Veterinary Staff

All my life, my jobs have been considered essential. I've worked in horse barns, at dog kennels, and at veterinary clinics. Even in snow storms with a Ford Fiesta, I made the trek to work to take care of the animals. Never in a million years did I expect essential to include working during a global pandemic.

It makes sense that veterinary staff are essential personnel. It makes even more sense working in the field. Every day, we get hundreds of calls to the clinic; whether it's to refill medications, schedule an appointment, or bring their pet in for an emergency. There hasn't been a quiet day since the pandemic started, and I can't imagine what would happen to these animals if veterinary clinics were not able to remain open. Sure, we're only seeing emergencies, but that doesn't stop us from seeing anything and everything we can fit in.

Inside the clinic, we wear masks and gloves. As part of the job, we have to be closer than 6 feet to at least one other person, because a lot of animals can't be thoroughly examined by the doctor without being restrained by a technician. At my clinic, clients are not allowed in the building, but we have two staff members who dress in full PPE in order to go out, retrieve the animal, and take the animal back when the doctor is done. We've also started to launch telemedicine appointments for veterinary care. This allows the doctor to video chat with a client and their pet to see if something is crucial enough to come into the clinic, or if it's something the doctor can prescribe medication to pick up instead of scheduling an in person appointment.

This seems relatively safe. The unsafe part, and the scary part that all of us are thinking deep down is that there is no evidence yet to prove if the virus can live on the animals fur and be transferred to us. There have also been cats tested positive for the virus. Although most of us aren't directly in contact with people, we are still putting ourselves at risk by taking care of your animals every day.

So thank you. Thank you to the staff I work with that cleans all day everyday, respects social distancing outside of work, and saves lives while doing it. Thank you to veterinary staff in our area that are still seeing patients so that they can so our emergency clinic doesn't get so overwhelmingly full that we can't see everyone we would like to. Thank you to veterinary staff all over the world that are still seeing our 4 legged, furry, scaly, feathery, etc. family members. I don't know about you, but my dog is my family, and I would be a mess if I couldn't get him medical care when he needed it.

Thank you for the flexibility of veterinary staff. Things are changing every day. Having doctors explaining exam findings over the phone is new. Not allowing clients into the building is new. Things that should be a simple demo, like teaching an owner how to do insulin injections on their newly diabetic cat, are now big deals and require a good bit of planning and clean up afterwards. Telemedicine, especially for veterinarians, is new. We are all doing our best to take this in stride. We are trying to make things run smoothly, and sometimes we fall behind. Sometimes we slack a little, sometimes we forget to send out medications when bringing your pet out to you. But rest assured, we are trying, and we will never stop trying to give your pet the absolute best medical care we can, despite the craziness going on in the world around us.

Next time you go to pick up your dogs medications, or take your cat to the vet, remember to thank your veterinary staff. Remember to be patient with us, as our world is also getting turned upside down due to this global pandemic. Remember that we are trying just as hard as you are to get settled into our new normal, and that gets especially hard when new details and procedures come out every day. Remember that at the end of the day, we will do everything we need to do to help your pet go home happy and health.