It is with deep sorrow I must share the passing of Dr. Brian Hunter on August 19th after his battle with kidney cancer. Over the years I worked with Dr. Hunter (and especially since his retirement in March 2019), many of you have shared personal stories and anecdotes of how Dr. Hunter touched your lives and healed your pets over his long career. He was passionate about taking care of Spokane’s pets, supporting the veterinary community, and helping those around the world through his work on Rotary Club 21’s International Service Committee. We join with his family in grieving the loss of a man cherished by those who knew him and treasured by his community, but celebrate the quiet kindness and care he shared with those around him. More than just a great veterinarian and mentor, he was my friend.
Out of respect for his wishes, there will not be a memorial service. To honor his passion to help the next generation of veterinarians, the family requests memorial donations be made in his name to Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine. Those wishing to write cards for the family may drop them off or mail them to our office at 933 N Washington St, Spokane WA and we will forward them to the family.
⚠️PLEASE READ AND SHARE! THIS IS IMPORTANT INFO REGARDING OUR TEMPORARY APPOINTMENT PROTOCOL.
Dear Friends of Hunter Veterinary Clinic,
We want to assure our clients that we are still here for you and your pets! As you already know, our lobby and exam rooms are small and the Spokane Regional Health District has asked us to practice social distancing to maximize safety and slow down the spread of COVID-19. To protect our staff, doctors, and at-risk clients – as well as protecting our ability to continue providing care to your pets without interruption – we are instituting the following temporary appointment protocol starting Monday, March 16th. To be clear, none of our staff have tested positive for COVID-19, but we have varying levels of risk throughout our staff just like many of you have family and friends at all levels of risk. For many of you, these changes will alleviate concerns. Others may feel inconvenienced. Either way, please know that we have made these temporary changes with the goal of minimizing risk and maximizing the care we can provide to the pets we all love.
APPOINTMENT PROTOCOL **IF YOU HAVE A FEVER OR COUGH, PLEASE CALL AHEAD TO DISCUSS YOUR PETS’ NEEDS**
1. On arrival, please REMAIN IN YOUR CAR and call our front desk at 509-327-9354 to check in.
2. One of our assistants or licensed veterinary technicians will discuss your pets’ concerns, symptoms, and/or needs. (Only hospital personnel will be allowed inside the hospital, with rare exceptions only if the doctor on the case approves.)
3. Your pet will then be taken into an exam room for the doctor to assess them.
FOR THEIR SAFETY:
a. Cats and exotics MUST be brought in a kennel/carrier
b. Dogs must either be leashed with an appropriately tight
collar or, if small enough, should be brought in a kennel.
4. Just like in a normal appointment, your pet will receive a
full nose to tail checkup and the doctor will speak with you personally throughout the appointment by phone. (PLEASE BRING YOUR CELL PHONE AND PHONE CHARGER!).
5. After the exam and treatments are complete, you will receive a call from one of our receptionists to obtain payment via cash (please wait in your car for them to come out and receive payment), credit/debit card, or to confirm Scratchpay total.
6. Your pet will then be brought back out to your car.
PRESCRIPTION REFILL PROTOCOL
As we have always requested, please call at least 24 hours ahead of time to request refills. When you arrive to pick up the refill, call our office and we will obtain payment and bring the medication out to your car.
We are so sorry for the inconvenience this may cause. Please know this is not how we prefer to provide the Best in Spokane service you have come to expect; however, we all must do our part to slow down the spread of COVID-19. This will not be a permanent change to our approach to pet care. Being cautious does not imply that we are panicking – we simply realize that our duty is to contribute to slowing down the spread of this virus as our best way to protect our clients (many of whom are elderly or have complicating medical conditions), staff, and doctors. In turn, keeping us all safe ensures we can continue to help you love and care for your pets!
***Many have asked if we need to be concerned for our pets. There is currently no evidence that COVID-19 can cause disease in dogs and cats (see this announcement by IDEXX: https://www.idexx.com/en/about-idexx/news/no-covid-19-cases-pets/). That said, pets can still spread the virus to other humans in the same way that door handles can spread the common cold from an unhealthy human to a healthy human if good hygiene is not observed.***
The Centers for Disease Control have a comprehensive website with general information and more about COVID-19 and animals: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/faq.html
You Asked, We Listened!
The convenience of the walk-in you love with a much shorter wait!
Our new URGENT CARE AND WELLNESS CLINIC starts Monday January 20th!
Appointments can be reserved Monday - Friday starting at 10 AM daily for your pet’s afternoon visit between 2-5 PM!
Two ways to register:
1. Online through our website – go to www.huntervet.com and click “Book Now”
2. Call us at 509-327-9354 after 10AM on the day you want to reserve your appointment slot
Please show up at least 15 minutes before your scheduled reservation.
After the transition, we will no longer be accepting routine walk-ins (we will still make every effort to see true emergencies). We will still be taking the time needed to fully address every pet’s needs, so there may still be a short wait. Our goal is to make adjustments to the schedule in an effort to get the wait times down to 30 minutes or less.
Saturdays will remain our traditional first-come, first-served walk-in.
**Please share this post so we can get the word out!**
Just like many of you, I will never forget where I was on 9/11. Out of the ashes of the twin towers, a voice was given to search and rescue dogs worldwide because of over 300 dogs who gave their all to save lives of those lost in the carnage. Here are some of their stories:
https://www.dogingtonpost.com/remembering-the-hero-dogs-of-911/
DOGINGTONPOST.COM
Remembering the Hero Dogs of 9/11 - The Dogington Post
Hoping you had a fantastic Labor Day. Just like many of you decided to take on home improvement projects, we decided to labor on some new "outdoor seating."
Every time I go to the pet store, I'm amazed at the type and variety of toys to keep our pets active and engaged. As a veterinarian, I also sometimes see the side effect of pets eating their toys and/or bedding.
Here is Zippy Do reminding you to please ensure your pets' toys and bedding are safe and not going to cause problems. She's feeling much better in this picture after we took a one by two inch mat of her snuggle hut out of her crop!
Thank you all for your patience. We are back open our normal hours starting today. Please feel free to call if you need anything!
UPDATED: We will be closed through January 13th, with the expectation we can re-open on the 14th. Again, please know that we are anxious to get back to taking care of your pets and are sorry for challenges this may cause. Feel free to call and leave us a voicemail if you need anything.
Unfortunately, we are needing to close - at least for a couple days while we're waiting for COVID-19 testing results. We are so sorry for the inconvenience, but please know that we are anxious to get back to taking care of your pets as soon as possible. We will give an update as soon as we know when we are able to re-open.
Established clients are welcome to call and leave a message if you need anything as we will continue to monitor voicemails. If your pet has an emergency, please call:
Pet Emergency Clinic (open 24 hours)
509-326-6670
21 E Mission, Spokane
or
Animal Emergency Clinic (open evenings and overnight)
509-535-8743
6522 E First Ave, Spokane Valley
