SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – A nationwide veterinarian crisis has trickled its way into Central New York. VCA Fairmount Animal Hospital has been serving pets in this community for about 60 years. According to the manager of the hospital, Sean Orcutt, multiple veterinarian practices in and near the Syracuse region are overwhelmed due to an increase of pets and low levels of staffing.
Orcutt explained that hiring veterinarians in the Central New York area has been difficult because there is a shortage of qualified applicants. He said the nature of the job can be very taxing due to fatigue, emotional impact, low wages and stress.
When the pandemic spread across the nation the veterinary community was hit even harder.
In an interview with Maddy Tibbetts, employee of Wiggle Waggles Doggie Daycare in Syracuse, she said an influx of people, including herself, bought pets during the pandemic.
¨I definitely believe it´s because people were lonely- it was hard and you couldn´t really leave your house, ¨ says Tibbetts. ¨I definitely don’t blame them one bit for being like ´let´s add a furry friend to the home, lets add another family member. ´¨
With more people becoming pet owners, the ratio of pets per doctor increased. In addition, social distancing measures during quarantine required appointments to turn into curbside service, making appointment length longer and therefore it more difficult to book.
“The benefit of the pandemic is people adopted pets. The not so much benefit is that if the pets get sick they might have to wait longer than they normally would,” Orcutt said.
Despite the challenges the veterinarian community is facing, Orcutt says VCA Fairmount is trying its best to get to as many clients as possible. They are continuing to offer curbside services to people who don’t feel comfortable going inside or wearing masks. They’re also now offering in-office visits to those who are fully masked indoors. Orcutt says he is also making an effort to post regular Facebook messages to improve communication and help pet owners understand what’s going on.
Orcutt says, “Everyone here cares. We will get back to you and that’s one of the biggest challenges right now is letting clients know, we’re not ignoring you. We are just trying to keep our head above water.”
While new clients might have to book eight to 12 weeks in advance, existing clients three to six, VCA Fairmount allocates open time slots for emergency cases daily.
