BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN) - New York State quietly lifted the curbside mandate for veterinary clinics last week. That means pet owners can now enter veterinary hospitals with their pets, instead of waiting in their car.
"We just heard last week, and not all veterinarians know this yet," said Dr Reed Stevens with Ellicott Small Animal Hospital in Buffalo. "I read it as the state wanting to open up veterinary clinics. But the challenge is that the state said protocols and guidelines would be forthcoming. We don't have those yet," he said.
Stevens assumes the guidelines have to do with social distancing and masks, but so far, it's been left up to interpretation.
Veterinary practices had to adapt very quickly last year to curbside service. Stevens said it's surprisingly challenging to adapt backwards, and return to somewhat normal practices. "We've been rolling with changes almost every week for the past 13 months."
Curbside service presented a lot of challenges, with communication standards. "We've been talking to people over the phone, or via Facetime with clients in the parking lots. Some practices were using baby monitors with video from the exam room," said Stevens. There was an exception to the mandate in cases of euthanasia.
There were some positives from the curbside mandate. "I kind of enjoyed it, because we were able to focus on the pet. But we're long past that. We'll all tired of it now," he added.
Some veterinary clinics are continuing to offer the option of curbside services, leaving it up to the pet owner to decide.
Stevens has been most impressed with his staff's resilience throughout the pandemic. "We have clients that are angry, or very upset. Some are very concerned about their pet. We are reminding them that our staff are not in it for the money. They're doing the best they can and we only want to help your pet."
After 25 years in veterinary medicine, Dr Stevens says this has been "the hardest year of our lives."
