My sympathies to Mary Ann Flanagan, the Fisher-O’Keefe family and all others who are experiencing loss of fur babies in this time. Be assured that you are not alone. The shortage of vets/personnel is happening all over. Here in Scranton, Pa., our single emergency vet facility had no vet on duty (or antivenin) last summer when my neighbor’s puppy was bitten by a copperhead. They were told to try another facility about 20 miles away, only to be told the same thing there! In the end, they finally drove about an hour to reach the closest option that did have a vet and antivenin, followed by another hour drive in the opposite direction to pick up the second dose. If it weren’t for early/interim assistance from some heroic paramedics here, the dog might well have died. I asked my own vet about this a month or two ago and he affirmed it was from shortages due to COVID. Yet the emergency clinics are where we are told to go at night and on weekends/holidays! What good is that if they have no vet on duty?
-
A letter to the editor expresses a reader's opinion and, as such, is not reflective of the editorial opinions of this newspaper.
To submit a letter to the editor for publishing, send an email to viewpoints@capegazette.com. All letters are considered at the discretion of the newsroom and published as space allows. Due to the large volume of submissions, we cannot acknowledge receipt of each submission. Letters must include a phone number and address for verification. Keep letters to 400 words or fewer. We reserve the right to edit for content or length. Letters should be responsive to issues addressed in the Cape Gazette rather than content from other publications or media. Letters should focus on local issues, not national topics or personalities. Only one letter per author will be published every 30 days regarding a particular topic. Authors may submit a second letter within that time period if it pertains to a different issue. Letters may not be critical of personalities or specific businesses. Criticism of public figures is permissible. Endorsement letters for political candidates are no longer accepted. Letters must be the author’s original work, and may not be generated by artificial intelligence tools. Templates, form letters and letters containing language similar to other submissions will not be published.
