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When everything was tightly closed in New Jersey and Pennsylvania during the height of the pandemic, only those em-
ployed by essential businesses and front-line medical personnel were reporting to work as usual. Many of us didn’t think
of veterinarians, techs, and administrative staff at veterinary practices and animal hospitals as front-line. Yet they were.
They were caring for our pets just as they would during normal times, albeit with different procedures and operations to
keep both pet parents and staff safe.

In an upcoming series, we will be bringing you the stories of people in the veterinary field who held down the fort during
the pandemic. Here is one vet who, even as COVID-19 barreled over our area, continued to do his job, caring for our pets
and, in many ways, us pet parents as well.
Daniel Stobie, DVM, MS, is the Chief of Staff at NorthStar VETS, an emergency, trauma, and specialty veterinary hospi-
tal located in Robbinsville, NJ. Dr. Stobie told CAS when the pandemic hit in mid-March, the hospital had to institute
curbside service to keep everyone safe. Pet parents would call the hospital when they were outside in their car with their
pet. Parking spots were numbered for ease of finding the right pet. A member of the staff would come to the car and take
only the pet inside for an examination. Parents and vets would have a conversation over the phone about the exam results
and treatment.
These requirements can certainly be a hardship for pet families, but for the hospital staff, the pandemic itself has caused
quite a bit of difficulty, both logistically and emotionally. “I would say in my 30 years of practice, it’s probably been one of
the hardest, if not the hardest or most challenging times to be working,” Dr. Stobie says. As an emergency hospital,
NorthStar is open 24/7. They are generally busy, but during the pandemic, it was even busier, as regular vets’ offices were
closed or had limited hours.