May COVID-19 Update:

As of May 16, 2020, Arizona models suggest COVID cases peaking around the end of May.  Santa Cruz staff will continue to implement several safety protocols for ourselves and our clients.  We will be disinfecting public areas three times a day and continue to wear masks at all times on duty.  Exam rooms are sanitized between each use.  Staff are monitoring their own temperatures twice a day at home as well.  We ask clients who are sick DO NOT come to our clinic.  If you are COVID positive and have a family member or friend bring your pet to the clinic, please notify us ahead of time so we can take proper precautions.

Surgical check-in will still be taking place curbside and we will ask our wonderful clients to continue to be patient and wait in the parking lot in the car.  If you have a regular appointment, you will be asked to wait to be escorted into the clinic by a technician and go immediately into an exam room.  We ask that you stay in your assigned exam room during the whole visit.  Our technicians will take your payments to the front desk for you and will bring your medications or food you have purchased to the exam room.  Our staff is working very hard to try and streamline this as best as possible and WE APPRECIATE YOUR PATIENCE AND POSITIVE ATTITUDE!  We realize that it is getting hot outside and are trying to limit waiting as much as possible.   With that said, we must limit gathering in our lobby to enforce social distancing guidelines.  We are a very busy clinic and are striving very hard to make your visit as safe and efficient as possible. 

At this time, we anticipate these COVID procedures to last through June.  We will update protocols as Arizona Health Department updates on COVID activity across our state and what recommendations they publish.

ZOONOSIS UPDATE

We do now have commercially available COVID testing available for dogs and cats.  At his time, however, there is only very limited evidence of transmission from human to pet.  There have been some case studies of large cats at the Bronx Zoo and a case of house cats transmitting to each other in COVID positive households in Europe.  Understanding of interspecies transmission of COVID is very fluid and we don’t quite understand it, however, there is no evidence of dogs and cats being a reservoir or a vector for transmission.  The CDC guidelines for pet owners remain the same.  If you have COVID, you should preferably transfer animal care duties to another member of your household and limit exposure to your pets at home so YOU don’t infect THEM!  There are no cases of transmission from dog or cat to human; all cases to date have been from human to animal.    Animals can carry virus particles on their fur.  If you suspect COVID infection in your household, confirmed or not, please let us know ahead of time so our staff can take precaution and do not get exposed!

Thanks, Dr. Neal