Pet owners have been faced with many hardships and uncertainties as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.  Unexpected job loss, illness, and financial issues are included – to name a few.  Early in the pandemic, there was a surge in pet adoptions and fostering. Many animal shelters were experiencing rare vacancies, but now many pet owners have been faced with the difficult decision to surrender their pets. 

There are two main reasons pet surrenders have been occurring: financial hardship due to effects of the pandemic, and first-time pet owners’ lack of knowledge and resources to care for a pet. In this post, we discuss the first reason. Watch our website for a second post on education for new pet owners.

So what can animal shelters do to avoid their clients surrendering their pets?

• Provide emergency boarding, or temporary care, to give clients time to get back on their feet and prepare to take care of their pets.
• Partner with veterinarians to run low-cost vaccine clinics.
• Recommend low-cost spay/neuter clinics.
• Encourage clients to look into wellness care at veterinary schools, as some provide care at a lower cost.
• Provide resources to clients with information about pet ownership and recommended veterinarians.

Veterinary clinics can also take action to help their clients keep their pets, including:

• Touch base with first-time pet owners and discuss behavior tips, preventative care, and staying on a consistent vet visit schedule.
• Offer financial assistance programs and payment plans.
• Accept CareCredit, a veterinary healthcare credit card with interest free options.
• Offer lower-priced options for wellness care, like flea and tick preventatives
  • Your online store allows variety with no inventory cost, and single dose purchasing.
• Set up pop-up clinics to provide wellness or preventative care in areas of poverty.

There are also national pet assistance programs for pet owners, and state by state assistance. Find the list of national and state programs here. 

Pets are part of our families and provide many emotional and physical health benefits, which are especially important during the pandemic.  Covetrus is here to help and we want to ensure pet owners can keep their furry friends and provide the best possible care.

Sources:

https://www.avma.org/javma-news/2020-12-01/veterinary-social-work-summit-focuses-animals-poverty

https://www.aspcapro.org/resource/covid-19-and-housing-challenges-keeping-people-and-pets-together

https://www.veterinarypracticenews.com/check-in-with-new-owners-to-prevent-surrenders/