Wait Times and COVID-19

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Tender Care Veterinary Center would like to address recent concerns from the community regarding wait times in our hospital. 

The COVID-19 Pandemic began in March of this year and like everyone else, Tender Care Veterinary Center did not know what to expect.  We began reviewing laws and implementing changes that would allow us to continue to safely provide medical care for the pets of the greater Falcon community.  However, there was no way for us to predict or prepare for what the pandemic would bring.  Where we expected an initial reduction in patronage, we in fact experienced the exact opposite.  Many more people were at home with their pets and had more time to arrange for veterinary care than ever before in history.  Many people adopted new pets during the quarantine periods of the pandemic.  Many people were spending more time outdoors with their pets hiking, camping and enjoying the beautiful Colorado summer.  All of this led to an increase demand for the services that Tender Care Veterinary Center provides.  In addition to the increase in demand, we also experienced a temporary and intermittent reduction in our staff due to concerns with COVID-19.  We are happy and proud to say that none of our employees have contracted or tested positive for COVID-19!  However, for the past 7 months Tender Care Veterinary Center has been providing more care for our community than ever before. 

Tender Care Veterinary Center has remained open and has allow all clients to accompany their pets into our facility every day since the official Stay at Home Order was lifted at the end of April.  One lesson that we have learned from this pandemic is that the need for veterinary medicine never stops, it doesn’t take a break because of a worldwide pandemic or for any other reason.  The pets of our community still need care, they still get injured in fights with other dogs, they still eat things that they shouldn’t, they still experience pain and illness.  Pets still get hit by cars, have broken bones, and experience respiratory emergencies that require constant monitoring and intervention to prevent a loss of their life.  Pets still need care when they are unable to deliver their puppies safely and without medical intervention, pets will still get urinary stones that prevent them from being able to empty their bladder. 

Throughout the pandemic we have seen an increase in pets needing care resulting from exposure to human medications and illicit drugs.   Tender Care Veterinary Center has unfortunately observed an increase in life threatening injuries to pets as a result of abuse and neglect.  Although the need for our services has more than doubled, we are committed to providing the care that our patients need!    

Tender Care Veterinary Center opened our doors in July of 2015 with a mission of providing affordable access to high quality, state-of-the-art veterinary care to the communities of Falcon, Peyton, Calhan, Black Forest, Colorado Springs and beyond.  The goal at that time was to provide access to this care 24 hours per day.  We are committed to continuing to provide this care to our clients and patients!  Every client and every pet are important to the veterinarians, certified veterinary technicians, assistants and receptionists that work at Tender Care Veterinary Center.  We will see you; we will treat your pet; we will work with you to provide care and relief for your pet that is injured or ill.  However, we do have to prioritize the order of care in our hospital to provide the best service to all clients and patients.  This means that there will be times when your pet is not seen by our staff immediately.  There will be times that someone else’s pet is in a more critical state and needs our attention more urgently.  There will be times that you have to wait, this is not because we forgot about you, it is not because your needs are not important; it is because another pet’s life literally depends on it. 

The individuals that work at Tender Care Veterinary Center came into the field of veterinary medicine because of their love for animals and for helping people.  The staff is made up of the most compassionate people that you could find in any industry; they want to help animals and their owners.  What they do is hard!  They take it personally; it defines who they are as individuals.  When they must ask you to patiently wait, it is because there is no other option; it is because your pet CAN wait, while another CANNOT.  Our staff treats all our clients and patients with respect, dignity and COMPASSION.  We ask that our clients show them the same respect and compassion.  We ask that they seek first to understand the reason that their appointment did not start promptly and provide us with a little grace while we work to adjust to the new levels of demand for care.