COVID-19 update December 28, 2021 CLINIC CLOSURE DUE TO COVID OUTBREAK

Unfortunately, the omicron variant of COVID-19 has affected a huge number of people in Ontario, and Eglinton Vet’s team has not been spared from this. We now have several cases consistent with exposure to the SARS-CoV-2 virus on our team and the whole team has been directed to self-isolate as per the current directives from Public Health officials.

We were planning to re-open the Clinic at 8am on Wednesday, December 29th but this will be delayed until at least the morning of Monday, January 3rd. On Monday, we hope to be open for urgent care cases only with those members of our team who are no longer required to self-isolate. It is not clear if this will even be allowed, and we will send another update later this week. Our timeline is fluid at the moment as we wait for test results.

All clients who were booked to visit the clinic on December 29th, 30th and 31st have been informed of their appointment cancellation by email and we will follow up with phone calls if we did not reach you. If your pet is booked to see us during the week of January 3rd, we will contact you by the end of this week if we need to reschedule your appointment.

To provide for patient needs for essential food and medications only, we are going to have one team member on site at the Clinic on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 9am to 5pm to answer questions by phone and distribute items. We feel that this can be done with careful transfer of items outdoors as we have been doing since the start of the pandemic. This team member will not be in direct contact with any clients or pets (everything will need to be done by phone and items left outdoors at the back of the clinic where it is safe).

There will NOT be the option for pets to see one of our veterinarians in person for the remainder of this week, and likely part of next week. We assume that we will be seeing urgent cases only next week, and any routine appointments (including surgeries) will need to be cancelled.

If your pet is seriously unwell (e.g., not eating, having trouble urinating or defecating, has significant vomiting or diarrhea, cough or trouble breathing, severe lameness), please contact one of the local 24-hour emergency clinics. We would recommend that you start by calling:

  • Veterinary Emergency Clinic (VEC) at 416-920-2002 (Yonge and Davenport)
  • Toronto Animal Health Partners at 416-380-7400 (York Mills and Leslie)
  • Toronto Veterinary Emergency Hospital at 416-247-8387 (just off the 401 near Morningside)

Or, you can attempt to have your pet seen at one of the other regular veterinarians in our neighbourhood. If you need records transferred ahead of an appointment elsewhere, please let us know and we will do our best to transfer these in a timely fashion.

If your pet has a minor issue (e.g. ear infection, eye infection, mild cough, mild diarrhea, mild lameness), please contact the Clinic by phone at 416-487-1533 or by email to info@eglintonvet.com. We will do our best to have a veterinarian review the case and provide advice and/or medication. If our veterinary team feels that your pet needs an actual examination and assessment, you will be directed to visit another local clinic or an emergency care clinic.

If your pet’s issue may be something that can be addressed by phone call or video call, we have made appointments available on our telemedicine platform. This can be accessed through our website at: www.eglintonvet.com (click on “online consultations”). These appointments can be done by phone or by video and there is the option to upload photos if this helps the discussion.

Appointment times will be available on the telemedicine platform from 9am to 5pm on Wednesday, December 29th, Thursday, December 30th and Friday, December 31st. If the veterinarian determines that your concern is not able to be safely addressed through the telemedicine platform, you will be directed to pursue another option. There is a nominal charge for the online consultations that is charged directly through the telemedicine portal.

Please NOTE that we anticipate a large volume of calls and emails, and there is likely going to be only one employee on-site. It may take until the end of the next business day for you to get a response, depending on the nature of your call or email.

Thank you in advance for your understanding and support. Our goal is always to provide timely veterinary care and it is devastating to our team to have this happen. In the end, it is the health and safety of our team, their families and our clients which has become our priority.

Happy New Year and we hope to see you soon!