Over the past year and a half of pandemic life, people across North America have turned to their pets for comfort, exercise and companionship. Many people spent the first few months of the pandemic welcoming a new furry family member to their bubble.
Veterinary clinics in rural areas have felt the pressure of this pandemic-related pet boom. Issues that were already taking place in the industry have been compounded. Clinics are under-staffed, over-worked and taking on more clients than they can handle.
Andrew Skaien, Director of Administration with Steeples Veterinary Clinic in Cranbrook, says theresa国际传媒檚 an industry-wide squeeze taking place that is affecting clinics.
sa国际传媒淩ight now there is extra pressure on primary care facilities. This issue is fairly unique to our area because in places like Calgary, for example, they have big, 24-hour emergency care facilities,sa国际传媒� Skaien said. sa国际传媒淭hose types of facilities just donsa国际传媒檛 exist here, so the pressure falls on our smaller, primary care clinics.sa国际传媒�
He adds that since the beginning of the pandemic, there has been a massive pet boom which means demand for veterinary services goes up.
Approximately 12.6 million U.S. households got a new pet in 2020, according to a COVID-19 pulse study by the American Pet Products Association.
Both Skaien and Dr. Ruth Sawatsky speculated that there could be a number of reasons for the boom in pets.
sa国际传媒淚t could be that more people are spending time at home, giving them the opportunity to train new puppies or spend time with new kittens,sa国际传媒� Skaien said.
sa国际传媒淧eople have also spent more time with the pets that they had before the pandemic, so they may be noticing things that they didnsa国际传媒檛 before,sa国际传媒� Dr. Sawatsky explained.
Jeff Cooper, Practice Manager with Tanglefoot Veterinary Services in Cranbrook, agrees that everyone feels the pressure of being short staffed right now.
Tanglefoot recently hired a new vet, and one of their technicians has agreed to a full-time position once their practicum is over. The clinic has also put out a call to hire another veterinarian.
They have also called in reinforcement; vets from other clinics in the area have offered to help with emergency services as clinics try to stay afloat on the amount of calls coming in.
Cooper says Tanglefootsa国际传媒檚 call volumes have increased exponentially, leading them to hire more front-desk staff, too.
sa国际传媒淲e looked at the schedule and thought how can we help our community? We are so grateful to have the support of these other vets and the support of our community. Itsa国际传媒檚 really amazing,sa国际传媒� said Cooper. sa国际传媒淏ut we have to make sure our staff doesnsa国际传媒檛 get burnt out. We want to be there for the community as well, but we have to find that balance.sa国际传媒�
Skaien explained that at Steeples, their front desk receives around 500 calls per day.
sa国际传媒淥ur calls have gone up exponentially. I recently checked our records and they showed an average of 500 calls within a nine hour day,sa国际传媒� he said. sa国际传媒淭hatsa国际传媒檚 one call per minute, every minute. Within the first 20 minutes of opening sa国际传媒� we have 50 calls come through.sa国际传媒�
Skaien says that the pandemic is only part of the reason clinics are feeling this pressure. Another factor is a lack of professional veterinary programs.
sa国际传媒淭he solution is to hire more vets, but theresa国际传媒檚 such a shortage. Add to that the fact that there are not enough veterinary programs here, so there arensa国际传媒檛 enough graduates going into the industry.sa国际传媒�
Clinics in Kimberley, Cranbrook and surrounding areas are able to offer medical services to all kinds of animals. Whether itsa国际传媒檚 your dog, cat, horse, pig, chicken or cow, the vets in this area are constantly responding to emergencies, while also ensuring their regular, non-emergency patients are cared for as well.
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Both Tanglefoot and Steeples are currently booking four to six weeks out for non-emergency visits, depending on the severity of the situation.
sa国际传媒淲esa国际传媒檙e currently booking four to six weeks out, depending on the urgency of the case. People need to know that they might have to wait a little longer for an appointment, or wait a little longer in the parking lot for us to come get their pets,sa国际传媒� said Cooper. sa国际传媒淲esa国际传媒檙e absolutely doing the best we can, but we also need to set priorities. If your dog has an appointment for a check-up but someone comes in because their dog just got hit by a car sa国际传媒� emergencies take priority. It happens; emergencies happen. Not once a month, but daily.sa国际传媒�
Dr. Sawatsky says that staff, technicians and veterinarians are doing everything they can.
sa国际传媒淲e just ask that people are patient, kind and polite,sa国际传媒� Sawatsky said.
Skaien felt similarly, sa国际传媒渋t has been a rough year and a half for everyone in this industry. Our staff are sometimes dealing with frustrated customers and we really need to ask for patience and understanding.sa国际传媒�
Cooper felt the same, echoing the now-famous words of Dr. Bonnie Henry to be kind, be calm and be safe.
sa国际传媒淎ll vets are in the same boat right now,sa国际传媒� Cooper said. sa国际传媒淲esa国际传媒檙e doing our upmost to make sure everyonesa国际传媒檚 animals are safe and cared for. So all I ask, is to be kind.sa国际传媒�
corey.bullock@cranbrooktownsman.com
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