Local veterinary clinics are taking extra precautions and changing the way they operate to ensure they can keep their doors open during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Maggie Brown-Bury is the president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Veterinary Medical Association, as well as an emergency vet at the Veterinary Specialty Centre in Mount Pearl.

"[Our clinic is] making sure that we can continue to offer at least emergency services to the pets of Newfoundland," she said.

"So we're doing our best to keep everyone safe."

The VSC has implemented curbside appointments to stop people from coming into the clinic and potentially spreading the virus.

"[Clients will] call us when they're in the parking lot. Our staff is going to get all of their intake information over the phone — so their name, their pet's name, what they're here for. And then one of our ICU staff will go out to the door and meet them [to take their pet]," Brown-Bury said.

Then, clients are asked to return to their vehicle to wait. Brown-Bury said they're doing as much as they can over the phone.

"The doctor will do their exam, and then call the client to discuss their findings, discuss what the owner is concerned about, and then come up with a plan," she said.

"When we're all done, the receptionist will call the client and do billing over the phone.… One of our staff members will bring the pet back to the door and hand them off with any medications and papers that they need."

As part of curbside appointments, Brown-Bury said pet owners will now have to stay in their cars, while staff check over their animals inside the Veterinary Specialty Centre. File photo. (Jessica Doria-Brown/CBC)

Brown-Bury said several other clinics in the St. John's area are using a similar curbside system, to keep staff and the public safe.

"[If] you look at some of the businesses locally and across the country, where they've had a staff member who tests positive, they have to shut down to clean and disinfect, and then of course anyone who's been in close contact with that person needs to isolate — and that could be very quickly quite devastating for a veterinary clinic," she said.

Brown-Bury said some clinics are also adjusting staff schedules, to separate into two teams that don't interact.

"They're working on different days, so if something happens to one team, they still have the other team to fall back on," she said.

Clinic owners are speaking with each other about contingency plans in case something happens at one clinic, to make sure their clients can get the vet services they need for their pets at another clinic.

"We're all in this together. So everyone's keeping in touch with each other and brainstorming on possible scenarios and what we might do to respond," Brown-Bury said.

End-of-life care

Another change that was necessary to ensure safety revolves around the difficult decision to put a pet down.

"Unfortunately, we still have to respect the seriousness of the [pandemic] situation that we're in," Brown-Bury said.

While the public is still not allowed inside the clinic, they have come up with an accommodation: a small isolation room that opens to the outside of the building, so clients don't have to walk through the lobby. Only one person is allowed to accompany the pet.

"We can place the catheter and place an IV line, so that the doctor doesn't have to be right next to the owner, if they're holding their pet while they say goodbye," she said.

Brown-Bury said a pet owner who is high risk and wasn't comfortable leaving her house recently had a family member go to the clinic instead, and used Facetime during that final moment to say goodbye.

"We were glad we were able to accommodate them as best as we could," Brown-Bury said.

Can animals catch COVID-19?

While humans are concerned about catching coronavirus, Brown-Bury said you don't have to worry about your pet getting sick.

If you touch that pet, it's just like touching a doorknob. You need to wash your hands afterwards. - Maggie Brown-Bury

"Right now, there's no evidence that dogs or cats can catch COVID … but they can act as a surface on which the virus can live and then be picked up by someone else," she said.

"If you touch that pet, it's just like touching a doorknob. You need to wash your hands afterwards."

Brown-Bury said that's why many clinics will ask before a vet visit if you're sick or supposed to be in isolation — because employees will take extra precautions when handling a pet that has been exposed.

She said a good way to get rid of the virus on the pet's body is by giving them a bath.

Being prepared during a pandemic

Brown-Bury said it's important to be prepared to deal with a pandemic.

She suggests pet owners have at least a 30-day supply of any special diet food or medications on hand.

"If you end up having to be in isolation or quarantine, that's just going to make things less stressful for you," she said.

If you do become ill, Brown-Bury recommends isolating yourself from your pet as much as possible.

Brown-Bury is the president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Veterinary Medical Association, as well as an emergency vet at the Veterinary Specialty Centre. File photo. (Kenny Sharpe/CBC)

"I know [it] is the last thing a pet owner wants to do. But … if you are sick and you are spreading the virus, your pet acts as a surface," she said.

"So as much as possible, someone else in the household should be feeding them, taking care of them, taking them on their walks, and you shouldn't be sleeping with them in your bed or snuggling up with them."

Brown-Bury said another measure that's good for emergency planning in general is to have a photo on your phone of any medications that your pet is on, and if your pet has a chronic illness, to have a copy of your animal's records.

"So if you do end up going to the emergency clinic, you know that we're going to have access to that," she said.

Overall, Brown-Bury said the public seem understanding of the changes.

"In St. John's, with a number of cases locally growing every day, people are afraid themselves. And I think that they appreciate that what we're doing is keeping them safe as well," she said.

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