Dear Clients of the OVAH

We trust that you and your animals are all still well!

Now that we have moved into level 4 of lockdown, the OVAH will continue to render essential services, including those to alleviate animal pain and suffering and to provide life-saving treatment. We will also continue to provide chronic medication, parasite control products and pet food.

From Monday 11 May, 2020, our specialist clinics (internal medicine, surgery and ophthalmology) will re-open and we will accept all dog, cat and horse patients referred by other veterinarians on an appointment basis.

Our farm and wildlife veterinarians remain available to attend to all call-outs.

Please dial 086 100 8387 and follow the prompts in order to make an appointment with the relevant clinic.

Please note that the following measures still apply:

• Limit the trip to just yourself and your animal; only bring an assistant if essential to control the animal during transport.
• Please do not attend an appointment if you:
  • have a high temperature, a sore throat or have developed a cough in the past two weeks;
  • are suspected to have, or have been diagnosed to have, the Covid-19 infection, or are in a self-isolation period;
  • have been in close contact with anyone who has been suspected to have, or who has been diagnosed to have, the Covid-19 infection.

If any of the above apply to you, please:

• Arrange that someone healthy brings your animal to us.
• Be aware that Covid-19 can be more severe in older people. We therefore recommend that to minimise contact between older and younger people,   clients over 60 years of age should rather try to arrange that someone else brings their animal to us.

If none of the above apply to you, please:

• Wash pet carriers well using water and dishwashing soap before leaving home.
• Wash your hands thoroughly (for at least 20 seconds) with soap and water right before you leave home to come to us
• Wear a mask at all times. In accordance with COVID-19 regulations, we may not allow you on our premises if you are not wearing a mask that covers the nose and mouth.

On arrival at the Onderstepoort Campus, we will provide you with further guidance. Please assist us by adhering to all requests!

There is an automated hand sanitiser dispenser positioned at the main entrance to the hospital which should be used when you enter and leave the premises.

We will use a non-contact infrared scanner to measure your body temperature before you enter the building. This is done to protect everyone, including our clients, staff and students. Should your temperature be above the recommended maximum of 37.5°C), we will check it again, and if it remains high, we will ask you to return to your vehicle; it will also be in your best interest to seek medical advice on your return home. We will then arrange for someone to take your animal from you and assist with the completion of all necessary paperwork.

Please keep a reasonable distance (where possible, at least 1.5 metres) between yourself and our staff and students while in our hospital, and do not attempt to make physical contact with anyone.

Your support during our continued service delivery is highly appreciated!

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The Onderstepoort Veterinary Academic Hospital (OVAH) is one of a kind in Southern Africa – possibly even in the African continent.

Part of the University of Pretoria, and designed primarily to provide world class practical training to final year veterinary and veterinary nursing students studying at the Faculty of Veterinary Science, the hospital nevertheless succeeds in providing, at the same time, a unique and highly valued service to the greater veterinary and pet-owning community.

From a tiny, helpless domestic shorthair kitten, to a stately and economically important stud bull, all companion and production animals are optimally cared for in species-specific clinics, and treated by clinicians and specialists of national and international repute.

The OVAH is the only veterinary hospital is South Africa where veterinary specialists of so many different disciplines practice under one roof. Our scope of services is very broad and includes:

• Medical and surgical oncology for dogs and cats
• Critical care (including ventilation) for dogs and cats
• Tracheal stenting in small breed dogs
• Total hip replacement and other implant-driven orthopaedic procedures for dogs and cats
• Dentistry, all species (including specialised maxillofacial reconstructive surgery)
• Ophthalmology, all species
• Horses, medical and surgical colic management
• Horses, standing tie-backs
• Horses lameness assessment and management
• Cattle, hoof health
• Cattle, general medicine and surgery
• Small stock, (calves, sheep goats) medicine and surgery
• Exotic species, (parrots, small primates, snakes etc) medicine and surgery

In order to perform such diverse and challenging veterinary work, the OVAH boasts 10 theatres, a dog/cat ICU, referral clinics for various species, a bustling first-opinion Outpatient clinic and an impressive array of diagnostic imaging equipment ranging from digital radiography, to computed tomography. Furthermore, the OVAH is the only veterinary facility in Africa to perform diagnostic nuclear imaging, known as scintigraphy. All this ensures the OVAH never lacks for patients to heal or opportunities to train students to the highest standards.

Host to over 70 trained and dedicated support staff, together with a number of enthusiastic and animal-loving veterinary and veterinary nursing students, the OVAH is an academic yet very client- and patient-focused hospital which strives to provide professional, skilled and compassionate patient care and client service at all times.