Two glorious, wonderful events occurred today:
1. The inauguration
2. My acceptance into veterinary school
It is a very, very good day, one I think I will remember for a long time...
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Friday, January 16, 2009
Quote of the Day
Phone call
Client: "My dog just went under the table!"
Me: "...And?"
Client: "Someone told me that when dogs go under tables, they go there to die!"
Client: "My dog just went under the table!"
Me: "...And?"
Client: "Someone told me that when dogs go under tables, they go there to die!"
Why no one gets my number
Back in the days of lore, vets were on call 24/7.
The days of lore sucked.
With the advent of modern medicine, so came the establishment of the Big Specialty Hospital and/or Shiny University Hospital right down the road. Huzzah! said the vet. Now, the 2 am blocked cat can make a 10 minute trip to one of finest veterinary hospitals in the nation and receive top-notch care while I sleep soundly away, said the vet. Everyone wins, you see - the cat gets prompt care and delicious drugs, the vet gets sleep and a nicely written summary of the case on the fax machine in the morning, and the owner gets a bill the size of Russia.
Ok, so maybe not everyone wins. Somewhere around 8:02 am, the owner (and proud recipient of a saurian-esque bill) calls Yours Truly to express his/her equally-sized outrage that we, THE VET, were not available at 2 am, forcing him/her to voyage to the other side of the street to a facility where "NO ONE CARED".
"I WANT THE VET'S NUMBER", exclaims the owner. Ya'know, for future emergencies of this nature.
Here's why the answer is an unequivocal NO:
1.) A single vet would be hard-pressed to treat a sick animal in need of hospitalization all by him/herself. It can be done, with the aid of anesthesia and good technique, but it's not a good idea from a "standard of care" point of view. Take this cat, for example - who's going to restrain/hold off while the IV cath is placed? Who's going to monitor anesthesia while the urinary cath is inserted and sewn in? Who's going hold for a jugular stick?
2.) The quality of the animal's care is not reduced by the referral to a different hospital. In fact, it is improved. Instead of a general practitioner and a tech or two, you now have board-certified specialists handling the case and whole boatload of techs providing 24 hour care.
I understand that it costs a lot...in part because you insisted on showing me your bill. Multiple times. However, the difference in the price between the veterinary ER and after-hours care at our practice (with a lone vet) is not comparable to the difference in the quality of care.
When we're open, come on in. When we're closed...we're closed, and it's for your cat's own good.
P.S. - As to "NO ONE CARED": Dude, they're an EMERGENCY HOSPITAL. They don't want to talk to you unless it involves a history or an ok for treatment. They don't want to have a conversation about how your cat likes to sleep in the sink or eat parmesan cheese when there's a GDV in the back and two HBCs coming in.
P.P.S. - Sporadic posting? Yes. Honestly, I've just been too busy lately, and with the economy sucking like it does, our practice has slowed down = not as many good stories, more stress.
The days of lore sucked.
With the advent of modern medicine, so came the establishment of the Big Specialty Hospital and/or Shiny University Hospital right down the road. Huzzah! said the vet. Now, the 2 am blocked cat can make a 10 minute trip to one of finest veterinary hospitals in the nation and receive top-notch care while I sleep soundly away, said the vet. Everyone wins, you see - the cat gets prompt care and delicious drugs, the vet gets sleep and a nicely written summary of the case on the fax machine in the morning, and the owner gets a bill the size of Russia.
Ok, so maybe not everyone wins. Somewhere around 8:02 am, the owner (and proud recipient of a saurian-esque bill) calls Yours Truly to express his/her equally-sized outrage that we, THE VET, were not available at 2 am, forcing him/her to voyage to the other side of the street to a facility where "NO ONE CARED".
"I WANT THE VET'S NUMBER", exclaims the owner. Ya'know, for future emergencies of this nature.
Here's why the answer is an unequivocal NO:
1.) A single vet would be hard-pressed to treat a sick animal in need of hospitalization all by him/herself. It can be done, with the aid of anesthesia and good technique, but it's not a good idea from a "standard of care" point of view. Take this cat, for example - who's going to restrain/hold off while the IV cath is placed? Who's going to monitor anesthesia while the urinary cath is inserted and sewn in? Who's going hold for a jugular stick?
2.) The quality of the animal's care is not reduced by the referral to a different hospital. In fact, it is improved. Instead of a general practitioner and a tech or two, you now have board-certified specialists handling the case and whole boatload of techs providing 24 hour care.
I understand that it costs a lot...in part because you insisted on showing me your bill. Multiple times. However, the difference in the price between the veterinary ER and after-hours care at our practice (with a lone vet) is not comparable to the difference in the quality of care.
When we're open, come on in. When we're closed...we're closed, and it's for your cat's own good.
P.S. - As to "NO ONE CARED": Dude, they're an EMERGENCY HOSPITAL. They don't want to talk to you unless it involves a history or an ok for treatment. They don't want to have a conversation about how your cat likes to sleep in the sink or eat parmesan cheese when there's a GDV in the back and two HBCs coming in.
P.P.S. - Sporadic posting? Yes. Honestly, I've just been too busy lately, and with the economy sucking like it does, our practice has slowed down = not as many good stories, more stress.
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