COVID-19 Is long distance vet travel classed as essential?

Rufus&Edward

Rufus&Edward

Junior Guinea Pig
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My pig is due to go to the vets next week for essential dental treatment (without this he will likely not survive for much longer).

The problem is; we live a 4 hour drive away and thus will be travelling a long way to take him to see the vet.

I'm stressing about whether I should be taking him or not; whether I'll be stopped/fined if it could be classed as non-essential (and even little things like whether service stations will still be open so I can go to the loo!). I sadly am all too aware than non-piggy people don't necessary view them in the same way as say dogs or cats so may not regard it as essential.

My vets have got a system in place whereby I just drop him off at their front door, so I won't be putting them at risk, but it's more the travelling aspect that I'm concerned about.

Can anyone advise?

Thanks
 
I don’t think this will be a major problem if you are in the UK. At the moment the police are not stopping all cars and as long as you can show you have a reasonable purpose for your journey then that should be ok. After all, you are doing this journey to prevent animal suffering. It’s not the distance that is the issue. It’s the socialising and congregating. So if you’re not doing that, then there shouldn’t be a problem. However, will you have to wait for your piggy? If so you might have to do that privately in your car so as not to break social distancing rules.
 
Rufus&Edward said:
My pig is due to go to the vets next week for essential dental treatment (without this he will likely not survive for much longer).

The problem is; we live a 4 hour drive away and thus will be travelling a long way to take him to see the vet.

I'm stressing about whether I should be taking him or not; whether I'll be stopped/fined if it could be classed as non-essential (and even little things like whether service stations will still be open so I can go to the loo!). I sadly am all too aware than non-piggy people don't necessary view them in the same way as say dogs or cats so may not regard it as essential.

My vets have got a system in place whereby I just drop him off at their front door, so I won't be putting them at risk, but it's more the travelling aspect that I'm concerned about.

Can anyone advise?

Thanks
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This is worrying me too. We will have to travel to get Ted his conscious dental at the end of April. It’s a 300 mile journey from Cornwall to get there. We normal stay in a hotel overnight, see the vet first thing and travel back that day. Hotels are shut and not sure about motorway services, if they are open for the loo. We are planning to set off really early that day, see the vet midday and set off back home, we may need to nap in the car on the way home, well that the plan and take turns in driving.
The Cat and Rabbit have the same system of leaving the pet in the porch etc, just don’t know if this is essential travel or not, most non guinea pig people would say no I suspect?
Don’t want to break the law and get fined and if I knew how long this situation was going to continue I would hold back for a while and support feed, but it could go on for months
 
Bill & Ted said:
This is worrying me too. We will have to travel to get Ted his conscious dental at the end of April. It’s a 300 mile journey from Cornwall to get there. We normal stay in a hotel overnight, see the vet first thing and travel back that day. Hotels are shut and not sure about motorway services, if they are open for the loo. We are planning to set off really early that day, see the vet midday and set off back home, we may need to nap in the car on the way home, well that the plan and take turns in driving.
The Cat and Rabbit have the same system of leaving the pet in the porch etc, just don’t know if this is essential travel or not, most non guinea pig people would say no I suspect?
Don’t want to break the law and get fined and if I knew how long this situation was going to continue I would hold back for a while and support feed, but it could go on for months
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There’s no emoji for Big Hug.
We need one for all those of you who travel long distances for the best vet treatment.

Big Hug
 
Bill & Ted said:
This is worrying me too. We will have to travel to get Ted his conscious dental at the end of April. It’s a 300 mile journey from Cornwall to get there. We normal stay in a hotel overnight, see the vet first thing and travel back that day. Hotels are shut and not sure about motorway services, if they are open for the loo. We are planning to set off really early that day, see the vet midday and set off back home, we may need to nap in the car on the way home, well that the plan and take turns in driving.
The Cat and Rabbit have the same system of leaving the pet in the porch etc, just don’t know if this is essential travel or not, most non guinea pig people would say no I suspect?
Don’t want to break the law and get fined and if I knew how long this situation was going to continue I would hold back for a while and support feed, but it could go on for months
Click to expand...

Yep- it's the Cat and Rabbit clinic we go to as well- Rufus has the same as Ted I'm guessing. It's a similar trip for us, though unfortunately I have to go alone this time. I usually stop off overnight on the way too, but will just have to leave at 6am instead and do it there and back in the day. I suspect there won't be a huge number of cars on the motorway and was worried I'd stick out like a sore thumb if they are stopping people.

I think I'm going to leave it until mid next week and call the clinic to double check if they think I should travel; things might change between now and then. I'm just mindful of the consequences though if I don't take him :(
 
It's a bit of a pain as it's up to the interpretation of the individual officer, but:

The legislation is here: The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (England) Regulations 2020

There's rather a lot of legislation being amended and passed at the moment, but the above are the enforcement powers.



During the emergency period, no person may leave the place where they are living without reasonable excuse.

(2) For the purposes of paragraph (1), a reasonable excuse includes the need—

s.6(2)(c)
...to seek medical assistance, including to access any of the services referred to in paragraph 37 or 38 of Schedule 2;

s.6(2)(h) to fulfil a legal obligation, including attending court or satisfying bail conditions, or to participate in legal proceedings;

Schedule 2 - para 38.

38. Veterinary surgeons and pet shops.

So vets are fine, also have the legal duty to prevent suffering to an animal.
 
You should be fine and motorway services are still open! Also, you won't have to wait long at Cat and Rabbit Clinic, as the dental will be done straight away, so you will only be waiting in the car for a short time. It will just be a very long trip, having to drive there and then head straight off again! Hope all goes well! xx
 
If you’re worried about making the long journey, perhaps it would be worth ringing the cat and rabbit clinic and speaking to the receptionist about Simon potentially drafting a letter/email template that can be sent to anyone who requests it for their appointment. Just stating something like travelling for the appointment is absolutely necessary and it would be an act of cruelty to deny this treatment as without it there is a chance that the guinea pig could die/become severely incapacitated due to being unable to eat/drink, then have him sign it at the bottom? Just a thought anyway, as I think there are many of us in the same position thinking about how we’d get to Simon if it came to it. For us, it seems likely that we, thankfully, won’t have to make the journey there, though we’re not out of the woods yet. Having a document which states why you’re driving and that it is essential might put peoples mind at ease, even though it really should be allowed without question. It’s just difficult because if it was a dog or a cat, we probably wouldn’t be worrying about being denied travel, its just that Guinea pigs are seen as less important to most people who don’t own them, it’s sad really.
 
We travelled out of area to the Cat and Rabbit clinic Wednesday. There's a tesco superstore a few minutes drive from the clinic and we went to the loo there. Don't wait till you bursting though as when we arrived they shut for as while to reduce crowding then the queue was quite long! Motorway service stops were open then. Good luck.
 
Guess that's the answer. He'll suffer and die without the op and this is the only vet that can do it. You'll be in your car and the clinic follows their own procedures. Anyway, if it wasn't essential you wouldn't get appointment in the first place.
Like, No I am just going for shopping with Guinea pig at the back of the car :hmm:
Maybe have your appointment card or printed email as proof of the location and time.
Tbh, they're not doing anything about people gathering and treating shopping as outings. Unless they shoot me I'll be ensuring my pets welfare needs are met....
 
Thanks all for your replies; I feel a bit more reassured about it now.

Also thanks to Black Piggies for the Tesco tip re: the toilets- that's very handy to know!

I don't have an appointment card or email as I made the appointment over the phone, so might ask them to write a quick email or something just in case.

It's very much a life or death situation unfortunately for poor Rufus as our vet up here said his only option was to be put down when he first became poorly with his teeth, as he wasn't eating anything at all and was in pain. He's been completely fine since we started taking him to Simon, so I'm really keen to continue with his treatment. I've been laughed at by (non-guinea pig) people before for taking him so far for his treatment, so it just made me wonder whether police would have a similar view if I were to be stopped.
 
Rufus&Edward said:
Yep- it's the Cat and Rabbit clinic we go to as well- Rufus has the same as Ted I'm guessing. It's a similar trip for us, though unfortunately I have to go alone this time. I usually stop off overnight on the way too, but will just have to leave at 6am instead and do it there and back in the day. I suspect there won't be a huge number of cars on the motorway and was worried I'd stick out like a sore thumb if they are stopping people.

I think I'm going to leave it until mid next week and call the clinic to double check if they think I should travel; things might change between now and then. I'm just mindful of the consequences though if I don't take him :(
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I would definely ring up and confirm your appointment first before setting off, my Appoinment has change twice in the last week. Good luck, let us all know how you get on x
 
Rufus&Edward said:
Thanks all for your replies; I feel a bit more reassured about it now.

Also thanks to Black Piggies for the Tesco tip re: the toilets- that's very handy to know!

I don't have an appointment card or email as I made the appointment over the phone, so might ask them to write a quick email or something just in case.

It's very much a life or death situation unfortunately for poor Rufus as our vet up here said his only option was to be put down when he first became poorly with his teeth, as he wasn't eating anything at all and was in pain. He's been completely fine since we started taking him to Simon, so I'm really keen to continue with his treatment. I've been laughed at by (non-guinea pig) people before for taking him so far for his treatment, so it just made me wonder whether police would have a similar view if I were to be stopped.
Click to expand...
Big Hug
Hope all goes well
 
Update for those making a similar trip soon: our trip went well. We didn't get stopped and it was a much quicker journey than usual with the roads being quieter. The service stations were all open (and completely devoid of people!). I'd recommend taking some snacks with you though as none of the food places were open at the service stations; only the little shops- which had very empty shelves.

I called the vets first to check I should be travelling and they said I should still come. The lady on reception said her son is a policeman and she's asked him if it was classed as essential travel and he said yes.
 
Merab's Slave said:
Glad the trip went well.
How’s Rufus?
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He's doing good thanks :) His teeth still need regular trimming but he's managed to go a little bit longer this time between dentals. He's happy as anything though; I'm so glad we didn't just accept his initial prognosis :( He's a good friend
 
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