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In honor of National Senior Pet Month, I\u2019d like to share a little about the veterinarian\u2019s role throughout this pandemic. I notice when I visit our veterinarian, there are signs out front referring to them as heroes. They are in the trenches and working even harder this year to take care of our pets\u2019 needs. My hat’s off to them–all of them.<\/p>\n
We have a senior cat and a kitten. In May, our eleven-![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Olivia34-e1600170778584-225x300.jpg\")
year-old cat, Lily\u2019s kidney disease flared and we lost her. So despite the inconvenience and restrictions and rules of the pandemic, we\u2019ve had to visit our veterinarian fairly often over the past nine months or so. With sixteen-year-old Sophie\u2019s serious stress issues when Lily died, and getting the new kitten on the right health track, we\u2019ve visited our regular veterinarian and two emergency vets probably seven or eight times this year. And I can tell you it isn\u2019t the experience we\u2019re accustomed to.<\/p>\n
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No matter the weather, you wait outside with your pet\u2014preferably in your car with the air or the heat on. Everyone is required to wear a mask! Once a receptionist acknowledges you, there\u2019s often a long wait period. We were at our veterinarian for two hours this week waiting for Sophie to be seen for an ear infection. Several weeks ago Sophie started failing and we saw our vet on![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/cat-shelter2-e1573734749371-225x300.jpg\")
a Friday. Sophie wasn\u2019t responding to treatment, so Saturday afternoon we tried to find an emergency vet who would see her. After waiting at one clinic for an hour, we learned it would be at least another three-hour wait. We opted to try another emergency vet. Also a three-hour wait. We finally found a veterinarian who could take her immediately and we were back on the road home after an hour with all of the meds and advice we needed to get her back on the right track.<\/p>\n
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I\u2019m astounded by the number of animals coming and going at these clinics and the number of staff running in and out of the building to handle the various tasks. I\u2019ve heard that more pets are dying this year and I personally know of eight, but are more of them getting sick, too? Or is this rise in veterinary visits because we\u2019re home more and we notice more quickly when something\u2019s wrong with our cat or dog?<\/p>\n
So what happens at your veterinarian now after you\u2019ve ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/LilyLaundrybasket-225x300.jpg\")
checked in outside the office door and waited with your pet in the car or under a tree? The veterinarian will take your case in turn. There were eight patients ahead of us on our last visit and two veterinarians on duty. Finally the veterinarian came to our car, asked us questions, then whisked Sophie away, bringing her back with a report, a recommendation, solution for her ear, and instructions.<\/p>\n
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When we took Sophie to the emergency vet a few months ago, we saw one vet tech twice\u2014when she took Sophie from us and when she brought her back. Otherwise, all consultations, decisions, and payment were done by phone from our car. It\u2019s a different world out there when we\u2019re talking about veterinary care, but we\u2019re fortunate that our veterinarians are considered essential and that they\u2019ve been working for us throughout the entire pandemic.<\/p>\n
They never missed a beat, despite the fact that they\u2019ve had to make drastic adjustments to the way they do things, and my hat is off to them as they are making it work so that our pets continue to remain healthy and us happy. So don\u2019t put off your cat\u2019s check up. Your veterinarian and staff are doing everything possible to keep you safe while keeping your pet\u2019s healthy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In honor of National Senior Pet Month, I\u2019d like to share a little about the veterinarian\u2019s role throughout this pandemic. I notice when I visit our veterinarian, there are signs out front referring to them as heroes. They are in … Continue reading