Dear Clients and Friends,
Regrettably, the COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected all of our lives. As the owner of Animal Medical Center of Chicago, the safety of my clients, pets, and staff is always at the forefront of my mind. In March 2015, my staff did an amazing job treating over 120 dogs infected with Canine Influenza. We successfully avoided exposing healthy dogs to this respiratory virus by being vigilant with our sanitation, separating healthy from ill dogs, and providing timely life-saving care to our patients. Today, with COVID-19, we all need to help minimize its spread, but this time between humans.
In the last few days, many public health experts have expressed concern that asymptomatic
COVID-19 infected people may be the catalyst for the rise in infections everywhere. This means that there exists a subset of infected people – with normal body temperatures and no signs of respiratory illness – who are capable of transmitting this disease to others. Additionally, the CDC, the State of Illinois, and public health experts have called for businesses to take extra precautions to increase social distancing and to combat the spread of this virus. It is for these reasons that AMCOC will provide care to pets by offering curbside service appointments during these extenuating circumstances – starting Tuesday, March 17, 2020. For the next 30 days or until otherwise notified, to minimize human-to-human transmission of this virus, clients will not be permitted to enter the hospital.
What is a Curbside-Service Appointment?
You will schedule your appointment as usual by calling and speaking with a receptionist at
AMCOC. When you arrive for the appointment, you will call us from the parking lot and let us know that you have arrived. When the doctor is ready to see your pet, you will bring him/her to our handicap side entrance. Ring the doorbell and a staff member will escort your pet only into our clinic for their appointment. While your pet is being evaluated, we’d appreciate it if you would wait in your car. The veterinary assistant will call you on your cellphone for your pet’s history. The veterinarian will perform a complete physical examination and then, call you with his/her findings and ecommendations. At the conclusion of the appointment, my receptionist will call you for payment and you will return to handicap side entrance for your pet. We can also dispense any prescribed medications or prescription foods at this exchange. We will email your receipt of payment shortly afterwards.
If you are sick or have been recently exposed to someone infected with COVID-19, please let the receptionist know this at the time of scheduling your pet’s appointment. We can make alternative arrangements to address your pet’s medical issue.
Why are we doing this now?
We love caring for your pet. During this pandemic, we want to be there for your pet’s wellbeing but this can only happen if our staff remains healthy!
These temporary changes may lengthen your waiting and service time a bit – so, we thank you
in advance for your patience. We know your time is valuable and will do our best to be as
expedient as possible, without sacrificing care and quality.
We greatly appreciate entrusting us in the care of your pet.
Sincerely,
Donna Solomon, DVM
Owner of Animal Medical Center of Chicago
