Dear Alpine Family and Friends,

 
We want to let you know we are still available to care for your animals. Please follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for our most current and up-to-date information. 
 
Veterinary medicine is an essential service, and we are continuing to provide necessary health care to our patients. Our HOURS are slightly reduced, and we are available Monday through Friday 8a-5:30p and Saturdays 8a-12p.
 
This includes any urgent issues that come up involving your companions, as well as preventive care as needed. Both are vitally important. The need for urgent care is easily understood. The role of preventive medicine is two-fold. First, it is a necessity to be sure vaccines are up to date and patients have their necessary prevention of diseases and illness. An illness caused by a vaccine-preventable disease would further tax an already fragile and short supply of medical supplies. Second, life-threatening issues can sometimes be detected on an exam before a critical illness manifests itself, providing the same benefit. Being able to manage a stable patient through a challenging time is easier and less taxing than managing a critical and unstable patient. More and more of our veterinary products are being shifted to hospitals to help with the illness in humans, so we need to focus ourselves on prevention and early detection to save much-needed supplies for sick people. 
 
Additionally, many of our patients rely on medications to manage their chronic health issues, so we will ensure that we continue providing those items to all of you who are in need. 
 
Animals, like humans, need to stay as healthy as possible during these uncertain and unprecedented times. 
 
We are here to help, but we must make sure we are protecting our team as well as our clients by limiting direct exposure to other people, maintaining social distancing, being diligent about personal and hand hygiene, and staying home if anyone is feeling ill. 
 
We have implemented several new strategies (some of you may have already experienced some version of these over the last week). 
 
These include:
 

Curbside Check-in

-please call our office when you arrive and we will have you check in over the phone with one of our team
-the doctor will perform an exam and call you with any recommendations or abnormal findings
-we will keep you informed throughout the process
-if you are feeling sick please have someone else bring your animal to your appointment, and let us know so we can take additional precautions
 

Drive-Up Pharmacy

-please call us when you arrive and we will bring your medications or prescription diet out to your car
-payment will be arranged by credit card when you arrive
 

Telehealth/Telemedicine (more to come this week!)

-we are in the process of rolling our telemedicine consultation options for people who are unable to make it into the office for some reason
-there will be a fee for this service, and there are limitations to what we can do through this platform
-some recommendations can be made and even medications can be prescribed in the presence of a valid Veterinary-Patient-Client-Relationship (VCPR), so we must have performed a complete exam on your animal within the last 12 months
-general guidelines are permissible with some restrictions in the absence of a VCPR
 
Please, everyone, do what you can to stay safe and healthy. Wash your hands, maintain social distancing, and follow all other recommendations from the CDC and your own personal health care provider. We want to be here for you, and we can only do that if we keep ourselves safe as well. 
 
We appreciate your patience and understanding as we try to navigate through these turbulent and quickly changing waters. Let us know how we can help you and your companions get through this time a little bit more safely and a little bit more easily. 
 
Sincerely,
The Team at Alpine Hospital For Animals