I got a call from a woman who said she'd read a lot on the internet about the negative side effects associated with spaying a dog, and was wondering if we could perform a "tubal litigation" instead. I asked the vet and she said we could debate it :)

Megan December 9th, 2008 09:20:12 AM

About a year ago, a woman called about her dog that I'd seen a few times in clinic with gastrointestinal upset. She wanted to know what to do about her suspicion that her husband or companion was having an, um, "special relationship " with the female dog (a 20-lb poodle, at least 5 lbs overweight) on the basis of her frustration that he enjoyed taking the dog for drives alone. The receptionist took the call, and was very alarmed about it, but luckily all of us vets were busy at the time so we didn't have to deal with it on the spot. I had seen the dog a week or so before, and had no evidence to back up her suspicions (dog was spoiled, too many treats, table food, etc.), and I wasn't going to bring it up next time they came in.

brebis noire December 9th, 2008 09:32:47 AM

Tubal ligations, Megan? I'm game! Here's one of my posts on this.

Dr. Patty Khuly December 9th, 2008 10:09:53 AM

This is not actually from a vet practice, but years back I was working with a wildlife center in a big urban area and got calls that were real head-shakers. Unusual ones included "I'm not trying to sound silly, but there's a squirrel in my yard with the tiniest of tails - and we have a male Manx cat - my uncle said it mated with a female squirrel, and I wonder if that's possible?" (Well, no, that's not possible, no matter what your uncle said. In this case it's from another squirrel in the nest sucking/biting on the appendage and the 'bobbed' squirrel being lucky enough not to get a serious infection and dying.) And the guy who was repairing a car in the driveway and wondered why "This boid (bird) keeps cooin' at me and walkin' around in fronta me, bobbin' its head, forward and backward an' flappin' de wings all over. What's it tryin' to do, drive me crazy?" (After determining it was a pigeon, well, trying to tell him it might have been a mating display would have made me laugh and him be uncomfortable, so I just said it was probably hoping for a food handout, and that he shouldn't feed it because that would only attract more birds - not a good way to get along with the neighbors.)

The best call was a man in a really not nice part of town who asked about a big black and white bird with a long beak that had landed in his driveway and couldn't walk right - it kept falling over, but every time he went near it it tried to 'poke' him with its beak. I tried for a while to get a better description of the bird (thinking about a fancy pigeon as the likeliest black and white bird and not about to leave the center on a wild goose chase) - yes, he knew what Canada geese were and this wasn't one of those, as it was smaller, with shorter legs, oh, and it had reddish eyes (has to be a wounded pigeon, right? Finally saying I'm sorry, I can't figure out what to tell you, but if you could somehow get it in a box... Forty minutes later the front desk calls and I go out to the guy's car. He goes to the trunk (!) and soon I reach to open the (big) box he's sealed shut with duct tape (!!), and he says "Be careful, it almost stabbed me in the eye" I carefully pull up a flap and see - an honest-to-god Common Loon - and it does try to stab me (!!!) as I stand there, flabbergasted. Yes, technically Cleveland is on its flightpath, but I've never actually seen one up close and personal. Getting the box into the building, after profusely thanking the man and apologizing for everything, my boss and I took it to Lake Erie and tossed it in, where it quickly paddled away and then took off towards Canada. Sometimes those calls can just be too much fun for words.

KateH December 9th, 2008 11:06:13 AM

I remember my crazy call to a vet's office, because my 4-6 mos old female lab/malamut was so aggressive, and wouldn't respond to my attempts to train her. I guess I was hoping for a referral to a special trainer, since I'd been able to train a few other dogs before her on my own.

But I lucked out that day, and they put on a lady that knew a bit about dog behaviour and alpha dog stuff, and gave me advice on how to become leader of the pack. It worked too, and after establishing myself as leader, my dog actually responded to being trained. I guess my past dogs didn't have such domineering traits, and I thought all dogs would be as easy to train as they were. She continued to exhibit domineering behavior throughout her life, but only with other animals, not with me. I'll always be grateful to that lady from the vet's office.

Shreela December 9th, 2008 11:23:59 AM

Heh, I'm all for tubal ligations, but tubal litigations aren't in my surgery text....

Megan December 9th, 2008 11:43:08 AM

KateH, great story about the loon. I live in Canada and see them from afar very often, but never up close (yet). The beak is quite something, razor-sharp and pointy. It's a lot of fun to watch them dive and come up a minute later many yards away. I love the questions about non-domestic species. A guy came into the clinic one day with a frog in a box, asking to see the vet, and not for a consultation. I wasn't busy so I came out and he told me that he'd found the frog inside a concrete wall; it wasn't dead but it wasn't quite alive when he found it. It had since revived and he was on his way to release it into a pond somewhere, but before he did, he wanted to show it to the vet and ask how it was possible for the frog to remain alive inside a wall for what was apparently months or even longer. I know next to nothing about amphibians, except for some vague notions about hypobiosis - so I reasoned that it could survive the same way inside a wall as trapped in frozen mud all winter long. So I saw a frog, saw that it was indeed alive, but of course I can't verify the particulars of the story.

brebis noire December 9th, 2008 11:43:26 AM

.. its a great story about the loon .. thanks aloot

Yosry Sabry

yosry December 9th, 2008 12:54:21 PM

I was a vet receptionist for a month in college in the 80s. I only have weird vet receptionist stories from just that month, although the most dramatic one is about the vets, not the clients.

Here is the client one:

Man calls. Says in a very curt voice that his dog is old and sick and he needs to make an appointment to put him down. Makes the appointment. Shows up with an obviously young, obviously healthy bouncy, happy German Sherpherd. With an edge to his voice, he persists that this dog is old and sick and needs killed.

Unfortunately for me, for some reason -- perhaps the rush this man was in to kill the dog -- the head vet/owner chose not to take this dog all the way to the back to do it, or to take him in a room. For some reason I needed to leave the reception area, and when through the interior door into the hallway that led to the back, just in time to see the beautiful young German Shepherd fall to the floor (with the vet knelt beside him having given him the injection right there in the hallway).

The next story is the one that made me leave.

A lady called one day saying her cat was old and sick and suffering, and that she needed to put her down. This one I believed, because she was balling her eyes out. She asked me how much euthanasia cost, and asked if she could get the ashes back. The head vet/owner had a policy that we would only give clients back cremains if they purchased an urn, which I believe cost around $100 (but this was 1984, so that was a lot of money then). I believe it was not allowed in the state to give the woman back the intact body. When I told her the cost, she wept harder. She said she couldn't afford that. She then asked what would happen to her cats remains if she didn't get the ashes in the urn. I didn't know the answer, so I put her on hold and went to ask the head vet/owner. I simply asked him what we did with the bodies of the animals after euthanasia if they weren't cremated and picked up by the owners. He told me that the Health Department picked them up and buried them "in a common grave." I returned to the phone, and relayed this to the woman. As I did so, the head vet/owner walked back into the reception area and overheard me. As soon as I got off the phone, he raised his voice at me, angrily yelling: "Don't EVER tell anyone that again! Don't let me EVER hear you tell them that again! If someone asks that question, refer them to ME!" I was obviously very perplexed by his reaction since this is what he had just told me. I guess I had not mentioned the information was for a client, but why would the answer be different?

Later the light bulb would go on.

Sometimes at night I'd be left there with their "assistant" who did the cat euthanasias. She was allowed to close up and lock the place. She seemed mentally imbalanced to me. There were always lots of cats back there that no client had brought in, and after hours she would put them in a big cylindrical chamber to kill them. I assumed it was humane. I was 23 and knew no better. But one night she came out cackling, laughing about their struggles and cries as the poison filled the chamber, and laughing about how they went crazy as they vainly struggled to breathe.

I should have left that night but somehow I pushed this aside telling myself that these cats must be sick and it was better for them in the long run.

Our freezers were full of dead bodies.

One night, when I was alone with the cackling assistant closing up, a man knocked on the door. He walked in in a brown workers suit, with name tag (kind of like a mechanic's or janitors outfit). He had some kind of speech impediment and as he said "I'm from Braun Company, I'm here for a pickup" I did not understand him. Finally he handed me his card. It said:

Braun Company

We buy bones, meat, fat and gristle

Then it all made sense. The vet yelling at me, the full freezers, the owner-less cats awaiting the chamber with the cackling assistant . . .

That vet still practices. He is now a home-visit acupuncturist. Some other vet tried to refer me to him. I think he's a soulless demon.

Stefani December 9th, 2008 03:00:58 PM

Megan: It may not be in your textbook but it's definitetly NOT brain surgery! ;-) Call your local vet surgeon and have them describe the procedure to you. I'm sure you have many at your disposal...

Dr. Patty Khuly December 9th, 2008 04:53:03 PM

I work in the front office of a vet clinic, and we get the typical calls -- a guy wanting to know what to do about the fact that someone dumped a dead animal in his dumpster, a woman upset because a bird keeps flying into her window, etc. My favorites have been the two women who saw a sign for a missing seal cat (seal point maybe?) and were asking if it was possible to have a seal/cat mix running around in the woods. They were seriously going to go looking for it if we told them it existed. My other favorite happened when I picked up a line that had been put on hold. I thanked them for holding and asked how I could help them. A very upset woman told me that someone was checking with the vet to see if her guinea pig could have contracted rabies. She went on to tell me how they had purchased the guinea pig from a store and how everything had been just fine until they looked into it's cage that morning and saw two dead mice and some blood. I asked if it was possible that the guinea pig had given birth (seemed more likely than two mice getting into the cage and being killed). There was a long pause and then she said, "but how could that have happened?" I told her that she wouldn't be the first person to buy a guinea pig or other small pet and then end up with more than they bargained for. Then she wanted to know how she could be sure they were baby guinea pigs and not mice. I told her that mice would typically have fur on their bodies and have tails. I could hear her in the background yelling what I had said to her husband. Then I could hear her shrieking, "NO, don't bring them in here. Just look at them and tell me if they have tails!" After determining that they had baby guinea pigs, we referred them to another clinic in the area who dealt with small animals.

Lisa December 9th, 2008 05:10:39 PM

My best call while working as a vet receptionist:

"Hi, is this the vet? My dog is having kittens, what do I do?!"

Your what is having what now?

We also got lots of clients calling in for grooming, and I remember one client asking if we could trim up her (male) Timmy's "vaginal area."

Um, no?

Tara December 9th, 2008 05:26:04 PM

@ stefani:

wait, are you saying a meat company was buying the carcasses? i just googled "Braun Company meat" and came up with several 'meat and meat products' companies. please tell me i misunderstood your post.

charity December 9th, 2008 06:13:31 PM

Charity, just read the book "Food Pets Die For", it details how dead pets, expired meat, and roadkill can end up in low-end pet food. The author alleges that traces of the chemicals found in flea collars have been found in some foods. My funny story is the owner of a golden we groom INSISTS her dog is GAY, because he's friendly and has a high-pitched bark!!! LOL

clover December 9th, 2008 07:25:17 PM

I couldn't do that job, between weeping over sadness/disgust and probably not being able to stifle deserved gaffaws...

How on earth can it still be legal to grind up euthanized pet animal remains, it turns my stomach; and wonder how I could find out if it happens in my state? Gosh, a human crematory in this state got in trouble for improper "handling". ugghhh...

Mail carrier equivalent: pulled up to mailbox as customer was walking down driveway. "I have a package for you today" Lady says: "Oh great, we were waiting for my son's scuba-diving wetsuit to arrive as we are going to Hawaii for vacation !!!". I hand her small, small package, and say "well, at least the "speedos" are here." We both burst into hysterics.

Most patrons think you know everything they receive and remember when you delivered it, and yes, occasionally there has been some embarrassing moments. B. Albright

Pocket's Story from NH December 9th, 2008 08:15:55 PM

I sure was busting with laughter with this post (I needed it!!) Don't think front desk in the vet clinic is any different from medical.. We get real doozies on a daily basis.. It's hard to believe some of it.. Yes, it sometimes is hard to stiffle the laugh.. but our secretary is real good.. I can tell when one is on the phone, as I feel her tugging on my arm to meet her in an out of way room..

barri December 9th, 2008 09:01:27 PM

During vet school I worked in our school's medical clinic for wildlife. It was staffed by students and we accepted and treated injured and orphaned wildlife. I could have probably written a book with some of the things I saw and dealt with....

Some lady called in hysterics as she just wittnessed a duckling tumble down the bank of the local pond and into the waiting mouth of a hungry bullfrog!!

Dealt with a women who rescued wild rabbit babies and raised them in her house. She said she had up to forty or fifty or so at a time just running around. Seems that not only was she rescuing the bunnies from the local cats but she apparently did not want the hawks, owls, foxes, etc.....to have them either because she didn't think that was right.

Late one night took a call from a women who had found a white tail deer on their property. Seems that it had tried to jump a barb wire fence, got its leg caught up and just about ripped off. It was hanging from the fence/leg and I am sure was in a state of shock. The women swore though that the deer 'loved her' and 'wanted her to save her life' They brought the deer in who was very much in shock and the lady almost had a heart attack when we informed her we would have to put the deer down since it really wouldn't survive with three legs. This was an adult deer by the way and its leg was hanging on by some skin tissue.......

And one of my personal favorites....a middle aged man brought us a robin egg he had found earlier that day. He told us he had been keeping it warm under a lamp until he could bring it in. Well....we did not have the ability to hatch out eggs.....so I cracked it open to make sure that if there was a chick that it wouldn't suffer. What I found was essentially a hard boiled egg - complete with white and yellow yolk completely cooked!!!

J.C. December 9th, 2008 10:50:12 PM

Charity,

You didn't misunderstand.  You understood completely.  I wish it weren't so.  And the thing is -- it probably wasn't even illegal, just like the "chamber" wasn't illegal in VA then either.  The only good thing is that it was a loooong time ago.

Stefani December 9th, 2008 11:25:27 PM

My favorite...

Caller: "I need to put my cat to sleep."  (Young, healthy, sweet cat)

Us: "Oh no, why? What happened?"

Caller: "The rats are eating his toes!"

Us: ?!?!?!

LL December 10th, 2008 01:13:12 AM

Memorable calls will happen wherever there are telephones, and people. In the ER where I work, we're not permitted to give medical advice, but the "nurse calls" would be fodder for a pretty funny book. One Saturday night, another nurse (whose husband is a minister, but who has one of the most offbeat senses of humor I've ever seen) took a call from a young woman---"Hello. This is really embarrassing, but my boyfriend and I were just having sex, and the condom broke. What should we do"? To which my friend replied, "Well, tomorrow's Sunday. I suggest you go to church in the morning....and pray REALLY hard".

And then just today, at the shelter where I volunteer:

Caller: "How long does it take to spay a cat?"

Receptionist: "An uncomplicated spay can take anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes." (Our shelter vet is really fast, and very good; he does so many of them--30-40 per week; most take about 10 minutes from incision to close).

Caller: "My friend took my cat to be spayed last Monday (8 days ago!!) and I haven't seen either one since. I'm worried that something might have gone wrong, and just wondered if it's normal for them to be gone so long."

Receptionist: "Well it certainly is unusual. Have you contacted the vet who did the spay? Have you tried to call your friend? If you call her and can't locate her or the cat, perhaps try to call her family. If they don't know where is, then maybe you should call the police."

Maybe someday, when (if...)I retire, I'll try to actually write that book.

Shellie December 10th, 2008 02:41:18 AM

These are good...really good. I forgot to mention the one about the client who was convinced his dog had swallowed a rat--and that the rat was still inside and kicking. Sadly, we had to finally have this dog brought in and radiographed at his wife's request. Clearly, this was a case of a mentally ill individual whose medications were being changed. Very sad...

Dr. Patty Khuly December 10th, 2008 09:53:19 AM

Dr. Patty- You keep missing the point of Megan's comment - tubal LITIGATION is NOT the same thing as tubal LIGATION!!!!

M.B. December 10th, 2008 09:57:09 AM

Thanks M.B. :)

I worked at a pet store and got a disturbing call from someone who said he'd been on vacation in some South American country. He said he'd had sexual favors performed on him using a live snake as a prop, and wondered what species of snake would be appropriate to buy if he wanted to do it again. Ew ew ew- so twisted.

Megan December 10th, 2008 10:01:04 AM

My favourite phone call: (Little old lady voice) "Hello? Is that the vet's? I've got a little girl cat and I'd like her bedroom furniture taken out." Favourite in-consult comment, three perfectly normal moggies for their vaccines:(deadpan) "This is James. This one is Chester. And this one is Molly, I don't pick her up because her ears are too big." Ooooo-kay then.

melvet December 10th, 2008 10:01:27 AM

M.B.: Oops! Silly me. Mea culpa. OK, it's funny now. ;-)

OK now, one more example from the trenches: The woman who called to make an appointment to have her shelter dog's microchip surgically removed. She was convinced the government was listening in on her conversations.

Dr. Patty Khuly December 10th, 2008 12:09:39 PM

Um, Charity, you got it exactly correct. That's exactly what I was saying. Sadly.

Stefani December 10th, 2008 12:09:58 PM

Ooops sorry about the above. Double entry.

OK, this is not one from when I worked as a vet receptionist, but I witnessed it.

Lady comes in with her lovebird and big beautiful lop eared bunny. Tells the reception staff she wants to euthanize them because she is moving.

Staff engage her in conversation, through which it becomes evident that she simply finds it INCONVENIENT to include them in the move.

The receptionist goes back with the beautiful lovebird and talks to a tech. She comes back and tells the lady the tech wants to adopt the bird. Which is young and healthy. The lady gives her a really hard time, hemming and hawing about signing over the animal. Because all eyes are on her in the reception area, she reluctantly signs over the bird, and reasserts that she wants the bunny killed.

The staff then go to work trying to save the bunny. They call a rescue a few miles away that mostly works with cats, but also takes in the odd bunny or pocket pet. The rescue agrees to take the bunny, they happily announce. The lady groans that it's too far for her to go and she just wants him put down. Now, I'm a witness to this, and I have a plane to catch, but the rescue would be a very easy side detour on my way to the airport, so I say: "I'll take him!" Problem solved, right? Not so fast. Lady is very reluctant. She says she doesn't want him to "go through" the car ride. I tell her I know where this place is, and it's 15 minutes tops. She still is finding reasons to not allow this. Her last gasp is to ask me if my car is air conditioned, because bunnies are very temperature sensitive. Apparently much to her chagrin, I responded, YES my car has AC and bunny will be comfortable. Looking around at all eyes on her, she reluctantly signs him over. I couldn't get out of there fast enough before she changed her mind.

Total happy ending. Within days, this "high end" bunny was adopted by a family with a giant house and lots of property in the wealthiest zip code in town. Not that a LOVING humble home wouldn't have been just as good.

That lady had ISSUES.

Stefani December 10th, 2008 12:19:37 PM

How could I have forgotten this one- an owner of a new 4-month-old golden retriever puppy called after her dog got bowled over by another dog while they were playing. She noticed that his "down there" was swollen, and now his "little red rocket" was sticking out. She was worried that the rough play had permanently damaged his "down there". I had to explain that she was probably noticing her dog's erect penis for the first time, and if she stopped fussing over it, the swelling would go away. :-P

Megan December 10th, 2008 12:30:01 PM

Shellie -- On your story about the spay patients that weren't returned within 8 days . . .

In my county last year, a vet accepted several animals for a variety of procedures (one a spay, one a declaw, I think two were boards) and repeatedly would not return them. He kept making excuses about why neither he nor his colleague would be there to release them. I think it was 10 days or more before the local police broke in. (The vet clinic was in the basement of his home). They found the animals filthy and without proper food or water. The vet was I think, asleep in his bed upstairs.

So, it seems like the "took the pet in for a spay, haven't seen her since" story has happened more than once.

You don't by any chance live in Maryland, do you?

Stefani December 10th, 2008 01:40:24 PM

No, I am in southwestern PA. I think the this caller may have been in "the lights are on but nobody's home" department. Will find out in a couple days what really happened--my guess is the woman wasn't taking proper care of the cat and the "friend" was probably getting the animal away from her in the only way she knew without just "kitnapping" it.

Shellie December 10th, 2008 03:58:27 PM

Is this blog appropriate for my stoopidist faux paux? The vet calls at closing time to ask if my Scottie bitch is showing any signs of labor. No, I respond, I think it will be tomorrow. Ten minutes after hanging up the phone, she goes into labor with her second/final litter. It doesn't go well, finally she delivers a wide butterball at 7pm, tail first. Half hour, she is contracting & contracting with no results. I'm a nervous wreck and exhausted. Walking her, exercising her, taking her outside, back in. Finally, I realize the pups stuck and not going anywhere. It is now 10:30, I call the vet & meet her at the clinic.

After some examining, it is official...C-section time. She administers a shot & goes to prepare for surgery. Alice vomits this huge black blob. I yell out "oh, Nooo, she just threw up her puppy!!!" Vet comes running out in surgical gown. We both look down & it is the afterbirth from the previous pup. She says "You've been at this wayyy too long, get a grip on yourself!!"

I'm standing there stunned, can't laugh or cry. Did I just say that?? Did I really "THINK" that???? OMG, I'm completely losing it.... (Feb 1997)

Barbara Albright/NH puppies: 8 1/2 whelped, 11 1/2 & 12 1/2 oz. C-sectioned

Pocket's Story from NH December 10th, 2008 07:15:39 PM

At midnight, arrive home at almost 1am B. Albright

Pocket's Story from NH December 10th, 2008 07:18:37 PM

Phone conversation with a client scheduling an exam for her cat:

Me: "According to your records, I don't see a history of an FeLk/FIV test.  I'd recommend screening your cat during your visit, as both viruses are prevelant in the outdoor cat population and have no cure."

She pauses for a second and then says, "Oh no, I don't need that, there's no way she could have AIDS."

Me: "But how do you know that?" I then explain how cats can carry the virus and show no outward signs and symptoms etc., etc.

The line goes silent for a longer pause, and then she whispers very softly, "But...but...she's never had, you know, sex."

beth December 10th, 2008 09:55:06 PM

Ah one of my favorites was when I was in the exam room assisting the Doctor when the client suddenly asks.. "I've noticed my dog humping my cat.... Can he get her pregnant?" Needless to say the doctor just looked at her like...?!? Hmm I don't know... I havn't seen too many catdogs running around have you?! I now work at a spay neuter clinic where we do the feral cat trap spay neuter and release program. After we fix the feral cats we tip their left ears so that it is easier to tell from afar whether they have been fixed or not. Well one lady call me one day.. "Hello? Yes, I was just wondering... There are these cats everywhere with clipped ears...I was wondering if it is some new breed of cat?" I also love the "Can I get my cat spudded/ spayded/ sprayed??" LOL I don't know about that but we can SPAY her! Then there is always that bizarre person who comes into the clinic that traps feral cats. Well she brings them into the practice and swears that they need to be put down because they are living outside and their lives are miserable. Well the first few cats of hers we let slip out the back door. The next time I think she got keen to us because she asked if she could pet them and see them AFTER we had euthanized all three of them. Made me sick really. Too bad the next day she came in and her wrists were all bandaged up because a dog had attacked her. Karma? I think so! Oh the things people do/say! Sometimes I want to bang my head on the desk! Thanks all for posting! I'm glad I'm not the only one!!

Nicky December 10th, 2008 11:54:05 PM

Uh, Nicky, perhaps it might be a better policy to tell her that your clininc/vet won't put done a cat they don't have a medical relationship with. I mean, it's possible that she's trapping someone's pet and if you put it to sleep on just her say so that it doesn't have an owner...that's a potential lawsuit. You might also tell you that you're busy with a surgery in the back and she'll need to leave the cat(s) to be 'done' later. If she doesn't go for that, I suggest charging her a ton to discourage her.

KateH December 11th, 2008 10:25:52 AM

That should be put down, sorry.

KateH December 11th, 2008 10:27:13 AM

(I'm sorry about the weird formatting, I can't figure out what is going on.)

Nicky, I was going to say something similar to KateH.  In my current city, that lady could be breaking the law big time.  You have to report any "found" animals to animal control and hold them for 48 hours.  (Unless they are horrifically injured or something.) Otherwise, she could be committing theft of property and then even worse killing other people's pets.  Your vet clinic does not want to get mixed up in that law suit. 

Stefani, I am about to move to Maryland, and the thing that scares me the most is finding a new veterinarian.  Gahhh, nightmares! 

compcat December 11th, 2008 10:52:02 AM

I had a client with a pair of dogs that she always introduced as "the Methodist dog" and "the Jewish dog."

Her current dog has no religious afilliation.

drsteggy December 11th, 2008 12:36:11 PM

Ok - I'll bite! (pun intended.

The Mehtodist dog liked balogna on white bread with mayonnaise, the Jewish dog liked salami on rye with mustard. The non-affiliated dog...chicken breast, no bread please.

Now before anyone gets mad, I was the "Methodist" in my Jewish family. Only white bread and mayo for me! My mother used to sigh and say that there was a nice Gentile family out there that had a kid crying for chopped liver (Yuck).

2CatMom December 12th, 2008 09:14:46 AM

Re, Compcat: "Stefani, I am about to move to Maryland, and the thing that scares me the most is finding a new veterinarian. Gahhh, nightmares!"

I'm not one to give recommendations to vets (God forbid I'd give you a rec and you had a bad experience), BUT I can tell you I drive out to Alexandria, Virginia, to Alexandria Animal Hospital, for vet care. I used them before I moved, and of course, regret having switched to a MD vet. The specifics of my bad experience aside, it caused me to learn that Maryland has a NOTORIOUS shortage of Licensed Technicians. This was acknowledged in a letter to me by the board, and a former board member has been trying to do something about it, but frankly, the vets here don't want to pay more for licensed techs.

Alex. Animal Hospital uses LVTs and from what I can see appropriately segregates duties. They have in-service training with the reputedly best local vet tech program out at one of the NoVa Community Colleges.

The problem with the lack of licensed techs here is that frankly, I believe that vets here routinely assign duties to unlicensed persons that are legally not supposed to be done by those people. You may trust the vet to have trained these people, but with a new vet, you will never know if that trust is misplaced, and if the "holes" in the training will directly affect your pet.

I drive 45 minutes to an hour and a half, depending on the time of day, to go back to my old state for vet care. The situation seems a lot better in Virginia.

Stefani December 15th, 2008 12:20:47 PM

i have way too many to remember.

"my dog's eye smells funny,"

"if i put blue stuff in my toilet tank, will it make my dog's breath smell better when he drinks toilet water?"

"my cat has a raccoon friend, can they mate and make maine coon cats?"

"my dog has tumors right next to his boy parts!" --no ma'am, your dog has an erection.-- "oh. oh dear."

"my dog doesn't need an exam, i am an ER nurse! just sell me the shots!"

"can you fix my ingrown toenail?"

...and the ever-popular "can i just tell you some random list of symptoms, and then you tell me what's wrong with my dog and what i can use over the counter to cure him, for free, and when you say no i'll get real mad about it?"

lindsay January 1st, 2009 01:46:50 AM

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indexat January 4th, 2009 07:56:14 AM

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RGY May 18th, 2009 01:19:14 AM

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ERTER May 18th, 2009 01:19:47 AM

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FGHFGH May 18th, 2009 01:22:37 AM

Brining a new dog into your home is an exciting time for the whole family, not to mention the dog. The first dog training supplies you should buy, before you even bring the dog home, are a food and water bowl, collar, leash, food and a bed. If you have another dog in the home and were thinking of having them both share a bowl, think  dog training products  again. Sometimes a new dog can be aggressive, or be attacked when trying to feed in a joint bowl. It's best to let the dog know what is his , for food and water.

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