What A Day!

After today, I needed something to make me smile! I'm sharing this beautiful cat with you!

Well, today there was not ONE thing that happened to inspire today's blog - but many. So excuse me if this is a bit random and at times more of a soap box but hey, it's MY blog..haha..that's the beauty of it. I can say what I want (at least for now until our liberties are completely ERODED and shackled).  Yeah..just like me saying that totally NON veterinary related thing :)


Today sucked. There is no other word for it ok? Why? Well, first of all it seemed that frustrating things kept happening over and over such as:


1. Sad cases:   I had to tell several people that the death of their pet was imminent. These people didn't come in with that in their minds (making it always harder to deal with). One dog was vomiting and after an extensive workup we diagnosed him with stomach cancer. A cat that was losing weight and not eating has either primary lung tumors or more likely mets from a leg mass. Another dog has a possible splenic mass and stones somewhere (GI, gallbladder, etc - can't tell on this one without an ultrasound) and may have clotting issues. 


2. People who walk in and are um..shocked that they have to pay a higher fee for doing so. Yeah, you can't just walk in and disrupt the day without a cost (let me SEE you even try that BS at your doctor's office..they will tell you goodbye, see you in a few weeks!). These cases were NOT hit by cars, respiratory distress, dog fights with bleeding lacerations ok? Of course we'd take those ASAP and deal with them. They were rashes, ear infections, etc  and people who were irresponsible with pets they couldn't afford to begin with that then had the gall to be upset they had to pay and wait. Meanwhile, we have people who made appropriate appointments and showed up on time who had to wait a bit anyhow for the sick work up type cases that come in each day. I refuse to reward bad behavior OR penalize people who do the right thing!


3. People who expect service for free or can't afford their pet but if they had done proper preventative care would NOT be in this position: One person walked in with a puppy who was possibly injured by children and could not even pay an EXAM fee. I am glad we found out before I went in - I am not FREE. That is not me being greedy or me NOT being compassionate ok? I went to veterinary school - 8 long grueling years - with massive student loans. My time, education and experience are absolutely worth paying for. Go across the street, pick up some snacks and smokes and see if the gas station store will let you pay in a few weeks..no? Hm..and they aren't dealing with living complex organisms right??!!   Then there was the person that had a dog with a serious problem that REQUIRES surgery to cure..and IF they had done this surgery (SPAYING) when the dog was younger and NOT sick, would have saved oh..say..$800 or more..they wouldn't be in this position. Then there's the people who spend >$1000 on a puppy from a pet store who can't afford basic care. How about either 1: don't get a dog right now or 2: get one from a shelter - rescue it - spend $100 and then use that "extra" $900 on the care of the pet you just "committed" to..yeah, right! 




And you thing being a vet is so fun right? We get to play with cute little puppies and kittens and don't have to deal with people? WRONG! Pets come WITH people!