March 25, 2020

Dear Registrants,

Information about COVID-19 and conditions continue to change rapidly. The CVBC is doing its best to keep abreast of developments and to adjust its own messaging accordingly, but this will continue to be a fluid situation. 

The College appreciates the impacts that developments are already having on the practice of veterinary medicine and would like to convey our trust in our registrants to make the right decisions when trying to balance the health of animals, public health and the health of their staff and clients. We have confidence that BC’s veterinarians will make sound medical decisions and will continually assess the needs of each patient against the current level of risk to staff and the public.

Veterinarians should also be making service decisions with consideration for conservation of Personal Protective Equipment, to ensure an adequate supply is available for more urgent cases.

New Information from the CVBC:


Online Resources:

It is important, in this evolving situation that reliable information be shared, to avoid misinterpretations and unnecessary anxiety, and/or misguided decisions about self-isolation and social distancing priorities.

Veterinarians are encouraged to turn to reliable resources for up-to-date information on COVID-19 and for best management practices to minimize contributing to the spread of the virus. The CVBC has posted direct links to several sites on our website (follow the “COVID” link from our main page banner) and will continue to add sites that we feel are important.  This page is available to the public so please also consider sharing this resource with your clients.

                     New Resources Added:

  •   Link to CAHI’s (Canadian Animal Health Institute) website page devoted to COVID-19 information
  • The Society of BC Veterinarians is issuing email updates regularly – not all BC veterinarians may be receiving these messages, as only a fraction of BC’s registered vets choose to be members of the SBCV.  However, the Society is posting all COVID-related information and resources publicly on its webpage, which is already linked on our own COVID page.

The College continues to reach out to the provincial government for updates on any decisions around potential designation of veterinary services as “essential” – we will updates registrants as soon as we know anything.  We will be sharing our recommendations to BC veterinarians (“Veterinary Medicine: Restriction of Services and Social Distancing Responsibilities”) with the government in support of a designation as an “essential service” by demonstrating the profession’s appreciation and understanding of their unique responsibilities during this time of crisis.

Please stay safe and well, and check our website regularly for any further information.

~ Dr. Stacey Thomas
Acting Registrar