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On June 8 , the hospital had a “soft” reopening--allowing a masked person can come inside with their pet. Pay-
ments and paperwork are done online to cut down on interaction. Due to the newly implemented COVID-19 pro-
tocol, parents are not allowed to visit their pets in the hospital however instances which euthanasia is required,
NorthStar is allowing families to be with their pets. That was true even when the pandemic was at its height. For
safety reasons, families leave the hospital directly from the euthanasia room.

At one point during the lockdown months of COVID-19, the hospital had 72 staff members out, either because they
were being quarantined or they were home with their young children. That put a huge strain on those who came to
work, with the added worry of possibly getting sick. Dr. Stobie reports that, thankfully, no one on staff became ill.
As for the patients and their families, the humans were incredibly grateful that NorthStar remained open, even
with the protocols. Early on, most were afraid of being inside, so waiting in their cars was acceptable. Dr. Stobie
reports that about 99% of people are fine with the remaining restrictions, although there are a few who do not
want to comply.
“It’s my job and responsibility to protect our staff and clients. We want to be able to remain open and serve the
public, so we’re taking every precaution possible,” Dr. Stobie says. “And we expect people to honor that if they
come in.”

The pets have even shown themselves to be under stress, just like people. Dr. Stobie’s staff has seen more dog bites
in these last few months than they typically see all year. “I think there’s something to it that the animals are getting
cranky too, from being cooped up….Maybe they’re reacting to people’s stress or maybe because they were locked
up and now they’re socializing and they’re not used to it,” he surmises. The hospital is also seeing that dogs living
in the same household for years are biting each other. “It’s just been a very odd phenomenon,” he says.

When asked what pet parents should know when they visit an animal hospital during these unprecedented times,
Dr. Stobie shares that some medications used for animals are also used for people. Because so many people are ill
right now, there may be a shortage of medications such as pain relievers and those used for anesthesia. When a de-
cision must be made between who receives the available medication, people receive priority over animals. In some
cases, a certain drug may be on back order for two weeks. “We’ve been having to pivot here and there…to try to
deal with the ebbs and flows of the fallout from the Corona virus,” explains Dr. Stobie.

With COVID-19 still looming over us, keep in mind that vets and staff are working harder than ever with both
short staffing and short supplies. Wait times are also longer. Dr. Stobie asks that people be kind, patient, and un-
derstanding. “Everyone’s at their wit’s end because of the Corona virus, and they get frustrated easily. But we’re
here to serve the public and we’re working more than we have ever worked before,”.
Considering that vets are still doing their best to keep our pets healthy and happy, we need to honor that request
and appreciate all they do for us in the face of a mysterious and dangerous virus.

Keep an eye out for the next story in our series “Vets are Heroes Too!” which we will highlight a veterinarian
specializing in at-home euthanasia during COVID-19.