How to Deal With a Pet Emergency
If your pet needs medical attention, what do you do? As with many other aspects of life during a pandemic, getting veterinary care for your pet is a rapidly changing situation that veterinarians across the country have adapted to.
Even with the prohibitions and orders for asylum in most places, veterinary services are considered essential. However, the CDC recommends that non-urgent veterinary visits and elective procedures should be postponed until normal business operations are resumed.
However, if your pet becomes ill and needs immediate medical attention, there are safe options.
Human contact is the biggest risk factor
When it comes to visiting a veterinarian, the greatest risk comes from face-to-face contact . This means limiting any interactions between you and the veterinarian. In the event your pet gets sick, health care options include telemedicine visits as well as office visits that allow physical distance.
Call ahead
If your pet gets sick, it’s important to call your veterinarian and talk to him about what’s going on. This will include a description of the symptoms so that the veterinarian can decide if a phone call is enough or if your pet needs to be taken to the clinic.
If your pet becomes seriously ill at night or on weekends, you need to call one of the veterinary clinics and discuss what is happening.
While calling ahead seems like an obvious step when it comes to emergencies, it’s all too easy to panic and throw caution.
Curb service – option
Like many other services, veterinarians have adapted and now offer curbside services when they go out to pick up your pet and then do a checkup while you stay in the car, while maintaining the required six-foot distance.
This way, you stay safe, the veterinary staff stay safe, and your beloved pet gets the care it needs. You can also use the sidewalk service to pick up any medication or special food for your pet.
Contactless payments
When it comes to processing payments, most clinics have contactless options. This may include paying by phone or through their website.
Pets can catch COVID-19, but there is no evidence they can infect other people
Your pet can catch COVID-19 from you, but there is no evidence yet that it can transmit COVID-19 to other people.
As the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) notes on its website , “There is currently no evidence that pets, livestock or zoo animals that can accidentally become infected with humans play a role in the spread of COVID-19.”
While there have been no documented cases of transmission of COVID-19 from pets to humans, there is little risk of contracting the virus in their fur or collar. For this reason, AVMA recommends washing your hands after handling pets, especially if they have been in contact with other people.
If you get COVID-19, it’s important to isolate yourself from the rest of your family, including pets. Part of your contingency plan should include having enough food and medicine for your pets, and thinking about the logistics of someone who will take care of them if you get sick.
If you have COVID-19 and your pet needs care, call ahead.
If you or someone in your family gets sick and your pet needs medical attention, it is doubly important to call ahead and alert your veterinarian.
As the American Veterinary Medical Association warns : “Do not take your animal to the veterinary clinic / hospital until you have consulted with your veterinarian, especially if you have personally contracted COVID-19.”
If you or someone in your family has COVID-19 and your pet absolutely needs inpatient care, this will require additional precautions from staff, including additional personal protective equipment and an isolation ward.