Vets Dunedin Group regional manager Joanna Smith said there was a nationwide vet shortage because Covid-19 had affected recruitment of overseas veterinarians into the country, and there had also been an increase in pet ownership.
"The Dunedin region has been severely affected by the veterinarian shortages, and even though the borders to New Zealand are now open, we are not seeing the movement of vets coming into the country as we would have hoped."
As a result, the Vets Dunedin Group, which owns four clinics around the city, had made a decision to look after the wellness of its staff, and temporarily merge the Mornington centre into its St Kilda clinic in Andersons Bay Rd.
The merger was expected to start on October 17, she said.
"This decision has not been made lightly, but the wellness of our staff is paramount to make sure that you and your fur family members are well looked after."
Despite the change in locality, Ms Smith said staff would still have access to Mornington customers’ details and clinical notes and there should be no change to normal service.
However, the shortage of vets meant some routine visits and surgeries may take longer than customers previously experienced.
"We will continue to make sure all animals are triaged appropriately, and animals in urgent need of care are seen promptly."
She said Vetchat would be used for any after-hours calls.
"This service will put you through to a veterinarian who will talk to you about your concerns with your pet, and if it is an emergency, will then let the on-call veterinarian in your area know you need to be seen with your pet.
"The veterinarian on-call will then ring you to arrange an after-hours consult."
Vets Dunedin Group were not the only vets to be affected.
Green Island Veterinary Clinic vet Dr Vicky Armstrong said she had noticed the shortage as well.
‘‘The biggest thing in Dunedin is the people that are left working are feeling the pressure because we’ve had an influx of animal ownership over the Covid-19 lockdowns,’’ Dr Armstrong said.
‘‘Those animals are no longer babies now and are getting to that 3-4 year-old stage where things start going wrong with them.
‘‘The clinic is getting a lot more calls from pet owners.’’
Dr Armstrong said it was also difficult to get New Zealand-trained veterinary graduates because many of them were going on their overseas excursions after being trapped in the country by the lockdowns.
She said the veterinary workforce had become female dominated, meaning staff were more likely to take maternity leave and only come back part-time.
Because the shortage was putting more stress on staff, many of them were burning out, too, and taking time to look after their mental health, she said.
‘‘It is a bit of a conundrum.’’
Helensburgh Veterinary Clinic vet Dr Lucy Wilson said her clinic was fortunate to have good staffing levels at the moment, but the clinic was now at its limit.
‘‘Because of the vet shortage and a lot of clinics around the city being under-staffed, we’re getting multiple calls every day from people trying to come to us because they can’t get into their own vet.
‘‘It’s really awful because we’re just having to say no and these people are worried about their pets and they can’t get into a vet clinic.
‘‘That’s something that’s been happening Dunedin-wide for a while.
‘‘Even though we’re well staffed, we just don’t have the capacity to take on any more clients.
‘‘We’re just spread too thinly now.’’
