There’s been a joke circulating on social media that in 20 years from now, kids in school will be given a history textbook as thick as a brick that exclusively covers all the events that have happened in 2020 alone. This year has certainly been one for the record books.
Things were very uncertain at all veterinary practices in the early stages of this pandemic. Luckily many clinics across the US were considered essential businesses and able to stay open because, let’s face it, pets don’t care about what’s going on in the human world - they still need veterinary care! The month of March is beginning of the busy season for us, but for a very small amount of time, we saw a decrease in appointments as pet parents wished to hold off until COVID-19 was more under control. But here we are, in the middle of the 7th month of this global pandemic and the veterinary medicine community is busier than ever.
Why on Earth are vets so busy?
There are a few key reasons why veterinary clinics are slammed with an increase in appointment demand and case load. Here are just a few of the reasons why!
Sudden increase in pet adoptions. Many people have been home more these past few months, and pets provide us with wonderful companionship! What a better way to spend quarantine than with a new pet! People are also finding themselves with more time to dedicate to training and bonding with a new companion. Spring is typically kitten and puppy season, but we’ve been bombarded with new puppies and kittens these last few months. (Trust us, we’re not complaining!)
Owners are spending more time with their pets. Since owners are quarantined with their pets or are still working remotely from home, they’re noticing changes in behavior or habits much quicker than they normally would. This is leading to earlier detection of illnesses and injuries. There have also been more opportunities for accidents as owners spend more time closer to home instead of traveling and leaving pets at home. Folks are taking their pets with them when they get out of the house which is leading to more opportunities for injuries or altercations with wildlife. All of these factors and more have lead to an increase in acute illness and emergency appointments.
Playing catch-up. Many pet parents wished to hold off coming in for their pet’s annual appointments due to concerns with job stability and finances in the early stages. There were a lot of unanswered questions surrounding coronavirus that made people want to wait until things improved on that front. Now that we know a little bit more about the virus and have appropriate safety procedures in place, pet owners are more comfortable with scheduling their appointments and are trying to get their overdue pets in for their annual exams.
Clinic closures or altered hours. Some veterinary clinics are closed or have drastically altered their hours because of COVID. This has caused a lot of patients cared for by these clinics to seek veterinary care with other clinics who have not closed or changed their hours. BVC is seeing new clients coming from long distances (2+ hours away) and receiving phone calls from all over the state from people desperately trying to find veterinary care for their pets while their clinic is closed or seeing limited appointments. This has placed a burden as far as available appointments on clinics who have remained open and are struggling to see their own clients.
This pandemic has taught us many things - one of them being just how many people have pets, especially in this area alone! The unfortunate reality is that there are only so many hours in a day and so many doctors and staff to see all the pets needing or wanting to come in.
The New Normal
BVC adapted to a “new normal” very quickly back in March by converting all appointments and transactions to curbside care. It is not uncommon for BVC clients to see a very busy, jam-packed waiting room on any given day in the spring and summer months. Knowing there was no way to properly socially distance in the lobby or exam rooms with our clients, we made the decision to only allow staff members into the building to try and keep clients and staff safe. Curbside procedures have proven to be effective, but difficult at times. They come with their own set of challenges, such as:
Appointments scheduled for longer amounts of time. Normally appointments would be scheduled for varying amounts of time, anywhere from 15 minutes to upwards of an hour depending on the pet’s needs. With all appointments now being booked for a minimum of 30 minutes, fewer appointments per day are being booked to account for all the extra work our staff puts into each appointment.
Communication complications. Since we are unable to see our clients face-to-face, this requires a lot more phone time for all members of the staff. Receptionists field tons of calls per day, but phone calls have tripled in the last few months. Clients are calling to book appointments, request refills, inquire about vaccines, products, and information about their pet’s medical care. Now on top of all that, phone calls are required for clients to check-in, check-out, and pick up products. Phone lines are bogged down making communication more difficult. Also, while many of us exclusively communicate by cell phone, there are some individuals who do still do not own them. Since we want to make sure everyone gets the same level of care and treatment, we adapt our procedures to clients who don’t have cell phones too.
Veterinary professionals are struggling too. Vet professionals are dealing with the same COVID struggles as everyone else. Many are parents who have had to adapt their schedules to children learning remotely from home, are caring for at-risk family members, or are at-risk themselves. Some have had to cut back on hours to accommodate the constant changes in their lives, which limits staff and in turn, decreases appointment availability. Others are working 40+ hour work weeks to cover absences and illnesses of co-workers. On top of the COVID related stress and high demand for veterinary care, burnout is a real issue vet professionals are dealing with all across the board.
What We Ask From You
Our lives have been disrupted more than ever this year because of the pandemic, and we understand the stress and frustration only gets worse with constantly changing rules and protocols and the lack of normalcy. Brewer Veterinary Clinic has remained open to make sure your beloved pets stay healthy during the COVID pandemic, and while that is incredibly important to us, the health of our clients and staff is also. Our curbside procedures are not ideal - they place an incredible amount of extra work on the team and disconnect us from our client base, but we do our best every day. There are a few things that we ask of our clients to help us provide the best care possible for their pets.
Plan ahead. As of mid-October, we are currently booked into December for wellness exams and vaccine appointments. This is because of the incredible demand for appointments as well as doctor availability. If you believe your pet may be due for vaccines, or aren’t sure - contact us! If you know your pets are going to be due soon - call us to schedule an appointment ASAP. We also ask that you call ahead at least 24 hours for all medication requests as our staff is focused heavily on curbside appointments. This allows us to fill all prescriptions in a timely manner without having your pet run out in the meantime.
Stay informed. Any updates in our policies or procedures will be communicated via Facebook posts, updates to the blog or website, or sent by email. If you aren’t sure of our procedures, contact us!
Follow guidelines. While we may not be letting clients in the building for appointments, we ask that all clients visiting us adhere to the CDC guidelines during your visit. If you are interacting with staff or others in the parking lot, please be courteous and keep a 6 foot distance. If keeping a distance is not possible, please wear a mask as a courtesy for others.
Above all, be kind. Our staff is doing our very best for your pets during this unprecedented time. We know that curbside procedures can be frustrating to our clients, from frequent busy signals trying to reach us by phone, to not being able to accompany your pet into the building. Unfortunately this is the reality of veterinary medicine at the current time to make sure that clients and staff stay healthy during the pandemic. These procedures are at no fault of any of our staff, so please be kind and courteous to all staff members when contacting or visiting us. We care about our staff’s physical well-being - we care about our staff’s mental well-being too. Abusive and threatening behavior has no place here, so please be kind to all members of our staff. We are doing our very best each day to be here for your pets.
Maverick, our essential Brewer Vet Clinic kitty.
These last seven months have been challenging for us all, but the kindness and understanding we’ve received from our loyal pet parents has not gone unnoticed. We thank each and every one of your words of encouragement and support as the COVID-19 pandemic continues on. We’re all in this together!