Joint RCVS BVA statement: Guidance on vet status as Key Workers/ School Closures

RE: Joint RCVS BVA statement: Guidance on vet status as Key Workers/ School Closures

Clive Ansell — Mon, 23 Mar 2020 12:16:22 GMT

Yes, i read that too

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/mar/22/pets-at-home-under-fire-coronavirus-key-worker-school-childcare

With the best will in the world, I struggle to see how a brush, wash and blow dry for a dog in one of their groom rooms for £20 contributes to helping the crisis in any way.

They should close immediately, and if not it should be enforced.

Both of my sisters are teachers, one at a primary school, the other a college departmental head. They are both overwhelmed with parents trying to get their kids to school/college as normal. They are being strict - children of key workers only. Also, they are not providing lessons as normal or delivering lessons or lectures, its not normal school. All they are doing is providing a baby sitting service for parents who are essential workers. As they have more and more staff going off sick or to self isolate, it is becoming harder day on day for them to provide the service.

RE: Joint RCVS BVA statement: Guidance on vet status as Key Workers/ School Closures

Catherine Churchill — Mon, 23 Mar 2020 07:20:16 GMT

Has anyone else seen the article in the Guardian this morning. Pets at home/vets4pets seem to be aiming for business as usual. I think as a profession we need to be very careful that we are seen as responsible and helping the situation. Not hindering it.

RE: Joint RCVS BVA statement: Guidance on vet status as Key Workers/ School Closures

Gillian Mostyn — Mon, 23 Mar 2020 07:11:42 GMT

[quote userid="4181" url="~/001/nonclinical/f/life-in-practice-discussions/28969/joint-rcvs-bva-statement-guidance-on-vet-status-as-key-workers-school-closures/220667"]Not so sure; will be interesting what happens in china when their (very strict) controls are relaxed[/quote]

I meant the current very strict controls. I know the pandemic will last a lot longer.

RE: Joint RCVS BVA statement: Guidance on vet status as Key Workers/ School Closures

Rob Loxley — Sun, 22 Mar 2020 22:30:14 GMT

[quote userid="2457" url="~/001/nonclinical/f/life-in-practice-discussions/28969/joint-rcvs-bva-statement-guidance-on-vet-status-as-key-workers-school-closures/220600"]Hopefully it won't be for very long![/quote]

Not so sure; will be interesting what happens in china when their (very strict) controls are relaxed

RE: Joint RCVS BVA statement: Guidance on vet status as Key Workers/ School Closures

Gillian Mostyn — Sun, 22 Mar 2020 20:41:00 GMT

[quote userid="3169" url="~/001/nonclinical/f/life-in-practice-discussions/28969/joint-rcvs-bva-statement-guidance-on-vet-status-as-key-workers-school-closures/220658"] I can't see them wanting to see vastly more people form further away![/quote]

Absolutely agree. Much better to minimise travel. I was more thinking that if you have 3 much quieter practices in one small area, as happens in urban areas, best to only have 1 open so much fewer staff are working - or split into 3 separate teams so that there is less cross infection. I'm sure that in rural areas that couldn't happen effectively.

RE: Joint RCVS BVA statement: Guidance on vet status as Key Workers/ School Closures

Michael Woodhouse — Sun, 22 Mar 2020 20:19:03 GMT

[quote userid="7811" url="~/001/nonclinical/f/life-in-practice-discussions/28969/joint-rcvs-bva-statement-guidance-on-vet-status-as-key-workers-school-closures/220598"]Also, what is "emergent", really and truly? A whelping bitch? Definitely. A dog with an extremely painful ear? Not so easy. Some things that are not so emergent they can wait till morning maybe can't wait 12 weeks without causing welfare issues. We are supposed to ensure animal welfare, it's the core of our profession. Are we just to abandon that altogether? I don't feel I can.[/quote]

The forum is going to get very repetitive if we have the same discussion going on in multiple threads - but this I feel is the crux of the problem. I don't have an exact figure to hand but I'm guessing that 25% of the small animals we see are boosters, the rest are unwell animals of one sort or another. I'm not suggesting that they would all die if they didn't see a vet, but hopefully they recover faster and we relieve a lot of suffering. As I type this on a Sunday evening, the lame dog or otitis can wait until the morning, but it would be cruel to leave it a number of weeks. We've all seen the neglected lame dogs with muscle wastage and the awful stenotic ears when untreated. We're seeing a lot of rather severe vomiting and diarrhoea at the moment, some of them requiring hospitalisation and IVFT.

We do our own OOH, the nearest centre would be over an hour away. It seems a bit daft (and against the principals of this) moving people from a rural environment to a city - never mind the welfare issues of transporting the dog etc. My wife is out lambing a sheep now. Not long back from a cow caeser.

From my view point there is still quite a lot of necessary veterinary work, before we get into debates about whether boosters and ongoing meds checks are actually important........... I can't see a few OOH centres coping when it's all dumped on them. I can't see them wanting to see vastly more people form further away!

RE: Joint RCVS BVA statement: Guidance on vet status as Key Workers/ School Closures

Gillian Mostyn — Sat, 21 Mar 2020 17:59:51 GMT

I'm sure that different solutions will work for different practices in different areas. I certainly wouldn't suggest no veterinary care at all is needed. I just mean that it is maybe possible to reduce the number of staff and/or the number of practices? Hopefully it won't be for very long!

RE: Joint RCVS BVA statement: Guidance on vet status as Key Workers/ School Closures

Julie Innes — Sat, 21 Mar 2020 17:38:39 GMT

I really wish we were told more explicitly what they want us to do. We don't do our own OOH, and as far as I know Vets Now don't start operating until we are closed. What about emergencies during the day?

Also, what is "emergent", really and truly? A whelping bitch? Definitely. A dog with an extremely painful ear? Not so easy. Some things that are not so emergent they can wait till morning maybe can't wait 12 weeks without causing welfare issues. We are supposed to ensure animal welfare, it's the core of our profession. Are we just to abandon that altogether? I don't feel I can.

RE: Joint RCVS BVA statement: Guidance on vet status as Key Workers/ School Closures

Gillian Mostyn — Sat, 21 Mar 2020 11:54:15 GMT

Very few small animal staff should actually need to be at work. I don't think most of us are critical to the smooth running of the country. I'm certainly not!

Ideally we'd just have a few centres, staffed by paid volunteers, doing urgent and emergency work. Not sure of the logistics, but I doubt there could be enough cooperation to make this work. But as practices can shut their doors yet still pay most of their auxillary staff a decent rate of pay, it should be possible.

RE: Joint RCVS BVA statement: Guidance on vet status as Key Workers/ School Closures

vs0u — Sat, 21 Mar 2020 10:23:25 GMT

[quote userid="11308" url="~/001/nonclinical/f/life-in-practice-discussions/28969/joint-rcvs-bva-statement-guidance-on-vet-status-as-key-workers-school-closures/220526"]Considering all vets should be available to provide emergency care, that makes all of us key workers surely?[/quote]

There are enough small animal vets with no children to provide emergency care. Not every practice needs to be open.

RE: Joint RCVS BVA statement: Guidance on vet status as Key Workers/ School Closures

Anthony Dennison — Fri, 20 Mar 2020 16:31:40 GMT

Considering all vets should be available to provide emergency care, that makes all of us key workers surely? All veterinary practices open during the day need to be able to accept emergencies, even if they don't do their own OOH work. I would say that the limits outlined in this statement can't apply to anyone in first opinion practice work