Buckhaven Veterinary Clinic

Clinic Reopening Tuesday!! I am happy to report that while we are awaiting a couple remaining tests we have an adequate amount of COVID Negative staff to reopen tomorrow. Please keep in mind that we will not be at maximum staff, and that we will also clearly be playing catch-up, so your patience will be appreciated.

Temporary COVID Closure Due to a positive COVID-19 test for one of our staff members the clinic will be closed until further notice. We apologize for the inconvenience and we will do our best to keep you informed as we receive staff and testing updates. We wish you all the happiest in the new year!

We certainly missed being able to host all of you at our annual clinic Christmas Party, but hope we will be able to return to the tradition next year. On a brighter note, it's official, our little Sam got engaged to her long term boyfriend (and reason she moved to Atlanta) last night at our staff Christmas dinner at Haven. We had wonderful food, service, and fun. Thanks Michel, Michael, Amanda, and Gordon! Happy holidays to all of you, and best wishes for the new year.

October has finally come. Only three more monthes until the new year. Stay safe and have a great fall! Love, Buckhaven Staff

Kennel Cough Alert! In an effort to keep the hits coming we want to advise canine pet owners that there is an ongoing Canine Infectious Tracheobronchitis (Kennel Cough) and possibly a similar respiratory outbreak going on in the Atlanta area. We have been told that one local facility has "had a couple confirmed cases" and we have seen clinically similar dogs from other boarding/daycare facilities. In both non-vaccinated and vaccinated dogs Kennel Cough typically is non-life ...threatening and self-limiting in nature. Most dogs present with a hacking cough which may be followed by the production of white foam or mucous. As this disease is primarily due to a virus and tends to be a milder disease in vaccinated dogs our typical approach is to quarantine the patient from other dogs and use cough suppressants as needed. We have seen a few dogs which have been more affected by Kennel Cough or possibly a similar virus resulting in a lack of energy (lethargy) and on occasion thick pus-like (purrulent) nasal discharge. In these dogs we tend to be a bit more aggressive and add in antibiotics. Additional diagnostics such as a complete blood count or x-rays may also be warranted especially if the patient is having breathing issues or has refused to eat.

In an environment were everything appears to be about COVID we want to remind our clients that while there isn't a vaccine for COVID there are routine canine vaccinations for potentially life-threatening canine and feline diseases such as Canine Parvovirus, Canine and Feline Distemper, and Feline Leukemia. We have been advised by some of the doctors at the local emergency clinics that they have seen a recent increase in Canine Parvovirus cases. The reason for this may have ...to do with an increase in adoptions, or an increase in dogs being taken into public spaces, but regardless it points out the importance of vaccinating your puppies for potentially life-threatening diseases. Our doctors will let you know when your puppy is safe to go into populated or frequently visited areas. Attached are pictures of Poncey and Crewe, two recent Buckhaven puppies who survived Parvovirus.

Tilly and Tippy visiting Buckhaven. The struggle is real for these pampered pooches.

Greetings to all and we hope this post finds you healthy. The clinic continues to operate with normal hours and the pace of business is the busiest we have ever seen. While this is clearly a blessing for which we are appreciative we would like to update everyone on our current business operations. As usual, our clients have been great in understanding our goals in delivering quality care in as safe an environment as possible. Our staff continues to work with our clients t...o limit congestion in the reception area while at the same time attempting to meet client and patient needs and demands. For those of you who may be unaware, Dr. Britton had much needed back surgery early this month and as such Dr. Jonathan and Dr. Mark have been handling all the appointments. We are all thrilled that Dr. Britton's back outlook is finally optimistic and wish her a speedy recovery! As can be expected all the aforementioned factors have resulted in a very packed schedule. Please know that we are doing our best to accommodate everyone, but these are challenging times and as such we are having to schedule appointments days in advance. Finally, while we hope much of this craziness will be over soon, with the recent uptick in COVID cases in the State we are requesting that all clients entering the clinic wear a face mask. Again, thank you for all your support and cooperation, we truly feel fortunate to call you clients and friends.

A BIG thanks to all our clients for your understanding and cooperation in dealing with our requests and guidelines for visiting the clinic. As an update, we continue to work hard to limit the number of people we have in our waiting room. With many people now venturing out of their houses to catch up on things we are experiencing a bit of a strain on our continued effort to avoid waiting room congestion. As such it has become necessary for us to limit the number of walk-ins so please call prior to coming to the clinic. Finally, effective Tuesday, May 26th, we will be returning to our normal weekday hours of operation of 9AM - 6PM. As always, Thanks for your continued support of Buckhaven, and we wish you and your families a happy and safe Memorial Day weekend.

We have been receiving a number of questions in regards to your pets and the Corona virus. While available information regarding this is developing, here is some information provided by a reliable veterinary source. We hope you continue to stay safe and healthy!

Operating Hours Update As this coronavirus thing continues to keep most businesses shut down we are seeing that our afternoon calls and requests are drastically reduced. As such we will be closing at 4pm on most weekdays so please call ahead to check on our availability. Again, we continue to work to ensure client congestion via a lighter appointment schedule, and we appreciate your patience and cooperation during these trying times.

We would like to thank all of our wonderful clients for their understanding, efforts, and well wishes during these trying times. Additionally, we appreciate your cooperation in trying to ensure that we are avoiding overcrowding as well as allowing us to do our best to maintain a healthy distance from our clients both in the exam room as well as the waiting room. As a reminder, the CDC has placed social distancing as one of the, if not the, top priorities in avoiding potential coronavirus transfer. As you can imagine, it is difficult for us in end-of-life and severe or acute illness settings to not be able to touch or hug our clients, but that is the current world we live in.

Hello to all! Just an update from our end. We are doing our best to both see clients and patients as needed while also striving to avoid clients being caught in a congested waiting room setting. As the quarantine period continues we are seeing a notable trend in which our client visits drop off if not cease in the late afternoon. As such we will be closing early on weekdays. Our new closing time will generally be 5pm but on occasion we may close earlier so please check with us in advance if you have afternoon needs. Our best to you and your families.

Coronavirus Clinic Operations Update We continue to operate with relatively normal hours but with a very streamlined staff. Our goals are to keep the greatest amount of availability while also keeping client congestion/congregation to a minimum. Many people are staying at home or are reluctant to venture into offices resulting in a recent slowing in the pace of business. With all this in mind we have been flexing our appointment availability. As such there will be limited availability during peak demand schedule slots such as Saturdays and Monday mornings. Please understand that we are attempting to keep ourselves available and continue personal service while at the same time operating within a reasonable public health environment.

As one can imagine we are receiving a number of calls regarding our plans for operating hours during the current coronavirus outbreak. At present we are maintaining normal hours of operation but we are unable to predict what will happen in the near future. We respectfully request that if you are showing signs consistent with a coronavius infection (fever, dry hacking cough, difficulties breathing), or have had any sort of direct or indirect exposure to a confirmed or suspect...ed coronavirus patient, that you not visit our facility. If you are healthy and symptom free and prefer to pay over the phone for medications or food, we can deliver these items to your car, but please be patient as this option may place a bit of a strain on our traditionally lean staffing levels. Please check back at this site for updates as they become available.

Hope ya'll enjoy your snow day! Tag us in pictures of your dogs in the snow celebrating the first snow of 2020!! And make sure to be safe driving.

Happy Thursday everyone! It may be a little rainy outside, but Palmer is here to bring some sunshine to your day!

Guess whose birthday it is today?! After weeks of being badgered I acquiesced to her wearing her tiara. Happy Birthday (and engagement) Victoria!