Ohio survey asks vets, dentists if they would step in during pandemic

A report on April 7th in The Blade out of Toledo, Ohio, says that over 21,000 Ohioans with medicine-related professional licenses have indicated that they would be willing to step in to help out at hospitals if an expected surge in coronavirus patients occurs, overwhelming doctors and nurses on the front lines.

The Ohio Department of Health sent a survey to medical professionals who are not already affiliated with a hospital, including veterinarians, counselors, dentists, eye doctors, physical therapists, and emergency medical technicians.

Veterinarians would likely be expected to see to basic tasks such as triage and taking vital signs, or even attend to people with non-pandemic-related injuries such as broken bones, freeing up human doctors to look after the serious cases.

Dr. Kathleen Babbitt of Community Petcare Clinic in Toledo told The Blade that veterinarians’ have experience treating a wide variety of species, and that humans are animals, after all. “It’s just another mammal and it has all of its special considerations, like a cat is different from a dog is different from a horse,” Dr. Babbitt said. “We would be able to figure it out … I’d want a veterinarian on my zombie-apocalypse team.”

In the UK, the National Health Service is recruiting vets to help relieve pressure on health service staff as hospitals struggle to cope with the influx of COVID-19 patients. About 150 vets are volunteering as respiratory assistants while other NHS foundation trusts have invited vets, veterinary nurses and dentists to apply for jobs.

While there are no reports of a similar survey or requests in Canada so far, hospitals are asking people in the veterinary, dentistry, construction, salon, tattoo, dentistry or cosmetic industries to donate personal protective equipment (PPE) including masks, gowns and gloves to address a critical shortage for medical professionals working during the pandemic.

People must not overlook the good work being done by the veterinary community during these very unusual times. An article in Today’s Veterinary Business quotes Nova Scotia veterinary nurse Ashlyne McRae, RVT, lamenting, “These last few days have been so mentally exhausting and emotionally tiring. For three days now, several times per day, I have had to take pets away from their humans. We are only allowed five people in our building due to the COVID-19 pandemic — one vet, two techs and two reception.

“So, when it comes to euthanasias and owners saying their final goodbyes, I have had to take pets away from their owners on the sidewalk. We can allow only one family member in the building. The rest must remain outside, leaving the other family members crying at the doors … men, woman and kids who don’t understand.

“This has literally killed me. Every. Single. Time. I cry doing it.”