![\"schedule,](\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/11.png\")
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If\u00a0you\u2019ve\u00a0sought veterinary care during the pandemic, you may have been surprised that your veterinarian\u2019s appointment schedule was booked out for 3-4 weeks for anything\u00a0routine. If\u00a0you\u2019ve\u00a0needed\u00a0emergency veterinary care, the\u00a0comparison to pre-pandemic life\u00a0may have been even more dramatic. Normal wait times of 2-3 hours have ballooned to 6-8 hours, and\u00a0<\/span>emergency hospitals often\u00a0have to\u00a0stop receiving patients<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The intention of this blog is to explain the complexity of the issue and ask for understanding and forbearance from the pet-owning community.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n During the\u00a0<\/span>initial<\/span>\u00a0shutdown, v<\/span>eterinarians\u00a0<\/span>were not\u00a0<\/span>permitted<\/span>\u00a0to<\/span>\u00a0see<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>routine<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>appointments for\u00a0<\/span>a few months<\/span>; they were only allowed to provide essential services like emergency and urgent care. The backlog of\u00a0<\/span>animals needing\u00a0<\/span>preventive care is\u00a0<\/span>still being<\/span>\u00a0worked through<\/span>\u00a0and may take some time, considering the other\u00a0<\/span>factors,<\/span>\u00a0below.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n A\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>indicated<\/span>\u00a0that 18% of them had\u00a0<\/span>acquired<\/span>\u00a0a \u201cpandemic pet\u201d that they\u00a0<\/span>would not<\/span>\u00a0otherwise have\u00a0<\/span>acquired<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>Though\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0in the United States does not support the idea of a huge uptick in adoptions during the pandemic, there are other sources for the acquisition of pets, including family members and breeders.\u00a0<\/span>Since Canada saw a large increase in the number of pets acquired during the pandemic,\u00a0<\/span>the United States likely did, too<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>If the numbe<\/span>rs\u00a0<\/span>in\u00a0<\/span>the<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>U.S<\/span>. are similar, and one in five Americans\u00a0<\/span>acquired<\/span>\u00a0a pandemic pet, that is a lot of\u00a0<\/span>additional<\/span>\u00a0pets needing veterinary care.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n A\u00a0<\/span><\/span>nationally representative survey<\/span><\/span><\/a>\u00a0conducted by Pew Research of 10,334 U.S. adults\u00a0<\/span>indicated<\/span>\u00a0that\u00a0<\/span>53% of Americans with upper\u00a0<\/span>and middle\u00a0<\/span>incomes say\u00a0<\/span>they have<\/span>\u00a0been spending less money<\/span>\u00a0during the pandemic<\/span>, mainly because their daily activities changed due to coronavirus-related restrictions<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>Slightly more than half of Americans<\/span>\u00a0were<\/span>\u00a0not affected\u00a0<\/span>financially\u00a0<\/span>by the pandemic<\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>may have more money to spend\u00a0<\/span>on their<\/span>\u00a0pets\u2019 veterinary care<\/span>. A higher\u00a0<\/span>acceptance-of-recommended-<\/span>treatment rate affects\u00a0<\/span>a<\/span>\u00a0veterinarian\u2019s appointment schedule as well.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The work-from-home population has\u00a0been\u00a0around their pets\u00a0much more frequently. That could mean more time to study Fifi and wonder if\u00a0she\u2019s\u00a0always breathed that hard, had that little lump, or\u00a0appeared to\u00a0squint\u00a0her left eye, and call the veterinarian for an appointment to check\u00a0all\u00a0of\u00a0these symptoms.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Working from home could also mean\u00a0a more flexible work schedule that allows for more frequent walks\u00a0or runs and more\u00a0trips to the dog park.\u00a0More interactive time with our pets is great, but it can also result in more frequent injuries and accidents, and follow-up visits\u00a0to the veterinarian.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Speaking of that follow-up visit, for most veterinarians, curbside appointments have been the norm since the beginning of the pandemic. With the Delta variant causing so much trouble, many are still\u00a0<\/span>operating<\/span>\u00a0under curbside protocols, or a c<\/span>urbside\/in-person hybrid model of care. Curbside care tends to be more time-consuming and\u00a0<\/span>requires<\/span>\u00a0more personnel to\u00a0<\/span>operate<\/span>, reducing productivity from pre-COVID models<\/span>\u00a0of care<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Even though\u00a0we need more staff, there just\u00a0aren\u2019t\u00a0enough veterinary technicians to\u00a0provide\u00a0adequate care for the increased caseload.\u00a0The\u00a0<\/span>shortage<\/span><\/a>\u00a0was an issue prior to the pandemic but has been\u00a0exacerbated\u00a0by it.\u00a0Same goes for\u00a0<\/span>veterinarians<\/span><\/a>, especially emergency veterinarians.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n There are undoubtedly more factors feeding into the current demand for veterinary services and our current inability to meet it.\u00a0Please understand that there is nothing that we want to do more than take care of your pets, and smarter people\u00a0than me are working to resolve these issues. However, none of these are problems with a quick fix, and\u00a0there does not seem to be an end in sight for the veterinary care boom that we are experiencing.\u00a0Your veterinary team (and emergency veterinary team)\u00a0deeply appreciate\u00a0your understanding during this challenging time!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n![\"dog,](\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/4-1.png\")
<\/p>\n1. Essential Services Only<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n
![\"cat,](\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/12.png\")
<\/p>\n2. Increased Pet Ownership<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n
![\"savings,](\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/9.png\")
<\/p>\n3. Money to Burn<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n
![\"cat,](\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/8-1.png\")
<\/p>\n4. Working from Home<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n
![\"dog,](\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/6-1.png\")
<\/p>\n5. Curbside<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n
![\"hiring,](\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/13.png\")
<\/p>\n6. Staffing Shortages<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n
![\"cat,](\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/3-1.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/BLOG-Author-Block-36.png\")
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