Taking care of a pet is a huge responsibility. You need to ensure they’re in good health and are receiving the appropriate care. Thus, bringing your pet to a veterinarian clinic for regular check-ups and treatments is essential. However, as the world changed due to the pandemic, many animal owners wonder if they’re allowed to visit a vet despite strict protocols limiting outdoor activities.
Meeting A Vet This Pandemic
Visiting a local clinic for your pet’s health is allowed in most areas. But there are additional protocols in place to ensure it won’t become a hazard. Here are some things you should know when bringing your animal to the vet during this pandemic:
1. Set Appointments
Due to the effects of COVID-19, many activities such as going outside the house were limited and modified to ensure the safety of the public. One essential service that had to comply with the strict protocols is veterinary care.
If you’re worried about your pet’s health, you shouldn’t fret since you can still take them to their doctor despite the restrictions. However, there are additional guidelines you need to adhere to since they’d make sure the safety of pets and clinic employees.
Limiting people gathered in an area, especially when it’s indoors, is emphasized by most health regulations to make sure the virus won’t spread and infect people. This means many veterinary clinics would uphold stricter policies in appointment booking and unscheduled appointments to prevent crowding inside their office.
If you don’t want to put anyone at risk, you must schedule a visit before showing up at a clinic and wait for their confirmation. In this way, the staff will know you’re coming and conduct proper disinfection procedures before attending to your pet.
2. Cashless Payments Are Encouraged
It’s easier to keep things sanitary and lessen physical contact if you pay the clinic through contactless methods. Some clinics may have veterinary credit card processing systems where their clients can settle their bills. They’ll usually instruct their customers to access an application to see the breakdown of the services they received and their corresponding fees. If the clinic you’re visiting has this feature, then you won’t need to bother filling up your personal information before paying.
This will make it convenient for pet owners to leave after settling the payment for their pet’s treatment and lessen the processing time for each client. In this way, the staff can focus on preparing the consultation room for the next customer. It’ll also prevent the crowding of people in a specific area since there’ll be no reason for a customer to stay further once their animal’s treatment is finished.
3. Answer Questions Truthfully
Due to safety reasons, your clinic may require you to fill up basic information about yourself regarding your recent activities. They may ask you if you’ve had other engagements outside your house recently or if you had prior contact with a person who tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. If you’re confronted with these questions, you shouldn’t hesitate to tell the truth. This will help the clinic take note of all their visitors and conduct contact tracing should the need arise.
In addition, you’ll also need to inform the clinic about the condition of your pet once you ask for an appointment. You should disclose any information that may help the veterinarian determine a diagnosis and check if your pet is in good health.
It’d also be best if you leave your phone number if the vet’s office needs to contact you in the future.
4. Wear Protective Gear
Just like any other public space, you’d be required to wear a mask and follow the disinfecting protocols once you arrive at the clinic. This is to ensure you won’t get sick if the virus is present in the clinic. It’ll also prevent any of the clinic staff from getting infected.
If your pet is small enough to fit in an animal carrier, you should keep them there until it’s your turn. Allowing your pets to wander inside the clinic may expose them to respiratory droplets that may carry the novel coronavirus. They can then bring the virus at home or transfer it to you once you touch them.
Likewise, if you have a bigger pet, you should stay outside the clinic or wait in your car until your designated appointment schedule. It’ll be more challenging to keep your pet well-behaved if you choose to wait inside the clinic.
5. Be Patient
If your pet’s condition isn’t too severe and doesn’t need immediate medical attention, you should be patient while waiting for your turn. Since the veterinary clinics need to practice additional disinfection protocols whenever they open their offices, the waiting time may be longer than usual.
Throwing a tantrum and complaining about the slow pace of service won’t make things go faster. You should remember that everything your vet imposes is for the benefit of everyone who visits the clinic, so they won’t be at risk of getting sick.
6. Bathe Your Pet Afterward
Since you can’t be sure you and your pet didn’t come into contact with the virus, you should disinfect yourself once you get home. It wouldn’t hurt to be more cautious during a pandemic since it’s for your safety and health.
If there’s no advice against bathing your animal after receiving treatment, bathe your pet as soon as you arrive at your house. This will ease your mind and ensure you get rid of all viruses and other contaminants you may have touched throughout your time outside the house.
Final Thoughts
Although there are many things you need to keep in mind when visiting a vet, it’s not impossible to have a stress-free visit to the clinic, even in the middle of a pandemic. Always prioritize your safety just as much as you value your pet’s health and follow the protocols in your area to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Setting appointments early and paying through contactless methods can significantly lessen the threat of getting infected while visiting a veterinary clinic.
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