10/15/2024
Today we introduce you to Lydia Ward. Lydia has been working here for the last four years and is a vital part of our team!
Lydia and her boyfriend, Zane, have three dogs, Gunner, Hallie, and Khaleesi and four cats, Taz, Dusty, Sparrow, and October.
When asked why she chose a career in the vet field, Lydia said she was harassed into it! While this is true to some degree as both Michelle and Dr Getty asked her multiple times during 2020 to leave the humane society and join us, this is where Lydia belongs! There is nothing this girl can't do! Her most impressive tech moment here was when she was placing an IV catheter on a very angry cat. The catheter was in, but still needed to be taped and the cat lost it's cool. Kitty was leaping and jumping as Michelle held on for dear life. While Michelle was ready to call it quits before the cat hurt someone, Lydia remained calm, and between bursts of movement from the fractious feline, she safely finished taping the catheter and the cat was able to be treated without any more pokes! We are happy to have harassed her to use her compassion and talents to help our many patients!
From her Livingston County Humane Society days (Aug 2018 to April 2021), Lydia has pictures of every animal that entered the Humane Society AND she remembers their individual stories AND the names they were given at the Humane Society. Anytime an animal comes in that was adopted during that time frame, Lydia remembers it! Her phone has 948 pictures of each animal that she met during her time there! If you have an adopted pet from Livingston County, comment a picture below so Lydia can use her super power to remember who they were before getting to their forever home!
Lydia's advice for pet owners is that insurance is a necessity. There are many insurance companies, compare coverage and cost and choose one that works for you. Lydia has personal experience with this as her dog, Khaleesi, began having seizures before she was a year old. Khaleesi was taken to VCA in Aurora to see a neurologist as the seizures were not controlled by normal medications. Her price quote for diagnosing the cause of the seizures was $7,300-$8,900! Thankfully, Khaleesi is covered by Trupanion pet insurance, so her out of pocket cost was only 10% of the total! Now her dog is on daily lifelong meds to control the seizures and thanks to having insurance before she needed it, Lydia will only pay 10% of her prescription cost and insurance will cover the additional 90%! Without insurance, Khaleesi would not have received the specialty care she needed. Please check into a policy for your pet while it is healthy so you have coverage when you need it. (pawlicy.com is a website that will help you compare many companies quickly – Trupanion is Lydia's choice, but find the policy that works for you.)
If Lydia were to choose what animal to be, she wants to be one of her dogs. She sees the life they lead and wants to have that for herself!