Ali was a beautiful golden retriever with a large liver mass in her abdomen. She had seen both her regular veterinarian and the local specialists prior to my visit with her. Her owner wanted her to be comfortable, and was open to euthanasia if he could not make her comfortable. She was already on some… Read More
Blog
3 Reasons Great Vets Get Awful Reviews
There’s a growing trend among outstanding, caring, compassionate veterinarians around the world, and it’s not accessorizing for fall with jaunty cat-themed scarves (although I’m really pushing that and hope it will take off). More and more veterinarians I know and respect are getting skewered in online reviews. These are people who give their all to… Read More
For Best Results, Shut Your Mouth
I learned about the effectiveness of silence from my first boss. I’ll be honest with you – he scared me to death. It took me the better part of a year to call him by his first name. Part of the intimidation factor was his silence. He would ask me a question, I would answer… Read More
Stop Saying Party Hat! Muzzle is Not a Dirty Word
Sometimes when asked how work is going, I answer, “Not too bad. I still have all ten fingers.” It’s my poor attempt at a joke, but I’ve realized that a lot of people unfamiliar with veterinary medicine ask if that’s really a risk of the job. Although we have countless wonderful pets that walk through… Read More
An Open Letter to Perfection
Hello, Perfection. We’re old adversaries, you and me. You’re what I was supposed to be, remember? You bastard. You were what they expected out of me for over thirty years, and I realized eventually that I couldn’t deliver. Lord knows I tried, of course – even as a young child, I wanted to… Read More
Tugs at My Heart Strings
by Robin Dettman, DVM Each day I come to work I think I truly have been blessed To work with dogs and cats and more A joy I have confessed. And though I love my job its true to see God’s creatures well There are those who touch my heart in ways that… Read More