Blog

Last updated: December 17, 2020

Dear Clients,

With recent changes to restrictions on businesses, we are pleased to advise that effective May 25, 2020 the restrictions on veterinary practices have been lifted. Based on these changes, below are some important updates to our operating policies.

1. WE CAN NOW SEE ALL CASES BY APPOINTMENT ONLY

This includes vaccines, wellness exams, blood work, spays and neuters, dental services, and more!

As you can imagine, we have a significant backlog of surgeries and wellness/vaccine exams to catch up on and we will be working hard over the next several weeks to do just that. We want to thank everyone in advance for your patience while we work through this. Although restrictions have been lifted, our health and safety protocols have not. It is important we continue to follow the guidelines set out by Worksafe BC and social distance our large team as much as possible. This means although we can offer these elective services, we are doing much fewer during the day then we were pre-COVID.

2. SAFETY MEASURES TO KEEP EVERYONE SAFE

We are very excited to welcome you back into our lobby! We have put some important safety measures in place to help keep our clients and our team safe.

• We will continue to offer curbside service for any client who requests it.

• Masks or face coverings are required to enter our hospital. If you do not have a mask, we can supply one for you. If you are unable to wear a face mask or face covering, we can still offer your pet the same great care and attention through our curbside service.

• To comply with social distancing, we ask that only one "pet parent" enter the hospital during their appointment. You will be asked to sanitize your hands as well as a few screening questions prior to entry.

• We are able to accommodate one client at a time in our retail/prescription pick up area. We kindly ask that you wait outside in our designated, covered waiting area until it is safe to enter. Thank you for your patience while you wait at a safe distance. Don't worry; we will be there to assist you and get you what you need!

• Continue the use of credit cards as the preferred payment method.

• Continue with curbside pickup of food and medication (unless you have used our online store and are having your order delivered directly to your home). To place an order through our online store, visit our website and click on "Online Store”.

3. ONLINE ORDERS

The use of our online store for easy ordering, payment and delivery of our pet's food, flea and tick medications. Orders over $100 can be delivered to your home for free! CLICK HERE

4. OPERATING HOURS

During the first 8 weeks of COVID, we were operating as a 24-hour facility to better serve our community and to maintain social distancing within our team. However, as the COVID-19 situation changes, so do we!

Our team of doctors felt it was important to get back to performing your pet's much needed regular services. In order to do so safely, we had to once again change the way we do business. 

As such, effective October 6, 2020, we will no longer be available for after-hours, on call services between midnight and 7:00 am. After-hours emergency care will be referred to Central Island Veterinary Emergency Hospital between the hours of midnight - 7:00 am. They can be reached at 250-933-0913.

We will continue to be available until midnight for your call-in, after hours needs.

Our regular hours of operation remain the same:

Monday - Friday: 8:00 am - 8:00 pm

Saturday & Sunday: 8:00 am - 5:00 pm

Thank you for your patience and understanding, and we look forward to seeing you and your furry family members again!

- Your dedicated team at Van Isle Veterinary Hospital