From restricting access to certain areas, offering drive-through services, and delaying non-emergency procedures, veterinarians have been taking some of the same precautions as doctors who treat humans, since COVID-19 arrived. They have even adopted telemedicine in some cases.
If you've visited your vet recently, you've likely handed your pet over to a vet technician outside and waited to be called when the appointment was over.
Veterinarians are also sometimes fielding questions about how susceptible cats and dogs might be to the coronavirus, though cases of infected pets so far have been rare, and the CDC has said there is no evidence that pets play a role in spreading the virus in the United States.
Meanwhile, veterinarians are no strangers to zoonotic diseases such as COVID-19, which originate in animals and spread to humans. And, when it comes to public health, they have much to offer when it comes to watching for their emergence and preventing their spread. With this in mind, the One Health initiative is seeking greater collaboration between human and veterinarian medicine.
Air Date: May 27, 2020
GUESTS:
Michael Dutton - Founder of Weare Animal Hospital and Exotic Bird Clinic, which opened a second site, Hopkinton Animal Hospital, two years ago. His expertise includes birds, reptiles, and amphibians.
Sabrina Estabrook-Russett: Owner of Court Street Veterinary Hospital in Keene.She has worked on foreign veterinary projects involving white rhinos in South Africa and street dogs and cats in Sri Lanka.
