As COVID19 has become more established in the state, cases have been identified in Columbia, and the University of Missouri is closed to all but essential personnel. The Veterinary Health Center will move to emergency and selected essential cases only effective 8 a.m., Monday, March 23.
- There will be a significant reduction in the number of students in the hospitals. However, we are hiring some of our third- and fourth-year students to assist us in providing care for animal patients, under the direct supervision of licensed clinicians.
- The VHC Pharmacy will be open daily 8 to 10 a.m. Clients who need prescription refills for their pets should call the VHC Pharmacy at (573–882–7634). A staff member of the pharmacy will take the medication out to the client’s car and payment will be made via telephone.
- Clinical Pathology will be available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- All sections will be staffed, but with a skeleton crew
- Our office staff will be reduced by at least 50 percent.
- The Veterinary Health Center at Wentzville will operate with similar protocols to those in place in Columbia.
All main doors into the Veterinary Health Center will remain locked around the clock. We are asking that clients call the hospital upon arrival. Please use the following numbers to call when you arrive. (The main hospital numbers should continue to be used to schedule appointments and for follow-up calls. Those numbers can be found at the end of this message.)
For the Equine Hospital: call 573-882-7871
For Food Animal and Theriogenology: call 573-882-7870
For the Small Animal Hospital between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., call: 573-882-1836 or 573-882-2521
For the Small Animal Hospital between 5 p.m. and midnight, call: 573-882-1570
For the Small Animal Hospital between midnight and 7 a.m. Monday through Friday and 7:30 a.m. during weekends, call: 573-999-1027
All clients will be screened for potential exposure to coronavirus that causes COVID-19 by being asked to respond to the following questions:
- Has client or any family member exhibited flu-like symptoms including fatigue, aches, fever or cough at any time during the past 14 days?
- Has client traveled outside the United States in the past 14 days or to regions within the US where there is an outbreak of COVID-19?
- Has client tested positive for the COVID-19 virus?
If a client is determined to be at no increased risk of COVID-19, then the appropriate service will send someone to the client’s car to pick up the animal. The VHC will not take personal items, such as leashes, collars, etc., with the animal. Cats in carriers may be brought into the building to be moved to a cage or hospital carrier, with the personal carrier returned to the cat’s owner as soon as possible.
If a client is at increased risk of COVID-19, they will be directed to drive into the large animal receiving area to Ambulatory Building garage. There, a team will collect the animal to be wiped down with a safe decontamination solution. The animal will then be brought into the hospital.
The VHC’s main hospital numbers are as follows:
Small Animal Hospital
573-882-7821; After Hours: 573-882-4589
Equine Hospital
573-882-3513; After Hours: 573-882-4589
Food Animal Hospital
573-882-6857; After Hours: 573-882-4589
We thank our clients for their patience as we make this transition to respond to the COVID-19 challenge while we care for your four-legged friends, and we apologize any inconvenience.
