Secret #10- :)

"Every time I save a life, every time I fix a patient, that makes everything worth it. And I love it when a client says, 'I wish my physician would treat me as nice as you treat my pets.'"

'Nough said.

Secret #8- Get Out Of My Way!

"If you're visiting your pet in the hospital, and we say something along the lines of 'OK, it's time to let Fluffy sleep now,' often what we really mean is you're in our way, and we're trying to treat other patients."

Now, If I was visiting my sick child in the hospital and a nurse inferred that I was in the way and needed to leave, I'd be a bit upset.

I worked (briefly) in a higher-end restaurant bussing tables. There were nights when we were all tired, ready to clean up and go home, but there were still customers lingering over their desserts and coffee, and chatting. So we would clear the table. Then we'd stop refilling the drinks. Turn down the lights. Turn off the heat/air. Wait for them to get the hint and leave. To this day, I don't stay at a restaurant 'til close or after.

But I'm not in a hospital to socialize. I'm worried about my sick loved one. If I'm in your way, maybe you need to find a way to allow me to visit less intrusively.

Here's what I will do as a vet- and what I have seen my most fabulous, goddesses-among-women techs do. We will take a patient into an exam room to visit- this lets their people have quiet time out of everyone's way. Or we will allow people to visit their pets in our teatment area, and will gently ask the to excuse us when we need them to move. I have never had anyone protest.

If it gets to be after hours, I will tell the client that we are officially closing, that one of us will stay for a bit while they visit. The vast majority of people will then thank us for staying a few extra minutes and will leave on their own.

The point? Well, I guess I'm trying to say this- These are pet parents, worried sick about their pets who are trusted into our care. They are not in the way. They are the reason we are here. They may well respond better to direct words than indirect hints. What's after "let Fluffly rest?" Turn off the lights? Not on my watch.

Enjoy your pets!

recap

For those who may not have been in this from the start- I am commenting on a recent Reader's Digest article that lists 50 secrets your vet won't tell you...more to come....

#7- where's my tricorder?

"Here's a pet peeve: owners who don't want to pay for diagnostic tests but then cop an attitude because you don't know what's wrong with the animal. Since you won't let me do the blood work or x-rays, how the heck do you expect me to know?"

Yep, I think we've all been there. Look, gentle readers, we vets are good at what we do, but we are not psychic, we do not have magic 8 balls with all the answers. What we have is years of training, years of experience, and great testing (diagnostic) options available to us.

Many of us would love to provide the diagnostics (and our time, and our technician's time, and our receptionist's time, and the light and the heat, etc) to you for free, but we can't, any more than you provide your services or time for free at your place of employment.

Here's the thing- excellent veterinary medical care is expensive. We can't get past it.

Step back- actually, excellent veterinary care is a really good bargain. Like I have said in a previous post, each of my c-sections cost over $15,000. The last c-section/spay I performed cost the owner $800. Cheap.

But here's the point the vet in the above quote is making- unlike human medicine, where it is between the doc and the insurance company which tests will be performed, in my office you are the responsible party. You say yes or no to the testing. You are faced with the budgeting.

Most of us vets understand living on a budget. We have it down. We will not berate you for not being able to afford something. Just don't act like it's our fault you can't afford it.

And don't get mad when we give you options for finding out what the issue at hand is, but cannot give you a definite answer when you can't agree to the diagnostics. It would be like calling my car repair place complaining of a noise in the engine, but not allowing them to open the hood or use a diagnostic tool. How can I expect them to know what's going on, let alone fix it, without all the information?

So until that great day when I get my tricorder, diagnostic testing like radiography, blood work and ultrasound will have to do. At a price.

Enjoy your pets!

Secret #6: Fatty, fatty 2 x 4....

"The reaon your pet is fat is beacuse you are, too. I would never say that to someone in an exam room, but the fact of that matter is, if you have an owner who overeats and is inactive, they are very likely to have an obese pet."

*see previous path-vet blog notes on obesity and weight loss*

There is a propblem with obesity in our pets just as there is in our people. It boils down to the same thing on either side- too many calories in, too few calories out. Do fat people have fat pets? Maybe. But I see thin people with fat pets, and fat people with thin pets.

Discussing the lifestyle choices we make for our pets is reasonable. Insulting their people is not. (Not implying that this vet ever does actually insult the owners, at least not to their faces.)

Enjoy your pets!

Secret #5: Hospital vs Hotel

"We're a pet hospital, not a dog hotel. People will get upset because their dog got a sheet instead of two fluffy blankets or because their dog didn't get hand-fed. We're just trying to get your dog better so he can come home and you can spoil him."

Well, I thought the beds in the hospital where I delivered my kids were pretty far from hotel comfort, too. I didn't expect them to be softer, or have more pillows or blankets. True enough.



I also agree that some people get upset over things that seem pretty trivial to me. But I do try to listen. And if my client is worries about comfort because of arthritis, we will try to keep more bedding down. If hand feeding is needed to get hat pet better so he can go home- it will be done. Heck, I've had staff go to the grocery for deli meat to try to convince patients to eat. We like to spoil them when they are with us, too.

I think that the underlying concern in this comment is that we feel underappraciated, even when we are doing our best. Sometimes we feel people pick on the small issues- like a nail trim- and don't really "get" the good we are doing with the big issues- like saving lives.

No, a sick dog in the hospital will not be treated like a healthy dog in a fancy boarding kennel. I did not get the same treatment in the hospital as I do at a hotel. I got more attention in the hospital, if fewer luxeries. The same is likely true for your pet as well. Trust in the hospital staff, and don't be offended if we ask you to ;eave your bedding at home.

But flip side- hospital staff, recognize that owners feel like they need some control of the situation- and we all deal with stress differently. Respect those folks for the love they have for their pets, and that they are putting their trust in you.

Enjoy your pets!

Secret #4: Many Thanks!

"Looking for a way to say thank you to your vet? Last year, one pet owner gave us a check for $100, saying we could use it at our discretion for an animal in need. That was a wonderful gift."



Cool. I agree, neat gift. Many vets do "good sam" work- take in kittens left on the doorstep, for example. A little money to fund those in need is a great idea.

We also like chocolate. Or cookies. Or, well, you get the idea.

Enjoy your pets.

Secret #3: Elaine's medical chart

"Most hospitals keep comprehensive records of behavior- of both your pet and you! If you are aggressive to the staff, you will be treated differently."

Hmmmm. Well....

I have never worked in a vet hospital that kept extensive records of client behavior. Payments made, sure- that can be found in the software. Aggressive dog or cat- yes, a note will be made to keep us all safe.

But client behavior?

I have come accross some really nasty clients over the years. Most of the time I understand that I just got in on a really bad day for them. Very rarely is it personal. And if a client is upset because of something the staff or I did, or something that happened on my watch, I think I'm pretty good at acknowledging mistakes and trying to fix them. There might be a note indicating the client was upset over the situation.

Yes, I have known clients that are rude to the staff on a regular basis. There is no need for notes on this one, folks- we all know who these people are. There are some clients we know will be more difficult than others.

Treat them differently? Really? Like what, I wonder- ignore them when they get in the waiting room? Leave them on hold? Spit in their pets' food? I hope not. All of our clients deserve to be treated with respect, and their pets with kindness.

In my opionion, if a client is aggressive to the staff, then that client needs to be told to go elsewhere.



Enjoy your pets!

PS- bonus points if you "get" the title

Secret #2: Liar, Liar, pants on fire

"We know when you're twisting the facts. If your dog has a five pound tumor hanging from his skin, please don't tell me it wasn't there yesterday."

Well, yeah, generally a five pound mass (think, size of a melon) doesn't show up overnight. I might roll my eyes a bit.

Have a little faith in my professionalism. Intentionally lying, telling me it grew that fast will not make me treat you or your pet any differently. Neither will telling me you have been watching the mass grow for the last few months because you couldn't afford to bring it in, or you took the ostrich approach and hoped it would go away. We need to deal with the issue as it is today, and I for one will not waste time leveling a guilt complex on you.

Having said that- folks, most issues do start small. Then they get big. Some get so big they can no longer be fixed. Trust us- the small issues, brought up early, allow us time to fix things at less expense than trying to salvage something when the problem is huge. In other words- it's easier to remove a mass the size of a pea, or even a lemon, than one the size of a melon.



Enjoy your pets!

Secret #1: Big Dog/Small Dog

The quote:

"People always ask: 'How do you handle pit bulls and rottweilers and big german shepherds?' The truth is, the dogs that scare me most are the little chihuahuas. They're much more likely to bite."

I have jokingly said for years- ever since my stint as "kennel crew" that I am more worried about the small breed dogs that are aggressive than the bigger ones. The small dogs seem like they are more likely to bite without warning. They lunge fast. Sometimes they insist on biting my shoes even when we are all done with the doctor stuff.



But...big dogs that are aggressive tend to cause worse injuries. I have the scars to prove it. They can be much harder to restrain- imagine a 100 lb vet tech trying to hold a 150 lb dog, who does not want to be held, for a blood draw. Or a nail trim. It can get hairy.

I think the larger point is this- we all prefer to see the well-mannered, well trained dog come into the practice. Sure, we can deal with the nasty ones. We have muzzles and medication. But there is very little reason to joke- a bite from any pet can be terrible. And yes, this includes cats, ferrets, iguanas and birds.

Enjoy your pets!

Darn Reader's Digest!

I don't know whether you, my audience of three or so, have read the recent Reader's Digest article, 50 Secrets Your Vet Won't Tell You. I don;t know whether you recall a Consumer Reports article on saving money on your vet bills a few years ago, or the one about pet foods before that.

Look, I know these magazines need to sell copy and ads. "List" articles seem to be ever popular (Top 10 hairstyles for 2013!). And I realize that some magazines, papers, websites and blogs look for shock content to publish. It drives sales through readership. Yes, I know. And maybe I'm old fashioned in thinking that a well-thought-out article is not too much to ask. Sigh. I'm just tired of feeling my choice of profession- usually considered widely well-regarded- is being targeted and picked on. Sigh again.

So, here we go. Reader's Digest compiled a list of 50 things your vet won't tell you. They are quotes from vets and vet techs (vet nurses). I think some have some merit, others are funny, some are just plain wrong. I have spoken to colleagues who feel the gist of the article is demeaning. Others who find it inflammatory. One who thinks that any vet or tech who makes degrading comments about our profession cannot be right in the head.

I am going to parse this out. Over the next few weeks, I plan to take these points individually and consider them. Please remember- these comments are mine and mine alone, based on my education and experience. My blog is intended to be educational to some degree, but also fun (and at times heavy on the sarcasm).



Enjoy your pets!