A happy effect of the pandemic has been an explosion in pet ownership. Trapped at home, many of us are looking for some companionship and unconditional love in the form of a new furry family member.
While the proliferation of new pets is amazing, it’s straining the capacity of animal care services across the board. Many veterinary hospitals have stopped taking new clients and veterinary emergency hospitals either won’t see pets whose illness isn’t life-threatening or have very long wait times because they are simple working at full capacity. 

​We are extremely fortunate at CAH that we have capacity to care for our current pet patients while still taking on new patients. Our new and larger building plus the addition of two amazing veterinarians to our team have allowed us to continue to serve our community’s veterinary health care needs.
While we have had room on our hospital side to accommodate new pets while still serving our current patients, the same can't be said about our grooming service. A shortage of groomers combined with the surge in pets that need regular grooming have stretched our grooming capacity to the limit. Our two talented groomers, Cindy & Charlene, are booked out over three months and have long wait lists. Since most dogs require grooming every five or six weeks, we are simply not able to meet the needs of everyone who wants to use our grooming services. We don’t have room to expand our grooming space, nor can we clone our amazing groomers, Cindy and Charlene, despite our best wishes.
Because of this, we are limiting our grooming services. Effectively immediately, we can not take on any new grooming pets. This includes pets that are patients of the Concord Animal Hospital that haven’t been groomed with us previously. This is the first group we will add back once we feel we can properly take care of additional pets’ grooming needs on a consistent basis.
For pets that come to us for grooming but not for veterinary care, we will honor appointments that we have previously booked but will not book appointments going forward.
As always we are here to discuss any questions or concerns that you may have.

​It’s been a year since COVID hit and a year since CAH has allowed clients into the building for their pets’ appointments. As with other COVID-imposed limitations on our lifestyle, we’re all sort of over it. We know many of you are all wondering when you’ll be allowed into this lovely new building of ours. Here's the scoop!

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​​WHY HAVEN’T VETERINARY PRACTICES ALLOWED CLIENTS IN WITH THEIR PETS?
Over this past year you’ve been allowed into grocery stores, restaurants, and doctors offices. Why is the veterinarian different?
Veterinary medicine doesn’t allow for social distancing. For every pet's exam, two technicians assist a doctor in performing a physical exam, administering medications and vaccines, and performing blood draws. Allowing clients into every exam adds dozens of new exposure opportunities for our clients and our team every day, hundreds per week. 
While you are permitted into your doctor appointments, these appointments are not possible without you present. While not preferable, it has been possible to deliver healthcare to pets while their owners wait outside throughout this pandemic. Few veterinarians have chosen to allow clients into their buildings during this time. As a profession, most of us determined that the risk to our clients' and team's health and safety outweighed the benefits. Additionally, if CAH needed to close due to a COVID-19 outbreak, we would not be here to care for your pets.

WHEN WILL I BE ALLOWED IN?
Veterinarians and veterinary workers in Massachusetts are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine starting in mid-April. We plan to give our team a chance to be fully vaccinated and then begin welcoming one client in (likely still masked) with their pet in by July, hopefully sooner. Some transactions will still be done curbside, such as picking up food or prescriptions and grooming and technician appointments.
Many of us have know you for years (decades even!) and we really miss you - it will be good to have you back. Also, we are beyond excited to FINALLY show you all our new building! 

FINALLY, OUR THANKS TO YOU
It's hard to find the words to express our gratitude to you all for trusting us to bring your pets into the building without you. This year has been very hard for parents of nervous pets and very sick pets. We also know that it’s tough for our new pet parents who’ve never met us in person – we’re asking for trust we’ve had no chance to earn.  Thank you all for your trust and patience over the past year and for continuing to allow us to do the job we love,  caring for your pets. 

Five years into ownership of Concord Animal Hospital and the Wilson’s are feeling grateful.
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A little over five years into ownership of the Concord Animal Hospital, and Dr. Wilson and I (Katherine Wilson) are reflecting on the journey we’ve taken with our team. With Thanksgiving approaching during a year like no other, here are five things we’re grateful for:

​During a challenging year we have a lot to be thankful for. We hope you are also able to find your silver linings during this Thanksgiving. From all of us at CAH, we wish you and your families (including the furry family members!) have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

     Concord Animal Hospital (CAH) is thrilled to announce the addition of Dr. Kaitlin Rondeau to our team of skilled and compassionate veterinarians! Dr. Rondeau joins Drs. Wilson, Carpenter, Hardie, Fritz, McCullough, and the rest of the CAH team to care for your beloved, furry family members. 
     Katherine and Dr. Stephen Wilson purchased CAH five years ago and the hospital has been growing since. However, an interesting effect of the pandemic has been lots of people adopting new dogs and cats. People are also home more often and noticing their pets' ailments that they might miss in normal life while off at work or school. The results is lots of new CAH patients and appointment requests for current patients. We always want to accommodate both new patients and our current patients when they need us the most, so we've been expanding our team or technicians, receptionists, and now doctors!
     Dr. Rondeau is the perfect addition to our team. She is warm and smart and brings the experiences of her ten year career to CAH. A graduate of Pine Manor College and the Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Rondeau previously practiced at Middlesex County Animal Hospital and Hudson Animal Hospital. In her free time, she enjoys running and spending time with her family. Dr. Rondeau is a native of neighboring Chelmsford. She still lives there with her husband, two children, and their cat, Gracie.
For more information or to request an appointment with Dr. Rondeau or another CAH veterinarian, please visit concordanimalhospital.com. 

Paws up for beautiful kitties!
Cats will only be groomed on Mondays, a day when we don’t offer dog grooming. This will give cats a quiet, dog-free space. Cats in for grooming will be brushed & combed. Mats will be removed with a brush or clipper and kitties will be given a bath and blow dry. While we know that owners would often prefer an all-over trim, leaving the hair long, cats don’t tolerate that. Instead, long-haired cats can be clipped down or given a lion cut.
Charlene will also trim your cat’s nails and clean their ears while they are in for grooming. Prices range from approximately $75-100 depending on the cat’s condition and behavior.
Because cat grooming appointments are limited, we are only offering cat grooming to feline patients of the animal hospital.

Yesterday Governor Charlie Baker declared a state of emergency due to the outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19). We understand and respect that many in our community are concerned about coronavirus exposure and we want to create a safe working environment for our clients and our team members.
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WHAT WE'RE DOING
At Concord Animal Hospital, we clean exam rooms after every visit, clean the hospital twice daily, and have professional cleaners deep clean the office weekly. We always adhere to these strict sterilization standards to keep our pet patients safe from communicable diseases like kennel cough, but it positions us well to prevent transition of illness between humans.
 
We are increasing our already rigid cleaning standards and reminding employees that they must stay home if they exhibit signs of illness. We ask clients who are ill to either reschedule their pet’s appointment for a future date or have someone else bring their pet to their veterinary visit.