What a year 2020 has been for all! As we head into the fall and winter months, we wanted to keep our clients in the loop with clinic procedures in regards to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic. Like so many others in 2020, we have been faced with difficult decisions. With the number of cases now rising again in the state of Maine and in our area, we feel the decision to continue with curbside procedures throughout the fall and winter is the best decision for all. We know how hard these procedures have been on our patients and pet parents at times, but we want to do the very best we can for clients and patients while limiting the spread of COVID-19.
Maverick doing his part to prevent the spread of COVID-19 by wearing a mask!
While we would like to allow clients into the clinic to accompany their pets, we also know that social distancing in our exam rooms would be incredibly difficult. Staff would have to extensively sanitize each room after every appointment, which in turn takes caring hands away from pets. We want our staff members dedicated to doing what they do best which is, above all, pet care. Allowing more people into the building would also increase the risk of COVID exposure to not only our staff, but clients too. The current pandemic has created a demand for veterinary services unlike anything we have ever seen. As we write this in early November, our schedule is nearly booked for the remainder of 2020 and we are already booking appointments into 2021. We are trying extremely hard to keep up with the demand for appointments and pet care while keeping safety measures for all in place. We feel like we would not be able to safely do both if we began allowing clients into the clinic at this time.
While most current procedures are staying the same, we have made a change to our euthanasia appointments for the winter months. During the summer, we were able to do these appointments outside on the grass to allow family members to be with their pets if they wished. With colder days and inevitable snow on its way, we will eventually have to move these appointments inside. We are working on setting up a space in the clinic to allow families to join their pet in the building for euthanasia appointments only. We cannot use this space for any other type of appointment due its location in the building as it is not easily accessible to necessary medical equipment and supplies used for any other appointment. Masks will also be required. We know saying goodbye is hard enough as it is and we want to do our very best to make sure clients are still with pets in their final moments. We also want everyone to remain safe and follow guidelines during these appointments.
BVC has been open since the beginning of the pandemic and this year has been more trying than any other in recent memory. CDC guidelines and clinic policies are constantly changing - we feel like our heads have been spinning since March trying to keep up with them! We, like many other professions and businesses, have had to make changes at the drop of the hat. Curbside procedures are not ideal, but they have allowed us to stay open. We are incredibly thankful to our clients, new and old, who have been so understanding of our evolving procedures. Your words of encouragement, whether sent through email, Facebook, snail mail, or over the phone have meant so much. We are incredibly thankful for you all. We thank you again for all your support over these last few months. Please continue to be well and stay safe.
Head on over to our original blog post here for a complete list of our procedures, or check out our Facebook page for the latest up to date information.