For those of you who may not have seen these......
....the 1st rules of the axioms of ER survival.....
1. You can't fix stoopit & there is no vaccine for it.
2. You can't care about someone's pet more than they do.
3. You can't be responsible for people's emotional & mental health.
That ain't ER, that's veterinary medicine as a whole!! :)
ReplyDeleteIt's too bad the public demands that we ARE responsible for their emotional and mental health. (remember the story about the idiot suing the vets for a million dollars because they called AC on her??)
Rule 3 needs a tweak, it should have "except your own" added to the end. Too often we forget to take care of ourselves or choose to ignore our issues in favor of others who need our help.
ReplyDeleteSorry, but I disagree with #2. Sometimes it is part of my job to care for, and take care of, someone's pet when they don't.
ReplyDeleteWhen someone brings in their 10 year old outdoor cat who has obviously been failing for a long time, and it's dirty and matted and in kidney failure but they decide to treat out of guilt or "obligation", I do care more for that pet than the "owner" does. I make sure the pet is comfortable with a big comfy blanket, and it gets the mats combed out and the eye boogers get cleaned off and, if appropriate, they get a bath. I will sit and hand-feed your decrepit old cat that you insist isn't eating because you throw down some dry food every couple of days and it has tooth root abscesses (or no teeth) and it can't eat. I'll be the one to make sure your dying pet's last days are at least comfortable and, when it's time to let them go, I'll be the one scratching it's ear and talking softly to it because you couldn't even be bothered to come in for the euthanasia and just "okey-ed" it over the phone.
When an owner can't be bothered to care about their pet, I will, because that pet deserved better and I'll do what I can for the pet, even if it's only for the last couple hours of it's life. Sometimes I do care more than the owners, and I'm ok with that.
Sometimes as much as I resent the owners, it makes me feel good that I could be there for an animal that needs that extra TLC. I'm glad others, like you, are also there for them.
DeleteHowever, for your own sanity you have to be able to let go of the ones you can't help because the owners won't let you. That's where #2 comes in.
I am usually able to "let go" of the ones that could be helped but an owner, for whatever reason, decides not to go ahead with treatment. Mostly. There are days when I just can't do it. I've been a tech for over 20 years and worked in ER for a lot of that time and have had shifts where it seems like it's nothing but euthanasia. My worst so far was a 12 hour shift with 13 euthanasias, many of them pets that could have been treated, some even easily treated, but owners opted not to. Most days I can do it. And then, sometimes, I just can't. Some days it's just been enough and someone brings in a little pit bull that they didn't vaccinate and they won't treat and now it's got parvo and I just can't do it and that little voice in my head says "Nope, today's not your day" and I end up with a foster puppy with parvo. Personally I don't understand vets or techs who have been in the profession for more than a couple years and haven't fallen victim to a sad face and a sob story.
DeleteMost days I can let go and at least be glad I was there for the pet to make the end peaceful and comfortable. But, sometimes, I just can't do it and, again, I'm ok with that.
Besides, as far as my sanity goes, I think that's been in question for a long time LOL