As more and more people are being forced to work from home due to the government's attempt to stop the spread of coronavirus, the well-being of beloved critters and creatures is even more crucial.
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One business that understands this more than most is Eureka Veterinary Clinic, which helps look after Ballarat pets on a daily basis.
Veterinarian Diane Gibney told The Courier about how the business has continued to adapt to help take care of its customers - pets and humans.
"We are taking every precaution we can to make sure we're keeping our staff safe, as well as pet owners while still delivering the best service we can," she said.
The business has moved to picking up pets from the car park and conducting check-ups and consultations with owners over the phone.
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To increase the ease of payment for staff and customers, the business has even removed a window, making for an easy way to separate customers and staff.
Dr Gibney said people have been very receptive to the changes, adding the removed window is creating a fun avenue for banter.
"Everyone has responded really well to the changes we've made. People are so appreciative that we're remaining open to make sure their pets are okay.
"Some people have joked that the window is like a fast food restaurant, but unfortunately we're not able to add any chips to someone's check-up," she laughed.
While making sure the animals are getting the proper care during this period, Dr Gibney also stressed the important role pets can play for their owners' well-being during self-isolation.
People are really going to need their animals to support them during this uncertain time.
- Veterinarian Diane Gibney.
"Pets are integral to people's well-being... I think people are going to struggle with the stress of employment and social isolation.
"The good thing is you can't catch coronavirus off our animals, so we can still hug them, we can talk to them and we can have that physical interaction that's being denied for a lot of people."
As the government continues to ramp up the level of lockdown the country is in, Dr Gibney said the practice will continue to be available for animal emergencies.
"If an owner's animal needed critical care and couldn't get it because of the lockdown, that would be traumatising. We want to be here to make sure that doesn't happen."
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