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NORTH BROOKFIELD, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio)— Some animal emergency hospitals have been forced to scale back their services due to lingering effects from the pandemic.
Staff shortages at many of these clinics and a rise in pet ownership has seen some pet hospitals have to push back elective operations such as spay and neutering. CEO and Founder of Second Chance Animals in North Brookfield Sheryl Blancato said postponing these operations was a necessary decision to help with emergency services.
"As important as spay neuter is, they're not going to die if we push that off, but we can save lives by opening up for more of these [emergency] surgeries," Blancato told WBZ's Kim Tunnicliffe (@KimWBZ).
By postponing these elective surgeries, Second Chance Animal's North Brookfield veterinary clinic was able to take on extra emergency surgeries from nearby animal hospitals and clinics that are overwhelmed. They sent out notices to local animal healthcare facilities telling them to direct patients to their facility if needed.
Blancato said pet owners have been very grateful for their help by taking on extra emergency surgeries.
"We've had people who we've been able to save their animals bring back a plate of cookies or flowers for the staff, which means so much to them," Blancato said.
WBZ's Kim Tunnicliffe (@KimWBZ) has more.
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