Why is There Such a Long Wait at the Vet?

If you have pets you may have noticed that ever since the pandemic hit, wait times at your veterinarian have been much longer than usual. You may have also experienced some challenges even getting an appointment. Why is this? What changed? Well, many things are going on behind the scenes that are accounting for these changes. Veterinarians still want and need to practice good medicine, but as business owners they have also had to make a lot of adjustments to stay safe in the midst of COVID. Most if not all hospitals have switched to curb side service only. With no clients allowed in the building, it is safer for both clients and staff, however it puts much more strain on the phone systems since all communications are now over the phone in real time instead of in an exam room. With many people staying and working from home, they have had more interaction with their pets and are noticing problems earlier and are calling for appointments more often. There has been a huge increase in the number of pets being adopted during COVID which also leads to more appointments needed. At the same time as becoming busier with necessary appointments, staffing has become strained. We are not immune to getting sick and especially during cold and flu season, employees may fall ill. Most staff who become sick or have an exposure to COVID are required to stay home for 14 days. Any staff who happen to need to travel during this time are also required to quarantine for 14 days once they arrive back home. The short staff, busier schedule with in-person as well as tele-medicine appointments all lead to longer wait times. All of us veterinarians certainly appreciate our clients continued support and patience, especially since it seems like this will be the new normal for quite some time yet. Cinema Veterinary Centre is located at 23460 Cinema Drive, suite L in Valencia 91355, (661) 253-9300.