Today was one of those days where I leave work shaking my head. I understand that people have a lot of questions about their animals. Most days I love answering all of these questions and will spend a long time visiting with anyone who is willing to listen to me and be interested in the health of their pets. Sometimes though, I can't believe the things people ask.
First up was the 5 month old puppy who had not had any vaccines since 8 weeks old when she bought it for a certain amount at a puppy store. I am ok with the vaccines because she didn't know when and why it needed more vaccines. However, her 8 year old child racing through the clinic tormenting the cats, pulling things out of cabinets, and continuously bothering the puppy was frustrating. All of this without any attempt by the mother to stop the behavior. As I try to explain why vaccines are necessary, why spaying and hernia repair is recommended, and what heart worm disease is I watch this 30 pound puppy nibble on the leash, the child, the owner and everything it can reach. As I turn my focus to the puppy he thinks I am a new chew toy and jumps on me. I complete my exam despite the owner and puppy trying to strangle me with the leash. Discussing behavior results in a glazed appearance so maybe we will try that discussion again later. However, as she is checking out she wants to pay later. I politely say we need payment today as we had never seen her before. I am not sure if she will ever be back because she did not like my answer. I will never understand why people purchase pets if they cannot afford the simplest of care . Pets are not a right. This is likely to upset some people but I have seen the result of puppies that don't receive vaccines on time and it is gruesome and often deadly.
The next question was about scheduling a euthanasia. People ask me often how I am able to do that part of my job. For me, that is the hardest and the most rewarding part of my job. I get to ease the pain of my patients and prevent the people who love them from suffering along with them. Sometimes I cry right along with the owners. Sometimes I go home at night and cry myself to sleep over it. Most times I know that it is the right thing at the right time and am at peace with it. This scheduling was one of the rare instances when I wish it had been scheduled much, much earlier. I diagnosed a cat with diabetes almost 2 months ago and the cat was not in good condition at that time. The owners wanted to go home for the weekend and consider euthanasia versus treating. Diabetes is a lifelong disease that requires daily care and can be expensive to treat with many difficulties along the way. Euthanasia is a great option if clients can't commit to the expense and time commitment. At the time of diagnosis it was made very clear that this cat was suffering with the disease and a decision needed to be made within a few days. I scheduled the euthanasia as soon as possible. It breaks my heart to know that this cat has been living with this disease and very likely suffering for 2 months.
The final question of the day was the most confusing. A couple of years ago a dog had bit a child. It was sent to live with the parent of the owner on a farm. This dog then proceeded to attack at least 2 other dogs, killing one of them and seriously injuring another. The dog consistently displays aggression towards strangers, other dogs and with food. When I was unable to guarantee that spaying the dog would fix the behavior concerns we discussed euthanasia as a viable option. Sadly, this happens often. Behavior problems are one of the most common reasons for euthanasia of pets. We discussed the cost of euthanasia. This is the time when it became confusing. The woman on the phone asked me if she could just use human sleeping pills to do the euthanasia at home. I strongly advised her that this would be a very terrible decision and would not be humane for the pet. I recommended she schedule an appointment and she said she would be calling back. Hopefully she does.
These are the days when I leave the building thankful that I get to come home to a family that lets me vent and tell about my day. Thankful that when I walk in the door I am greeted by a small little girl who grins, yells MaMa and runs to me saying uh uh uh (up up up). Thankful for the days that I do get to snuggle puppies and talk with clients who listen to what I am saying and actually care about it. Those things are what get me through days like today where I want to sit some people down and tell them what I really think. Instead, I keep my professional demeanor and let myself shake my head later.
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