As of this afternoon, March 13, because of the very rapidly changing COVID-19 situation, UW Veterinary Care is closed to all appointments, including emergencies. This unprecedented step is not one we take lightly; we are closing to protect the health of our clients, staff and students.
A university employee who works in the School of Veterinary Medicine building was diagnosed with novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). University officials are cooperating fully with Public Health Madison & Dane County and other public health officials. The employee recently traveled to a country with widespread transmission of coronavirus. This employee is currently isolated at home. Non-essential employees in the building have been directed to return home. Read more.
UW Veterinary Care animal care staff, including veterinarians and veterinary technicians, are considered essential employees and will continue to provide care to hospitalized animals. Hospitalized patients will continue to receive our full attention and care. We will provide whatever treatments are necessary in order to get every patient back home and out of the hospital.
At this time, we do not know when we will be open for business as usual. We will contact by phone all clients with appointments scheduled for March 16-18 to cancel these appointments. University officials are working closely with Public Health Madison & Dane County to determine what ongoing actions may need to be taken. We will not be able to reschedule appointments until we have a better understanding from Public Health Madison & Dane County on when we can return to business as usual. We will be relying on this department for further recommendations on whether or not appointments scheduled from March 19 onward will be cancelled as well.
Because COVID-19 and response to the disease is a fluid situation, we will post updates on our website, social media and via email as soon as they arise. Regardless, we will do our best to continue to support you and your patients.
Our veterinarians will continue to be available to consult with other veterinary medical practitioners on emergent cases. Our goal is to help you as much as we can and we encourage veterinarians to call or email our services with urgent questions.
We thank you for your patience during this challenging time. Please contact us with any questions.
Additional resources:
- UW-Madison COVID-19 website – provides the latest information on campus plans and response, as well as FAQs
- American Veterinary Medical Association COVID-19 website – contains up-to-date information on COVID-19 and how the disease could impact veterinary medicine