BROOKVILLE, Pa. (EYT) – So much has been written about human health care during the COVID-19 pandemic, but what about animals?
While not being known to be able to contract COVID-19, that doesn’t mean animals still don’t have health issues and emergencies at this time.
North Fork Veterinary Clinic in Brookville continues to help those animals during their time of need.
“We are still open,” said Dr. Daniel Robertson, who along with his wife, Dr. Sarah Pierson, run North Fork Veterinary Clinic.
While the clinic is open, some procedures have changed.
“We are no longer bringing people in the building,” Robertson said. “We are taking (the patient’s) history over the phone and then going out to the car and bringing the patient into the building. We then talk to the client over the phone with what we found. It is just staff in the building.”
Pierson said the goal is to reduce the exposure to COVID-19 for the doctors, the staff, and the clients.
“The word that is being used a lot is curbside service,” Pierson said.
According to Robertson, some clients stay in the parking lot while waiting on their pets to be evaluated or treated and others don’t. It just depends on the case.
“It depends on what is going on,” Robertson said. “We try to come up with a plan before they leave so we are on the same page. Some diagnostics take longer, some treatments take longer, so they leave them with us for a half a day or something like that.”
So far, clients have been very understanding of the changes, both doctors said.
“Overall, they have taken to the changes pretty well,” Robertson said. “We haven’t had any complaints. People are pretty understanding in light of what is going on. I can’t think of anyone who has complained. We tell them what is going on when they schedule, so no one is blindsided.”
Pierson said communication is definitely the key.
“Dr. Robertson and myself have made an effort to call clients after exams to review any recommendations, diagnostics, and medicines,” Pierson said. “People have been good. We are still communicating with them. The clients are still getting, not face time, but ear time with the vets, which is helpful, I think.”
Another change North Fork Veterinary Clinic has made is it is no longer doing elective procedures.
“There is no spaying or neutering of young animals,” Robertson said. “Now, if an animal needs a spay because it is sick, we will do that.”
Robertson said vaccines are still being done at the Clinic.
“It would not be good for an animal to get sick because it hasn’t been vaccinated,” Robertson said.
North Fork Veterinary Clinic is also still open for emergencies and farm call outs.
“We are still seeing emergency cases,” Robertson said. “Nothing has changed.”
According to Pierson, the Clinic is following its previous emergency procedures.
“We are taking emergency calls until 10:00 p.m. during the week and on weekends all day until 10:00 p.m.,” Pierson said.
Robertson said the doctors are also still going to farms to treat animals as needed.
“We are trying to maintain the six-feet separation,” Robertson said. “And we are not shaking hands like we might have in the past.”
North Fork Veterinary Clinic is taking other measures to keep its doctors, staff, and clients safe and healthy as well.
“We were already washing our hands a lot every day before this,” Robertson said. “We are doing it more now.”
Pierson said because the practice is a mixed-animal practice with different situations, the staff was already good at practicing good hygiene.
“We are encouraging that even more now,” Pierson said.
According to Robertson, the clinic is cleaning even more now than in the past.
“We normally would clean all surfaces between every pet,” Robertson said. “Now we are using a special disinfectant that is a little stronger than normal just to be safe. We are also making sure the floors get mopped twice a day.”
Pierson said she and Robertson are also encouraging staff to let them know if they are having any signs and symptoms associated with COVID-19.
“We want to protect them and ourselves,” Pierson said.
Both doctors understand that some clients might be experiencing financial difficulties right now.
“We don’t offer payment plans, but a lot of our clients can get Care Credit,” Pierson said. “They can use that at veterinary clinics and other medical offices like (human) dentists, chiropractors, and vision centers. It offers six-months interest-free if paid off in six months. We realize no one knows how long this will last, but every little bit helps.”
According to North Fork Veterinary Clinic’s website, Care Credit is a medical credit company that provides full payment for veterinary care for eligible clients and accepts monthly payments until the balance is paid in full.
“People can either fill out a paper application or through the Care Credit website, which is linked through our website,” Robertson said.
Pierson said at this point in time it is believed that animals aren’t susceptible to the COVID-19 virus.
“The animals have not been shown to be susceptible to the virus,” Pierson said. “There are other coronaviruses that animals can have but not this particular strain.”
Pierson said the American Veterinary Medical Association has released information that pets could possibly be a carrier of the diseases, but that hasn’t been shown.
“What they are saying is if I sneeze on my dog and Dr. Robertson takes the dog to do an exam, the virus could potentially spread the disease to Dr. Robertson,” Pierson said. “That being said, no pet or animal has been proven to be this carrier. Although possible, it hasn’t been shown.”
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