COVID-19 UPDATE

To our dedicated Peak Performance owners,

We recognize that this is a challenging and unprecedented time in our society. We wanted to let you all know that we remain deeply committed to the safety of our clients, teams, and communities. We are humbled by your trust and loyalty in us, and we take that responsibility seriously. We remain hard at work for our clients and are taking the necessary steps to ensure we continue to provide the best client service possible during this time of uncertainty.

We continue to be available for appointments.  We are following disinfecting guidelines put out by the American Veterinary Medical Association and the Centers for Disease Control.  This is a constantly changing event.  Currently, we are asking clients to call us from the parking lot upon arrival to keep close interaction of people to a minimum.  We will then come to your car when we are ready for your appointment.  If you are experiencing any signs or symptoms associated with the flu or COVID-19, we will ask that you stay in your car.  We have a set of guidelines to follow under these circumstances. If you are healthy, you are more than welcome to be with us as usual during the appointment.

TELEMEDICINE: If you would like to schedule a video recheck via SKYPE or FaceTime, make an online appointment as usual but choose phone call.  Be sure to make a comment that you would like this to be a Telemedicine appointment. We have a decreased Telemedicine recheck fee to accommodate people during these trying times.

CONSTANT CONTACT: We still remain available via phone or email whether we are in the clinic or working remotely.

PETS and COVID-19: There have been a lot of questions about pets and new Corona virus.  Here are some FAQs from the American Association for the Advancement of Science

https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/03/quarantine-cat-disinfect-dog-latest-advice-about-coronavirus-and-your-pets

Q: Can we pass the new coronavirus to our pets?

A: The SARS-CoV-2 virus spreads from humans to humans. There is no research to support human to animal spread at this time. Samples from the Hong Kong dog had a small number of virus particles present. In an animal with no clinical signs of disease, it’s hard to say what this means. It was a single case, and we learned that we need to do a lot more research into the potential of the human SARS-CoV-19 virus to infect animals.

That said, cats and dogs are mammals too. They have many of the same types of receptors on their cells that we do. So the virus could theoretically attach to these receptors. But will it enter their cells and replicate? Probably not.

Still, people infected with SARS-CoV-19 should limit contact with their pets. Wash your hands, and don’t let them lick you on the face. If the virus is in your secretions, and there’s any potential of transmission, these are ways it could be transmitted.

Q: Should we be testing the pets of people with confirmed cases of COVID-19?

A: No. That’s [not] everybody’s top priority right now. It should be discussed, however, if we start seeing more cases like the Hong Kong Pomeranian.

Q: Can pets serve as a reservoir of the virus and pass it back to us?

A: Currently, there is no evidence for pets as a reservoir for this virus.

Q: If you have people in the same house—some quarantined, some not—can the pet visit both?

A: No. Out of an abundance of caution, the answer should be no.

Q: What should we be doing right now to protect our pets?

A: It is important to include pets in your family’s preparedness planning. If you get sick and are quarantined, you should make sure you have extra pet food on hand. And you should make your neighbors aware of any feeding, walking, or medications that your pets need in case you can’t make it back home. Get prepared now. I live alone with my cat. I have extra food on hand. Even if he doesn’t need it [soon], he’s going to eat it eventually.