The following is an excerpt from a press release we sent out on October 20.  Here is the full release.

We understand the frustration of not always being able to have your pet seen immediately, and veterinarians are working extra hard to try to meet the increased demand and continue to provide the best care for your pets. We truly want to help you and your pets: it is just that we can only do so much with the limited doctors and support staff that we have. Your patience and kindness during these busy times is much appreciated. Please understand that when you call, the receptionists and other support staff care deeply about your pet and want to help you. It is not a matter of ‘squeezing you in’ where they can—there are often literally no more slots for the doctors to do this and there are limited human resources.

So, what can you do to help out? First of all, plan your yearly exams or new animal exams well in advance. Keep your pets on the recommended flea and tick and heartworm preventative to help eliminate these parasite infestations and the associated skin and tick diseases associated with them. When you see you are getting low on a medication that your pet needs every day, call at least 3 days in advance, to give the clinic time to get the refill ready. If you have concerns about your pet, call us as soon as possible as it may take time to get an appointment scheduled. If your pet gets better before the appointment- please call us as soon as possible to cancel the appointment so that the appointment time can be used for another animal. Be aware that the animal emergency clinics, just as human ERs will triage patients and the critical cases will get priority.

We are all in this together and we thank you for your patience and kindness while we continue to work to provide you and your pets with the best medical care.