**IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING**

CORONA VIRUS HOSPITAL PROCEDURES

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Updated 3/06/21

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We welcome 2021 with open arms and lots of hope and prayers that this year will be a better one for all.  We are hopeful that soon all who want the Covid 19 Vaccine will be vaccinated and that we can return to some kind of normalcy. 

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We remain vigilant within our facility to continue practicing all recommended safety protocols.  We are continuing  to allow only one family member to bring in a patient.  (This is true for multiply pets as well.)  Please understand that our exam rooms are not large enough to accommodate more than one family handler at any time in order to protect our staff as well as our clients alike.  Thank you for your understanding and support.

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We are happy to announce that grooming, baths and boarding have all reopened.

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We continue to operate under modified business hours, there will not be any evening appointments as this gives our staff the needed time to sanitize the facility.  We hope to return to our regular hours as soon as possible.

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As always, thank you for abiding by our safety protocols.

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While the CDC and other health authorities have indicated that dogs, cats, and other domestic animals are not considered at risk for contracting COVID-19, we are taking extra precautions to ensure the health and safety of humans within our facilities— notably our clients and staff. Keeping our practice “hospital-clean” has always been a priority for us, and we continue to do so.  We work closely with our staff to ensure that anyone who is not feeling well understands that we support them staying home.  To our customers: 

• If you are feeling ill or experiencing flu-like symptoms and have an upcoming wellness (not critical) appointment, we kindly ask that you call us to reschedule.  

• Medications and food pick-ups will also be brought to your car.  Once again, when you arrive to the hospital, please call from the lot to let us know you are here and a staff member will bill you out and take the product to your vehicle.

• If your pet requires urgent care or has a medical emergency, and you are ill, please arrange for a trusted friend, neighbor, or healthy family member to transport your pet to our hospital. If you call ahead, we will gladly accommodate your representative and make appropriate arrangements. 

• If you do not have a trusted friend, neighbor, or healthy family member to transport your pet, please call 516-942-8387 when you arrive at our hospital and remain in your vehicle with your animal. 

For more information regarding COVID-19, please visit the CDC  or  WHO  websites. 

Thank you for your patience and cooperation. We will get through this together 

Dr. A. Neil Weiss

Event to be rescheduledue to Covid

Doctor Weiss and Randi (of The Manetto Hill Animal Hospital) would like to thank our entire staff, the rescue organizations, vendors and hundreds of people who made this year's Paws 2 Love Festival a success!   With all the hard work and generous donations, the event raised close to $3000 for our wonderful rescues.  17 ANIMALS WERE ADOPTED with several home checks still pending!!  This year's event was our most successful event in 7 years and we could not have done it without your generosity and support.

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A special thank you to MEADOWBROOK FINANCIAL MORTGAGE who donated the food for the festival and to our staff members, TAMI and JESSICA whose long hours of planning paid off in the end!!

Dr. Weiss on News 12 Coverage of Grain Free Diet

Grain Free or Gluten Free Diet Update.

Recently the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has published a list of 16 diets linked to a form of heart disease known as Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM).  Although no recalls have been issued this matter is being closely monitored.   Specific Grain-free/Gluten-free formulations on this list are usually made with no corn, wheat, soy, or rice.  They may be made with Legumes, peas, lentils, potato or sweet potato. A suspicion of taurine deficiency maybe to blame in non-grain diet. 

Unless a pet has specific reason for using a grain-free diet I would suggest not using it until this investigation shows more clarity.  You may switch to a diet in the same brand with a different formulation that includes some of the above named grain.  Gradual diet change is recommended to allow pet to become accustomed to a new formulation.

My advice for choosing brands is to stick to those made by large, experienced manufacturers who invest in (and publish) research, have comprehensive quality control including nutritional adequacy testing, have qualified nutritionists on staff (board certified veterinary nutritionists or well-trained PhD companion animal nutritionists), etc. There is a list of these guidelines from the World Small Animal Veterinary Association- see link e.

These guidelines encompass a range of brands to meet most philosophies, price points, store types, marketing categories, etc (Purina brands: ProPlan, Merrick, Chow, ONE, etc.; Hill's brands: Science Diet, Healthy Advantage, etc.; Mars brands: Royal Canin, Iams, Eukanuba, Nutro, Pedigree, etc).

I still advise use of the uncommon/limited and hydrolyzed ingredient diets in the veterinary therapeutic lines we carry (Purina, RC, and Hill's). Diets best suited for dogs with specific food allergy conditions.

Owners (and their Veterinarians) are asked to report any possible suspect cases of dogs diagnosed with DCM who have been on Grain-Free diets to the FDA.

Further information including the brands list (Starting with Acana, Zignature, Taste of the Wild) can be found on the following websites:  

www.fda.gov,   www.wsava.org, 

Dr. Weiss on News 12 Coverage of Canine Flu