If you had a pet during the Covid 19 pandemic, you may have heard the phrase “curbside veterinary care.” Many veterinarians continue to provide this service. Curbside veterinary care was initially recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to achieve physical (social) distancing and limit the spread of COVID-19 and may need to be implemented again if there is another pandemic-like situation.
What is curbside veterinary care?
Hospitals providing curbside care have restructured their practice to avoid the need for clients to enter the lobby and exam rooms. Curbside care is designed to promote physical (social) distancing and reduce the spread of viruses like COVID-19. It also allows busy clients to continue with their day while their pet is taken care of.
While every curbside visit may look a little bit different, the general pattern is as follows:
- You call the veterinary hospital to schedule an appointment and provide a summary of your concerns.
- You may be asked to fill out a form in advance of your pet’s appointment.
- You arrive at the veterinary hospital at your appointment time and call the reception desk to let them know you have arrived.
- A veterinary assistant or veterinary technician comes to your car to retrieve your pet.
- Your concerns and your pet’s medical history are reviewed. If you bring a written letter or send relevant videos to the veterinary team, they can help convey detailed information. If you do not bring any information, the veterinary assistant may speak with you briefly at your car or may call you from inside the building for a more in-depth conversation.
- The veterinarian performs a thorough physical examination on your pet. Depending on how the appointment is scheduled, you may be asked to wait in your car during your pet’s visit, or you may be given a pick-up time later in the day so that you are free to leave the parking lot.
- The veterinarian or veterinary technician calls with an update on your pet’s health and provides an estimate for any recommended services.
- Diagnostics and treatments are performed as authorized.
- Your pet is returned to you and payment is collected.
Different veterinary hospitals may have slight differences in their protocols, but most practices follow a similar format for curbside visits. In some cases, curbside care may be combined with aspects of telemedicine, such as video conferencing or text messaging. For example, your veterinarian may use a telemedicine platform to provide videoconferencing during your pet’s visit, allowing you to watch your pet’s exam and have a “face-to-face” meeting with the veterinarian in a safe, socially distant manner.
For more information on telemedicine, see the handout “Telemedicine and How it Works”. If you have questions about your veterinary hospital’s protocol, ask for more information when you schedule your appointment.
What are the benefits of curbside care?
Curbside care offers several benefits for you and your pet.
First, curbside care eliminates the need for you to enter the veterinary practice. Veterinary practices are busy, with many employees and clients entering and exiting the lobby and exam room daily. Unlike grocery stores and other big-box stores, veterinary hospitals also tend to be small, offering less ventilation than you would experience in a large retailer. A single client or employee with a virus could potentially trigger a large outbreak in a busy veterinary practice.
Second, curbside care protects the veterinary team and, in turn, your pet. A number of veterinary hospitals had to close temporarily during the Covid-19 pandemic. If a significant number of employees become ill or are required to quarantine due to exposure, a hospital cannot stay open. When these hospitals are closed, they are unable to care for their patients, who must then be referred to an emergency hospital or another veterinary facility. Curbside care increases the likelihood that your veterinary team will continue to be available for your pet.
"Curbside care offers several benefits for you and your pet."
Third, curbside care may be used to take care of your pet when they are unexpectedly sick and you aren’t able to be there for an entire appointment. This may also be called a “drop-off” appointment.
Are there exceptions to curbside care during a pandemic?
In most veterinary hospitals during a pandemic situation, exceptions to curbside care are rare. If the practice made an exception for one client, there would be another 20 clients (or more) that day with an equally good reason to request an exception. The benefits of curbside care would quickly be lost in that scenario.
The one exception to curbside care, in many practices, is euthanasia. Veterinarians understand that euthanasia is an emotional time and strive to allow clients to be with their pets, if possible. During a pandemic, your veterinarian will likely have alternative physical distancing plans for euthanasia, which may include requiring clients to wear a mask or even performing the euthanasia outdoors. Ask your veterinary team if you have questions about euthanasia during this time.
Will my pet be anxious without me?
While it is entirely natural to worry that your pet will be anxious without you in the room, most clinic staff are trained to reduce appointment stress and some pets are less stressed when you are gone, as they don’t need to worry about protecting you! In addition, keeping the exam room and lobby closed limits the flow of people and animals through the hospital, which creates a low-stress environment that in turn helps many pets feel more relaxed.
If your pet tends to be anxious for veterinary visits and you are concerned about how they will react away from you, speak to the receptionist about your concerns when scheduling the appointment. There may be steps that can be taken to minimize your pet’s stress, such as prescribing a mild anti-anxiety medication to be administered before the visit. If your veterinarian uses videoconferencing or text messaging, this may also provide a way for you to visually “check in” with your pet during the day.
If your pet is anxious for veterinary visits, now is the time to be proactive at home! Talk to your veterinary team about what you can do to reduce this fear. This may include:
- Visiting the clinic for “happy visits”, where the only thing your pet gets is treats
- Training your pet to see their carrier as a happy place at home
- Ttraining your pet to accept a comfortable muzzle
- Counterconditioning your pet at home to certain aspects of the exam, like looking in their mouth or touching their toes
Will I get to talk to my veterinarian during a curbside visit?
Even in curbside care, you will have an opportunity to speak with your veterinarian. Most veterinarians aim to call each client before discharging the pet, to discuss findings and recommendations. In some cases, you will communicate with your veterinarian over a telemedicine platform, via videoconferencing, and/or text message.
Occasionally, if the practice is busy with emergencies or you are in a rush and cannot wait to speak to your veterinarian, information may be relayed through a veterinary assistant or technician. If necessary, feel free to ask for a follow-up call from your veterinarian when they are available, to discuss concerns in more detail.
What can I do to make my curbside visit go smoothly?
With curbside care, it helps to be prepared! Email or bring a written list of your concerns, which you can give to the veterinary team member who admits your pet. Include any information that might be helpful for your veterinarian and any special requests. Complete any forms your veterinary practice has emailed before your visit—they will be valuable to your pet’s care.
One of the greatest challenges of curbside care is the difficulty of checking lumps and bumps. If your pet has a particular mass you want your veterinarian to examine, describe its location in detail or draw a diagram. If the mass could be difficult for your veterinarian to find, consider marking it for your veterinarian. There are several ways to mark a mass, including clipping a small amount of hair around the mass, using eyeliner to circle the mass, or applying a small dot of nail polish to the coat near the mass.
It may also be helpful to take a photo of the mass, which you can show to a team member or send to your veterinarian via text message or another telemedicine platform. If your pet has lameness, videos of them walking around, up and down stairs can be invaluable to obtaining a diagnosis.
Be sure to bring your cell phone to your visit. You may need to use your phone to call the reception desk when you arrive and to communicate with the veterinary team while your pet is in the hospital.
While curbside care may offer some unique challenges, it may be recommended in the best interests of you and your pet. You can trust that your veterinary team is doing their best to be as thorough and efficient as possible.
