With the country’s current situation, pets can be great sources of comfort. They can help keep your physical and mental wellbeing in check as they can reduce loneliness and even risks of cardiovascular disease. But what if your pet gets sick while on quarantine? Although there’s currently no evidence proving that pets can contract the virus and transmit it to humans, they’re still as equally vulnerable to stress and illnesses.
As most veterinary clinics suspended their operations due to the imposed lockdown, a group of Filipino veterinarians have decided to offer free veterinary consultations online. Veterinary Inquiries Online, an initiative by Dr. Cyron Sarmiento, is an independent veterinary group that aims to provide medical advice to pets owners.
Sarmiento first posted about it on his personal Twitter account.
Hello guys! I am Dr. Sarmiento, a veterinarian. Recently, I've been receiving a lot of vet inquiries online. Since most of vet clinics are now closed due to community quarantine, I decided to open my twitter and facebook accounts for vet inquiries. The goal is to help you (1/2) pic.twitter.com/gNfr9Vj0HL
— Cyron Sarmiento (@cyron_md) March 22, 2020
Due to the amount of inquiries that followed after the post, he later on created the group. “The whole online vet consult idea is to triage the concerns of the pet owners—whether it is emergency or not emergency… I will either find an open clinic, home remedy or advise. This is to lessen unnecessary visits to vet clinics, especially if the case is not an emergency, given that we should be in home quarantine,” wrote Dr. Sarmiento in a tweet.
Header photo courtesy by Irina on Unsplash
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