Like all businesses trying to keep their doors open during the coronavirus pandemic, businesses targeting pets are adapting their services to limit human contact as much as possible in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Some local veterinarians are having staff members meet clients in the parking lots of their offices, reducing the number of people inside the buildings.
Last week Ooltewah Veterinary Hospital began to offer house calls for clients who are unable to leave their homes, but the calls don’t involve entering the client’s home. All care is provided inside an ambulance equipped for any procedure that could be done at the office, right outside the client’s home.
“Our tech happened to own a full-size ambulance,” said Ooltewah Veterinary Hospital owner Karla Woods. “We thought it was a great opportunity to remain open and relevant and help out the community at the same time.”
The house calls are available Mondays and Fridays, with hospital veterinarian Dr. Micah Woods otherwise seeing patients in his office through its curbside “concierge” service.