HOUSTON COUNTY, Ga. — We've shown you how doctors are using telemedicine, and dentists are taking temperatures and wearing protective equipment, but what does taking your pet to the vet look like during the COVID-19 pandemic?
Katie Roberts spent the last month and a half dropping her 8-year-old dachshund off for visits in her vet's parking lot.
She had Intervertebral Disc Disease, or IVDD, which affects the spine and is common in dachshunds.
"The first doctor's visit, I couldn't go in with her. I had to just call when I arrived," says Roberts. "With something like that, I mean, it is a serious condition and it needs a lot of follow up and probably a lot of… I mean, it was just bad timing. I think doing that stuff in person probably would have been a little bit better for her care."
When she realized her dog was in pain and wasn't getting better, she had to make a heartbreaking decision.
"We made the decision like... that wasn't the life we wanted for her. Our vet was great, they let both me and my husband in to say goodbye, so there was at least that, but, you know, you don't really want to lose your friend."
Dr. Vernard Hodges says most vets in Georgia have had to make changes to the way they are seeing patients, based on the Georgia Veterinary Medical Association guidelines.
"It's definitely a change and there's definitely been a learning curve," says Hodges.
Clients call to schedule their appointment, let the office know what car they will be in, and then pass their pet off in the parking lot. They stay in touch and run decisions by the owners throughout the day by phone.
Hodges says it's weird not having his lobby filled with talking and barking visitors.
"We've been in business now 20 years and this is what my lobby looks like," he says. "The lobby is empty."
Hodges' only exception to let someone in the building is for people like Roberts, who are saying goodbye to their pet.
"During these tough times, you just have to figure it out."
Hodges says they've adapted quickly, but he hopes things go back to normal sooner rather than later because he misses hugging his clients and the social interaction.
Roberts says having to go to numerous vet appointments and having to put her dog down during the pandemic was just bad timing, but she is grateful her vet let her be with her furry friend to say goodbye.
"It’s just bad timing and it definitely wasn’t anything due to service. I mean, it strictly had to do with just the conditions that everyone is living in right now."
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