OC Veterinary Medical Center

Even though Orange County has been downgraded in the state tier system, we are going to continue with our curbside service system for the time being. Because: 1) We are still operating at a reduced staff level and we don't feel that we can adequately safeguard your health by keeping up disinfection for you, our clients as we also need to be diligent in protecting your pets from typical pet diseases Iike we always have. We would be devastated if any of you were exposed to Covi...d in our office. 2) Our staff cannot socially distance from each other due to the demands of what we do while working with your pets. We can't justify adding more risk. 3) Our exam rooms were not designed with social distancing in mind and getting 6 feet apart is a challenge. 4) We are still on allocation as far as how much personal protective gear we can order each week. We have to be careful, especially with gloves. I for one do not want to run out and have to do rectal exams without a glove. We still need to protect our patients from pet diseases and staff from zoological threats. 4) If a receptionist, doctor, or technician gets sick, we would likely be forced to close or severely curtail caseload for 2 weeks as we would have too few team members present to stay open. This would be a horrible situation for everyone. We will make exceptions on a case by case basis for certain medical reasons as determined by the doctors. We appreciate your understanding as we get thru this. The phone is a terrible substitute for seeing you as well as your pets and we can't wait to open up our office to our human friends. Dr. Horn and the OCVMC team

A sad day in our household as we had to say goodbye to Daisy our labradoodle. She had a lot of health issues when we adopted her 10 years ago and she added many more over the years. She came down with oral cancer and we kept her fairly happy for well over a year. But this past week, she has been declining quickly and I had to give myself the same talk that I have had to have with so many families over the years and we decided that keeping her going was really more for us th...an for her and we had to reward her decade of loyalty and love by letting her go. While I never expected her to live this long with all of her health issues, she will be dearly missed. She made me a first hand pet owner for Pancreatic insuffiency Addison's Disease Food allergies Atopic dermatitis Epilepsy Heart disease It is different talking about these diseases and managing them on your own pet. She certainly helped make me a better veterinarian as well as enriching our family with her boundless love.

Happy National Dog Day! I'm grateful to still have my Daisy with me. Since she is so sick, every day together is a gift. Celebrate your faithful canine companion with lots of love and attention. Remember that food does not equal love so please spoil with attention and not too many treats.

This is a sweet kitty named Mochi that we saw yesterday! Taking care of these pets brings us so much joy especially during this pandemic! Thank you @evonnahontas for entrusting us with Mochi’s care! We look forward to the next visit! #veterinarymedicine #veternarian #ocvetmedcenter #pandemic #kittens #catsofinstagram

Dear Friends, With the massive uptick in cases, COVID-19 infection seems inevitable and unfortunately one of our staff members has tested positive for the disease. Please be aware that this person had little direct contact with any clients and select contact with our patients, and families have been notified of potential exposure as needed. This exact concern is the reason why we continued curbside-only service and have been prudent by wearing personal protective gear while i...Continue reading

OCVMC updates: Just wanted to reach out and tell you all of some important goings on at OCVMC: 1) In order to protect our staff we are maintaining our curbside concierge service. We do require you to wear face protection when interacting with team members. We take safety extremely seriously and want to protect you and our staff.... 2) We know the phones (busy) have been an issue and we are taking steps to try to free up phone lines. We have an online history form to fill out prior to your pet's visit. It is electronically submitted to reduce paper. We also have an online bill pay so we no longer need to use phone time to manually input numbers. This allows us to remain touchless for payment and increasing safety. Both of these can be accessed via our website www.ocvetmedcenter.com. 3) We are available for almost all medical services for your pets. This includes wellness care, sick care, vaccines, medications, food, dayboarding, and grooming. We are currently not offering overnight boarding or non-anesthetic dental cleanings at this time. As we assess operations as we add back these services. 4) We are still operating with reduced staff due to issues from the virus and together with the added strains of maintaining curbside service and personal distance/protections inside the hospital, this has put a strain on our staff. We are temporarily closing on Sundays so that our staff are better able to handle the necessary demands of this "new normal". Dr. Nikki will still be working just as hard for you but she will now be here Saturdays instead of Sundays. We deeply appreciate your patience as helping you and your pets is our mission and our passion. We know that even routine care is taking longer than typical as we need to prioritize sick pets first. Please know that we desire to get things back to "normal" as quickly as it's safe to do so. If you have any questions or concerns (or even recommended improvements) please direct them to Dr. Horn directly (messenger, email, or phone). Again it is has been our pleasure to have been here for you and your pets during this difficult time. Please be safe out there. Hospitalizations in Orange County are on the rise and we don't want any of you to get sick! Baby Monster, Lucky, Forest, and Squinty miss you all.

We deeply honor those who gave their lives for our nation human and canine. Happy Memorial Day. Photo is from Department of Defense Air Force Airman 1st Class Ashland Busman spends time with Benji, a therapy dog, during a visit to a COVID-19 testing center manned by the Illinois National Guard in East St. Louis, Ill., May 19, 2020.

Staying at home with my furry friends, Tiger Lily and Daisy. Who are you staying at home with?

Pets and Covid risk: Basic summary: There is ZERO data that pets can give humans Covid. There is a risk of viral particles on fur but it is lower risk than handling a box from a delivery service...almost none. Dogs that can get infected don't show symptoms. Cats, ferrets, and hamsters might show symptoms if infected. But remember this is a disease that we are giving to them, not them giving it to us. If you are sick, distance yourself/wear protective gear to protect your pets the same as any other family member. Pets are going to help us get thru this, helping us to cope with the isolation we must endure. Let's keep them happy and healthy too. Studies are ongoing and I will alert you to any changes.

Happy National Pet Day! Give your precious furry (or scaled or feathered) friends some extra love! Getting extra love are our hospital cats, Forrest, Lucky, Baby Monster, and Squinty