Editor:

I’m writing in response to a letter submitted by a reader who questions why pet owners are not currently permitted to accompany their pets into veterinary visits.

The global coronavirus pandemic has impacted the way we all live and work. Businesses deemed critical, including veterinary practices, have been forced to adapt and improvise, while following local, regional, and federal protocols and requirements.

Most veterinary practices in the United States have adopted a “curbside” business model to reduce risk for staff members and clients. The American Veterinary Medical Association states, “the greatest risk of COVID-19 exposure to veterinarians, their teams, and the public comes from person-to-person contact.” In Washington, the Governor’s office requires businesses to “meet all safety criteria” including wearing face coverings, practicing hand hygiene, sanitizing and disinfecting our workspaces, and critically, maintaining social distance. Simply put, limiting human contact is the most basic way to limit the risk of coronavirus transmission. Even in human health care settings, the number of people allowed into facilities is limited to the absolute minimum.

My team practices in a small facility and the only way to achieve social distancing is to reduce the number of people in the building. We’ve reduced staffing levels even as demand for appointments and procedures has increased. Our current protocol of meeting clients outside to transfer patients reduces the number of people who enter the building by approximately 50 a day, reducing risk for everyone.

Veterinary hospitals are not practicing curbside patient exchange for their staff’s convenience, as the letter writer suggests. If we could make it safe for clients to enter the hospital, we’d do it in a second. Our receptionists are fielding hundreds of phone calls a day, our doctors are only able to communicate with owners by phone, and our technical staff spends extra time escorting pets in and out, currently in the rain and the cold. We realize it’s no fun for our clients either, to stand under a canopy in the parking lot on a dark rainy night to pick up a pet and a prescription.

The letter writer suggests that pets may be affected by separating from their owners. Veterinary staff are trained to handle stressed and anxious animals. They work in their chosen field because they love animals. I don’t know a single veterinary team member who would neglect to soothe an anxious patient.

Finally, the letter writer finds our current practice cruel. This accusation rankles. I’m fortunate to work in Edmonds where all the veterinary practices are excellent. I will take the liberty of speaking on behalf of my colleagues: there is not one member of a veterinary staff in this town who would participate in or even tolerate cruel behavior toward an animal.

In closing, I’d like to call attention to a crisis facing veterinary professionals. The stressors of our profession—compassion fatigue, student debt, cyberbullying, and the unavoidable realities of suffering and death—have resulted in tragic rates of depression and suicide. My staff and team members at vet clinics across the country face unkind remarks nearly every day. I’d encourage readers to reflect before lashing out and find compassion for the dedicated professionals who go to work every day—even during a pandemic—to care for peoples’ beloved pets.

Mark Zacharia, D.V.M.
Edmonds