09/09/2024
Yesterday at work was a true glimpse into what it means to be a small animal veterinarian.
In the span of a 40-minute block at the tail end of the day (and this is after a full morning of other appointments), I diagnosed bladder stones in a kitty with chronic urinary issues, examined a newly adopted kitten and counseled her first-time animal owner mom on pet care, helped painlessly ease a beloved 15-year old boxer with metastatic oral cancer from a body that was no longer working for her, and removed 50 surgical staples from a 170-pound Great Dane.
Honestly, I don’t know how we got it all done. But, the truth is, I do. I have the most amazing team around me and the most incredible clients who are patient and kind because they know that the time I am spending with other patients will also be spent on their own pets.
But to get it done requires flexibility, focus, humor, and compassion (oh, and swear words, those help too!) It’s a literal 3-ring circus or, better yet, a well-orchestrated Globetrotters game. I often feel like Dick van Dyke’s one-man-band in Mary Poppins, just trying to keep everyone moving forward in a positive direction with enthusiasm and a smile on my face.
With two technicians and one receptionist on Saturdays, it is always all hands on deck. Yesterday was no exception - we even had to enlist the help of an owner – and this is the story worth telling. My aforementioned gentle giant, Thor, was in for staple removal after emergency surgery 12 days prior at a referral hospital for colonic torsion. He literally had 50 staples snaking down the length of his caudoventral abdomen. Things started off smoothly; I was able to remove them one by one with Thor standing (no Dane is a fan of lying down unless it’s his decision). But then, around staple number 6, I had to shift to lying on my back like a car mechanic on a creeper under Thor, with one tech shining a flashlight, so I could use the staple remover in one hand and a hemostat in the other.
Quickly realizing that the remainder of the staples were embedded and overgrown with tissue, I passed my tools off to my nurses because I was needed in other places. First to radiology, where I read the xrays of the kitty with the bladder stones, then to the front desk to schedule him for surgery next week, them to exam room 1 where I examined and vaccinated the newly adopted kitten and answered new momma questions, and finally to exam room 2 to meet the sweet senior boxer and her family.
By the time I circled back to check on Thor, his dad (who, fortunately, is an amazing human trauma surgeon/intensive care specialist) was on his back, squinting up at his own doggo’s belly, working at removing the remaining staples. I joined him for a few minutes - both our heads under Thor, legs pointed in different directions, as we tried to gingerly extract the embedded staples. Of course, I had made the very practical decision to wear a little skirt to work, making this whole scene so very extra.
Recognizing we would only make Thor uncomfortable trying to tease out the remaining staples, I sedated him and left him in the exceptionally capable hands of my nurses – which actually provided me with a beautiful window of time to be fully present and fully focused on the well-journeyed life of the sweet boxer as I let her go with her family at her side.
You see, the veterinarian is just one small part of a much bigger team dedicated to keeping your pets healthy and saving animals’ lives. And when that vet is surrounded by people she trusts, to whom she can delegate and who anticipate her needs, crazy days turn into great days. (Thank you, Dream Team!)
This is not a note asking for sympathy or praise. Not at all. This is a note about gratefulness.
This a thank you note – better yet – a love letter to all the amazing technicians, receptionists, and kennel staff that I have had the honor and the privilege to work with over these many years. From Falls Road to Terrell Mill to Intown Animal Hospital, you all are simply the BEST! I am only as good as the people who surround me, and lucky, lucky me, you guys are amazing!
