COVID Update July 2021

To better serve our clients and reduce phone wait times, we are asking you to use our pet portal, ePET health to request prescription refills. We are still asking you to give us 24-hour notice for all prescription requests. ePET Portal allows you to request appointments, medications, send us pictures for your pet's profile and even allows you to see your pet's vaccinations records! It is simple to use, and we have included step by step instructions just in case for you. Go to www.epethealth.com and on the bottom of the screen look for New to ePET? Click learn more and enter your email address. ePET will send you an activation link and that is it! Questions? Just call us and we will gladly walk you through it!

Good News, we are opening our waiting room, you no longer need to call ahead when you arrive at the hospital, just come on in. We are happy to see you! We are still asking that everyone wears a mask into the hospital as we are a healthcare facility and operate under AAHA standards. If you would like to continue to use our curbside service, please let us know when booking your appointment and we will be happy to do that for you.

COVID Update Summer 2021

We are happy to announce that we are beginning plans to transition from curbside only to having in clinic appointments available!!! We expect the need to change/amend our process as the overall situation we are all dealing with changes. Please be patient as we adjust.

Our current plan is as follows:

Starting Monday, June 14 we will be inviting clients to come in with their pets for their appointments as long as clients are wearing a mask. All staff members will be wearing masks as well.
Please still call when you arrive and we will let you know when to come in the building. In order to prevent too many people in the lobby at the same time, a nurse will bring you directly in to your exam room.
Limit of 1 person per pet except for extenuating circumstances.
If after the exam, the doctor recommends a work up for your pet (bloodwork, xrays) we will ask that you wait in your car or at home.
Curbside/drop off appointments will still be available for anyone who prefers this method.
If you are coming to pick up food or medication and are not having you pet seen by a doctor we ask that you still use curbside. Also, if your pet is coming for a tech appointment only (nail trim for example) we ask that you still use curbside.

We are so excited at the thought of seeing everyone's friendly faces with their pets! We have missed seeing everyone so much. Again, please be patient as our staff navigates our transition back to normal!!!

COVID Update Fall 2020

We have received a few inquiries as to when we will discontinue curbside service. Our current COVID policy has not changed. We are still adhering to curbside service for all appointments, surgeries, medication, and food refills as well as grooming appointments. Our protocols are based on CDC and Georgia Department of Health recommendations, as well as our commitment to keeping our staff and clients safe. We want to continue to be open uninterrupted to care for your pets!

We miss seeing you face to face as much as you miss coming in with your pet, but we will give your pet the same loving care we have always prided ourselves on! And we will be happy to spend as much time on the phone as needed to be sure you confident that all your concerns have been addressed.

Here is a summary of our curbside protocol:

Please let us know if anyone in your household has tested positive for COVID.
All dogs must be on a leash and cats must be in a carrier.
Please call when you arrive in our parking lot, 770-889-0737 and let us know your pet's name and what color and type of car you are driving.
One of our nurses will speak with you via phone to obtain your pet's history and discuss concerns. They will then come to your car and ask you to get out of your car with your mask on. For dogs, they will place our leash on your already leashed pet. Once the leash is in place you may remove your leash. Cats should remain in the carrier, but please bring it out of your car for the nurse. Getting out of your car is important as some dogs are very protective of their car making it unsafe for our nurses.
Remain on-site with your phone ringer on to receive the doctor's call once they have examined your pet (unless directed otherwise).
Once your appointment is over, the nurse will return your pet to you. Step out of your car again and repeat the process in reverse. The nurse will take payment at this time.
If you are picking up food, please open your car door or trunk for us and we will place it inside for you.

Please feel free to call us with any questions or concerns. Thank you for your continued patience and understanding.

Update on our COVID policy, June 16, 2020

We have received many questions regarding the possibility of return to regular in-the-building appointments and want to let all our clients know that our current COVID policy is still in place. We will continue to implement curbside service for all appointments, surgeries, medication and food refills, as well as grooming appointments.

We have always prided ourselves on our personal touch, and even though we cannot see you face to face, please be assured this is still a priority. We will spend as much time on the phone with you as you need addressing any questions you have during your petâ€™s appointment. Most importantly please know that nothing has affected the quality of care your pet receives or how much love they get when they are here (or how many cookies we give themðŸ˜Š)

We have been able to remain open to care for your pets during this time, because by implementing the policies that we have, we have been able to keep our staff healthy and safe. This continues to remain a priority. Thanks for understanding!

As always, please feel free to call us with any concerns!

Drs Lisa Hillier and Cheryl O'Neal
South Forsyth Animal Hospital

COVID-19 Information

To all of our valued clients,

We have received many questions in regards our business and COVID-19. Here is what we can tell you:

We plan to remain open with normal business hours unless circumstances change. To keep both our clients and our staff safe and limit exposure for everyone we are implementing curbside appointments. We are asking that all our furry friend parents call from their cars upon arrival. We will send someone out to you and you can remain in your car while we take care of your pet. We will also provide curbside service for medication and food refills as well as for grooming appointments. Just call us to let us know you are here.
We have decided to incorporate telemedicine services for established pets into out practice to limit exposure between clients and staff. We ask that our clients utilize this app rather than call the front desk so we can see pictures and videos and re-create an in-person appointment as closely as possible. You can download the TeleVet app from your smart phone or sign up online at www.gettelevet.com/owners.
We will continue to practice the same standards of hygiene and cleanliness that we always have. We will add in extra cleaning of shared surfaces such as doorknobs, keyboards, counter tops, etc.
We will ask any staff member who feels ill to remain home and follow appropriate CDC guidelines.
We ask that any client with a scheduled appointment who feels ill to reschedule appropriately or use the Telemedicine app. Call us if you have questions and we can discuss the situation and possible solutions. We cannot stay open to help your pet if our doctors and staff become ill.
We will continue to refill medication and food as needed, but cannot accommodate requests for large refills. We do not want to run out of a medication and not be able to dispense it to a pet who needs it.

We have also received questions about pets and COVID-19. There is currently no evidence to suggest that pets can become ill with COVID-19 or spread the virus to people. No one knows all of the answers yet, however. The American Veterinary Medical Association has posted some detailed answers to frequently asked questions:

https://www.avma.org/sites/default/files/2020-03/covid-19-faq-vet-clinics_031620.pdf

Lastly, please be patient with us as we accommodate staff members needs to meet family obligations during this time.

As always, our bond with you and your pet means so much to us! Please feel free to call us with any specific questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Dr Lisa Hillier and Dr Cheryl O'Neal and staff of SFAH