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Two audiences, one message: It’s all about The Bond
By Dr. Marty Becker
May 26, 2010
Even before the economy went south, the veterinarians I spoke to about practice management were worried — about keeping their doors open, their staffs motivated (and paid!), and a lot of the time, about getting out from under a huge load of student debt.
I’d try to give them some ideas from my decades of practice about how to meet those goals by building a relationship with their clients, but now and then I don’t want to talk to them as a fellow veterinarian. I want to sit down, one on one, and talk to them as “the other me”: not Dr. Marty Becker, but Marty the pet lover.
If I did, I’d tell them something like this: You don’t have any idea how important this pet is to me.
You think you know, but you can’t conceive the emotional, social, and psychological bonds I have with this animal. And because of that, I want you to treat him as if I was right there all the time, looking over your shoulder.
I want you to remember how much I love this animal when he’s in your hospital, when you’re examining him, lifting him, giving him medication, positioning him for x-rays and anything else you need to do to treat him medically. And I need to know how you’re going to react when he’s scared, and that when he’s in your care, you’ll make sure he’s always warm and never in pain.
I want you to understand that “The Bond” isn’t just something to talk about in a practice management seminar, but a very real and powerful connection between human and animal.
Now I’d like to turn the tables, and talk to all the pet owners reading this not as Marty the pet lover, but as Dr. Marty Becker. I’d like to ask you to put yourself into your pet’s veterinarian’s scrubs and sensible shoes for a few minutes.
I want pet owners to realize how complicated it is to come up with a diagnosis, prognosis and treatment plan for a patient who can’t talk to you or tell you how she feels, or where it hurts.
We do this across multiple species — just the other day, someone brought a 100-pound tortoise into the clinic, and on the same day I saw a budgie, a cat and more than one puppy.
We also do it across multiple disciplines; most veterinarians have to practice internal medicine, surgery, dentistry, pediatrics, geriatrics, along with nail trimming and — my favorite — anal gland expression.
So when we ask for tests, it’s because we need their help. Because our patients can’t speak, even the greatest veterinarian in the best practice in the world can’t diagnose most animal illnesses without diagnostic testing. We need to know how the organs are working by analyzing the blood and urine. We need x-rays to check for fractures and intestinal blockages and dozens of other problems.
And we need you, within the limits of your budget, to pay for those tests so we can help your pet.
The veterinarians I talk to really do care about your pets; I promise there are easier ways to make a living than sticking gloved fingers up a dog’s hind end or trying to look in the painfully infected mouth of a frightened, angry cat.
And however much we want to respect your financial constraints, we also want to honor the bond that made you bring your pet to see us in the first place, to want to ease his pain or extend his life or prevent future problems.
When everything’s at its best, “The Bond” is between all of us — pet, owner and veterinarian.
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And there it is. THIS column is why I’m so damn proud to tell people I work with Dr. Becker. To me, a great veterinarian is a wondrous soul with few analogs in our society. They have to have broader medical training than almost any people-doctor you know (since as Dr. Becker points out, a veterinarian is by definition a generalist who has to hit whatever is pitched his or her way every time, not just relating to organ system but species as well), while often making a fraction of the salary. Their patients can never articulate what’s wrong, so they have to work harder than their medical school counterparts, while also acting as psychologist, behaviorist, facilitator and teacher with the pet’s owner.
When the worst strikes, they inevitably encounter us at our worst, most frightened and during the time when we’re least able to cope with grace and composure. And yet the trusty veterinarian still has to keep their cool when all about them are losing theirs. I know I couldn’t do it, and when we’re able to find someone who can articulate the indescribable as well, we’re pretty fortunate.
Thanks, Dr. Becker, and thanks also to every other veterinarian out there who gets it.
Comment by David S. Greene — May 26, 2010 @ 8:33 am
As a vet tech student *mumble, mumble* years ago, I discovered some of Dr Becker’s articles in a few back issues of Veterinary Economics. Since then, I’ve sought out his writing anywhere I could find it, be it books, or magazine articles and now on the web. I am always assured that three things will happen whenever I read anything Dr Becker has written:
#1) I’m going to smile, or more probably laugh out loud (sensible shoes?? How about shoes that don’t show the *insert bodily fluid here*?).
#2) I’m most likely going to shed some tears (“You think you know, but you can’t conceive the emotional, social, and psychological bonds I have with this animal.” Yep, that did it…I’m such a sap)
Last, and most important, #3) I’m going to be reminded once again how lucky I am to be a member of this extraordinary profession. (“..there are easier ways to make a living than sticking gloved fingers up a dog’s hind end…” True, but I can’t imagine doing anything else.)
This article is now going to be required reading for my “Introduction to Veterinary Technology” students.
Thanks Dr Becker…again!
Comment by Virginia Rud CVT — May 26, 2010 @ 9:43 am
An unexpectedly touching article. I can attest to the first part so I assume the second is accurate as well.
Thanks
Comment by Scott Moore — May 26, 2010 @ 11:40 am
Wonderful article Dr. Marty
We are blessed with our rescue vets that “get it” also.
Comment by Mary — May 27, 2010 @ 5:54 am
A great article, Dr. Becker, but my only addition as an owner would be: Because I love this animal so much, I work to learn as much as I can about his needs and his health, and I know his behavior better than any other person in the world. Please listen to me when I tell you what his normal condition is, how it is different now, and how he reacts to different events. I can make your job easier.
Comment by Susan — May 28, 2010 @ 5:31 am