I recently went into the emergency clinic where I do relief work to help with a surgery. When I got there, it was — well a typical weekend afternoon at the emergency clinic. The cages were full of sick patients, the rooms were full of worried clients. The doctor who was scheduled to be on… Read More
Life With Clients
Coping With An Unknown Diagnosis
As an ER veterinarian, I have become quite skilled at quickly assessing an animal and coming up with a plan to begin patient stabilization. Unfortunately, this does not mean that I always know exactly what the underlying cause of each patient’s illness is. If a situation arises when a diagnosis has not been reached, it… Read More
Trust Us, Please
Everyone who works in the veterinary profession for any amount of time has heard that “vets are only in it for the money” or that we are in cahoots with pet food and pharmaceutical companies and get kickbacks for recommending their products. But those opinions are far from the truth. We know that our clients… Read More
Do I Give it a Go or Just Say No?
Here’s the scenario: you are in general practice and you have a patient that needs surgery. It is not a surgery that you have ever done, nor do you feel comfortable doing it. You recommend referral to a specialist. The owners don’t have the money for the referral. In fact, they have about $800 to… Read More
The Art of Not Making Everybody Happy All the Time
In my time as a CVT I’ve witnessed and assisted in more euthanasias than I can count. The old age, the sick, the unexpected. The “we’re ready,” and the “we weren’t ready yet.” I’ve listened to stories about the tired old dog in his puppyhood while the owner imagined him running free again. I’ve assured… Read More
Pet Owners, Just Let Us Do Our Job
I recently had to use my stern voice. You know the one. It started with a “ma’am” because I feel like that sets the tone. Then I got my hand movements involved. A little bit of waving and motioning helped for maybe five seconds then I had to say a stern “ma’am” again. In the… Read More