COVID-19 Protocols
COVID-19 (Post-Pandemic) Protocols
Thank you for trusting us with your pet and your patience for any new protocols implemented during these unprecedented times. Once you arrive at our hospital, we will begin triaging your pet and entering your information into our system. The Veterinarian will assess your pet and then discuss your pet’s history and potential diagnostics and treatment(s) for your pet. Following that, a Veterinary Assistant will discuss the treatment plan, cost and payment.
As of 10/5/2024
Throughout the course of the COVID-19 pandemic and post-pandemic, DCAER has always closely followed all Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) requirements and recommendations.
Currently, the CDC recommends that people who have symptoms of COVID-19 or test positive for COVID-19 stay home and isolate from others until at least 24 hours after they have been fever-free. Our staff adheres to these guidelines and we ask that our clients please do the same – if you are feeling ill, please have a family member or friend bring your pet. If this is not possible, please let our staff know ahead of time that you are feeling ill and we will take extra precautions. Please also put on a face covering before interacting with our staff. Unless handing over a pet, we ask that all clients maintain at least a 6-foot distance from our staff members and from other clients. The health of our staff is important so that we can continue to serve the people and pets of Denton County.
Thank you for your patience and cooperation during this time. We look forward to continuing to serve our community!
If you have any questions during this process, please call 940-271-1200. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we do our best to navigate through these difficult times.
In order to quickly assess each patient and determine stability, monitor any changes in the status of your pet, decrease wait times and provide a safe work environment, we do all examinations, diagnostics, treatments and surgery in our treatment area without the client being present. Emergency cases can be very traumatic for clients to see and having clients in the treatment area would inhibit patient care for all our patients. We are a very busy practice with cases that often come in unexpectedly, and there is simply not enough room to have every client sit with their pet while we treat them. If your animal is stable, and you would like to wait with your pet in an exam room, please inform the technician and we will have you wait there until a doctor is available. This can increase your wait time at our hospital, but we will do our very best to treat your pet as quickly as possible.
Just like a human emergency room, we do not take appointments. This means that many patients can arrive all at once and that can cause delays in the treatment of stable patients when critical animals come through the door and require immediate life-saving care. Each patient is triaged as they arrive and although we try to treat each patient on a first-come, first-served basis, this is not always feasible when a less stable patient arrives at the hospital.
All pets are triaged to see which patients are more critical than others. If another patient has been moved ahead of your pet, that patient has been found to be less stable than your animal and may require life-saving efforts.
An emergency hospital is very expensive to maintain. The hospital must be fully staffed with emergency trained veterinarians and technicians, whether two patients come through the door or twenty. Maintaining this state of readiness and a state-of-the-art hospital with the latest equipment to treat every possible emergency that comes through the door is very costly. We do our best to offer affordable emergency services but emergency care is typically going to be more expensive than your primary veterinarian for these reasons.
This hospital is not government owned or subsidized (like county hospitals). We are a private business. We must charge for the services and care that we provide in order to stay in business and provide care for all our patients that need us.