WELLINGTON COUNTY – Since the outset of the pandemic, veterinarians and other animal-service staff have been battling an increase in demand for their services as well as the added stress of a rise in aggressive owners.
“Longer hours, increased pet appointments, modified service delivery, worried pet owners, and staff safety are straining their mental-health resilience,” Compass Community Services officials say.
Compass Community Services has set up support services for area veterinarians and staff in response to the strain workers have been feeling from the pandemic.
Executive director Joanne Young Evans said staff has been seeing a high level of stress in the field and they want to get the message out that help is available.
“The pets haven’t been socialized very well, the way they normally would’ve been, so you have owners who are quite anxious about taking their pets out,” she said of the rise in aggressive owners.
“They’re more assertive and upset I think because some of them realized that they’re not going to be able to keep the dog because now they’re all going back to work and there’s no one at home.”
Dr. Oren Levstein, veterinarian at the South Tower Animal Hospital in Fergus, spoke with the Advertiser on his experiences with clients during the pandemic and the impact he’s seen on the profession.
“What we’re seeing of course is the pandemic and the necessitated changes in our protocols so we can maintain safety for both us, the clinic staff, but also for our clients and patients,” he explained.
As a result, he noted, with the increase in time between each patient to adhere to health and safety protocols, the demand has also increased.
“And that of course, together with the increase in the number of patients, kind of created a perfect storm,” he explained.
“So more demand with less time to supply that demand.”
He said veterinarians have also seen some changes in client behaviour.
“I would say we as a clinic, with our clients, we are very, very fortunate,” he noted. “Most people have been very understanding with the difficulties we are facing.”
However, Levstein said through the pandemic, staff have noticed people are more demanding of their veterinarians for their pets than they would be with their own physicians.
Levstein said he hasn’t been seeing a change in pets’ moods or behaviors, but he noted we may be seeing a shift once people begin returning to work full time.
“I’m afraid that when people go to work, they will realize that they don’t just have the time for the pets and that many pets will end up at the pound or up for adoption.”
Levstein said working in the veterinarian profession through the pandemic has been stressful, with a lot of the effects being out of their control.
“It does take a big toll on the mental health of both my coworkers and I because again people are very demanding and they’re not very gracious sometimes.”
He added when people seek their help, it’s already a stressful situation because of the nature of their work.
“People are already certainly agitated before they come to us, it’s the nature of why they come to us and that of course is something that carries on.
“We also don’t have enough staff. There is really no time to stand back and get some distance, so we do have lots of burnout in the profession and compassion fatigue.”
For veterinarians and staff seeking support, Compass Community Services has set up walk-in clinics in locations in Guelph and Fergus. Mount Forest’s walk-in clinic is currently virtual only.
Appointments are same day and can be in-person or virtual. The distress line operates 14 hours a day and calls are free and confidential.
Scheduled appointments through the Guelph office can be arranged within days, and also have the option of being in-person or virtual.
Booking is available over the phone or by email on the Compass Community Services website at www.compasscs.org.
