Covid-19

This week, a client verbally attacked one of my staff saying that Dr. Cluff is “stupidly over-reacting” to the Covid pandemic since we are continuing curbside service with masks on. From my experiences around town these last two weeks, where I see very few people using masks as they come to the clinic or shop at stores, it is obvious that there are a large number of people who think Covid is not a problem and that it’s safe to go about their business like they did before the pandemic. Unfortunately, the simple truth is that the pandemic is not really slowing down. In fact, now that the lockdown is ending and large numbers of people are moving about without masks or social distancing, the number of infections is taking off once again. The national goal of minimizing the number of infections to prevent overwhelming strain on the healthcare system has not changed and should still be priority for everyone. While I agree we need to get the economy moving again, I strongly believe that re-opening should be done with extreme care, with strong emphasis on the use of masks and social distancing . I now fully support the opinion of most experts, including Dr. Fauci at the National Institutes of Health, that the use of masks is the best way to prevent transmission of this virus (https://apple.news/AzeOxszxBT8SV2lKWH-cBow)(https://www.erinbromage.com/…/the-risks-know-them-avoid-them ) . Masks are a simple way of preventing viral spread and their use is the main reason places like Hong Kong, South Korea and New Zealand have been able to dramatically reduce the number of Covid infections. The use of masks by everyone when out in public is easy to do and will make the largest impact on slowing the pandemic down. Now that more cases are popping up in Ravalli county, I plan to where a mask whenever I engage with the public, at my own clinic or any other place I go. While curbside service is not ideal, as the extra steps we need to take slows workflow, we are doing the best we can with limited resources. Please be patient with the staff as they are doing their very best to serve our clients with courtesy and compassion.

I wish the pandemic was not a political issue, as there should be no politics in science. Science is nothing more than attempting to understand the world around us. Everything I do as a veterinarian is based on the scientific method of doing controlled experiments to understand how bodies work and what we can do to fix them when they malfunction. If it wasn’t for this tried and true method, we’d all still be living in caves and dying of infectious disease at an early age. Your home and everything in it, the electricity that enters your home via wires, the water that flows through your pipes, your car, the gasoline that powers your car, and especially the medicines and machines that save human and animal lives are all products of scientific discovery. These discoveries were made by people who were curious about the world around them, not politicians trying to get your vote because they believe or don’t believe in science.

The veterinary care provided at Companion Pet Clinic is considered an essential service. People depend on us to help their sick pets. I am putting the lives of my staff at risk by asking them to continue serving our clients and their pets while this pandemic is active. Each of my dedicated staff understands the risks, but because of their compassion and love for animals, each has graciously and generously chosen to continue to come to work every day and provide the best possible health care to your pets, even when their lives could be upended by infection with the Covid virus. So far nearly 100,000 Americans have been killed by infection with the Covid virus. If you think it won’t effect you or your family, I regret to tell you that you’re most certainly wrong. By the time this pandemic ends, I predict everyone will know someone who was killed or permanently damaged by Covid.

If I or my employees become infected with Covid, we will be shut down for at least two weeks, with the worst case scenario being loss of life. The result would be that my clients and their pets will not be able get veterinary care at CPC, which means that they will have to either go to another vet (not an easy proposition, as all vets in the valley are extremely busy and are having difficulty managing even their own patients) or watch their pet suffer. We will continue to use curbside service until such a time that the disease is under control. I don’t know when that will be, but it’s definitely not now. My staff and I will continue to wear masks when we interact with you in the parking lot or our “backyard exam room”. We would appreciate it if you would wear a mask as well, since transmission of the disease is exponentially more difficult if everyone wears a mask during public interaction with other people. Remember, 30–50% of people infected with the virus and actively transmitting it to others show no symptoms at all (asymptomatic carriers) . If infected individuals wear a mask, their ability to infect others is dramatically reduced.

Thanks for you support during this very difficult time in our history. I hope the great scientists at Rocky Mountain Labs and around the world come up with a solution to this problem sooner rather than later. We owe all of the people working to minimize the sufferring and death associated with Covid a HUGE debt of gratitude. I thank them all from the bottom of my heart, and I hope you do as well.

Chris Cluff, DVM,
Emily Race, DVM ,
and staff