Veterinarians say they've been extra busy in 2020.

As many businesses slowed down during the pandemic, veterinarians at Shoreline VCA Animal Hospital say pets needed their help more than ever.

With the waiting room still out of commission, vets say some clients are waiting for hours in their cars for their pets to be seen by a doctor. They say record adoption rates during the pandemic are contributing to it -- more pets mean more appointments.

Referral manager Jeff Soracco says most animal hospitals in the area have more cases than they can handle.

"Their wait times sometimes for the new appointments are six weeks out," he said. "It's a great time, in theory, to get a puppy. You're home all the time, you have time to train it, you're going to be with it."

Dr. Bari Morris says some owners may have noticed ongoing issues with their pets while spending more time with them in quarantine.

"Prior to COVID, something may have been going on a while, but no one noticed it because they're not home during the day," she said. "Now, if your pet is, for example, asking to go out six times a day, you're going to notice it where maybe you didn't notice it before."

She says while a long wait is a pain, it's also a good sign.

"You don't want to be the person that's told that the wait time is zero. Because that means that something really serious is going on with your pet," Dr. Morris said.