Mid-Peninsula Animal Hospital

01/01/2024

Happy New Year! All of us at Mid-Peninsula Animal Hospital wish you and yours the happiest of New Years!

12/23/2023

Between JN.1, the flu, and an upper-respiratory illness impacting dogs, there's plenty to be careful about this holiday season. But with a few key suggestions, you can keep your pets, family and friends — and yourself — safe and healthy this holiday season. https://www.midpen.com/content/taking-care-holiday-season

11/27/2023

Tomorrow is "Giving Tuesday." You may remember; about a year ago, we passed along our discovery of the nascent Ukrainian animal rescue organization. What a difference a year makes! We recently checked back in with them and got an update: https://www.midpen.com/content/update-giving-tuesday

11/22/2023

Happy Thanksgiving
There are so many things we are thankful for this year, but topping the list are our wonderful patients and clients. As days get shorter, cuddle up with your furry canine or feline companion, and keep pet treats lean and healthy. We appreciate you.

11/10/2023

Check out the unique event that Mid-Peninsula Animal Hospital just hosted and sponsored. Scrubs 'N Suds CE combined world-renowned expert, Dr. Brook Niemiec, with hands-on training in veterinary dentistry, and followed all that learning with a festive, fun party! https://www.midpen.com/content/win-win-win-and-party

09/12/2023

Are you a DVM, RVT or Veterinary Assistant?
Join us for an inspiring boost of CE, and an uplifting party with your peers and family.
(Yes, your family can join the party!)
October 22nd in Redwood City, CA.
Get three (3) units of RACE-approved CE, featuring world-renowned Veterinary Dentist: Dr. Brook Niemiec.
And then we party!! A little CE and a whole lot of fun! www.ScrubsNSudsCE.com

Veterinarian

07/21/2023

Nine Lives, Four Teeth and Six Years
Can you imagine being reunited with a pet six (6) years after losing them in the 2017 Tubbs fire evacuation? Ozzie the cat survived with only four teeth and was reunited with his family because he'd been microchipped. Wow! Apparently, we all need to prep our defensible space *and* make sure each pet is microchipped. Check out the amazing report by Mike Dewald of KCBS Radio and learn how the technology works here: https://www.midpen.com/content/nine-lives-four-teeth-and-six-years

04/14/2023

Goodbye Drought, Hello Heartworm
After such a wet winter, we anticipate more heartworm than usual. Be sure you have heartworm prevention medication up to date. If your pet is due for an annual exam, please note: our lead time for appointments is 4-5 weeks. Now would be the time to book your appointment to get ahead of the heartworm season. More info here: https://www.midpen.com/content/goodbye-drought-hello-heartworm

03/31/2023

Spring Brings Change to Masking
Spring has sprung and with it new data, allowing us to change our masking policy from "masks required indoors" to "masks recommended indoors." This is progress; but we're also happy to accommodate those who are immunocompromised or just "not yet ready" by offering the same drop-off service we all used at the height of the pandemic. Learn more about our decision on our related blog post: https://www.midpen.com/content/spring-brings-change-masking

03/24/2023

Pajaro Pet Owners Remind Us
Joyful reunions of Pajaro pets with their humans remind us of what really matters. Evacuations happened with no notice, and lasted longer than imagined. We're heartened by SPCA Monterey County efforts to rescue, care for, and reunite the pets. It's also a potent reminder to be PetReady! for a disaster, motivation to consider microchipping and inspiration to maybe pitch in. Read more, and access our PetReady! checklist, on our blog post: https://www.midpen.com/content/pajaro-pet-owners-remind-us

03/10/2023

In the US, only 12-15% of animal hospitals are accredited. We are very pleased to share that Mid-Peninsula Animal Hospital successfully passed our periodic evaluation for accreditation from the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA). We underwent evaluation on nine hundred (900) standards: patient care, emergency protocols, pain management and other important areas of your pet's health. It is a real team effort and we're grateful to all who pitched in. https://www.midpen.com/content/joy-accreditation

12/20/2022

Masks FTW (For The Winter)
You've been terrific thru the pandemic. Thank you. As we move from drop-off-only to drop-off or in-person, this winter we will keep masking indoors. We have a duty to protect the vulnerable among clients and staff by wearing masks and keeping current on boosters. Also, this winter's triple whammy of upper respiratory viruses (Covid, Flu and RSV) worries health care providers. The flu vaccine virus match is excellent, tho. More details here: https://www.midpen.com/content/masks-ftw-winter

11/22/2022

Oh, Be-have
This Thanksgiving, we share a profound, inspirational photo of displaced dogs in war-torn Ukraine lining up for their turn at a pet feeding station in Kramatorsk. Nate Mook, former CEO at World Central Kitchen said, "I’ve never seen anything like this." His project with local Ukrainians you can support (link/deets on our blog). What incredible cats and dogs: take heart from their example, and take their example to heart. Happy Thanksgiving. https://www.midpen.com/content/thanksgiving-%E2%80%93-oh-be-have

10/28/2022

Halloween - Consider Your Pets!
A little advanced consideration can prevent a scary Halloween-related animal emergency! Before you open the door to trick or treaters and watch your animal bolt out of it, or before someone gives your dog chocolate, surgary or high-fat foods or sugar-free foods with xylitol in them, talk to your family and think through your plan for your animals and the holiday. More info on our blog: https://www.midpen.com/content/halloween-remember-pets.

10/14/2022

Epic Bird Flu Outbreak
If you keep birds, poultry or have a backyard bird feeder, headsup. A very nasty strain of bird flu is spreading with the fall migration. Worldwide, people are trying to mitigate its spread. This week, San Mateo notified us, to help spread the word to remove bird feeders and bird baths from your property. More info: https://www.midpen.com/content/epic-bird-flu-outbreak.

06/10/2022

Garage Door Upgrade
We're closed Fri, June 17th for an exciting garage door upgrade. Adjust plans for food or med pickups, but it's a good time for garage thoughts. More on blog, but TL;DR = 1) at the Stop signs, check the two displays (or TV monitors) to see the outside sidewalk and street traffic 2) traffic lights cause a pattern, so if traffic's heavy, chillax, a big no-traffic gap is coming, much more luxurious for exiting, and 3) "Go slow" (natch). Full post:

05/20/2022

Happy Spring! We have three updates for you.
First: this Covid pandemic is causing a bit of whiplash. We started to relax restrictions, but are back to being conservative (appointments as dropoffs plus suspending House Calls), and we will be closed on Sundays during June.
Secondly, thank you for the supportive response to the new cancellation policy.
Finally, with spring comes your friendly reminder to ensure Heartworm prevention is up to date.
Full details: https://www.midpen.com/content/spring-updates

04/08/2022

Speaking of Boosters...
There's been a lot of attention on booster shots for COVID, but remember it's important to get a booster shot for canine distemper for our dogs. Recently, there have been several media reports about "an outbreak of what is believed to be canine distemper" in the Bay area right now. Typically yearly wellness checks include keeping canine distemper vaccinations up to date, along with any other recommended vaccinations. Since canine distemper can be fatal, it's important. More info here: https://www.midpen.com/content/speaking-boosters.

03/18/2022

Thank You For Being Nice

We have some of the best clients in the world. They tend to be smart and nice, and really partner with their veterinarian collaboratively. We not only recognize it, but we also really appreciate it.

Here's why: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=objP3E625Xo

While its true we have experienced an uptick in No-shows, our cancellation policy (see our website) seems to be helping on that front. And we do occasionally experience, um, non-nice clients. Sad, but true.

For the most part, our clients know this profession requires a complicated mix of medical knowledge, laser focus and warm compassion on the patient front, plus education, patient communication and more compassion on the client front. You appreciate our skills and work with us to really be proactive partners in your animal's health. You "get" the importance of yearly wellness exams, and tend to them.

On our side, we have also been taking steps to try to protect and care for ourselves during this extra stressful pandemic time. We discussed and implemented a boundary on the no-shows front. We closed on Sundays for several months when we detected the need. And we will be taking our time to figure out any covid-related protocols for slowly allowing clients back in the hospital space.

In the meantime, we thought you might find the TEDx talk enlightening and informative. Most of all, we wanted to express appreciation for our wonderful, kind clients, and point out we DO recognize the outsized impact your patience and kind words have on our day and on our mental health. We appreciate you.
Thank you!

Dr. Melanie Bowden is passionate about starting a revolution in the veterinary industry. By developing a better partnership between veterinarians and pet own...

01/13/2022

Please be advised: We will be closed from Thursday, January 13th through Sunday, January 16th, due to a small Covid outbreak amongst our staff. If you had an appointment during this time and were contacted to reschedule, please know that we will do our utmost to get you in as soon as possible. If your animal needs emergency care, please refer to the Emergency Services page on our website. We apologize for any inconvenience. https://www.midpen.com/content/temporary-closure

12/17/2021

New Cancellation Policy and No-Show Fee

Since opening in 1963, we never needed a cancellation policy, until now! As Covid-19 has dragged on, we've seen an explosion in No-Shows. It's industry-wide.

We respectfully request 24 hours’ notice for all appointment cancellations. Late arrivals, missed appointments or insufficient notice will result in a US$70.00 fee for the first occurrence. Full details outlined on our Cancellation Policy page. Thanks for understanding. More info: https://www.midpen.com/content/new-cancellation-policy-and-no-show-fee

10/02/2021

Sometimes People Need a Break
Throughout October, we are taking Sundays off. Why? It's been a long pandemic. Everything takes longer. Both our clients and our staff have been terrific! Amazingly so. Our staff has tried to stay open 7 days a week, but we could use a break, or at least a lighter schedule. It's not a permanent hours change; we'll stay flexible and reassess in a while. We appreciate your understanding, plus all the kindness and support. Thank you.

08/07/2021

Pre-reopening survey

We made it! As California lifts Covid-19 mandates, businesses prepare to re-open. We're also thinking about our re-opening and we'd like to take this opportunity to check-in with you, with a quick 3-question survey.

It asks you to share how you would like to see us re-open, what you would like for us to "keep" from pandemic practices, and anything else you'd like to share with us. If you want to share your thoughts, please take the survey here:

Thank you!

08/24/2018

Mid-Peninsula Animal Hospital's cover photo