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Vets are busy during pandemic
With people turning to new pets during the pandemic, business has been booming for veterinarians.
NEW YORK - Business is brisk at Pure Paws Veterinary Care, and it has been pretty much nonstop throughout the pandemic.
"It’s definitely been very busy," said Dr; Stephanie Liff, the owner and medical director at the practice, which has an office in Clinton Hill and another in Hell's Kitchen.
It's also been different, with humans handing off their pets outside of the office, to cut down on crowding.
The office has closed just one day since last March as demand has kept pace, Liff says.
It's a trend seen industry-wide. According to data analytics company Vet Sucess, revenue at veterinary offices was up almost 14% from May 2020-May 2021, compared to the previous 12 months.
One of the main reasons: pandemic pet adoptions
"We had a surge of adoptions," said Liff, "and also clients who were sort of homebound and wanted to come in, as well as people who wanted to take care of their pets and were more flexible working from home."
Shemika Miller and her partner are among those who got pandemic puppies
"My fiancé was bothering me for months to get a dog, and then Covid happened and I had no other excuse since we were at home, so I said ok," she said.
The couple got not one, but two new dogs: a bernadoodle and a schnauzer.
Tanya Lofgren adopted Otis, a mixed-breed puppy, after her older dog passed away before the lockdown.
"The pandemic started, we found a litter of 8 puppies and he was available," she said. "It made a world of difference to me, the pandemic would have been much harder to get through if I didn’t have him."
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At Pure Paws, business ticked up so much, Liff hired new doctors along with new support staff.
And despite some recent reports that some people are now returning the pets they adopted, she doesn’t see business slowing down anytime soon
"I think people got pets so hopefully they’ll be keeping those pets for a long time and we will be helping them keep them healthy," she said.
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After 15 months of curbside drop-offs and telemedicine, Pure Pets offices will finally allow pet owners to come inside for visits beginning June 10, with Covid protections in place.