10/12/2021
Happy Thanksgiving! As I type this I'm at the clinic, tending to my hospitalized patients, restocking supplies that got used up during the hectic on call weekend, catching up on laundry so our patients tomorrow have soft blankets, writing out treatment plans so our amazing AHT's know what our patients need in the morning when they get here bright and early, and waiting for the next emergency to arrive. Weekends like this remind me that we have so much to be thankful for...great clients who love their animals, dedicated farmers who tend to their stock around the clock and put aside Thanksgiving dinner because there's a sick animal, and amazing staff who willingly give up their family time to help out on an emergency surgery.
Most of all I am thankful for family. Not just my personal family, but my work family. Myself, the other veterinarians in the practice, and our staff spend more time with each other than our own families most days. We rely on each other to do our jobs safely and effectively, but also for emotional and mental support. If it wasn't for these amazing people, I wouldn't be the veterinarian I am today.
While there’s so much to be thankful for, our industry is in a crisis and we need your help. With people working from home more, cutting back on travel, and changing lifestyles the number of pets has been sky rocketing. This means more animals needing care. But sadly this is all happening at a time when the profession is suffering a veterinarian shortage. In 2020 there were 12,921 practicing vets in Canada, working at 3,301 practices nationwide. Now consider that there are approximately 15.8 million dogs and cats living in Canadian households. This means 1,223 pets per 1 single veterinarian. And this does NOT include horses, livestock, and exotic pets! To say that we are stretched thin is an understatement. This means longer wait times for clients, reduced access to specialized care, increased incidence of burnout among veterinary staff, and a shockingly high su***de rate among veterinarians (3.5 times that of the average person).
Please be kind. Yelling at us doesn't help anyone, including you. It distracts us from providing care to our patients and communicating with our clients. But most of all, it places an immense emotional strain on our already fatigued bodies and minds. Remember we are here to help.
Please be patient with us. We know no one likes prolonged wait times for appointments, veterinarians running behind schedule, or having to rebook your appointment to accommodate a critical emergency that came through the door. We don't like it either! But this is the reality we are faced with currently. Please plan ahead when possible. We are booking 4-6 weeks out for routine appointments and sometimes longer for elective surgical procedures or distant farm calls. Please be flexible. We squeeze in as many appointments each day as possible but we haven't yet figured out how to expand space and time. This may mean that if your pet needs urgent care you may be asked to drop him or her off with us. We will tend to your animal in the moments we have between our other appointments. They will still get the same excellent care we provide to all our patients, it just means we don't have one consecutive block of time to see you with your pet in an exam room. This is our solution to ensure your pet can still receive timely medical attention amidst our extremely hectic schedule. If you have a large animal, please be prepared to haul it into the clinic for evaluation if at all possible.
Finally we ask that you please be respectful of our time and operating hours. We ensure that there is always an on call veterinarian to tend to emergencies for our established clients but please keep in mind that we are not a staffed 24 hour hospital. The on call veterinarian is not at the clinic around the clock or simply working the overnight shift. She has worked all day seeing her regular appointments, then is available overnight to come in for emergencies, and will work again the next day. So when you phone, please understand that she may be at her child's hockey game, making her family supper, or even getting some sleep. All we ask is that you be respectful of our hours and not abuse the on call service. If it’s an emergency, phone! That’s what we are here for. We will troubleshoot your situation over the phone and make arrangements to tend to your animal. But if it is something that can wait to be discussed until we are open again, please call during business hours. If you're just wanting free advice but have no intention of bringing an animal in, please think twice before phoning. And if you're not an established client, please consider contacting your regular veterinarian for assistance first – they know you and your pets and can better advise you.
If you’ve stuck with me and read this far, thank you! Despite the struggles, I can’t imagine doing anything else. It’s our appreciative clients, the relationships we build, and the diverse nature of the animals we treat that make this job so rewarding! Together we can survive these challenging times and come out on the other end better people because of it.
~Dr. Sarah
