It’s Sunday morning and I’m all alone at the hospital. I’ve got phone calls to make, two stable liver kitties to medicate and fine-tune, my colleague’s Presa canario to babysit while he’s out of town (all 160 pounds of him) and then I’ve got these kittens…all these smelly kittens…
It looks like I’ll be getting my hands dirty again today.
My two colleagues (the ones who own the hospital) they like to come in on alternating Sunday mornings to clean the cages and take care of cases. I’m usually there, too, dealing with my own hospitalized cases (if I haven’t shipped them to the e-clinic for the weekend) and usually pitching in on the cleaning (because I feel guilty watching these two retirement-aged guys stooping to clean out crap from the nether-corners of cages).
So you know, most hospitals have kennel staff to do the Sunday clean-ups. We don’t. Why do they insist on doing this on Sundays? I’m not sure. I used to think they were just cheap. After all, why pay someone for something that’s pretty easy to do on your own? But now that we’re a three-person place, the work is considerably more time-consuming. And yet they still do it.
Today they’re both out of town and I’m cleaning up for the three of us. It’s no fun. It’s not that I’m funny about getting down into the muck of what I do—I’m not. In fact, I’m usually the one to clean the rooms between appointments while the techs sort out the bloodwork and read the fecals and file the X-rays, etc.
And why not? I can pick up s--- and mop the floors with the best of them. If it makes things run smoother in this small place I’ll do it. I’ve been doing it here since I was ten years old so it’s not as if I’m averse to the drill.
But on a Sunday? The last thing I want to do on a Sunday morning is bathe a batch of malodorous kittens after they’ve enjoyed a foul romp through their own fecal material. Plus, I’ve got the Presa’s copious drool all over my bare legs, which is now drying to a sticky sheen I’ll probably end up sporting at Starbuck’s after this.
And my liver kitties? They’re quietly recovering. Crouched behind litterboxes with fluid tubing snaked into the mass of towels they’re hiding under, all I see is their little Cheshire eyes staring out at me. At least they’ve got the sense to stay clean.
It’s not exactly brunch at the Ritz this Sunday morning, but it’s better than hiding under blankets being useful to no one. And that’s probably why my two colleagues engage in this Sisyphean task, week after week. Because when it’s all done and the Starbucks is steaming in the car’s cup-holder, I actually feel pretty good.
But right now…blech…the pasty kittens are calling…
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"pasty kittens" hahahahahahahahahaaaa..... Eeeeeeewwwwww :-) I had forgotten about the paste they can make out of urine and kitty litter dust - thanks for that memory!
Barb October 7th, 2007 10:16:00 AM
I guess it's a day for quotes..
"Plus, I’ve got the Presa’s copious drool all over my bare legs, which is now drying to a sticky sheen " Lovely! LOL
I miss the Sunday morning messes. I didn't care much for the stench of dead bodies that I would occasionally have to endure, or the crew of Weimaraners that we used to board. They were just nasty ( not in disposition, just physically nasty) with their explosive diarrhea, and everything else that was wrong with them, but there was fun to be had with my favorite boarders and the occasional deaf dalmation that nobody bothered to write "Deaf" on his or her cage card so I couldn't understand that lack of response when it was time to go for morning walks.
A full hospital with a equally full kennel always made for a really long day, but at the end of it, even if I stunk like a barn, I always felt like I accomplished something major. Juggling a hospital that was full ( for me at the time that was over 50 animals) it was always a challenge. It was one that could be accomplished assuming the vet that was on that day wasn't one that needed his or her hand held all day. Clients that need constant hand holding are troublesome, vets that are just as "needy" can be just of much of a pain.
I understand that not all pets have their vets on their personal favorite person list and I was more than willing to pill or give fluids to such animals, but I didn't need to become one with that vet by means of unwillingly being stuck to their side all day. They were and are perfectly capable of calling the answering service back when the pager went off and doing other things, like cleaning their cleaning their piles of stuff off the lab counters, picking up their messes in the offices, ect. Kennel person does not equal "Personal Maid".
Stacy October 7th, 2007 10:46:00 AM
The Starbucks will be very well earned when you're done.
Hope the kittens don't fight the baths too hard, and on the bright side - no human clients to deal with today!
Cindy October 7th, 2007 12:37:00 PM
First, I would like to congratulate Dr. K for her new column in Vet Practice News. The veterinary profession and associated industry will benefit from your commentary.
My husband (also a veterinarian) and I, are in shock this morning with your post. We feel like now we have heard it all. We have such an under supply of veterinarians in Florida today, that the thought that three of them are cleaning cages on a Sunday fills us with disbelief. You mention that the owners of your veterinary hospital are near retirement. Did they miss the last twenty years of information on leveraging your veterinary staff?
How much more productive would you be caring for your patients during the week and how many more hospitalized cases could you care for on the weekend if you weren't doing a job an $10 per hour enthusiastic animal lover entering the veterinary profession would love to do?
I know an associate has to pick their battles in dealing with "Old Doc". This is the place!!!! They will benefit themselves when you take a stand and make them realize there are better things to be doing on a Sunday.
Virginia Quelch, DVM, MS October 7th, 2007 12:41:00 PM
Well, I guess I have only myself to blame for my situation. Problem is, I love where I work, in spite of (because of?) its considerable quirks. And our problem is finding techs--not docs--not now anyway. If you look at a lot of my past posts, you'd recognize our hospital as not exactly meticulously managed. But I'll be honest--it's a lifestyle choice for all of us. They'd rather coast into retirement and I'd rather work here than at a place that might actually pay all of my bills. It may be frustrating at times but it makes for lots of fun stories.
Dr. Patty Khuly October 7th, 2007 01:30:00 PM
Hang in there,Patty. I hope that maybe your columns will result in some more good techs.
Diana October 8th, 2007 08:32:00 AM
Believe it or not, my post on techs has yielded at least one response--a good one, it looks like. Thanks for your concern.
Dr. Patty Khuly October 8th, 2007 08:42:00 AM
Speaking just for myself, I would like knowing an actual vet came in on weekends to check on my in-the-hospital pet. Techs are not vets.
CathyA October 9th, 2007 08:39:00 AM
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