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Essential

Above: Dr. Christen Skaer (right) presents Dr. Danielle Estivo, 2020 graduate of the K-State College of Veterinary Medicine with her diploma. Skaer Veterinary Clinic celebrated Dr. Estivo’s graduationat their clinic after she was hired. Her in-person commencement was cancelled due to the pandemic.

Courtesy photo.

ESSENTIAL

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Veterinary medicine takes on essential role amidst a global pandemic.

Story by Audrey Hambright

When COVID-19 came knocking on the doors of business around the world in March 2020, finding a way to stay in business and provide services safely became the ultimate goal. For the Veterinary Health Center (VHC) at K-State, and veterinary clinics everywhere, this was no exception.

As veterinary clinics were declared essential businesses early in the pandemic, the VHC made quick moves to adapt to new safety precautions to protect its faculty, staff, students and community.

According to Dr. Beth Davis, interim director for the VHC, initial changes involved reducing the contact of students with the general public. Additional changes included mask wearing, limitations on room capacity, a drop-off concierge service for clients and modified discharge protocol.

To make matters even more challenging, on April 3, 2020, the difficult decision was made to remove all fourth-year students from in-person clinical rotations, which moved to remote delivery in an effort to maintain student safety. This change resulted in the need for VHC faculty and house officers (interns and residents) to manage all hospital operations and provide educational sessions remotely. Due to an abrupt shortage of personnel, the VHC received only emergency/urgent care services for a period of seven weeks.

“Although remote communication is remarkable, it is not a complete replacement of in-person communication,” Dr. Davis says. “Under normal circumstances, students are involved with every aspect of patient intake, communication, patient care and discharge, a process which was substantially modified in 2020.”

Suit up

Time after time as guidelines and recommendations from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continued to change, the team at the VHC continued to step up efforts to keep the doors open and services available to animals in need and their owners. Dr. Chris Duvendack, VHC administrator, was impressed each time the VHC needed to adapt.

“The teamwork was amazing throughout the pandemic, and we learned to adapt quickly to respond to new information and process changes,” Dr. Duvendack says. “Our team went above and beyond, keeping the hospital open throughout the entire pandemic. Our clients were very appreciative that we were here for them during a time when many businesses were closed for operation.”

When Scarlett Frazier from Manhattan, Kansas, called to schedule an appointment for her dog, she was expecting to have to schedule her appointment much further out. She wanted to avoid bringing her young child, who was unable to wear a mask, into a potentially crowded waiting room.

Above: Clients at the VHC had access to a curbside drive-thru and drop-off service for small animal patients, which will continue as an option in 2021.

“I could not have been more pleased to hear that all check-in and check-out processes would be able to happen from the safety and comfort of my own car, not even having to take our daughter out of the car seat,” Scarlett says. “I simply called when I arrived and was able to do most things via phone (even including payment at pick up). A staff member came out to our car to get our dog and then brought him back to us at the car the following day at pick up. I had full trust in every individual along the way to care for my dog just as I would, and I didn’t have to sacrifice our own potential risk of exposure or safety in the process.”

A rise in pet ownership

According to a report from the American Pet Products Association, 11.38 million U.S. households acquired a new pet during the pandemic. This benefited animal shelters nationwide, which resulted in an increase in new patients for veterinary clinics.

“The most impactful data to support this is the fact that shelters throughout the country saw remarkable declines in animal numbers,” Dr. Davis says. “They were truly able to clear shelters.”

New patients created an opportunity for education with new pet owners, unfortunately not in the same dynamic. Dr. Christen Skaer is the owner of Skaer Veterinary Clinic in Wichita, a clinic she purchased from her father that is celebrating its 50th anniversary this summer. Also a graduate of the K-State College of Veterinary Medicine class of 1999, she says curbside service makes it harder to educate pet owners.

“It takes a lot more effort and I’m certainly not thrilled with the amount of education we can provide. [It is] Not the standard we usually provide at our clinic,” Dr. Skaer adds.

Although providing the same level of service to clients has been challenging, Dr. Skaer is really proud of her team.

“This team has worked harder almost than anybody I’ve ever seen,” she says. “They’ve been remarkable to watch.”

Since veterinarians as a whole have experienced a higher level of stress and shortened clinic hours due to COVID-19, Dr. Skaer believes there should be an emphasis in the profession to prioritize work-life balance and mental health. Curbside drop-off for small animal services at the VHC continues to be operational through 2021. To stay up-to-date on service protocols, please visit www.ksvhc.org.

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