519-624-9760, info@ahoc-ph.com). Having your email on file is important because it gives us a way to communicate with you if our phone lines go down, allows the vet to send you additional information about your pet or their medication and sends you your pet’s vaccine reminders.
** Please note we are doing some maintenance to our vaccine reminder system – you may receive incorrect email reminders while this is being worked on. Once work is completed we will post about it on the News section of our website.
Covid Protocol Update
At this time masks are not mandatory for clients or staff. There are no restrictions on the number of people entering the building for food & medication pick-ups or appointments. Some of our staff who have pre-existing respiratory conditions may request for you to wear a face mask during the appointment, or they may perform the exam in our treatment room while the unmasked owner waits in the exam room for their protection. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation as we navigate this fluid situation.
Medication refills
When you call in or email (ahoc.orderdesk@gmail.com) your request for a refill of your pet’s prescriptions, the request is added to a prescription request list which needs to be reviewed by our Veterinarians. Some days we can get up to 100 requests for medication.
As per our governing body (The College of Veterinarians of Ontario) there are a number of rules we need to follow when prescriptions are refilled.
- Only a Veterinarian is able to prescribe medication so that means that one of our doctors needs to review the file of every pet that requests a medication refill.
- We need to have an active Veterinary- Client-Patient Relationship (VCPR) – this means that we need to have evaluated the pet in the last 12 months to ensure that it is safe for them to continue with the medication that they are taking.
- Once a medication has been approved by the Veterinarian, one of our pharmacy assistants will make up your pets’ medication. Every medication that is made up then needs to have 2 people sign off that the correct medication and strength have been used to fill the prescription.
All of the above can take a bit of time, and there may be delays due to COVID challenges with delivery or ingredient availability. We are requesting that you give us 48 hours’ notice for medication refills. If your pet gets a compounded medication it is best to allow at least 5-7 days as we may need to order the medication from an outside pharmacy and this can take a bit longer.
Shop Online
Visit our MyVetstore online to shop for your pet’s food, treats, toys and grooming supplies. Your order can be delivered right to your home, office or cottage (within the delivery radius). You can save 5% off of your pet’s prescription food (from Hill’s, Royal Canin or PVD) by selecting the “auto-ship” option. This easy feature helps to ensure your pets’ food arrives at regular intervals. Registration is free – www.myvetstore.ca/ahoc
Have A Fantastic Summer!
We are here to help you with all of your pets’ health care needs. We do have some new veterinary professionals who have joined our team this past year. If you would like to see only 1 or 2 Veterinarians, please let us know so we can alert your file to book with them when possible. We will support our staff with continuing education opportunities and mentorship, we thank you for your patience while they are learning the ropes. While the vast majority of our clients have always been a pleasure to serve, you will see signs posted in the clinic stating that profanity and abuse of our staff will not be tolerated. Our intention is not to offend anyone, but to protect our staff and their mental health. We hope everyone will offer the same level of compassion and respect we provide to our valued clients. We will do our best to meet or exceed your expectations and want to wish you a fun & safe summer with your furry family members.
– The Doctors & Support Staff @Animal Hospital of Cambridge