Dear Pet Family:

At Norwalk Veterinary Hospital & The Boarding House, the health and well-being of your pets and family are our top priority.

Person-to-person and community spread has been reported in our area.

Transmission primarily occurs when there is contact with an infected person’s bodily secretions, such as saliva or mucus droplets in a cough or sneeze.  There are no current antiviral drugs recommended or licensed by FDA to treat COVID-19, and there is no immunization available.

As the situation around corona virus (COVID-19) continues to evolve, we want to assure you that we plan to remain open during our regular business hours for general medicine appointments.

We are taking additional steps to keep patients, clients, and our employees healthy and safe, so that we can remain open and be ready to attend to your pets. These steps include:

•  In addition to the rigid cleaning and disinfecting protocols that we already have in place, we have increased the frequency of our cleaning practices.
• Pet owners and their pets CAN OPT TO wait in their vehicles until they are ready to be placed into an exam room.  We suggest one human per pet visit to limit crowding in out waiting rooms.
• Employees of our hospital who feel sick are instructed to stay home and contact their doctor.

Please, IF YOU ARE SICK WITH A FEVER AND/OR RESPIRATORY SYMPTOMS (cough, difficulty breathing) and your pet needs attention:

• YOU MUST CALL AHEAD so we can confirm that your pet needs to be seen by our doctors, and to give you instructions how to proceed.
• If it is determined that your pet needs to be seen, we will ask that someone else (who is not showing any symptoms of illness) bring your pet to the hospital on your behalf.
• If our doctor determines that your pet needs to be seen immediately and no one else can bring your pet on your behalf, you will be given a phone number to call when you arrive at the parking lot. Please wait in your car and DO NOT enter the Hospital!
• Please cover your mouth and nose if you sneeze or cough.
• We will meet you at your car to assess your pet.
• We will call when the exam is complete.

Out of an abundance of caution, it is recommended that those ill with the COVID-19 virus limit contact with animals until more information is known about the virus.  Have another member of your household take care of walking, feeding, and playing with your pets.

If you have a service animal, or your must care for your pet, wear a face mask: don’t share food, kiss or hug them and wash your hands before and after any contact with them. 

If you have any questions, please call the Norwalk Veterinary Hospital team at 203-838-8421.

Sincerely,    Charles H. Duffy V.M.D.   &   Janice M. Duffy V.M.D.