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Emergency Veterinary Medicine during the COVID-19 Pandemic Image by Jeanne Taylor WRITTEN BY: SHANNON GRAHAM, DVM V E T E R I N A R Y S P E C I A LT Y C A R E
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to significant changes in our daily life, not excluding visits to the emergency veterinary hospital. Veterinary care is considered an essential service, so Veterinary Specialty Care has continued to be open 24/7 to provide emergency and specialty care for pets while making changes to keep the staff and clients as safe as possible. Both clients and veterinary staff have had to adjust to these significant and sometimes challenging changes during this pandemic. Like many veterinary clinics around the country, we have implemented multiple policies to reduce the risk of Covid-19 spread, keep our clients and staff as safe as possible, and allow us to continue to serve the Lowcountry. We have adopted a “curbside service only” policy. No clients are permitted inside the hospital, with an exception for euthanasia. When a client arrives at our hospital, they wait in their car and call the posted phone number. The client is screened via a brief survey to evaluate the risk of Covid-19 exposure before the appropriate level of personal protective equipment (PPE) is determined for the triage technician to go to the car to bring the patient inside. The pet owner fills out an online client & patient intake form, and all of the communication for the remainder of the visit is completed via phone calls and other forms of telecommunication. All staff members must wear masks at all times and various levels of PPE as needed, and our staff must take their temperature at the start of each shift. We have established additional sanitation protocols for
the hospital and guidelines for the staff to adhere while inside and outside of the hospital, including mandatory quarantine in certain situations. I know that going to an emergency veterinary hospital is already very stressful for pet owners, especially during a global pandemic. It is difficult for the pet owners as they anxiously wait in their cars, unable to visit their hospitalized pets, and even receive upsetting news concerning their pet over the phone. In addition, many people have been affected financially by COVID-19, due to being furloughed or their place of work being temporarily closed. This financial strain and the additional fear of future job and financial instability can create overwhelming feelings of anxiety and stress for pet owners and affects how they are able to make decisions concerning their pet’s veterinary care. Veterinary Specialty care has made efforts to address and reduce these concerns by offering frequent updates while owners are waiting in their cars, providing photos and frequent updates about their hospitalized pets and presenting healthcare financing service options and variable levels of diagnostic & treatment estimates for their pet’s care. “Telemedicine” and these protocols are new for the veterinary staff as well. We miss the personal interactions with our clients and the ability to see their reactions and non-verbal communication to gauge their understanding of their pet’s diagnosis and recommended treatment. As a veterinarian, it can be more difficult to gain the owner’s trust without ever meeting them in-person and to be unable to hug and comfort owners as they say good-bye to their beloved pet. There is also some reduction in
