A new problem has emerged and persisted across all veterinary medicine fields since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Clinics are overwhelmed and understaffed, leading to longer wait times for your pet’s veterinary care. This frustrating situation has been difficult for veterinary staff and worried pet owners, so Caldwell Animal Hospital would like to share with you why this is occurring, and how you can help. 

What happens during veterinary overload?

Veterinary hospitals are currently overloaded, or unable to meet the needs of the pets in their communities. Demand for appointments is outpacing availability, so wait times are increasing. Most general practices are booking wellness and routine visits several weeks or months in advance. Clinics are fielding multiple calls each day about sick pets, but only a few can be “squeezed in.” The remaining sick pets must be seen at the next available appointment, which could be days or weeks. If the problem can’t wait that long, pets may be referred to a 24-hour or after-hours emergency hospital. 

Yet wait times can be worse at the emergency facility, averaging six to eight hours. Here, pets are “triaged,” meaning they are evaluated on arrival so the sickest patients can be identified and seen first. Relatively minor issues, such as ear infections, bladder infections, or torn nails, are clogging up the ER because of the general practice overflow. These aren’t true emergencies, but they shouldn’t wait longer than a few days, so the ER may be the pet owner’s only option. 

Why is my veterinarian overloaded?

Multiple factors have caused the overload, most of them spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic. Here is a breakdown of what’s happening:

  • Pet adoptions increased — According to petfinder.com, adoption inquiries increased 70% between March 2020 and March 2021. Shelters were cleared of adoptable pets, and others were acquired through social media and rescue groups. The pandemic provided a great opportunity to adopt or foster a new pet, because many people were stuck at home. New pets also provided companionship and mental health benefits during a stressful and uncertain time. This new wave of pets caused an increase in the demand for care.
  • People are spending more time with their pets — Many people transitioned into work-from-home positions when the pandemic began. Business and school closures, as well as quarantines, kept many others at home, too. More time spent at home with their pets meant owners picked up on subtle medical problems, which resulted in an increased demand for veterinary appointments.
  • Veterinarians are catching up on wellness care — At the beginning of the pandemic, veterinary clinics were operating only in an essential capacity to conserve supplies needed for human patients. Elective surgeries (e.g., spays, neuters, and dentals), wellness visits, and vaccinations were pushed back, and only urgent cases were seen. Some clinics were forced to close completely for several weeks at a time, making the backlog worse. Eventually, clinics adapted their protocols and re-opened to accommodate the influx of new pets, but by then they were several months behind in routine care. 
  • Veterinary hospitals are understaffed — Veterinarians are in short supply, as are veterinary technicians. This problem intensified when the pandemic hit, and demands placed on limited staff soared. Not enough veterinarians are available to see the number of pets who need care, and graduating new vets takes time. In individual clinics, quarantines, illness, childcare problems, and burnout are contributing to staffing shortages.
  • COVID-19 has reduced efficiency — To ensure your safety, and the hospital team’s, veterinary clinics changed their protocols. “Curbside” allows clinics to see pets while owners wait safely in their cars, but involves multiple time-consuming steps and phone or video calls. Rotating split staff schedules provide security against clinic closure in the event of a COVID case or exposure, but reduce efficiency, because the clinic is never fully staffed. Increased cleaning and distancing inside the clinic slow things down, as well. A recent AVMA survey estimated that clinics were seeing 25% fewer patients per hour than previously. 

What you can do to help your veterinarian

  • Be kind — Your veterinarian cares deeply about pets, and wants to help. If you’re told no appointments are available, your veterinarian is likely already double- or triple-booked. Eventually, the veterinary profession will adapt, new clinics will emerge, and more veterinarians will join the workforce. Until then, veterinary staff are coming in early, staying late, skipping lunch, and foregoing vacations to ensure their patients receive care. Remember how hard your vet staff is working, and the amount of stress they have taken on during the pandemic. A few kind words go a long way. 
  • Book appointments in advance  — Check when your pet’s vaccinations and wellness care are due, and mark your calendar to schedule at least a month in advance. If your pet needs regular check-ups with a specialist, these appointments can take longer, so book at least six weeks or more in advance.
  • Avoid emergency situations  — Limit visits to the dog park, where bite wounds often occur, keep nails trimmed short to avoid breaking, limit access to trash and potential toxins like chocolate or medications, and avoid introducing new treats, chews, or diets abruptly. 

Your Caldwell Animal Hospital team may be busy, but we are here to help. Please call us to schedule an appointment as soon as you notice a problem with your pet, so we can prioritize their care.