VMDiva

Every now and then I need to remind myself what it’s like to owner a pet without all the knowledge I’ve accrued as a veterinarian. I often find myself diagnosing a limp, finding lumps, and grasping at lymph nodes when I am in the company of my friends and family. That auto pilot is awfully hard to turn off!

Several weeks ago I allowed myself to immerse in the unbridled joy of being a crazy cat lady as I shopped for a kitty staircase for Winston, my debilitated old man. I purposely failed to divulge my career status to the very enthusiastic and obviously crazy cat man who assisted me in my purchase. It was so awesome to just enjoy being a pet owner without the expectation of expertise. Dipping my toes into the non-veterinary pool was so refreshing I’ve decided to plunge wholeheartedly into my reflection and reconnect with my clientele.

If you’ve followed my posts in the past, you’ve realized I’m an all-or-nothing gal; I hate it or I love it. This personality trait proves challenging for a little emotion called empathy. I’ve outlined some of the pet owner quirks that, frankly, drive me nuts and paired each with an empathetic thought process that keeps my sanity and helps me practice better medicine.

I am trying to better connect with clients while alleviating self-induced irritation. Win-Win!

1. Any Nervous Dog or Cat Has Been Abused

I encounter at least one pet owner a day who believes his pet was abused prior to adoption. The default thought process of an owner is this: “He cowers so he must have been beaten. He barks at men so he must have been abused by one.” If every nervous pet I see was truly abused, every neighbor is a suspect animal abuser.

There’s certainly no harm is believing Fido was beaten under previous ownership but it really chaps my hide when an owner allows this perception to foster bad pet behavior. The perceived abuse provides a scapegoat for their animal’s aggressive behavior and lack of training. Instead of reinforcing good behaviors, owners unwittingly allow the biting, writhing, pain-inducing creature to wreak havoc on me and my staff.  All the while they reinforce the behavior with coddling and praise under the notion that discipline equals abuse!

Empathetic Moment: Human nature, lack of understanding of animal behavior, and compassion drive owners to these conclusions. Submissive behaviors and failure in appropriate socialization most likely account for a majority of these fearful “abuse” cases. However, the truth is abuse does exist and dismissing the idea altogether is a disservice to the pet and owner. Educating owners to the variety of behavior types and teaching them to acclimate their pet to new situations is key.

2. What Breed Do You Think He Is, Doc?

Who cares?!? Okay okay, owners care about their mutt’s constitution. I hate this guessing game because it sets me up for a discussion about a subject I find irrelevant and, it seems, I never tell the owner what they want to hear. Not many owners are keen on me telling them their “Labrador-mix” is actually a Pit Bull. After I’ve offer my best guess, I’m told the groomer/friend/neighbor  has told them it’s an insert-name-here-a-poo and they agree with them over me. *face palms*

From a veterinary standpoint, does it really matter? Nope. The genetic diversity of a standard mutt generally equates to less inherited diseases and medical problems overall. Do owners still want to know? Yep. Some owners seem so fixated on figuring out the amalgam of breeds they even throw money away on those dreadfully unreliable doggie DNA tests.

Empathetic Moment: Why is it so important for owners to know what breeds their dogs are? Knowledge of your pet deepens your emotions and creates a greater bond! I will continue to play the guessing game and call your new rescue a labrashepacockadoodle, but I still refuse to recommend those DNA tests!

3. My Groomer Said/My Breeder Said….

It’s like nails on a chalkboard. The Dr. House part of me begs to ask, “Oh? And where did your groomer attend vet school?” Of course, I’d never. Okay, maybe once but only in the right circumstance.

Now, don’t hang me by my toes yet, all ye breeders and groomers. You folks are often advocates for the pets you care for and for that, I’m grateful. Some of your advice is excellent! But some, particularly pertaining to vaccinations, is woefully inaccurate and not rooted in science. I dread refuting bad advice and fear that if not worded just-so, I’ll come off pretentious and judgmental.

Empathetic Moment:  How are pet owners to tell the difference between good and bad advice? Veterinarians should welcome questions regarding alternatively sourced information handed to the client; sometimes the only way we find out what type of misinformation is out there!

The best pet owners hunger for knowledge and desire the best for their pets. Veterinarians must educate pet owners with reliable and scientifically-based information or they might just get their information from unreliable sources. I don’t want my clients to rely on Drs. Google and Wikipedia exclusively for their veterinary information.

4. We Left Our Last Vet Because Fluffy Didn’t Like Him

New clients who reveal they’ve left a practice because the pet was unhappy with the veterinarian immediately ring alarm bells in my head. This equals one of two things in my book: (a) the client is either using the dog/cat as a mouth-piece to voice disapproval of the care and service provided at another veterinary hospital, or (b) she simply does not understand animal behavior.

All puppies and kittens enjoy visiting the hospital during those first innocent check-ups. Gradually the smartest of the patients, Labradors and Goldens excluded, catch on that maybe this veterinary hospital thing is not so much fun. Do clients really expect their pets to like vaccinations, blood draws, rectal exams, and nail trims?

Empathetic Moment: It is crucial to avoid labeling new clients as “high maintenance” or “difficult” because they were unhappy with service elsewhere.  The new client may have a legitimate reason for leaving disgruntled. A preconceived notion may change the tenor of the appointment.

This initial conversation opens the door to conversation about expectations for Fluffy’s care at my hospital. Meeting a client’s expectations will not only leave the client satisfied but will also, hopefully, establish a long-term relationship of care.

Empathy is perhaps innate, perhaps learned, or even both. No matter, I’m striving to practice mine everyday!

Last weekend was filled with calamity for the Koehl family. I contained my excitement for the first grilled burgers of the season, a big deal here in the north east, until the afternoon of house projects came to an end. I got the burgers on the grill and the macaroni and cheese on the stove all the while dreaming of that first bite into the mouth watering juicy beef patty. On my way to flip the burgers, I repeated the habit I’ve had for years by walking out the back door and pushing the storm door closed so my feline frenzy didn’t push it open. Hey, they get excited about burgers, too. Only this time, as I pushed the door closed the glass shattered in my hand.

Ruh roh.

Initial synaptic reports indicated I was going to die. As the blood dripped on the floor, visions of crippled exams and banishment from surgery filled my mind. Rational thought took over…err…eventually…and I notified my husband of the 1 cm laceration on my palm. That evening taste of summer ended with burnt burgers, soggy mac and cheese, and a lot of kitchen clean-up. I’ll spare those details. I decided to craft steri-strips from waterproof tape and declared myself on the mend.

The next morning, aside from pain, I felt tip top. That is until my husband woke up declaring he had a plank in his right eye. We, like so many of my clients, decided to see how he did through the day and applied lubricant eye drops and homemade remedies. Hours later he decided the pain in his eye was too severe to endure until Monday and we found ourselves at an Urgent Care Facility.

I paid the fee before he was taken back. As my husband was examined I chatted with the receptionist. Our conversation went as follows:
” You guys busy today?” “No, we’ve only seen about 12 people.”
“What kind of stuff do you see here?” “Rashes, UTIs, colds.”
“That’s interesting. Hey, let me ask you a question. What happens when people come in here for urgent care and they can’t pay the exam fee?” She grimaced and shook her head. “We won’t see them.”

That didn’t surprise me as much as what came next.”Do these people ever get angry and tell you you don’t care about them and expect service anyway?” She raised her eyebrows in surprise and said, “Never.” Probing questions revealed another difference between my job and my medical counterparts. The dichotomy between the expectations in human and veterinary medicine always amazes me.

Most veterinarians occasionally face accusations of not caring about animals when they refuse service to someone who has no money. Why don’t we hear doctors accosted when they refuse service to patients without money or patients with unaccepted insurance plans? Perhaps I haven’t been listening but maybe, just maybe, the guilt pet owners feel when they are unable to care for their pets emotionally trumps their personal health concerns.

Dealing with the financial component of practice is harder than any medical decision I’ve made. Accusations of  selfishness, greed, and lack of compassion don’t easily roll off my back. I believe many of these accusations are rooted in guilt and frustration.

The truth is pet ownership a luxury. Shame and guilt felt when they can’t properly care for their animals can tip even the nicest client over the edge.  That helpless feeling coupled with compassion towards man and beast puts emphasis on caring for others over oneself and probably fuels the angry diatribes from troubled clients.

My husband was diagnosed with corneal abrasions. One trip to urgent care, two trips to the ophthalmologist, and four trips to the pharmacy later we’re on the mend. I’m grateful for the finances to ensure medical care for the entire Koehl family – Fox, Winston, and Miss Pigglesworth included!

The gracious folks at RNCentral.com compiled a list of the 50 Best Blogs for Veterinary Students and yours truly made the cut! It’s humbling to be categorized in the “For the Pros” section. As VMDiva has developed, I have explored both professional and personal blog posts and found my niche in what I enjoy most – talking about my opinion on anything vet-related. Not every post interests every reader which makes me even more grateful to my dedicated viewership.

I took some time to check through the list of the Top 50. What a group! I was really happy to see some of my blogger friends on the site but even more excited to see blogs I haven’t discovered yet. I’ve got a lot of reading to do!

Check out this list!

Something’s in the water in my social circle; It seems everyone I know is having a baby these days (except your Diva). Two questions always follow. Are you having a boy or a girl? And then, do you have a name picked? The last one has been getting me in trouble.

Just like there are associations you make with people’s names that would prevent you from ever naming your child said name, you can run into a naming quandary if you spend all your time with animals. Do you hear the name Molly and think of a sullen-faced Basset Hound? How about a cat named Sophie? Bella, Max, Sadie? There are names I will forever associate with pets and are, therefore, struck from my acceptable lists of baby names for everyone. Hey, we all know I’ve got an opinion on everything.

Several weeks ago I was examining an old, crispy Siamese who was resentful of any and all restraint. She wiggled her way around the table, refusing to allow a proper ophthalmic exam. Her owner was helping me but was starting to distress over the exam. To assure her I was being a gentle as I could without allowing the cat to squirm from me one more time, I firmly held on to her  and sang, “C’mon, Priscilla.” Her startled owner replied,”Oh, am I not holding her enough?” Doh, I called the cat the owner’s name!  Read the chart carefully my friends, species neutral names are everywhere!

The changing roles of pets to child status has muddied the waters and a staunch name purist like me will be forced to adjust. But I’m going down swinging!

And just in case you missed it, here are the top Pet and Baby Names of 2010!

This past November I was presented with an all-too-familiar case of economic euthanasia. For those who don’t know, economic euthanasias are performed when pet owners cannot afford or choose not to pursue veterinary care for their pets due to monetary concerns. A 2.5 year female spayed tortoise shell prsesented to my practice with a solitary bladder stone. Her owners were going to euthanize her instead of electing a curative cystotomy.  These situations have arisen even more in the last few years of economic down-turn and are a very frustrating part of my job. My ethical compass couldn’t let me euthanize this wonderful kitty so I had her signed over to me.

Miss Pigglesworth is two months post-cystotomy and is thriving in our home. She was obese, weighing in at a robust 15.7lbs. Two months of strict caloric restriction and increased activity and she is down to 13.2lbs! Go Piggles! She’s our only female (and I am thrilled to have more estrogen in the house!) and gets along well with her brothers. We love her already and look forward to many healthy years ahead.

Dietary indiscretion can make for some good blog fodder. This year’s more memorable consumptions weren’t too hard to remember. I’ve left out the non-descript fetid balls of fabric, the shredded toys, bones, and rawhides due to their predictability and opted to let you in on some of the more ludicrous, dangerous, and enormous meals my client’s dogs have enjoyed.

Note: Labradors are overrepresented in this top ten.

10. One M&M

A panicked chocolate toxicity call always spices up an evening at work. But no, a solitary M&M is not anywhere close to a toxic-dose for Fido. For toxic doses of chocolate, check out this old Chocolate Toxicity Post.

9. Silica Gel Packets

The Animal Poison Control Center reports a large number of calls about dogs consuming these tiny desiccating packets. These little delicacies that come with your new shoes must taste great. Relax, this little nosh is non-toxic but can cause GI upset.

8. 50+ Pieces of Orbit Xylitol-Containing gum

This little Yorkie had a hankering for spearmint. What she didn’t count on was the dangerous hypoglycemia and potential liver damage from this outrageously high toxic dose of Xylitol. She lived to tell the tale and her owner has vowed to never have gum in the house again.

7. Feces

One of the most common complaints I get revolve around a dog’s proclivity to eat its own feces, other dog’s feces, any feces. Does it indicate a nutritional deficiency like some speculate? Maybe. Consumption an innate way to camouflage the dog’s presence in the environment? Could be. Does it taste good? Definitely. Another reason not to let Jake lick your face!

6. A Full Bottle of MultiVitamins

This proud pooch didn’t have a vitamin deficiency, just an apomorphine deficiency. We happily obliged, induced emesis, and Fluffy went home without complication.

5. Transmission Fluid

Perhaps the foulest smelling diarrhea I have ever smelled (yes, worse than parvo) came from a Labrador who consumed the remnants of a bottle of transmission fluid while exploring the garage. The mixture of feces and lubricant smelled like the tar used on telephone poles. Despite the cathartic effect, this guy didn’t miss a meal.

4. A bag of Cat Nip, Reese’s Peanut Butter Trees, and Styrofoam

If I told you this dog had no diarrhea, would you believe me? I suggest not putting your Christmas presents under the tree until it’s time to open them. While large amounts of styrofoam can cause an obstruction, this lucky dog simply enjoyed opening everyone’s gifts a few days early.

3. Tampons (Twice In One Year)

You’d think the first foreign body surgery to remove a tampon from your dog’s intestines would be enough of an incentive to buy a garbage can with a lid or close the door. I guess not.

2. Two boxes of Andes mints, 2 bags of Lindor Peanut Butter Truffles, 2 boxes of Pop-Tarts, and the box for a creme brulee baking kit.

This one goes to my parents’ three labradors, who diligently found their way through a closed door and consumed all of the above without consequence. A chronicle of all of their indiscretions is the subject of it’s own blog.

1. One bulk box of Cheese Its, one bulk box of Pepperidge Farm Goldfish, 16oz of Almond Slivers, 16oz  of Raisins

Both of these labradors can’t seem to stop eating their owners out of house and home. These repeat offenders raided the pantry after their owners came home with purchases from a wholesale club. They pranced into our office thrilled to have their dietary indiscretions rewarded with a trip to the vet. They were more than eager to eat up wet food laced with hydrogen peroxide and savored their spoils – for about 5 minutes. Waves of nausea hit the ladies but neither would…errr…cough up the goods. Good old Labrador iron gilded skulls and stomachs. Activated charcoal treatments, IV fluids, lab work, and two days of hospitalization later I decided to crown these two with Top Digestive Honors for 2010!

I’m proud to see my undergraduate alma mater extolling the virtues of canine companionship! The University of Scranton sponsored a pet therapy day prior to final exams. It’s widely known interacting with domestic animals lowers stress and blood pressure. If only Fido took your finals for you….

If you’re a cat lover and enjoy dry humor, you’ll chuckle at this article from one of my favorite satire news sites! Have a Silly Saturday!

WASHINGTON—The current session of the 111th Cat Congress was once again suspended Tuesday following the sudden introduction of a sunbeam onto the Senate floor, a development that has left a majority of transfixed lawmakers unable to move forward. Read the full article here at The Onion News.com!