Pet Care Tip

Every so often, we get a flurry of common mistakes that pet owners make that could easily have been avoided. So, as a public service, I’d like to take a moment to offer a practical tip to pet owners who might read this. When your veterinarian gives you instructions regarding your pet’s care, FOLLOW THEM! In the past 2 weeks, we’ve had 3 pet owners violate that rule. As a result, their pets had to undergo procedures they otherwise would not have needed. Simply stated, their pets had surgery and were discharged with Elizabethan Collars designed to prevent them from mutilating their surgical sites. They were also given specific instructions not to remove the “E Collar” until we instructed them to do so. Unfortunately, pity got the best of them and they decided to remove the collars anyway. Within a very few moments, sutures were chewed apart, incisions opened and contaminated, and painful scratches inflicted on corneas. All of these poor animals needed to have remedial surgery to repair the damage their owners permitted them to inflict upon themselves. So, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, follow your veterinarian’s post op or home care instructions. It will save your pet unnecessary pain and discomfort, allow him or her to heal normally, and save you unnecessary expense.

Saying goodbye to an old friend.

Yesterday, Mr. and Mrs. Gold came to the practice for the first time with their aged cat, Mike. He was a tough 20 year old who had forgotten that someone had invented something called the “litter box”. For the last few months he had been using the living room, bedroom, and any room as his never ending potty. Now, having lost 4 pounds (1/3 of his body weight) and drinking and urinating as if the floodgates were opened, they decided in their own minds that it was time to do something about it.

It was obvious that this elderly couple spent the last few days agonizing over what they had decided that morning when they scheduled their appointment. They weighed the fact that they would shortly be going to Florida for the “Snowbird” season. Normally, they left Mike with a friend for the three months. However, they knew that would not be possible now. I explained what the possible causes were for their old friend’s behavioral change and symptoms; the diagnostics involved and potential long term aftercare. Leaving them alone in the exam room with Mike to discuss their options, I couldn’t help but feel their anguish and appreciate the difficulty they faced in choosing the “right” option. Both of them in their late 70’s, they could easily identify with this old kitty. They could see themselves as he was; aged, failing, with no hope for any long term good quality of life. I came back into the exam room and saw the tears in their eyes. Mr. Gold spoke softly. “Dr. Wyler. I first want to thank you for taking the time to give Mike the most thorough exam he ever had. I wish my doctor would take the time to be so thorough with me. But, even more, I’d like to thank you for taking the time to talk with us and explain Mike’s situation. You’ve made a difficult decision a bit easier to make. We know that it’s time for us to say goodbye to our old friend. We feel comfortable that you are the doctor we want to help end his suffering”.

I’ve learned throughout my career that once the decision to euthanize a pet has been made, I have two primary obligations to my patients and my clients. First, to perform the euthanasia peacefully and painlessly, for both the pet and the client. Second, to make the client feel that their decision is the correct one. With an elderly client and an elderly patient, I can easily appreciate how they identify with their pet. They must be asking themselves, “Is this going to be my situation in a few months or years?” Having said their goodbyes, I took Mike from them, and proceeded to sedate him first, then administer the euthanasia injection. He died peacefully, painlessly, and quickly. I asked Mr. and Mrs. Gold if they wanted to say a last goodbye. They did. Each one gently caressed his motionless body. Tears in their eyes, they started to leave. But, before exiting the treatment room, Mr. Gold took me aside. “I’m sorry we met you only at the end of our kitty’s life. You spent more time with us today than our old vet spent with us during Mike’s entire lifetime.” With a warm smile and firm grip on my arm, he continued. “You’ve made a very difficult moment in our lives more bearable. We’ll miss him. But, we thank you for easing not only his pain, but our’s as well.” I thanked Mr. Gold for his kind thoughts, knowing that we will most likely never see each other again.

After they left, as I finished writing up my chart, I thought about what just happened. Although most of what we do in veterinary medicine helps prolong our patients’ lives and alleviates pain, we do have to consider euthanasia as an option for a small number of patients. It’s a procedure I take very seriously and do not perform solely upon request. I have to believe that it is justified. I stopped counting how many times in my career I’ve been through this similar scenario. It reminded me that ultimately, our profession has the profound ability to help people as much as animals, even if it means ending our patients’ suffering with euthanasia. I love my profession more than ever. I can’t imagine any other profession that has such a positive impact on both animals and people. I’m truly a lucky man.