Unless your pet is sick or injured, it could be weeks before you can make an appointment with your veterinarian.
Vets were unable to provide routine care during Michigan’s stay-at-home order. When it was lifted in June, many clinics prioritized their appointments, scheduling things like vaccinations later in the summer.
Dr. Melissa Owings is the president of the Michigan Veterinary Medical Association. She says the COVID-19 pandemic has been difficult for doctors and technicians at her clinic, Kibby Park Animal Hospital in Jackson.
“We’re seeing more burnout, more compassion fatigue in veterinary medicine than I think we have ever seen before.” — Melissa Owings, DVM, president of the Michigan Veterinary Medical Association
Owings says vets have taken great care to minimize the spread of COVID-19.
Her clinic started restricting pet owners’ entry in March, when the state of Michigan confirmed its first human cases of COVID-19. It also stopped doing elective surgeries such as sterilizing pets. Many restrictions are still in place, such as requiring clients to drop off their pets and wait outside in their vehicles while the animals are being examined or treated.
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