The shortage of veterinarians in California remains a serious problem, and veterinarians say they are seeing more illnesses and deaths in their pets just because they are not capable of caring for them.
Veterinary Emergency Group, or Vegetable, is one of the only emergency hospitals in Oceanside. This means that the heavy loads accompanied by fewer doctors and more pets often land on them.
A UC Davis study found that almost two-thirds of California animal shelters don’t care about basic medical needs because they don’t have enough veterinarians. More than half of the veterinary positions are open.
One of the state’s two veterinary schools, UC Davis is working to bring more doctors into the industry. They raised nearly $500 million to expand the facility, but will need more to meet staffing needs.
Veterinarian Dr. Leah Sauerwine joined the crease two years ago and has been under pressure ever since. To make the problem even more tense, spring is when their case load starts picking up.
“Our hospital saw a 17% increase in cases last week,” she said. “We’re seeing more rattlesnake awareness…and we have friends who have faced more severe smoothies like French Bulldogs and Bulldogs who are becoming more active in the warmer months, so we’re definitely seeing an increase in heat stroke.”
In January, California enacted a law that allowed telehealth appointments to ease some kind of pressure. Sauerwein said Veg was effectively advising patients even before the law was passed, which made a huge difference.
To preempt the injury to a common pet, Sauervine said:
If you’ve seen it before, frequently inspect your property for rattlesnakes. Consider installing a rattlesnake fence. Be very careful about removing your pet from the leash. Always have fresh water for them – heat stroke creeps up quickly.
Source link
