The current Coronavirus pandemic is leaving us in a difficult and worrying situation. There is considerable unknown as to how the pandemic will progress from now on in the country.

Levin and Horowhenua Veterinary Centre cares about the wellbeing of our patients, clients, staff and the community. We are classed as an essential service, but we are restricted in what we are permitted to do at this stage, as we have responsibilities to human as well as animal health. Our governing body has issued us with very clear guidelines about what we can and cannot do at this time, so please bear with us if this is not what you are expecting. We have been given temporary concessions to manage situations in a different and more remote way where this is appropriate, so these may be offered to you.

What happens when you phone in?
The clinic phones are now being manned by team members offsite. They will triage your call and determine whether your pet really needs to come into the clinic or can be managed in another way.

  How can we help your pet?
If your pet is seriously ill or injured, you will be given a time to come to the clinic. You will be asked a series of questions about your own health and risk factors before this appointment is made. In accordance with the guidelines issued to all vets around the country, we are not permitting clients to enter the clinic building. The doors will be locked when you arrive, but we are here and can help you. Come to the door and let us know that you are here; you will be greeted, and we will take details of your vehicle, then you will be asked to wait in the car. When we are ready, one of our team will come out to you, will take a history and will bring your pet into the clinic to be examined and treated. This is obviously a slower process than you may be used to, but we ask for your patience as we are doing our very best to look after everyone.

  It may be that the best option for your pet is an appointment with one of our vets in a telemedicine consult, and a vet will call you. We have introduced these to try to minimise the number of clients coming to the clinic while ensuring that we can continue to provide care for your pet. We are only able to offer these consults as a temporary concession, and they obviously do have some limitations which will be discussed with you at the time. These are chargable consults, as we are employing a vet solely to provide this service. The vet that you speak to will be able to access your pet’s records, recommend treatment where appropriate, send any prescription information through to the clinic, and take payment for everything over the phone. We have adapted in haste to the situation and can now deliver medication to you.

  How many staff do we have working?
We have divided our small animal teams and have vets and nurses in clinic looking after urgent and emergency cases. We have done this to try to ensure that we can continue to provide a service even if Covid-19 is introduced into the clinic. Along with the additional precautions that we are taking, this does contribute to the fact that everything we are doing takes much longer than usual. Please bear with us and remain courteous even if you are frustrated; be assured that we are doing our very best for you in difficult circumstances.

  Repeat prescriptions
Repeat prescriptions can be ordered over the phone or via our app as usual. In common with the medical profession, we may need to restrict your order to 4 weeks of medication to ensure that products are available for all patients. Once we have taken payment over the phone, these can be delivered to you at no charge.

  What about food and flea treatments?
We have adapted very quickly to the changing situation and have set up a free home-delivery service. You can either phone in, or email contact@lhvc.co.nz with your requirements, and one of the team in the clinic will get back to you to advise when we should be able to deliver and take a payment over the phone. We are delivering every day except Sunday, but it may be that your order will not be ready until the following day.  Our supply chain is generally very good, but our wholesalers are also working under difficult conditions, so sometimes there will be a short delay.

We appreciate your understanding as we all negotiate the unknown impact COVID-19 will have on New Zealand. Help us protect our staff, our clients and the community while looking after your pet.