BVA appeals for abuse to stop immediately on veterinary staff

During the COVID-19 pandemic, pet owners have been disrespecting and abusing workers in the veterinary industry, and therefore, the British Veterinary Association (BVA) has appealed for them to stop the abuse immediately. Furthermore, the national body has outlined that pet owners should expect non-essential treatments to be delayed due to the pandemic, therefore relieving stress off veterinary practices.

Daniella Dos Santos, BVA president, stated: “Vets across the UK are working hard to provide essential care for animals in difficult circumstances. Many are working with reduced teams due to furloughing and self isolation. Worryingly, our members are telling us they’ve received abuse and undue pressure from clients; this is unacceptable. Vets are exercising their clinical and professional judgement to balance animal health and welfare, public health, client safety and the safety of their teams. The veterinary profession is playing its part in reducing the spread of COVID-19. This means it will be assessing and prioritising cases and clients should expect non-essential procedures to be delayed. Veterinary decisions will vary between practices and in different parts of the country. Just because certain vaccinations are considered essential in one area does not mean they are needed in another over the next few weeks. Please trust your veterinary team, respect their decisions and understand that they are doing their very best.”