Let’s zoom in: how Ballymena vets are delivering pet care amidst Coronavirus pandemic

A second later my blood ran cold, as my finger ran over something on her chest I had never noticed before; a small, rubbery, lump.

Trying to stay calm, I sank to the sofa to inspect it further, pressing and squeezing it, trying to quell the rising waves of panic, and inwardly berating myself for not noticing it sooner.

As I examined and probed, she looked at me wide-eyed and perplexed; it clearly wasn’t causing her any pain, and to my instinctive yet untrained touch, it didn’t ‘feel’ like a cancerous lump.

Still, the rest of the evening was spend carrying out Google searches, and seeking the opinions of fellow Miniature Schnauzer owners in my WhatsApp group in a bid to seek further reassurance.

Of course, the only way to feel fully reassured about the needs of our pets is to see the professionals, and so first thing the next morning, I was on the phone to Fenaghy Veterinary Clinic asking for advice.

As ever, I was given an appointment swiftly for that very morning - via Zoom.

For those of you are still newcomers to this concept, Zoom, in the loosest possible terms, allows you to see and talk to someone - or as many people as you can fit into your ‘meeting’ - over your phone.

It was a concept I’d only become familiar with during lockdown, thanks to the many evenings spent chatting and enjoying ‘pub quizzes’ with friends and family, in a bid to relieve the monotony.

Admittedly, my initial response to this ‘Zoom’ plan of action wasn’t exactly gracious.

“But how will that work?” I asked with a slight tone of incredulity of the patient receptionist.

“Doesn’t the vet need to see Lucy? What if she has cancer?”

The receptionist began explaining how the staff at Fenaghy were triaging their patients due to the new social distancing restrictions, and as the simple common sense of what she was saying started to sink in, I had an equally stern internal word with myself.

Two hours later, I was perched on the sofa, phone in hand, and Lucy balanced bemusedly on my knee, as our Zoom appointment with vet Philippa Laverty began.

It was all so straightforward; we just had to show Philippa the location of the lump, and answer her questions about its size, where it was located, and what it felt like.

Within minutes she had reassured us that it was likely to be a fatty lump, and advised that the best course of action was to monitor it closely and get in touch again if there were any changes.

Afterwards, it occurred to me that it had actually been less stressful for Lucy than a physical appointment at the clinic would have been.

Just last week, I enjoyed chatting to Fenaghy’s practice manager, Martin McGovern, about the success of not only mine but all other Zoom appointments, and how the busy clinic was managing to care for its furry client base during lockdown.

“We had started social distance measures when everything kicked off, so even from as early as March 17 we had measures in place,” Martin said. “Then the government placed everybody on lockdown, so we had to make a lot of changes very quickly.

“We had to close the clinic doors and come up with other ideas as to how we could provide services while still keeping social distance etc. So we started doing the video conference calls, which have been working very well for us. If the pet does need to come in, we collect them in the car park and bring them in to the vet.

“Everyone is fully gowned up with scrubs, face masks, aprons and gloves.”

Martin explained that necessary X-rays, surgeries and emergency visits were still going ahead.

He said that assessing the pets via online technology had been a huge change for everyone, but thankfully, it had been embraced and was working well.

“Vets can tell on a video call, for example, if a pet is dehydrated, or disorientated, or if they’re limping, if the problem is perhaps coming from the hip or the knee, depending on how they walk.

“During those sessions, the vet can make the call as to whether the animal needs to be brought in.

“It’s a very different way of doing things, and all the vets have their own different routines.

“Thankfully, the clients have been great, and really understanding, which is so important for us.

“Not everyone has a Smart phone, so some of our clients have been relying on their neighbours or their families to come round and help them. Some of them have been sending us videos and pictures via Facebook.

“It’s just all about adaptation at the minute.”

Just recently Matthew and his team set up a system which enables clients to order their animals’ food and medicines online, without having to even phone the clinic.

“We want to get the message out that your pets are all still getting the very best of care,” he added.