CORONAVIRUS: HOW VETS ARE HELPING OUR FURRY FRIENDS THROUGH THE COVID-19 CRISIS

Fighting on the frontline: As we get used to alert level 2, Newshub is talking to the essential workers who have provided vital support to Kiwis during lockdown. 

For many Kiwis battling weeks of uncertainty, anxiety and fear as their employment and livelihood hung in the balance, a furry friend often provided some comfort. As New Zealanders took advantage of the time at home to cuddle and dote on their fluffy companions, veterinarians and veterinary nurses were ready and waiting in the wings for pet emergencies. 

For East Coast Bays Veterinary Clinic (ECB Vet) practice manager and vet nurse Kirsten Beaumont, relieving animal suffering was “a reward in itself” for the intense and turbulent changes under alert level 4 lockdown. Yet remaining an operational business and providing an essential service amid the uncertainty came with its own set of challenges.

The practice, based in Auckland’s North Shore, had to adapt with little notice when Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern confirmed the country was moving into alert level 4 of the COVID-19 response framework on March 25.

Amid the mass closures of schools and non-essential businesses, ECB Vet had just days to transition from a thriving, popular practice to a contactless service providing essential, often highly complex care for animals requiring urgent treatment. 

“We were very concerned for our staff and clients’ safety and had minimal time to develop policies, gain the confidence of the team, inform clients and be prepared for an MPI inspection,” Beaumont said. 

Veterinary clinics around the country largely adopted a similar protocol, with clients remaining in their vehicles while a triage nurse clad in full personal protective equipment (PPE) collected the animal from the rear seat. All communication regarding the animal’s condition, examination and treatment was conducted via phone, while stringent cleaning procedures of cages and leads were implemented. 

From the beginning of lockdown, ECB Vet team members were divided into two bubbles, each working three 11-hour shifts per week. Despite the clinic only providing essential care – with routine surgeries such as non-urgent dental procedures and desexing put on hold – Beaumont says the practice was still incredibly busy.

“We were actually offering more appointment times than usual, which surprisingly filled up quickly every day,” Beaumont said. “Even though the number of patients were well down, the team was still very busy being half its normal size. As we were restricted to providing more urgent pet-care, most cases were complex, requiring more testing, treatment and time. 

“We would see approximately 40 patients per day, plus undertake around four-to-five surgeries. There were times when someone was off, so we were even more short-staffed. We made it clear to staff that they needed to remain at home and get tested if they had even the slightest symptoms.”

‘Words of appreciation have been very cheering for our team’

Despite an intense period of change, Beaumont says the majority of clients were “wonderfully supportive” as the team navigated through the challenges of the alert level framework. To boost the spirits of the close-knit team, weekly drinks were held via Zoom or House Party to keep morale high. Each bubble also had fun baking sweet treats to get them through the day-to-day stressors.

“Understandably the process has been slower, with extra steps to ensure hygiene and safety is maintained. Our phone lines being used for the vet and owner to discuss the pet caused clients to get an engaged signal at times – so it has been very cheering for our team to have words of appreciation from clients,” she said.

The team even received a few deliveries of delicious, contact-free edibles, courtesy of local businesses, clients and suppliers. 

“Hearing from clients about how happy and relieved they were that we were open and available when they needed us was incredibly rewarding.”

‘There were hard times’

The brief transition from level 3 into alert level 4 lockdown was perhaps the most difficult time during the COVID-19 response, Beaumont says, as many locals believed the practice would be closed for the duration of the preliminary four-week period. The practice was not spared from the panic-buying bedlam seen in supermarkets, with people rushing to stock up on pet food and flea treatments. The majority of the clinic’s stock was sold out within hours of the lockdown announcement.

“Trying to keep people out of the clinic, ensuring we were attending to everyone, still seeing scheduled appointments and performing surgery was incredibly hard – but I’m proud of the team,” Beaumont said. “It was tough having to disappoint clients by delaying non-essential and complex procedures. Every owner feels the procedure their pet needs is important and should be prioritised.

“We know how important pets are to people’s well-being, especially during a time of isolation. We are certainly grateful we could do our work at this time, as we saved the lives of many much-loved pets and were able to provide for our staff. 

“However, there were hard times… we couldn’t allow families to be with their pet at critical points. Seeing how upset the owner was, but not being able to comfort them, was difficult.”

As the practice adjusts to a new sense of normality under the relaxed level 2 restrictions, Beaumont says life under lockdown left the team with some everlasting memories – and some valuable lessons. One veterinarian, Abi, personally saved two stray, five-week-old kittens on the cusp of death from intractable diarrhoea. Despite her hectic working hours, Abi nursed the kittens day and night until they were well enough to be returned to their foster home.

“There have been daily stories in our clinic, like the orthopaedic surgery for a rabbit with a broken leg or a walnut shell obstructing a dogs intestine, or my personal favourite – the little dog that ate two fish hooks – twice!”

The practice is now back to its usual hours, the staff excited to be reunited as one team again.