03/09/2024
📣 IMPORTANT SAFETY ANNOUNCEMENT 📣
At Foothills Animal Hospital, we love caring for your pets and we strive to always provide a safe working environment.
We place the safety of our valued clients and their pets alongside with our team as our highest priority.
We sadly had a traumatic incident last week, where two of our team members, a Veterinarian and a Nurse, suffered a severe and unprovoked dog attack, one of them requiring emergency surgery for a broken bone. They were fortunate to receive excellent medical care and are now thankfully recovering, however, this incident has highlighted again the importance of our safety.
At our hospital we help many large, unsociable and aggressive dogs that present a danger to our team. These dogs often do not venture outside their properties, nor do they encounter other dogs or people. It is important for the owners of these dogs to understand the stress a vet visit can cause. Due to the unpredictable nature of our interactions, we need the Owners of these pets to have full control of their animals while visiting our hospital including the carpark and particularly in the small confines of their consult room where a pet is more likely to feel trapped and stressed.
With this in mind we would like to share our hospital guidelines to help minimise the risks associated with working with animals.
• Please understand the risks we take at work and never be dismissive of a team member that is careful around your pet, until we know your pet, we might be cautious and that is ok.
• Never dismiss a Vet or a Nurse that is cautious around your pet, they might have had a traumatic experience in the past.
• When making an appointment, please advise if you have any concerns about your pet’s past behaviour and experience at home or in a public setting. We will tailor your pet’s care to ensure they feel comfortable and at ease.
• A friendly pet can behave very differently at the vets as fear overrides their trust.
• Please warn us if a pet is likely to bite or has snapped in the past.
• We ask that you bring all dogs likely to bite muzzzled, and to call ahead so that we can plan your visit in the safest manner.
• Chat to our team about calming pills for your pets to reduce their fear and make our interactions safer.
• Help us by always having your pet on a leash whilst at our hospital or safely contained in a pet carrier.
• Always present your pet with the most capable handler and never send a pet to the hospital with a minor.
• Our team will always advocate for your pet. If at any time during your visit with us, a team member advises that we need to stop what we are doing, please understand that this is in the best interests of your pet.
• If you fail to disclose the risk, you are putting our team directly in harm’s way and can be held responsible.
Our team are trained to handle pets with compassion, aiming for a fear-free experience that fosters a positive and reassuring atmosphere. We implement various measures to provide a high standard of care whilst keeping our patients’ stress levels to a minimum.
PLEASE HELP KEEP OUR TEAM SAFE SO THAT WE CAN BE AVAILABLE TO KEEP CARING FOR YOUR TREASURED PETS.
Thank you,
Foothills Animal Hospital 🐾
