Veterinarians keeping their cool
By Gina Spadafori
August 23, 2007
This I admit up front: It wasn’t just the fact that I was better at English than Science in high school that steered me away from veterinary medicine and into writing. I think even 30-odd years ago, volunteering at the shelter, I had a pretty good idea I was not temperamentally suited to dealing with people who shouldn’t have pets.
Which is why I truly admire the “in the trenches” veterinarians who deal with chuckleheads every day. Like Pet Connection BFF Dr. Patty Khuly, who documents another head-exploding encounter with a person whose cat is nearly killed by fleas. (Yes, fleas. Those things my animals never, ever see thanks to monthly Rx, and thank heavens! I remember how it was before.)
From her Dolittler blog:
Dingleberry came back for his recheck last week loaded with a fresh batch of fleas. The owner was again unaware of the problem and oblivious to the obvious solution I had recommended. For the record, she only came back because she wanted the cat’s unsightly mats shaved off—not to recheck his anemia.
This week she had the gall to call her credit card to dispute $300 in blood transfusion charges. She claims I did not secure her permission before embarking on this life saving procedure.
Dingle would have been dead but for his blood transfusion. I’d spoken to his two owners that day (by telephone) about the need for a blood transfusion and its expense. Neither denied that I should undertake such a procedure in light of its clear necessity. Without it he would have been stone cold dead within 24 hours—no doubt about it considering his severe depletion of red blood cells due to the active blood-sucking of his hundreds of fleas.
[...]
But the owner claims she was happy to pay for all of his care—minus the transfusion. She swears that under no circumstances would she have paid an extra $300 to save her cat’s life.
Geez, Dr. K, my hat’s off to you. You have the patience of a saint … and clients from hell.
I think I would have told the owners that the cat died and then found her a new home. These people have no right to have an animal!!!
Comment by catmom5 — August 23, 2007 @ 1:40 pm
After reading Dr. K’s blog for the past few months, I know why fate stopped me from becoming a vet. I’d be spending most of my time in court defending myself against battery and assault charges!
Comment by PM Hill — August 23, 2007 @ 7:14 pm
Same here.
Comment by Lynn — August 23, 2007 @ 8:55 pm
You have no idea the restraint it sometimes takes to be a vet. On the plus side you have patients like this morning’s who come in and cry on your shoulder when their pet has to be euthanized. That’s somehow rewarding and makes up for the occasional client who knows how to strum your last raw nerve.
Comment by Dr. Patty Khuly — August 25, 2007 @ 8:10 am
Dr. Khuly’s comment about the “plus side” is right. It is those clients who truly care about their pets, along with the successes in treating sick and suffering pets that keep us going. Discussions like this are good for aspiring vets and vet techs to read. At our clinic we sometimes have those who want to enter the field come in for intenships or to shadow us. So many of them say that they want to work with animals and don’t want to work with people. I always remind them that every animal that comes in is accompanied by one or more people and they can’t be ignored. One pre-vet student told me she planned to work “in the back.” All I could say was “good luck with that.”
Comment by Marilyn — August 26, 2007 @ 7:01 am
Even though you are disgusted with Dingleberry’s owners,you should try to be compassionate toward them.They probably do not understand the situation even though you have explained it to them.Fleas spend most of their time off the animal.Maybe the owners do not see so many and think you are just out to get their money.Sometimes a bad home is better than no home at all.
Comment by Julie — August 26, 2007 @ 7:55 pm
Julie … you’ve GOT to be kidding. These people let fleas nearily bleed their cat to death not once but TWICE. So many fleas on the animal that the parasites were jockeying for position. The second time their cat nearly died of the same preventable problem was after a very patient and detailed explanation of said problem by an excellent veterinarian.
I disagree that a bad home is better than no home at all. These people should not have a pet.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — August 26, 2007 @ 8:06 pm