Novel Corona Virus

Corona Virus and Bundoora Veterinary Group.

What is it?

The corona virus is a new virus first identified in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China.

As this discovery is only months old, we are still learning a great deal about it. Information and recommendations about how to respond to it at an individual, team, organisational and broader societal level are constantly being reviewed and updated.

What are the concerns?

At present, there is no evidence that companion animals/pets such as dogs or cats can be infected with the new corona virus. Our pets are safe. However, it is always a good idea to wash your hands with soap and water after contact with pets. This protects you against various common bacteria such as E.coli and Salmonella that can pass between pets and humans.

The primary source of corona virus transmission remains human-to-human contact. This is the concern we have at our veterinary clinics. We want to play our part in slowing the spread of infection for 2 main reasons:

1 We veterinary clinic workers need to be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week  to treat and manage the health of our pets. We must minimize the risk of our staff becoming infected and being unavailable to work. If one of our workers becomes infected they as well as any fellow “in contact” workers will become unavailable for work for at least 14 days. Even if we lose a few workers temporarily we will find it very challenging to provide a high quality 24 hours a day 7 days a week service.

2 We need to protect our pet owners so they can continue to care for their animals. We need to minimize the risk of pet owners contracting corona virus as a result of visiting one of our clinics.

What are we doing about it?

There are currently many unknowns which makes planning very difficult. We are planning for the worst but hoping for the best. As the situation changes and there are less unknowns it is likely we will need to modify our plans. We are going to keep our pet owners updated with social media and website updates. Here is a link to our latest facebook update or you can download it  here.

Check back frequently and consider calling us for clarification. There is also a great deal of useful and factual information available on reputable official sites including:

World Health Organisation

Australian Government Department of Health

Victoria State Department of Health and Human Services

It can only help if we all try to familiarise and educate ourselves with the current information. Reading widely and checking back frequently are the secrets. Of course keep in mind that there is also a great deal of inaccurate, misleading and incorrect information being circulated.

What is the current situation at our veterinary clinics?

We have protocols in place which include:

1 Banning unwell workers from our workplaces until they seek and obtain clearance to return to work from medical authorities.

2 Stepping up our usual facilities’ cleaning and disinfection routines.

3 Practicing the golden rules of personal protection:

Regular hand washing with soap and water or alcohol skin rubs

Sneezing and coughing into elbows

Minimising  physical contact with others

Keeping a distance from all people and actively avoiding unwell people

4 Asking certain people to not come to any of our clinics:

• Anybody who has been diagnosed with corona virus and has not been cleared by medical authorities to return to normal public contact.
• Anybody who has been in contact with a person diagnosed with corona virus and has not been cleared by medical authorities to return to normal public contact.
• Anybody who has been tested and is awaiting the results of a corona virus test.
• Anybody who has been in close contact with someone who has been tested and is awaiting the results of a corona virus test.
• Anybody who has traveled internationally in the previous 14 days.
• Anybody who has had close contact with someone who has traveled internationally in the previous14 days.
• Anybody who is unwell or experiencing any symptoms of corona virus infection.
• Anybody who is concerned about attending one of our clinics.

If you fall into any of these categories but feel it is vital that you come to a clinic please call the clinic in advance to discuss.

5 Asking that only 1 responsible person accompany a pet to a clinic.

6 Banning any person from visiting patients whilst they are hospitalised. Ask the staff admitting your pet about visit alternatives we can offer.

7 Asking everybody attending our clinics to follow our personal disinfection protocols and to comply with any directions and / or requests from our staff.

8 Asking everybody to be respectful and kind to each other. These are difficult and unprecedented times but we will get through them with mutual patience and co-operation. We don’t wish to see any antisocial behaviour similar to recent scenes at various supermarkets. There is never an acceptable excuse for rude, abusive, aggressive or threatening behaviour. We will not tolerate any such behaviour. Police will be called and we will not provide you or your pets with further veterinary services.