Chewy Health is supporting patients affected by the California fires through its telehealth service, Connect with a Vet. When natural disasters strike and the need for veterinary care increases, many veterinarians feel that knee-jerk heartstring reflex to go into workaholic mode. As most step into this profession to provide care, it is a common mindset to feel the burden of being the constant resource, while your own resources are scarce. Veterinarians may also feel the pressure to stretch beyond their core focus, working with species they are not accustomed to—for example, small animal veterinarians who typically work with dogs and cats may need to support equine or wildlife needs in times of crisis. Christina Fernandez, DVM, MRCVS, Dipl. ACVECC, associate director of Veterinary Services at Chewy Health, has gathered her top tips for empowering veterinarians to provide the best care possible during a disaster. 1) Set and uphold boundaries Start by putting a plan in place for yourself–do not forget about your pets and your family. We cannot help if we are distracted or unsupported. It is important to put boundaries in place, such as cutting hourly shifts at a specific limit, when there is pressure to extend hours past capacity. If a care provider cannot eat, hydrate, refuel and rest, the quality of the care suffers along with the veterinarian trying to do it all. This is common in emergency medicine generally, but especially during a crisis. 2) Leverage your resources and network Veterinary medicine is a tight community, so this is the time to leverage those resources and support networks. Friends or colleagues from school or past jobs will come in handy during times of crisis. That friend who is a board-certified exotic vet in New York–call them; they may know how to treat those birds and ducks you are not used to seeing. Resources and communication networks, such as the Veterinary Information Network (VIN) and listservs or social groups can also offer additional knowledge and access. 3) Focus on triage and essential care For people who have not worked in disaster scenarios, or environments where their resources are stretched thin, it is difficult not to provide the full standard of care. In other words, if a caregiver is feeling overburdened, their hospital is seeing many patients at once, now is the time to focus on the essentials. Every veterinarian is trained to go into triage mode in this scenario. This means treating the sickest the quickest. If they are stable with mild wounds, they can wait as a triage vet will work their way down the triage line. Local ER veterinarians are a great resource for help with how to triage, as they are well-versed in this. Nursing staff can be taught to triage and relied upon in scenarios like these as well. 4) Use your resources wisely, both materials and care team Lean on the skillset of your entire team to optimize the care you can give in this situation. Empower vet techs to perform medical tasks appropriate for their level and look for ways to optimize resources. Since deliveries to areas in crisis can be delayed, perhaps someone at the hospital can double the weekly inventory check–ensuring the team can ration materials accordingly and avoid running out of bandages or other critical materials. Lean on client representatives for more help communicating with clients so you can focus on the medical work. 5) Empower and educate your pet owners In a normal situation you might not give a patient back to their pet owner as quickly or early, but when resources are scarce or space is limited, lean on your pet owners by empowering and educating them to help in the course of care so you can move them through more quickly to free up valuable time, resources and energy. Explain to pet owners that you trust them and that you need their help so that you can continue treating additional animals in need. As fires rage across California, Chewy is supporting patients through its telehealth service, Connect with a Vet, for expert veterinary advice via chat or video calls. During this time, Chewy is waiving the video call fee for anyone affected by the California fires. Affected pet parents can access a free video consultation with a licensed Chewy veterinarian using promo code CHEWYHELPS until Jan 31. Christina Fernandez, DVM, MRCVS, Dipl. ACVECC, is a veterinary emergency and critical care specialist with a background in academia, private specialty practice, and industry. She leads Chewy’s team of virtual care veterinary professionals, focusing on educating and supporting pet parents with their pet health questions. A published author and lecturer on emergency and critical care topics, Dr. Fernandez is passionate about advancing the field and improving patient outcomes.
