Wednesday, December 9, 2020

Holiday Emergency Service Hours:

Tuesday, Dec 28th
Emergency/ walk-in service begins at 11am.

Wednesday, Dec 29th
Emergency/ walk-in service begins at 11am.

Thursday, Dec 30th
Emergency/ walk-in service begins at 4pm.

Saturday, Jan 1st
No Emergency/ walk-in service on New Year's Day.
Closed for Emergencies.
Only existing hospitalized patients will be seen on New Year's Day.

 

Updated: 12/28/21 


Thursday, November 12, 2020

Nancy French, you will be missed!

In her own words, Nancy French “pretty much grew up at the HAH”.  Beginning her career at just 16, Nancy remains one of the few team members to have firsthand stories of days with our founder, Dr. Dee Sr. 

 Starting in our kennels and then advancing to become Dr. Jon’s lead surgical technician could have been a career in and of itself. However, in 2006, Nancy took on yet another challenge and stepped into the role of our practice manager. As Manager, Nancy embraced our hospital’s culture of community service and our drive to provide the best in cutting edge medical care.

Developing standards and traditions that have stood the test of time, Nancy leaves a blueprint for us to continue her work, to mirror her ethics, and to share her love for pets and people. Nancy has ensured her legacy in the history of VCA Hollywood Animal Hospital and we are a better practice because of her leadership. 

Watch this video to see the VCA Hollywood antics as we officially bid Nancy farewell! 

It is with great sadness and great excitement that we wish Nancy French good luck and much love as she embarks on a new life journey.

After 45 years of service to our hospital and our community, Nancy has chosen to retire. She will be missed.

As she begins this chapter, we congratulate her on her new role as full-time, wife, grandma, and friend. We wish for her clear roads for travel, steady waters for kayaking, and wee-wee pads for her new puppy. 





















Friday, November 6, 2020

Human Quality Care for your Pet

As a leader in specialized veterinary medicine, VCA Hollywood has always offered the best care for our pet community with Digital Imaging for advanced diagnosis and care!

                                                                                             3D Video of Canine Scan
Now offering the only 64 Slice CT (computed tomography) Scanner in So.Florida Veterinary medicine, we provide human-quality advanced diagnostic imaging for your pet. This means we deliver the highest resolution images available with significantly less anesthetic time, quicker return of interpretations and ultimately more timely diagnoses and treatment for your precious pet.
If you veterinarian recommends a CT scan for conditions including pre-operation evaluations, neurological disorders (disk disease, seizures, etc), orthopedic disorders, nasal disease as well as many other conditions which may benefit from CT imaging, our doctors and boarded radiologist is her here to help you find answers.

 


Quick-Facts about CT Imaging



Our human-hospital grade technology is now available for your patients too.  
Read more to learn about our Haemonetics Cell Saver 5+ and Toshiba 16 slice CT

VCA Hollywood Animal Hospital strives to provide the latest technology in veterinary care with our new 64 Slice CT machine.

What is a CT Scan?
CT stands for Computed Tomography. It is basically a series of very fine X‑rays that the computer then assembles into a 3D image. CT scans are especially helpful in evaluating the skull, brain, sinuses, inner ear, eye sockets, spine and discs, bones, joints, and soft tissues.

How does this make us different?
●       Quality-VCA Hollywood HD CT Scans offer greater resolution than traditional diagnostic imaging tools because of our 64 slice scanner.
●       Value-VCA Hollywood’s CT scans an affordable diagnostic- gets more comprehensive answers more quickly then other diagnostics
●       Availability-CT Reports are read by a board-certified radiologist and standardly provided within 24 hours of scan. “Stat” reads are also available.

Toshiba 16 Slice CT
Our 64 slice CT machine produces high resolution images, requires less anesthesia time and generates quicker reports and results, allowing for more timely diagnoses and treatment plans.

CT include:
* Pre-Surgery Examination-Each pet is given a thorough examination before surgery allowing us to determine anesthesia risk before surgery.
* Intravenous Catheter-The catheter gives access to a vein so that the doctor is able to administer drugs and fluids.
* Intravenous Fluids (During Procedure)- The fluid is a balanced electrolyte solution helps to combat anesthesia-induced drop in blood pressure. The exact rate of fluid administration is determined based on the pet’s body weight, hydration status, etc.
* Anti-nausea Medication (Cerenia)-Dogs and cats may have a propensity to vomit due to some of the pain prevention medications and anesthesia they receive. Cerenia is highly effective in controlling nausea allowing your pet to feel more comfortable. Pets treated with Cernia before surgery are shown to have a better appetite during the recovery process.
* A pre-anesthetic tranquilizer/analgesic (pain medication)-Administered to decrease stress, anxiety and preemptively address discomfort Scans are reviewed by our Board Certified Radiologist with standard results returned within 24 hours. Stat reads available at additional fee.  

Thursday, October 22, 2020

The feeling in your stomach when you know you ate too much!

Recently Zoo Miami asked our surgeon Dr. Danielson to help with a special case.  Learn about what Leroy ate! 


Have you ever eaten anything that you have regretted? Many of us have eaten too much candy at Halloween or too much dinner on Thanksgiving and we have had to live with a stomachache as the consequence. However, it is rare for a person to eat a toy or other item that is not digestible.

Unfortunately, animals sometimes do eat items that cannot be digested and the consequence can be much more severe than a stomachache. Eating non-digestible items can obstruct the intestinal system. An obstruction occurs when the item gets stuck in the stomach or intestine and blocks anything else from passing through. An obstruction can make animals very sick and in some cases is life-threatening.

Veterinarians call these non-digestible items foreign material or a foreign body. If a foreign body is very large or is stuck, it will require removal.

Removal may be accomplished through a non-surgical approach with a piece of equipment called an endoscope (scope) or, it may require surgery. A scope is a long instrument with a camera at the end. The scope allows for things within the stomach to be seen with the camera and removed with graspers. However, sometimes the foreign material is too large or cannot be retrieved with graspers. In these cases, surgery is performed. Surgery usually involves opening either the stomach or the intestine to remove the foreign material.

Often when an animal eats foreign material they do it when no one is looking and veterinarians are left trying to figure out what is wrong with the patient.  In the hunt to figure out what is wrong with the patient, X-rays (radiographs) may be taken to look for a foreign body. However, not all foreign bodies can be seen on a radiograph.  A radiograph can identify very dense material, such as metal and bone however, less dense material (plastic squeakers, cloth toys, rope toys, etc.) cannot be seen and we are left looking for what is called an obstructive pattern on the radiograph. An obstructive pattern is when a portion of the intestine is dilated (wider) than it should be.

It may seem odd that an animal would eat something they cannot digest.  Most of the time animals eat these items by accident. They are attracted to the scent of an item or are playing with a toy and start to chew on it. If the item/toy gets too far back in their mouth, they may swallow it. Remember, most animals don’t have fingers to pull things back out of their mouths.

Dogs and cats are the animals that veterinarians see most often for eating foreign bodies, however; sometimes other species eat things they shouldn’t.


Meet Leroy. 

Leroy is a 297 pound, 35-year-old, male Cuban Crocodile. Cuban Crocodiles are one of the most endangered crocodiles in the world. Their native habitat is a very small area, less than 200 square miles, of the Zapata Swamp in Cuba. Leroy lives at Zoo Miami and has been there since 1998.

In October of last year, Leroy ate a large metal can of lubricating oil that was being used in the maintenance of his enclosure. The can had been accidentally knocked over during the maintenance and fell into the water near Leroy. Crocodiles have a natural feeding response to splashes in the water and, unfortunately, the disturbance the can caused in the water attracted Leroy. At first, Leroy just played with the can. Eventually, he bit into the can and then swallowed it whole.

Given the size of the can, the caregivers and veterinary staff of the zoo were concerned, as it was unlikely to pass. Leroy had a foreign body.

Being a can, Leroy’s foreign body was metal and could be seen on radiographs. Therefore, to help identify the location of the can, radiographs (x-rays) were taken. 

Let’s take a look at the reconstructed image. In these images, Leroy would have been laying down on his stomach with his head at the top and his tail at the bottom of the image. 

Figure 1

Can you see all of the things in the abdomen when there are no arrows to help point them out? Give it a try.  Find out how you did!


As you can see, the can was very big and it wouldn’t have been able to make it through the intestinal system. Because the can was in the stomach, an attempt at removing it with a scope was made. Unfortunately, this was unsuccessful and it was decided that surgery would be performed to remove the can. 

Leroy was prepared for surgery similarly to the way a dog or cat would. He was moved into the operating room at the zoo and his skin was cleaned. However, one big difference was the way the abdomen was opened. In a dog or cat, the approach to opening the abdomen to get to the stomach would be through what is called a midline incision. This means a cut down the center of the abdomen. In the crocodile, the approach is through an incision in the left flank. This is a cut in the left side of the abdomen from the back to the front of the body. The reason the approach is different is that in dogs and cats the abdomen is one compartment and in crocodiles, there is some additional compartmentalization. This approach from the side makes it easier to get to the stomach. Also, crocodiles will sometimes pull their bodies along the ground and an incision on the underside of the abdomen would get very dirty. 

*These images may be considered graphic

The surgical opening and closing of the stomach (in a dog/cat or a crocodile) is called a gastrotomy and this was performed in Leroy similarly to how it would be performed in a dog. Take a look at this picture of the can being removed from Leroy’s stomach.   *These images may be considered graphic

The stomach of the crocodile is larger than that of a dog and it took some feeling around in the stomach to find the can. Take a look at the can after it was removed. There is another can next to the one Leroy ate for comparison. Those are some big holes made by Leroy’s teeth! Can you go back to the radiographs and see the holes in the can on the radiograph? 

Closing the gastrotomy site is performed with suture in a couple of layers. The closure of the stomach is similar in the dog, cat, and, crocodile. However, Leroy’s skin is of course much tougher than a dog or cat. Crocodile skin has what looks like scales on it. Those square areas that look like scales are called scutes. Scutes are very thick and make suturing the skin a little more complicated. A thicker suture was used in Leroy’s skin than would be used in a dog or cat.  Scutes can also be seen on turtle shells and on the feet of birds. You can see some of the scutes on Leroy in his picture and on his radiograph. Can look back to Figure 1 and find them? Find out how you did! 

The great news is that Leroy did very well after surgery and recovered with no complications!!! There were a lot of people happy to see Leroy make it through his surgery and continue to do well. It takes a large team working together to achieve a successful surgery on such a large, non-domesticated animal including zookeepers, caregivers, zoo administration, veterinary technicians, and veterinarians. 

It is amazing to see what people working together can achieve. I feel fortunate to have been a part of this fantastic team.

If you want to learn more about the beautiful animals at Zoo Miami, check out their Facebook page. There are tons of great pictures and videos for you to look through. Like all of us, Zoo Miami is being challenged by COVID19 right now. If possible, please consider donating to the zoo to help them through this difficult time.

Visit VCA Hollywood Animal Hospital to learn more about our advanced veterinary care for your cat or dog. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to connect with other pet people. 



Briana Danielson, DVM, DACVS-SA
VCA Hollywood Animal Hospital



Thursday, October 1, 2020

The feeling in your stomach when.........


Meet Leroy. 

Leroy is a 297 pound, 35-year-old, male Cuban Crocodile. Cuban Crocodiles are one of the most endangered crocodiles in the world. Their native habitat is a very small area, less than 200 square miles, of the Zapata Swamp in Cuba. Leroy lives at Zoo Miami and has been there since 1998.

In October of last year, Leroy ate a large metal can of lubricating oil that was being used in the maintenance of his enclosure. The can had been accidentally knocked over during the maintenance and fell into the water near Leroy. Crocodiles have a natural feeding response to splashes in the water and, unfortunately, the disturbance the can caused in the water attracted Leroy. At first, Leroy just played with the can. Eventually, he bit into the can and then swallowed it whole.

Given the size of the can, the caregivers and veterinary staff of the zoo were concerned, as it was unlikely to pass. Leroy had a foreign body. Being a can, Leroy’s foreign body was metal and could be seen on radiographs. Therefore, to help identify the location of the can, radiographs (x-rays) were taken. Let’s take a look at the reconstructed image. In these images, Leroy would have been laying down on his stomach with his head at the top and his tail at the bottom of the image. 


Figure 1

Can you see all of the things in the abdomen when there are no arrows to help point them out? Give it a try.  Find out how you did!


As you can see, the can was very big and it wouldn’t have been able to make it through the intestinal system. Because the can was in the stomach, an attempt at removing it with a scope was made. Unfortunately, this was unsuccessful and it was decided that surgery would be performed to remove the can. 

Leroy was prepared for surgery similarly to the way a dog or cat would. He was moved into the operating room at the zoo and his skin was cleaned. However, one big difference was the way the abdomen was opened. In a dog or cat, the approach to opening the abdomen to get to the stomach would be through what is called a midline incision. This means a cut down the center of the abdomen. In the crocodile, the approach is through an incision in the left flank. This is a cut in the left side of the abdomen from the back to the front of the body. The reason the approach is different is that in dogs and cats the abdomen is one compartment and in crocodiles, there is some additional compartmentalization. This approach from the side makes it easier to get to the stomach. Also, crocodiles will sometimes pull their bodies along the ground and an incision on the underside of the abdomen would get very dirty. 

*These images may be considered graphic

The surgical opening and closing of the stomach (in a dog/cat or a crocodile) is called a gastrotomy and this was performed in Leroy similarly to how it would be performed in a dog. Take a look at this picture of the can being removed from Leroy’s stomach.   *These images may be considered graphic.

The stomach of the crocodile is larger than that of a dog and it took some feeling around in the stomach to find the can. Take a look at the can after it was removed. There is another can next to the one Leroy ate for comparison. Those are some big holes made by Leroy’s teeth! Can you go back to the radiographs and see the holes in the can on the radiograph? 

Closing the gastrotomy site is performed with suture in a couple of layers. The closure of the stomach is similar in the dog, cat, and, crocodile. However, Leroy’s skin is of course much tougher than a dog or cat. Crocodile skin has what looks like scales on it. Those square areas that look like scales are called scutes. Scutes are very thick and make suturing the skin a little more complicated. A thicker suture was used in Leroy’s skin than would be used in a dog or cat.  Scutes can also be seen on turtle shells and on the feet of birds. You can see some of the scutes on Leroy in his picture and on his radiograph. Can look back to Figure 1 and find them? Find out how you did! 

The great news is that Leroy did very well after surgery and recovered with no complications!!! There were a lot of people happy to see Leroy make it through his surgery and continue to do well. It takes a large team working together to achieve a successful surgery on such a large, non-domesticated animal including zookeepers, caregivers, zoo administration, veterinary technicians, and veterinarians. 

It is amazing to see what people working together can achieve. I feel fortunate to have been a part of this fantastic team.

If you want to learn more about the beautiful animals at Zoo Miami, check out their Facebook page. There are tons of great pictures and videos for you to look through. Like all of us, Zoo Miami is being challenged by COVID19 right now. If possible, please consider donating to the zoo to help them through this difficult time.

Visit VCA Hollywood Animal Hospital to learn more about our advanced veterinary care for your cat or dog. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to connect with other pet people. 



Briana Danielson, DVM, DACVS-SA
VCA Hollywood Animal Hospital



Wednesday, September 30, 2020

Pharmacy Refills- What can we get for you?

Our dedicated pharmacy staff is at the center of our practice and they are prepared with a variety of tools to make refilling your pet's medication, simple. Pick the route that fits for you!

 Email us directly at vcahollywoodpharmacy@vca.com




 you My VCA App -Download!

Email us!


Friday, August 21, 2020

Minimally Invasive Surgery options for your pets.


Recent innovations in veterinary medicine and minimally invasive surgical (MIS) technology are changing the face of veterinary medicine. These new minimally invasive surgical approaches complement or replace traditional soft tissue and orthopedic surgery techniques with all the same benefits of traditional surgery.

What exactly is a Minimally Invasive Surgery? 

MIS is any surgical procedure that is performed with the aid of small instruments and cameras with high-definition real-time imaging systems through tiny incisions instead of a large opening.

Why should I choose Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) for my pet?

Your MIS surgeon makes smaller incisions, therefore your pet’s discomfort is minimized and recovery time is quicker.

"Hialeah Police Department Canine Unit has recently chosen minimally invasive surgery for all of their working canines to ensure they have the least amount of post-surgical downtime possible. Minimally Invasive Surgery allows for smaller incisions, as well as less swelling and pain which allows these canines to promptly return to duty."     - Dr. Jim Herrington, Medical Director, VCA Hollywood Animal Hospital












What procedures can be done with MIS?

VCA Hollywood Animal Hospital offers minimally invasive techniques for orthopedic, thoracic, and abdominal surgical cases.

Some of the minimally invasive procedures we offer are:

SOFT TISSUE PROCEDURES:

• Ovariohysterectomy/Ovariectomy (Spay)

• Cryptorchidectomy (Cryptorchid Neuter)

• Abdominal Exploratory

• Lung Lobectomy

• Cystopexy

• Biopsies (ie, Liver, Pancreas, Kidney, Lung)


ORTHOPEDIC PROCEDURES:

In addition to exploratory arthroscopy of joints, some procedures include:

• Arthroscopic debridement

• OCD lesion removal & debridement

• Meniscectomy

• Cruciate ligament debridement

• Biceps tenectomy

• OCD lesion removal and debridement


Benefits of Minimally Invasive Surgical Techniques

√ Less postoperative pain

√ Quicker recovery time

√ Superior visualization

Meet our Minimally Invasive Surgery Specialist

Andrea Clark, DVM, DACVS-SA

More about Dr. Clark...

Dr. Clark joined our team in 2018 and has firmly established herself as an asset to our specialty surgical team. Fully versed in both soft tissue and orthopedic surgery, Dr. Clark's experience and commitment to excellence is a trademark in all of her patient care.



Appointments
Wednesday-Saturday
Surgeries performed daily.
Dr. Clark is available by email at
au1000@vca.com

Our Specialty Services apply a team approach to patient care using the strength and expertise of all of our on-site specialists in Cardiology, Dermatology, Emergency & Critical Care, Internal Medicine, Oncology & Surgery to care for your pet.

Follow us on Facebook for all our latest hospital news.

Friday, June 5, 2020

COVID-19 Update. The New Normal

The New Normal

As we continue to phase back into our regular routines, we want to thank you for your patience with and trust in us that has allowed our staff to stay safe during this pandemic. We are all looking toward a new normal and we appreciate the chance to do it safely.

With that in mind, beginning Monday, June 8th, we will begin to allow clients back into the building through a safe and controlled service protocol.

While in the hospital, social distancing protocols will remain in place for both our clients and staff. All clients will be given the option to continue Curbside Care. However, if you choose to enter the hospital with your pet, our hospital PPE standards and social distancing practices must be followed.

How will it work? During daytime hours, we will no longer offer Curbside Check-in. The check-in process will proceed through telecommunication.
When you arrive at the hospital,
Park!
Text- 720-477-4401
Relax!

You will receive a live confirmation that we have received your text and we know you have arrived. You will then be walked through the check-in process with one of our staff.

General, Specialty Service
 Check-in (7:30 am - 6:00 pm)
• [YOU] Arrive, Park, TEXT- 720-477-4401, “We are here!”
• [VCA Hollywood] Send a live communication that we know you are here! Our staff will then walk you through the rest.

When your doctor is ready for you, an attendant will direct you into the hospital.

If your pet in unstable, you may come to the Emergency Entrance and your pet will be taken in immediately for evaluation. *Clients will only be allowed in the building when a doctor is ready to speak to them.

How will it work after hours? There are no changes to our current overnight emergency check-in practices.

When you arrive at the hospital,
Park!
Call- 954-920-3556
Relax!

You will then be walked through the check-in process with one of our staff.
Emergency Service Check- in (6:00 pm - 7:00 am)
• [YOU] Arrive, Park, CALL- 954-920-3556
• [VCA Hollywood] Our staff will walk you through check-in.

When a doctor is ready for you, an attendant will direct you into the hospital.

If your pet in unstable, you may come to the Emergency Entrance and your pet will be taken in immediately for evaluation. *Clients will only be allowed in the building when a doctor is ready to speak to them.

All clients will be given the option to continue Curbside Care or enter the hospital when the doctor is ready for their appointment. This option will be provided when scheduling the appointment and at check-in.

When the doctor is ready for each appointment only one client will be admitted inside with their pet. Upon entering the hospital, a mask must be worn at all times and clients must remain in their exam room. Social distancing will continue to be maintained throughout the visit, therefore pet examinations may be performed in the prep area if deemed appropriate by the doctor.

Need Food?
Our Annex facility will be open to the public for food sales Monday-Saturday 8:00 am - 6:00 pm. Only one client will be allowed in the building at a time to purchase food.

Hospital Precautionary Practices Include:
- Regularly sanitizing our hospital with the same disinfectants that we use in our surgical suites.
- Signage throughout the hospital encouraging good personal hygiene.
- Team members are washing their hands before and after each appointment.
- Team members are encouraged to stay home when they do not feel well or are showing symptoms and to avoid non-essential travel.
- We are asking all clients to stay home or seek medical assistance if they are not feeling well.
- Staying up to date on government updates from the Centers for Disease Control and the Florida Health Department.Scheduling an Appointment
Communicate
It is imperative that you let us know BEFORE entering the hospital if you have a fever, flu-like symptoms, you’ve traveled internationally or been aboard a cruise ship in the last 14 days. We also ask that you disclose any household member exhibiting symptoms or who have traveled as well. If needed, we will take additional steps to protect the health of our staff, patients and client.
Our mission is to provide the very best pet care for our fur-families and ensure the health and safety of our clients, staff and community. We are proud to be your pet care team and appreciate your patients and compliance with our efforts during these unprecedented times.

Wednesday, April 1, 2020

Lumps and bumps in the skin, should you be concerned?

The answer is not always, but an examination by your veterinarian is needed to determine this.

As pets grow and get older, they can develop lumps and bumps throughout their body. Although it is more common for older pets to develop skin masses, younger pets can develop them too. On many occasions skin masses are classified as benign. Sometimes, however, they can be malignant and cause problems. The best course of action to determine whether a lump or bump in your pet’s skin is benign or malignant is to have it evaluated by your veterinarian.

More than likely, a fine needle aspirate for cytology evaluation will be recommended to determine if further medical care is needed.A non-invasive technique that can be used to determine whether a skin mass is benign or malignant is a fine needle aspirate. This technique involves obtaining samples from the mass or abnormal tissue using a small needle. The sample obtained is then gently expelled onto a clean glass slide with the help of an empty syringe and examined with a microscope. This technique does not require sedation and can be rapidly performed.

Examples of benign masses in the skin include fatty tumors (also known as lipomas), sebaceous cysts, sebaceous adenomas, warts, skin tags, and benign tumors such as histiocytomas, among others. Unless they are causing a problem for your pet, such as impacting mobility or causing skin irritation, these don’t always require additional medical care and can be closely monitored. 

Examples of malignant masses in the skin include certain types of cancer such as mast cell tumor, carcinoma, melanoma, soft tissue sarcomas, and hemangiosarcoma, among others. Because malignant masses can be locally aggressive and spread to other locations in the body, such as the lymph nodes and the lungs (also known as metastasis) further medical care such as surgery and possibly chemotherapy are usually needed as well.

It is definitely scary to find a lump or bump in your pet’s skin. Having them examined right away will ultimately let you and your veterinarian know the appropriate next steps to take.

Learn more about Pet Cancer Care at VCA Hollywood Animal Hospital @

Tuesday, March 17, 2020

News about upcoming appointments and protocols!



3.26.19 COVID-19 Update on Appointments and Protocols!

We Are Open!!
Thank you, to all of our clients, for your cooperation and patience with our Curbside Service.

As a business deemed essential, we will remain open to serve our pet community for the foreseeable future. We feel confident that our Curbside Service will allow us to continue to be your resource for veterinary care, 24/7/365. The patient will enter the building without their owners, unless for reasons of
  • Emergency
  • Critical Care
  • End of life services
Curbside Service provided Mon-Sat 8:00 am- 6:00 pm for:
  • Wellness visits (vaccines, annual exams appointments, etc)
  • Medication & Food pick-ups
  • Sick/Emergency Care
Elective surgeries (Spays & Neuters) Grooming and Boarding will not be scheduled at this time.

As always we are open 24/7/365 for your emergencies.

In this uncertain time with information ever-changing, please stay connected with us on our Facebook page. Our goal is to be the very best resource for your pet’s care by prioritizing the health and safety of our staff, clients, and community.

Scheduling an Appointment
Appointments for all other services can be made by calling 954-920-3556 or through our MyVCA App. Download this simple tool to gain access to your pet’s records, to book an appointment, to request medication and more!!!

Remember, CareClub Membership, the MyVCA App grants you access to online chat with a veterinarian 24/7/365.

A doctor is always in!

Important information about Curbside Service:

What is the Curbside Service?
Upon arrival, the client and patient will check in with our curbside attendant.
The client remains with their pet until the appointment time.
When the doctor is ready, the patient will be brought into the hospital while the client remains outside. Communications will be facilitated with the doctor as needed for the best care of your pet.
 
Communicate
It is imperative that you let us know BEFORE entering for Emergency, Critical Care or end of life services, if you have a fever, flu-like symptoms, you’ve traveled internationally or been aboard a cruise ship in the last 14 days. We also ask that you disclose any household member exhibiting symptoms or who have traveled as well. If needed, we will take additional steps to protect the health of our staff, patients and client.

Stay Healthy!
Water and snacks are of importance to maintain hydration and good spirits. Please be mindful to pack a snack while waiting in the car for your appointment.

Payment options
At this time payment can be made through a single service check out system within the building or through pay-by-phone. Please let our Curbside Attendant know if you would prefer to pay by credit card over the phone for check out.

UPDATE: 3.17.2020: Appointments and Protocols!
Our mission is to provide the very best pet care for our fur-families. Thus, ensuring the health and safety of our clients, staff, and community is a top priority. As we continue our effort to limit the spread of the COVID-19 virus, we want to share what we are doing to make your client experience as safe as possible when at our practice.

Effective immediately, Curbside Service will be provided Monday-Saturday 8:00 am-6:00 pm for:

Wellness Visits (vaccines, annual exam appointments etc.)
Boarding Check-in/Check-out
Cardiology Appointments
Medication pick-ups
Food Sales

What is the Curbside Service?

• Upon arrival, the client and patient will check in with our curbside attendant.
• The client remains with their pet until the appointment time.
• When the doctor is ready, the patient will be brought into the hospital while the client remains outside.
• Communications will be facilitated with the doctor as needed for the best care of your pet.

Curbside Service for Medication pick-up & Food sales
• When the food or medication is ready, the product will be brought to the client outside.

Clients with sick and emergent patients, and clients seeing specialists will be permitted into our hospital on a limited basis.


24 hour Emergency Service will continue as usual.
At this time, we feel confident these precautions will allow us to continue to be your resource for veterinary care, 24/7/365. This is an ever-changing situation and we will continue to update you on our efforts to limit the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19). Please watch your emails, our Facebook page and our website for further updates.

To Refill Medication:

-Call the clinic in advance to request prescription refills.
-Visit our online store and have medication shipped to your home.
-Log into our MyVCA App to access all of these resources and more.

Hospital Precautionary practices include:

-Regularly sanitizing our hospital with the same disinfectants that we use in our surgical suites.
-Signage throughout the hospital encouraging good personal hygiene.
-Team members are washing their hands before and after each appointment.
-Team members are encouraged to stay home when they do not feel well or are showing symptoms and to avoid non-essential travel.
-We are asking all clients to stay home or seek medical assistance if they are not feeling well.
-Staying up to date on government updates from the Centers for Disease Control and the Florida Health Department.