Covid-19

Your safety is our priority!

We have not forgotten the importance of keeping our patients and their families safe from COVID-19 and its many variants. Below is a list of precautions we are taking in order to ensure everyone’s safety:

· We are only allowing one client per patient be present for appointments

· All staff are required to monitor their symptoms as well as check their temperatures before clocking in

· We have increased the volume of our cleaning schedule in order to wipe down commonly used surfaces

· Hand sanitizer is available in all areas of the hospital as well as reminders to wash hands in every restroom

· If you are unvaccinated, we recommend wearing a mask while indoors. However, we are no longer requiring masks be worn indoors regardless of vaccination status.

The Governor, Larry Hogan released the following effective February 22, 2022, we encourage you to read its contents as well as stay up to date with Maryland State Mandates, which we will be doing as well.

https://governor.maryland.gov/2022/02/14/governor-hogan-announces-end-of-mask-requirement-in-state-buildings/

We recommend visiting the CDC website frequently to remain up to date on any information regarding the virus.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

Websites on Veterinary Medicine and Covid-19

https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/animal-health-and-welfare/covid-19?utm_source=email-mem&utm_medium=coronavirus200315&utm_campaign=coronavirus&utm_term=link&utm_content=coronavirus-alias

https://www.avma.org/sites/default/files/2020-03/COVID-19-What-veterinarians-need-to-know_031620.pdf

https://mda.maryland.gov/vetboard/Pages/default.aspx

Our policy on annual exams

Happy Tails is obligated by the Maryland State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners to establish what is called a Veterinary Client Patient Relationship (shortened to VCPR). This relationship is required for our doctors to give advice, prescribe medications, or perform treatments. We establish this relationship by performing annual comprehensive exams, which is outlined by the State as well as the FDA. Before we render any services, we strive to have this VCPR always established.

Below is a list of all states' policy on VCPRs provided by the American Veterinary Medical Association as well as the Title from FDA:

https://www.avma.org/sites/default/files/2020-11/VCPR-State-Chart-NOV-2020.pdf

our pre-payment policy for brand new patients

We are extremely lucky as a hospital that new members of our community reach out to us for their pets’ healthcare needs. We have a high volume of phone calls that are specifically about bringing pets in for an initial visit.

However, it unfortunately has become common for individuals to schedule an appointment with our team and then they do not show up for the appointment, and they do not call us to reschedule.

Whenever an appointment is missed, time is lost that could have been utilized to help another pet in need and strains our nursing staff.

Because of this, we ask for a pre-payment of $75 for any new patient, regardless if the client is brand new or long standing. This pre-payment goes towards your pet’s care, no matter what is included in their treatment plan for that day. Any unused funds will remain on your account if the appointment costs less than $75.

If the appointment is missed without a 24 hours’ written notice of cancellation, the pre-payment will be absorbed by the hospital as a cancellation fee and is non-refundable. We can be reached directly at info@happytailsvethospital.com.

our cancellation policy for established patients

Clients must notify us by email, phone, or Pet Pro Connect that they are unable to make their appointment at least 24 hours before their appointment is scheduled to begin. If an appointment is missed, and we do not receive 24 hours’ notice, a $35 “broken appointment fee” will be charged to the card we have on file.

If a client calls but must leave a voicemail, it will be recognized as proper notice, as long as the time stamp on the message is at least 24 hours in advance.

If a client calls and would like to reschedule their appointment for a later time in the day we will waive the fee if we have the availability for your appointment. If we do not have the availability then we will still charge the broken appointment fee.

This policy only applies to patients that have already had at least one completed appointment with our hospital.

We would like to thank all of our clients, old and new, for their time, patience, and understanding.