Veterinary practices in many states are still closed to clients. There are several reasons for this.
- We can still function without the additional potential for contracting COVID-19. Having clients come inside is not vital to our business model (although it does slow things down operating curbside, and affects communication).
- Veterinary personnel are already at some small additional risk by caring for animals that may have come from households with COVID-19. There are as yet no documented cases of dogs and cats transmitting it to a person, but dogs and cats can get the SARS-nCOV-2 virus, whether or not they get sick.
- This is now clearly demonstrated to be an airborne virus. Look at veterinary facilities. Like many workplaces, they do not allow for any reasonably safe distancing between all people. This especially applies when two people are working with a patient… with zero separation possible.
- If the veterinary practice has COVID-19 ripping through the staff and has to close for two weeks, YOU are pretty much out of luck if your pet gets sick or injured. The majority of practices in many communities are so busy right now that new clients are being turned away. Emergency clinics are in high demand and understaffed, so even if they will see you, expect wait times of 4–12 hours.
- In many areas, local regulations are keeping clients out of veterinary practices. At the moment in Oregon, we are doing this under orders from Oregon-OSHA - our state Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Be patient! We WANT to bring you back inside. We just can’t yet.