The COVID epidemic bought many changes to the world. Just like in every other sector, the veterinary industry was seriously affected, causing us to see nation wide shortages of common and important medications and needed treatments for our patients. Throughout this time we even saw a shortage of insulin - which had the potential to seriously affect all our diabetic patients out there!

One key area that was hit hard in 2024, was a shortage of fluid therapy supplies. For those that don't know - we use fluid therapy every day in the clinic. Most commonly, we use a fluid called "Hartmann's" which is a balanced electrolyte fluid therapy that helps maintain blood pressure for patient's undergoing a general anaesthetic. Additionally, it is also used for patients experiencing dehydration when they are feeling sick.
Throughout much of 2024, Hartmanns was completely unavailable! But luckily us vets are adaptable and were able to swap to an alternative fluid therapy known as 0.9% sodium chloride (NaCl). However, as this is a common fluid in human medicine, it didnt take long before vets experienced a shortage due to the need for it in human hospitals instead! Australia wide, vets were worried about what this shortage would mean for our patients and looking at ways to ration and prioritize the most at risk patients.
Luckily we had an amazing support network around us here at Modbury Vets, and due to the generosity of LifeBlood Australia - we were able to receive donations that meant our patients could still receive this much needed fluid therapy. It just goes to show how supportive our local community is, so we just want to give a little shout out and thank-you to LifeBlood Australia for the crucial help in this time, our patients really appreciate it!
Check out the snippet below from when Channel 7 news used our story in their "Ray of Sunshine" segment.
Written by:
Dr Tegan Hadley
BSc (Hons), DVM.
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