Peter Bartram is one of the many essential frontline workers in Benalla who continue to put themselves on the line for the community.
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Peter, who is the head veterinarian and practice owner at Rose City Vets, said the business had incorporated a range of practices to remain open during the pandemic.
“Ours is very much a people business as the pets can’t bring themselves to the vet,” Peter said.
“In some situations we have been able to offer telemedicine services, using Facetime and Zoom to examine the animal remotely.
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“This allows the client to avoid having to come to town or wait in a busy area.
“For those clients whose patients need to be seen by a vet in the clinic, or who are coming in for surgery, we have a new working protocol.
“The clients park outside the clinic and then call us on their mobile phone.
“When it is time for their appointment one of the vet nurses will collect their pet, and them if they wish, and bring it in for examination.
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“We can call the owner on the phone for more history if they remain in their car.
“Then the animal is returned to the car by the nursing staff.
“This avoids us having a waiting room full of people and pets.
“The biggest challenge with small animals has been to limit the family group size coming in with their pet.
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“Dogs and cats are an important part of the family and all family members tend to be concerned and, understandably, come to the doctors to support their pet.
“Under the restrictions brought on by COVID-19 we need to try to limit the number of people attending each appointment.
“With large animals, such as horses and cows, the idea of social distancing is very difficult to implement.
“We need the owner present to help handle and calm their animal and so we have to work in close co-operation with them while attempting to take all necessary precautions.”
Peter said with people working from home, or home-schooling for example, many have been spending more time with their pets, and as such had been noticing issues that might require a vet.
“This increased detection, along with people’s heightened concerns for family and friends at this time, has meant we have experienced an increase in the visitation rate here at the clinic,” he said.
“Clients feel confident that we can offer a COVID-safe environment and have the staff to manage our interaction with them in a way they feel comfortable with.
“I think the presence or threat of COVID-19 has forced many of us to examine how we interact with those around us to keep everyone safe.
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“I have observed that people in the country have been much more diligent in applying the recommended practices to avoid virus transmission than those in the urban areas.
“The presence of this virus is going to force us to change the way we work in many situations for a long time to come.
“And, sadly, I am not confident that any vaccine developed to combat COVID-19 will have the efficacy needed to allow life to return to normal as we remember it.”
For people who might have read articles highlighting that some pets are prone to catching a virus like COVID-19 Peter offered this advice.
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“SARS-COV-2, the virus which causes COVID-19, has been shown to be capable of being spread from infected humans to both cats and, rarely, dogs,” Peter said.
“Affected cats and dogs do become quite unwell.
“This usually only occurs when they are exposed to heavy viral loads from their environment.
“While cats have been shown to spread the virus to other cats, it would appear both cats and dogs are end-stage hosts and they cannot pass the virus back to humans.”
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