Curbside Service Updates - Oz Animal Hospital

Starting 11/16/20, all appointments at both locations will now be curbside only (no clients are allowed in the building).

When you arrive (for an appointment, food/medication pickup, or sample drop-off), a staff member will greet you and help to get you taken care of.

*We require that all clients wear their masks over their nose & mouth during the entirety of their visit.*

Curbside appointment flow:

A Client Care Coordinator will come out to check you in for your appointment
A Tech will give you a call to ask questions about today’s visit & collect a detailed history
The Tech will come outside to retrieve your pet
The Doctor (or Technician for Tech appointments) will perform their exam & give you a call to discuss findings and a plan for your pet
A Client Care Coordinator will review your invoice with you and take payment
The Tech will bring your pet and any food/medication outside to you

To Ensure a Smooth Visit:

Keep your cell phone volume up so that you don’t miss our calls to discuss your pet.
Be available to talk to us during the duration of the visit (45min-1hr).
If you go for a walk or run an errand, please make sure that you are able to get back to Oz within 5 minutes if we call you to pick up your pet.

Please Note:

If you miss a call from the Doctor during your pet’s visit, we cannot guarantee that you will be able to speak directly with them again (a Tech may need to go over the summary instead).
A curbside appointment is NOT a drop-off appointment. We need you to be able to pick your pet up as soon as we are done examining/treating them.
Unless your pet is scheduled for an exam with a Doctor or a virtual consult, medical questions will be addressed by our highly trained Technicians after they consult with the Doctor.

Scheduling Your Next Appointment
Please be aware that we have a waitlist every day. If you do not give us advanced notice of cancellation or miss your appointment time, someone else’s pet loses out on getting more prompt care! We will try to be as flexible as possible if you are late for an appointment but may need to reschedule if you are more than 10 minutes late.

We greatly appreciate the clients that are working with us during these times. We know that it’s an added stress sending your pet into the clinic by themselves.

How COVID-19 Is Affecting the Veterinary Industry
COVID-19 has taxed the Veterinary industry in an unprecedented way. In a short amount of time, the pandemic created the perfect storm of too many animals needing help and not enough people to help them. We want to take this time to explain the significant constraints affecting the Veterinary profession so you can best understand our policies and plan for your pet’s next appointment.

We have seen a huge influx of Veterinary care needed for pets due to a variety of reasons. People are spending more time at home and getting more pets. People are also spending more time with their pets and are noticing things to consult with a Veterinarian about, including a rise in behavioral issues. Appointments take longer than normal because of the extra steps being taken to prevent exposure and transmission of COVID-19 to our clients and staff.

We are all trying to navigate this new reality and come up with the best approaches for doing our jobs under these new and difficult circumstances while providing the highest standard of care. On top of handling enormous amounts of medical questions and inquiries, our employees have experienced hostile treatment from clients, which has led to extreme stress levels for our Oz family.

This is a national trend and crisis where most hospitals like ours are backed up weeks with appointments. Please understand that we must triage appointments based on urgency and finding ways to squeeze in cases within 2 weeks’ notice is very challenging for our team. In some cases, we may need to recommend Emergency care for same-day urgent needs that cannot be accommodated without sacrificing our standard of care in some way.

Dear Pet Parent,

The safety of our clients and patients is Oz Animal Hospital’s top priority. We are closely monitoring the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and are taking action based on guidance from public health experts. In order to maintain a safe environment and address client concerns, we are taking measures including:

Enhanced cleaning protocols. We have increased the frequency of disinfecting the human-touched surfaces in exam rooms, lobby, bathroom, and other public areas within the hospital.
Additional antibacterial products. We have hand sanitizers (70% alcohol) in every exam room, as well as at the front desk and in our lobby. Sinks with antibacterial soap are located in Exam Rooms 1, 2, 3, and the bathroom.
Online and phone communication. During business hours we are always accessible via phone, email, text, or the Pet Desk app for any questions you may have about your fur babies.
Online pharmacy. Our online pharmacy is ready and stocked should you need a food or medication shipped directly to you versus coming into the clinic.
No hassle appointment changes. Should you wish to self-quarantine and need to reschedule your appointment, just let us know! Feel free to call, text, email, or use the Pet Desk app to reschedule your appointment for a time you feel more comfortable coming in.

We will continue to respond to the latest on COVID 19 with client and patient safety in mind. Please visit our website or Facebook page for further information on our efforts, which we will continually update.

Starting 11/12/20, we are changing the way curbside appointments flow at our Lincoln Park location. When you arrive (for an appointment, food/medication pickup, or sample drop-off), a staff member will greet you and help to get you taken care of. We require that all clients wear their masks over their nose & mouth during the entirety of their visit.

Appointment Flow:

A Client Care Coordinator will come out to check you in for your appointment
A Tech will give you a call to ask questions about today’s visit & collect a detailed history
The Tech will come outside to retrieve your pet
The Doctor (or Technician for Tech appointments) will perform their exam & give you a call to discuss findings and a plan for your pet
A Client Care Coordinator will review your invoice with you and take payment
The Tech will bring your pet and any food/medication outside to you

To Ensure a Smooth Visit:

Keep your cell phone volume up so that you don’t miss our calls to discuss your pet.
Be available to talk to us during the duration of the visit (45min-1hr).
If you go for a walk or run an errand, please make sure that you are able to get back to Oz within 5 minutes if we call you to pick up your pet.

Please Note:

If you miss a call from the Doctor during your pet’s visit, we cannot guarantee that you will be able to speak directly with them again (a Tech may need to go over the summary instead).
A curbside appointment is NOT a drop-off appointment. We need you to be able to pick your pet up as soon as we are done examining/treating them.
Unless your pet is scheduled for an exam with a Doctor or a virtual consult, medical questions will be addressed by our highly trained Technicians after they consult with the Doctor.

Scheduling Your Next Appointment

Please be aware that we have a waitlist every day. If you do not give us advanced notice of cancellation or miss your appointment time, someone else’s pet loses out on getting more prompt care! We will try to be as flexible as possible if you are late for an appointment but may need to reschedule if you are more than 10 minutes late.

We greatly appreciate the clients that are working with us during these times. We know that it’s an added stress sending your pet into the clinic by themselves.

How COVID-19 Is Affecting the Veterinary Industry

  COVID-19 has taxed the Veterinary industry in an unprecedented way. In a short amount of time, the pandemic created the perfect storm of too many animals needing help and not enough people to help them. We want to take this time to explain the significant constraints affecting the Veterinary profession so you can best understand our policies and plan for your pet’s next appointment.

We are continuing to operate under our normal business hours and are only offering curbside appointments & curbside food/medication pickup. No clients are allowed in the building at this time.

Wait times may be extended while we are working under COVID-19 protocols to ensure the safety of clients and staff. We recommend dressing warmly (if not in a vehicle) in case you have to stand outside the clinic for longer than anticipated.

When you arrive to Oz for an appointment, to pick up food/medication or drop off a sample, please call our main number (773-327-5024) and press 0 to be connected with a team member to check in (do not approach the doors). A staff member will be out shortly to assist you.

For appointments:

All pets MUST be on a leash or in a carrier – no exceptions. This ensures that our team can keep a safe distance from clients when handing off a patient.
We ask that you maintain 6 feet of distance from our staff members and other clients at all times.
Once we take your pet inside, we ask that you have your phone readily available so we can reach you when we call to discuss your pet. Any delay in reaching you will result in extended wait times.
When the appointment is over, we will contact you via phone to take payment. We are not accepting cash payments at this time.

The health of our clients, patients, and staff are of the utmost importance to us and we sincerely appreciate your understanding during this challenging time.

Dear Pet Parent,

Enhanced cleaning protocols. We have increased the frequency of disinfecting the human-touched surfaces in exam rooms, lobby, bathroom, and other public areas within the hospital.
Additional antibacterial products. We have hand sanitizers (70% alcohol) in every exam room, as well as at the front desk and in our lobby. Sinks with antibacterial soap are located in Exam Rooms 1, 2, 3, and the bathroom.
Online and phone communication. During business hours we are always accessible via phone, email, text, or the Pet Desk app for any questions you may have about your fur babies.
Online pharmacy. Our online pharmacy is ready and stocked should you need a food or medication shipped directly to you versus coming into the clinic.
No hassle appointment changes. Should you wish to self-quarantine and need to reschedule your appointment, just let us know! Feel free to call, text, email, or use the Pet Desk app to reschedule your appointment for a time you feel more comfortable coming in.