MSPCA-Angell Headquarters

350 South Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02130
(617) 522-7400
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Angell Animal Medical Centers – Boston

350 South Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02130
(617) 522-7282
angellquestions@angell.org
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Angell West

293 Second Avenue, Waltham, MA 02451
(781) 902-8400
For on-site assistance (check-ins and pick-ups):
(339) 970-0790
angellquestions@angell.org
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Angell at Essex

565 Maple Street, Danvers, MA 01923
(978) 304-4648
essex@angell.org
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Animal Care and Adoption Centers – Boston

350 South Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02130
(617) 522-5055
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Animal Care and Adoption Centers – Cape Cod

1577 Falmouth Road, Centerville, MA 02632
(508) 775-0940
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Animal Care and Adoption Centers – Nevins Farm

400 Broadway, Methuen, MA 01844
(978) 687-7453
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Animal Care and Adoption Centers – Northeast Animal Shelter

347 Highland Ave., Salem, MA 01970
(978) 745-9888
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Compassion and Care Amidst COVID-19

 

By Nicholas Trout, MA, VET MB, DACVS, ECVS

Staff Surgeon, Angell Surgery Service

 

 

I’ve been a veterinarian for over three decades.  I know the power, the reach, and enduring impact of the animals in our lives.

“Pets devour loneliness.  They give us purpose, responsibility, a reason for getting up in the morning, and a reason to look to the future.  Pets are our seatbelt on the emotional rollercoaster of life—they can be trusted, they keep us safe, and they sure do smooth out the ride.”

I wrote this paragraph twelve years ago and, with all the necessary isolation created by ‘stay at home’ and social distancing, sharing time and space with an animal has rarely felt more vital and reassuring, especially for the elderly or those living alone.  So what happens if your pet gets sick and needs medical attention in the era of Covid 19?  How do you get the necessary veterinary care to sustain a bond that is, for many, the inspiration that keeps you in this fight?

In much the same way as human health care, animal doctors have been forced to cancel elective appointments and procedures, prioritizing their caseload to only those cases deemed ‘urgent’ or ‘emergent’.  The Pomeranian with a broken front leg, the Siamese with a bleeding ear wound, these cases are urgent, in need of attention.  Naturally the same holds true for the potentially life threatening emergencies of a Labrador who decides to swallow a teriyaki stick, or a French bulldog struggling to breathe.  The trouble is, for every owner, any health related issue concerning your pet feels, at the very least, urgent.  You are the ones we depend on to notice subtle behavioral changes that signal something is not right.  Your gut feeling about a potential health problem matters.  Veterinarians are still here for you, ready to listen to your pet’s best advocate, but for the safety of all our hospital staff, and you the pet-owning public, my profession has been forced to choose which animals get seen, and which animals do not—a dilemma that goes against every strand in our DNA.

Be assured that we don’t take this responsibility lightly.  We are not triaging against compassion.  If you call our number, or visit our hospital, we still strive to make you and your pet feel better.  It may be a matter of simply prescribing a medication.  It may be words of reassurance and suggesting a period of “watchful waiting.”  If we do need to put hands on your pet (gloved hands for now), it’s going to feel different but that doesn’t make it any less personal.  Our communication will be over the phone and not face to face, and if we are new to you, we appreciate how this is a strange notion, trusting the health of a beloved family member to someone you might not know and cannot see.  Your pet will be taken from you and examined behind closed doors.  You may feel like you’re missing out on all the stuff that matters—reading your vet’s body language, watching how they handle your pet, seeing how your pet responds to them.  The truth is everything has changed but nothing has changed.  We still coo and dote, butt-scratch and ear rub, play and engage in our attempts to discover what’s wrong and how we can help.  You may not be a witness, but I promise, when we talk again, you’ll know we get it, because that’s what we do.

Your pets may not have to worry about this coronavirus, but the folks they need most in their lives do.  This crisis will pass.  Let’s make sure we are all here to share in their joy when it does.