DrAndyRoark.com

Articles, Videos, & Training on Pets & Veterinary Medicine

Michael W. Miller, DVM

Which Encanto Character Are You? – Vet Med Edition!

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If you have young children at home like me or are a Disney-loving child at heart, then the beginning of your 2022 has been dominated by the movie Encanto. I was just discussing with a friend how impactful Encanto is the first time you are actually able to pay attention to it without the distractions of loud little humans. So, in solidarity with everyone else who also has the soundtrack stuck in their head (willingly or unwillingly), here are my vet med versions of the characters from Encanto:

Bruno

Why not start off with the character we are not supposed to talk about but cannot stop singing about?!  Many of us in vet med at some point feel underappreciated and misunderstood like Bruno. He can see the future, but the townspeople and his own family are upset whenever Bruno’s prophesies deliver bad news.  Working in the veterinary field, we know all too well that delivering bad news does not always make us the most popular. “He told me my fish would die; the next day: Dead!”  Well, either Bruno cursed your fish, or he is a very astute fish vet who delivered an accurate prognosis. 

Julieta

The veterinary versions of Mirabel’s mom are my favorite co-workers. Feeling bad, here are some homemade cookies to make you better! Okay, their food never cured a broken arm, but you cannot convince me that the magical holiday sugar cookies that my hospital’s Julieta brings in every winter do not have healing powers.

Pepa

There is always that one person in the hospital whose mood affects the atmosphere of the whole place. The vet med Pepa can either make your day sunshine and rainbows or turn it into a massive hurricane. Whatever you do, do not mention Bruno in front of her if you want to avoid the storm clouds!

Dolores

Want to know the latest hospital secrets? Then go find Dolores because she hears everything.  From knowing how your most beloved patient is responding to a new treatment to hearing about the latest relationship drama the outwardly perfect employee is experiencing… Dolores knows it all, and she is willing to share it with whomever will listen.

Camilo

Need a hand answering phones… Boom! The vet med version of Camilo transforms into the perfect CSR.  Want someone to help you obtain some radiographs… Ta-Dah! Camilo shapeshifts into the assistant you need, complete with a stylish lead apron.  These cross-trained helpers are such an asset to any veterinary hospital, but just don’t ask them to estimate how tall Bruno is.

Antonio

We all wish we could talk to animals, but the veterinary Antonio just seems to connect on a different level.  They will tame the savage beast when no one else can seem to get through.  Okay, maybe nowadays they also utilize some low-stress handling techniques and pre-appointment anti-anxiety meds to achieve their magic, but that’s still pretty magical.

Isabela

Isabela does more than grow beautiful flowers, she is seemingly perfect in every way … and it’s affecting her mental well-being.  We need to help any vet med Isabela realize that “it didn’t need to be perfect – it just needed to be!”  Good enough can be good enough in veterinary medicine.  When we see our Isabela colleagues struggling for perfection, maybe we need to encourage them to grow a cactus, and then give them a hug.

Louisa

We love Louisa for her ability to hip check boulders, shoulder the donkeys, and bust a mean dance move!  However, the weight she is carrying is crushing her.  She’s the dependable, rock-solid workhorse… until she breaks under those heavy expectations. Louisa’s lyric when she sings: “I’m pretty sure I’m worthless if I can’t be of service” hits me in the feels every time I hear it. Louisa can find joy in utilizing her strength to serve her community, but she may need to be reminded that she is allowed to take time for herself to relax in her hammock with a nice drink when she needs it. Oh, and it’s okay if she cries sometimes too. Don’t worry, Louisa, you are so much more than your gift! 

Abuela

She is the matriarch trying to hold it all together.  The Abuela in the vet clinic thinks she is protecting her team and her community, but her fears are putting unbearable pressure on the people she cares about.  She means well, but she is blind to the harm she is causing.  Sometimes it takes a spunky, bespectacled granddaughter to show her what she has forgotten.

Mirabel

And that brings us finally to Mirabel.  She may not have the obvious talents of the people surrounding her, but she is a special part of the veterinary team.  Her presence keeps the practice running, and without her the walls crumble.  She may not feel like she belongs as she is “waiting for a miracle”, but she can help her entire veterinary family better utilize their gifts.  And, if she somehow ends up in the middle of a pile of rubble, she can inspire the community around her to come to her aid and discover that “it’s a dream when we work as a team.”  She is the real gift even if she does not see it in herself. So, you may have to help her open her eyes and then give her the doorknob she needs to finally enter the door she has been waiting for.

Encanto may be a favorite for kids who cannot stop singing about Bruno (no, no, no…) but it can also unlock some hard truths for veterinary professionals and help us understand our gifts and our burdens in a new way.  Whether we feel like we need to “earn the miracle that somehow found us” or we feel the “pressure like a tick, tick, tick ‘til it’s ready to blow” (not that kind of tick!), we can open our eyes to see ourselves as veterinary versions of the family Madrigal who just need to re-focus on what is truly important in our careers and lives. 

The 3 Deathly Hallows of Vet Med

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The Deathly Hallows are some of the most legendary magical items in the Harry Potter world. These powerful objects were foretold to make someone the “Master of Death” by obtaining all three. This made me wonder… if Veterinary Deathly Hallows exist, could we harness their power to become a “Vet Med Master of Death” without falling victim to the dangers associated with the misuse of each one?  

(((WARNING: This discussion may be a trigger for some people. If you are having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.)))

Veterinary medicine has many uplifting moments, but this profession also involves a lot of death. It just does. The vast majority of our patients have short lifespans. Some of the diseases we battle conclude with the premature loss of the patient. If we want to thrive in this career, we must learn how to manage the death of our patients. Let’s discuss how we can be like Harry and discover the magical powers in the three Veterinary Deathly Hallows while avoiding the perils of each one.

1. The Invisibility Cloak – Coping Techniques

The Invisibility Cloak allows a wizard to hide from death. In vet med, our invisibility cloaks are the coping mechanisms we use after the loss of a patient. Everyone’s invisibility cloak is different. Some are much more effective, whereas others are more likely to get us into trouble.

Harry certainly found himself in danger multiple times while using the Invisibility Cloak. In vet med, some coping mechanisms may be able to provide temporary peace, but these techniques can also be very dangerous if abused. Even people like me who find comfort at the bottom of a carton of ice cream will find that coping mechanism to be less than productive when depended upon too frequently. (Let’s just say that it wasn’t my cloak that split a seam at work after one too many servings of cookies and cream!) In order to harness the power of our Vet Med Invisibility Cloak, we must find coping mechanisms that protect us from the dark emotions of losing a patient without unintentionally leading us into a dangerous area where we could be left unprotected when emerging from our cloak.  

Dumbledore tells Harry that the real power of the Invisibility Cloak is to hide others from death as well. That’s also the magic of this Veterinary Deathly Hallow. Does your coping mechanism help you protect others from the negative emotions of loss? Maybe you could invite a friend to join you for a morning jog or yoga class. You could discuss a therapeutically entertaining movie/tv show/book with your colleagues who may also enjoy it. After stress-baking a bunch of cookies, you could bring them to work to share with your colleagues needing a pick-me-up. Or, you could share the enlightening social media post you read that you think could help others. The true masters of the Invisibility Cloak bring someone else along to save them, too.

2. The Resurrection Stone – Mementos of Deceased Patients

The Resurrection Stone grants the power to recall a shadow of someone who has died. In vet med, we often provide clients with a memento of their beloved pet who has passed in the form of a paw print or lock of hair. Sometimes we even save mementos for ourselves, which could range from just a simple photo to meaningful tokens of gratitude from thankful pet owners. When used effectively, the memories of those animals who have touched our hearts can inspire us to strive to be better for future patients.

However, just like the Resurrection Stone, these mementos can be dangerous when used inappropriately. Dwelling on these memories to obsess over a former patient can make us lose focus – just like Professor Dumbledore did when he encountered the Resurrection Stone in the form of the horcrux ring. His tunnel vision led to a lethal curse. Similarly, the sadness of a patient we have lost can spiral us to a dark place that doesn’t allow us to care for all our other patients.

In order to conquer the power of the Vet Med Resurrection Stone, we must focus on the constructive aspects of recalling lost patients. Harry Potter used the memories of his lost loved ones to help him battle Voldemort in a time of need. Veterinary professionals can use our mementos to recall the satisfaction of helping beloved patients who have crossed the rainbow bridge, and then we can use those powerful memories to find the strength to continue to battle the dark magic of vet med.

3. The Elder Wand – Euthanasia Drugs 

The Elder Wand is the Deathly Hallow that allows a wizard to cast powerful spells and was often used to perform the killing curse. In vet med, we are granted a similar power to end life with medications used for euthanasia. Many veterinary muggles do not appreciate how fulfilling this aspect of veterinary medicine can be when the Vet Med Elder Wand is used gracefully. When a veterinary wizard understands the science and art of using these powerful drugs, this deathly hallow can provide a magically peaceful end to a patient’s suffering.  

However, just like the Elder Wand, euthanasia drugs can be very dangerous if they fall into the wrong hands. In a profession plagued with mental health issues, this Deathly Hallow could be used by a suicidal person. Are you doing enough protecting your team from the dangers of this Veterinary Deathly Hallow?

Each practice needs to discover what individualized methods work best to both utilize the Veterinary Elder Wand, as well as determining how to protect yourself and your team from it. One proposal to protect our colleagues is the #4eyessavelives initiative proposed by Dr. Andy Roark and his team, which you can read more about here.

By no means is protecting our team from the dangers of the Vet Med Elder Wand the only thing we should be doing to conquer the dark magic of suicide in veterinary medicine. But, why not make this part of our practice’s multi-modal approach to help safeguard someone who is overcome by dark thoughts? I think in order to be a true master of the Vet Med Elder Wand, we must both utilize the power of euthanasia drugs to graciously end patient suffering while also controlling access to protect ourselves and others from the dangers of misuse.

All three of the Vet Med Deathly Hallows are powerful yet dangerous. Please take precautions around these sacred artifacts to keep yourself safe as you utilize their magic. By learning how to harness the positive powers of the Vet Med Deathly Hallows and protect ourselves from their dangers, we can discover the magic to overcome loss in veterinary medicine and become a “Master of Death” just like Harry Potter.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of the DrAndyRoark.com editorial team.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Michael W. Miller, DVM is a part-owner of a four-hospital practice and splits time between Lakewood Animal Hospital and Pine Bluff Animal Hospital in Morris, Illinois. He has a special interest in exotic animal medicine – especially reptiles, but he also enjoys working on dogs and cats including his mischievous shelter mutt named Wombat. He also started a blog called Harry Potter Vet that uses comparisons to the wizarding world to discover the magic in veterinary medicine.


Managing Massive Moments

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Something massive just happened. I mean hugely ginormous. At this moment, it feels like my world has just stopped, changed direction, and will never be the same again. And yet, there are people around me who do not seem to realize anything is different. How can they go on as if nothing happened while I am frozen in this massive moment? It doesn’t make any sense.

Moments like this are extremely difficult. They happen to all of us. The odd part is that we all have a different interpretation for what constitutes a massive moment. For most of society, it’s the loss of a human family member, but other losses qualify as well. Veterinary professionals obviously know how much the loss of a beloved pet can affect a person. However, a whole segment of the non-pet owning public cannot relate to the devastation of losing an animal. We should use the example of that disconnect as a lesson to respect others who may be more affected by certain losses that we personally do not fully understand.

Also, massive moments don’t have to be sad. Graduating, getting married, buying a house, getting a new pet – these cause similarly strong reactions, too. And, these moments can involve similar disappointments when others around you don’t share your same emotions.

I have had multiple massive moments in my life: graduations filled with excitement as well as anxiety about the future, tornados – two of them in two years – that ripped through my hometown affecting my friends and neighbors, my absolutely perfect wedding day, and of course the loss of dear family members.

Each of these events involve different specifics, but the common thread is that feeling of being frozen in time and watching the world speed by without a care.

How can this pet owner want me to see their sick pet when my wedding rehearsal starts in a few hours?  Why is my staff happy today when I just lost my grandpa? How does my boss expect me to work when I feel compelled to help my friends literally pick up the pieces of their houses that were destroyed by a tornado? Why do I feel alone, like no one understands how huge this moment is?  How can others not care as much as I care?

As veterinary professionals, we deal with clients experiencing massive moments on a daily basis. These massive moments leave an impact on us as well. The highest of highs with a brand-new puppy exam for a wonderful client can be followed immediately by the lowest of lows when a long-term case ends in an emotional euthanasia.

And yet somehow, we survive. We persist. We plaster on that smile and move on. We erase our smile to support the grieving family. Back and forth. Not day by day, but instead sometimes minute by minute.  These are huge moments for our clients, and yet our day continues to move on even while theirs has come to a grinding halt. We must learn how to handle these moments in order to both take care of ourselves and our clients.

So, how do you play both sides? How do you respect the clients experiencing their own massive moments while also taking care of yourself? How do you get your job to slow down to respect your massive moments without negatively impacting your clients?

I’m not sure I have the answer for everyone, but I have developed an answer that works for me.

When I am experiencing my own massive moment, I allow myself to be selfish. Conversely, when I am a part of someone else’s massive moment, I strive to be selfless.

Let me explain.

In those moments that seem so overwhelming, and I feel alone like no one else realizes that my world has been shaken, I indulge my own needs. I allow myself to be selfish, just momentarily, to do what I know I need to do to survive. For me, this used to be taking a moment to be alone with my thoughts, but now it’s confiding in trusted friends and loved ones who I know will support me in whatever way I need.  Sometimes their response isn’t even the important part. Just knowing that I have shared my massive moment with my support system provides me with calming relief.

That works for me, but it may not work for you. Everyone is different. It took me a long time to reach this epiphany about myself, so I don’t expect you to magically discover what works for you after reading this.  Take the time to figure it out, and don’t beat yourself up if you are still working on it.

On the other side of things, when I find myself in someone else’s massive moment, I try to pause to selflessly think of them. What will help them, or at least not hinder them, as they deal with this experience? This philosophy has changed my approach with my clients. Whether it’s the heart-warming young puppy exam or the heart-breaking geriatric euthanasia, my focus becomes how to allow the client to endure the moment in the most fulfilling way. My goal is not to hijack their moment to steal focus or disregard it, but instead provide the support they need. They are the main character in their story. I am just a supporting role, so it’s important for me to be supportive in that role.

I have another massive moment on the horizon, as my wife’s due date for our first child rapidly approaches. I have already indulged in selfishness by scheduling an extended amount of time off from work for my paternity leave. My practice will survive while I’m taking the time I need to appropriately experience my firstborn son. I will temporarily be selfish to take care of myself and my family so that I will be ready to help others endure their massive moments when I return.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of the DrAndyRoark.com editorial team.

Are You Breaking the 6 Commandments of Professional Courtesy?

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In veterinary school, our ER clinicians had one rule that still sticks with me today: “Never talk badly about the referring DVM to a client.” One important reason for this rule is that the client’s report of what the other vet said may not be exactly accurate.

Whether the client was distracted by emotional distress or just plainly misunderstood, it’s not uncommon for the original veterinarian’s intent to become misinterpreted in that game of telephone. “The other vet said to give omega 7 skinny acid, purple-monkey-dishwasher.” Hmm, that doesn’t sound quite right. (And congratulations to anyone who caught that reference to an early TV episode of a certain yellow cartoon family.)

Now let’s address the more uncomfortable situation when you know exactly what was done and disagree with a colleague’s treatment plan. We often encounter this in multi-doctor hospitals or between competing practices. It’s common, especially in this current era, to be critical of colleagues if they are doing something differently than you.

Even though our profession has standards of practice, few veterinarians have exactly the same preferences. What do you say when your preference is different than the previous vet? And while you’re contemplating that question, also put yourself in the other vet’s shoes. How would you want a vet who disagrees with you to speak with your client?

[tweetthis]Are You Breaking the 6 Commandments of Professional Courtesy?[/tweetthis]

Here are my 6 “Courtesy Commandments” for respectfully disagreeing with a veterinary colleague. (And yes, I realize if I say “commandment”, there should probably be 10 of them. Please have the courtesy to let that detail slide.)

    • Never bad-mouth another veterinarian in front of a client.

      Just don’t do it. This is my most important “Courtesy Commandment.” I understand it can be tempting, but tearing down a colleague is not the best way to build yourself up. Okay, maybe in the short term some clients will respond to this and only want to schedule appointments with you, but you will lose respect from your colleagues.

      British Shorthair Cat In The Box

      Especially if you do this to the other vets in your own practice, it will create a toxic working environment. Don’t be that vet that all the other vets hate. Also, remember that game of telephone? The same philosophy applies here when a client reports back about what you said. Having a client tell another vet that you said they do things incorrectly is a bad idea. Bad idea. You’re just asking for your words to be misconstrued, which could come back to haunt you. Don’t fall into that trap.

    • Acknowledge what the other vet did correctly and what you learned from what the other vet has already done.

      If the patient did not respond well to the previous veterinarian’s treatment, explain what you can infer from that and why you would like to take a different approach. This is extremely important if the client is complaining about vets who also work in your practice. Those vets may not get a chance to defend themselves, so this is your chance to take a moment to have their backs and restore the client’s confidence in them even though their initial choices may not have been successful.

      Funny standing kitten and cat

      Hopefully your co-workers will have the same professional courtesy for you, too. I would also wish that even competitors could show each other similar courtesy. Maybe that’s unrealistic, but can’t I dream about a wonderful veterinary utopia where everyone is nice to everyone?

    • Avoid using negative phrases when discussing previous treatments a patient received, and instead focus on what your plan is now.

      This doesn’t throw the other vet under the bus, but instead builds the client’s confidence in you because your goal is moving forward to make their pet better.

    • Explain to the owner why you prefer something different.

      You can still be a good advocate for your methods without putting down your colleagues. For example, try to get the owner excited about doing something different by explaining why you personally prefer that option. Attempt to put more effort into explaining the benefits of your preference than into emphasizing the negatives of the previous treatment.

      domestic cat being examined

    • Don’t be afraid to continue treatments that are working.

      If the client is very happy with a previous treatment that is working and that treatment does not put the patient’s health at risk, then consider continuing the previous treatment even if it’s not how you usually would approach that case. To clarify, I’m not encouraging you to blindly continue treatments you are uncomfortable with. Still, try to keep an open mind. Discovering that a treatment different than your preference works best for that pet is not a defeat. That’s just the nature of medicine. You may just learn a new approach that could be used for your other patients in the future.

  • If you truly believe another veterinarian made a mistake, discuss that directly with the veterinarian.

    I want to acknowledge there is a huge difference between disagreeing over a preferred treatment and recognizing a colleague is practicing inappropriate medicine. I still believe the above suggestions are a good guideline of professional courtesy toward each other, but I concede that special situations exist. There are protocols in place for reporting malpractice, but I would recommend speaking with that veterinarian first. That is the kind of professional courtesy I would hope someone would have for me if the tables were turned.

Veterinary medicine is a small profession. We need to have each other’s backs. Veterinarians will never agree on everything, but that’s okay. Disagreement is healthy and promotes progress in our profession and our individual hospitals. My utopian dreamland where all vets just get along will never exist. However, I think discussion of disagreements must be conducted in a respectful manner, especially in front of clients. Hopefully these “Courtesy Commandments” encourage that. We have enough drama to deal with. We don’t need to add any purple-monkey-dishwashers.

[tweetthis]Veterinary medicine is a small profession. We need to have each other’s backs.[/tweetthis]

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of the DrAndyRoark.com editorial team.