Let's first start by saying: across the country, long wait times for veterinary appointments are taking a huge toll on pet care. With many people spending more time at home, animal adoptions increased dramatically during and after the pandemic. Now, veterinary clinics across the United States are feeling the impact of all those new pets. Many offices have reported longer wait times and a spike in emergency visits.
We care deeply about every pet that comes through our doors here at Brook Farm Veterinary Center, and our level of commitment to high quality care hasn’t changed, but some of our processes have. Since COVID-19 veterinary hospitals and clinics across the country have adopted new safety measures, which affect everything from how pets are cared for to how doctors and staff interact with clients. While in the best interest of our patients and their families, these factors do contribute to longer wait times, both in person and on the phone.
Dealing with longer-than-average wait times for veterinary appointments can range from being frustrating to downright scary, depending on your pet’s situation. We understand, and your concerns are valid. If you are concerned about long wait times, especially in urgent cases, we encourage you to let us know. If you think your pet is experiencing a medical emergency, please be sure to contact us at the first sign of distress.
In spite of steps such as increasing our staff and implementing procedures to improve efficiency, there are many factors that are outside of our control. The world has experienced a surge in pet adoptions, which has led us to an unfortunate vet shortage and a spike in ER visits.
At Brook Farm Veterinary Center we want to capture every opportunity to help pets in need. To help us achieve our mission, we’ve partnered with a telephone triage service staffed by a team of highly trained Licensed Veterinary Technicians. Our triage technicians are used whenever we have an overflow of calls, after hours, and on holidays so our clients have the ability to speak to a human and express their concerns. By having this service available, it allows a veterinary professional to be available to you 24/7 and provide you with answers, especially in emergency situations.
Our triage technicians will ask you for critical information regarding your pet and will offer advice as best they can. They keep us informed of every call, which is promptly addressed by a member of our in-house team as soon as one becomes available. If they are unable to answer your question, they pass along your message to our team and we will personally reach out as soon as we can.
Please keep in mind the veterinary industry as a whole is surging beyond capacity right now, and our dedicated staff is doing their absolute best to see and treat as many patients as we possibly can. We’re doing everything we can to address longer hold times and busy phone lines.
Thank you for your continued patience, support, and confidence in our team. We look forward to speaking with you soon.
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