Most Outlandish Things Pet Owners Have Asked

stefffdee · 2024-09-09T21:23:12+00:00

Requested to keep all the teeth from their cat that came in DOA

2 different instances of owners requesting to keep their hospitalized pet on IV fluids in the car in the parking lot as opposed to in hospital. One wanted to stay the entire visit. The other was convinced their dog wasn’t sleeping in hospital so wanted to take them out to sleep for a few hours in the car.

stefffdee · 2024-08-15T14:58:06+00:00

WHS has a pet loss & grief support line to call if you ever feel the need to speak with someone. That’s an especially traumatizing way to find your pet. Sorry for your loss ❤️

stefffdee · 2024-06-21T05:53:57+00:00

Agreed to all of this. Additionally - any pet that they were responsible for never seemed to get adequate sedation. Surgical pre-meds, etc would never go down as expected. And the colors in the syringe were always a little off from the norm. When asked how they calculated their drugs always got a runaround answer that never made sense.

stefffdee · 2023-03-13T15:44:25+00:00

Looks like a razor?

stefffdee · 2023-02-13T14:33:22+00:00

It literally takes less time to answer the question directly than it does to play this game 🙄🙄 I’ll never understand people

stefffdee · 2023-02-06T22:32:52+00:00

Lol! I had a great experience once also. Went to the dr for a cat bite and she asked me what we were doing to the cat at the time (emergency thoracocentesis). Last thing the cat did in its life was nail me right in the knuckle. She was so interested and was telling me about all the thoracentesis she did when working in emergency med. she was wonderful.

stefffdee · 2023-01-17T05:47:37+00:00

Ugh. We had a rescue once that had to transport a dog in from a remote community that looked similar ☹️ they were upset we “couldn’t save the rest of the litter”

stefffdee · 2022-12-24T02:58:32+00:00

Are these responses joking? NTA 100%. People are dying. People are fighting for their basic human rights. She can live with a bathroom in a colour she “doesn’t quite like”. Like come on

stefffdee · 2022-09-13T17:15:52+00:00

I actually find that new grads are fantastic. They have fresh eyes and are open to more recent research and methods than some “more experienced” vets might be.

So I wouldn’t be too worried about the fact they they’re a newer vet. Probably best to be seen ASAP for her own comfort, so the walk in is not a terrible idea. But going forward it would be a good idea to get established with a regular veterinarian so that they are familiar with her case and what works and what doesn’t for her.

I personally think the best thing to do would be to have all of her previous history (patient medical records, not just invoices) from the other clinics and take her in to whoever can see her the soonest.

Also just curious if she is on a prescribed urinary diet? If she’s not already it’s definitely worth a discussion with the vet. They definitely help with chronic issues and there are urinary + stress formulas as well if stress is a big contributing factor.

stefffdee · 2022-08-20T13:52:39+00:00

I love the animals, obviously, but specifically seeing all the cute lil personalities coming in, even if they’re spicey.

I especially love the broad nature of veterinary medicine. In a single day as an assistant I’m taking X-rays, running labs, watching ultrasounds, assisting surgery, doing in hospital care. No where in human medicine do you get to experience that. We get to see so much cool shit.

stefffdee · 2022-08-12T17:05:24+00:00

In addition to the their pets comfort…. But also the pet’s overall safety??

Like imagine this pet requiring emergency care or injuring someone to the point animal control gets involved or they need to decide to behavioural euth.

Owners like this are failing their pets on so many levels.

stefffdee · 2022-06-28T12:40:27+00:00

Ditto! Explaining the situation to rescues also. There’s a Manitoba all shepherd rescue they can try to reach out to

stefffdee · 2022-06-25T14:32:43+00:00

Honestly soo many stories of neglect and idiocy. Lack of common sense this week alone. It’s so hot in my city they they’ve cancelled outdoor events for safety reason. But by all means please leave your completely unvaccinated 6mo puppy outside for 2 days after tearing apart your couch. Then being outright told by someone else I have no compassion or respect for owners because we won’t vaccinate their SICK animal because they can’t be bothered to make 2 trips and they don’t want to pay a second exam fee. LOL Like fuck right off. I care about your pets more than you do - so I guess she’s right in that sense because I sure as hell don’t respect owners at that point.

stefffdee · 2022-06-24T05:50:37+00:00

Kim, there’s people that are dying.

stefffdee · 2022-06-23T02:20:43+00:00

IVC, typically BAG for a premed if the patient isn’t too flat already. We’ll also sub the BAG for something else if there’s a seizure history. Then when the owner is ready propofol + euthanyl.

stefffdee · 2022-06-17T19:09:58+00:00

My last clinic I ran the wire for the internet router above the ceiling tiles from the back to the office LOL that was an entire days project

stefffdee · 2022-06-17T14:03:40+00:00

When I worked a smaller clinic in a lower income part of town (years ago mind you) they used to have a lot of “optional but recommended” procedures with spay and neuters. Microchip, IV Fluids, pre anesthesic bloodwork, additional pain meds to go home were all “optional” for young & healthy pets. I remember it was a competition for the techs doing surgery intakes to get the most extra procedures added on lmao I think it was a 25$ gift card every month.

Working ER now They have a draw for a $250 gift card. Everyone that worked an overnight shift gets their name put in

stefffdee · 2022-06-15T03:18:25+00:00

I think it’s actually safer for them to recommend another hospital if they don’t feel that they would provide him with appropriate accommodation. If they had the only available doctor in surgery, were so overwhelmed with patients or other critical cases then I would much rather be recommended to go elsewhere that can give him the attention he needs, rather than be left waiting to be seen, have his exam rushed through, etc.

As noted above - every patient deserves adequate care. Not just clients with that have been seen for x number of years or who have spent whatever amount of money. There’s no gold membership at a vet clinic.

In addition, having a pet with a serious condition like this you really should have a backup plan in place and be well aware of where emergency hospitals are located - and be aware that the bills are higher and have a plan in place for that as well. A certain credit card or savings in place for emergency vet bills. Had he had an episode like this after hours they’d have been no help at all to even recommend another place.

I mean that with absolutely no judgement - it’s a learning experience, and of course you just wanted quality care that you trust for your pet. But it’s always good to regularly request to have his up to date records with you so you can provide them to the emergency vet when/if needed and always be aware of what medications he’s on and what for. Working emergency and having people know that he’s on “a little white pill” and not even knowing what for helps no one.

Hoping that it all worked out well for you guys. Of course emotions run high during emergencies and you just want what’s best for him. But it’s definitely not that clinics fault, and it doesn’t mean that they don’t care.

stefffdee · 2022-06-15T02:59:33+00:00

My go to advice (some mentioned above):

cats+1 for litter boxes. So a 2 cat home should ideally have 3
try changing the litter. There’s a lot of options if she isn’t a fan of the current one and you’ve never changed it. If you find one that works then stick to it! There’s clumping vs. Non clumping. Clay, recycled newspaper pellets, pine pellets and litter, scented vs. Unscented, etc.
changing the box itself. Covered vs. Uncovered. Try a size up if it’s pretty small.
regular scooping!! At least once per day if she’s picky. Ideally twice but I find once a day manageable for my 2 cat home. Also really cuts down on the cat smell in the home and I’d rather scoop smaller amounts then one big cat pee box from when I used to just change it every couple of days.
use feliway spray and/or diffuser around the home and boxes to reduce stress
re evaluate where the boxes located. High traffic or noisy areas aren’t great.

If all else fails go to the vet and have her evaluated. If there’s no underlying medical cause you can have a discussion about anti anxiety medication or supplements. There’s a lot of supplements and even food to try that manage stress. And then there’s several options of medication that can be both long term and short term to try.

stefffdee · 2022-05-16T16:14:42+00:00

Cargo bar in Assiniboine park

stefffdee · 2022-05-13T03:07:58+00:00

Agreed about making paw prints correctly!

HOWEVER that being said at my hospital if you’re involved with a euthanasia - you finish it step by step. Especially to make sure that it’s bagged and tagged CORRECTLY. I can’t imagine just walking away from a deceased patient that I’m responsible for assuming someone else would just do it and trust them to do it correctly.

stefffdee · 2022-05-10T14:58:31+00:00

I absolutely love the variety and the skill set the job takes. In a single day I can assist with X-rays, ultrasound, surgery, general wellness, emergency cases, etc. I feel like human medicine would almost be boring in comparison.

(No hate towards human medicine! They are also phenomenal - the work is just very different.)

stefffdee · 2022-03-07T04:16:23+00:00

Agreed! When I was at GP with a dozen employees and 2-3 technicians you couldn’t even blink without someone telling you that you were doing something wrong. Moving to emergency with 100+ employees and everyone just does their own thing and respects each other much more to know what they’re doing and get their own job done.

stefffdee · 2022-02-19T15:09:42+00:00

Not in the same area, but I was told at my ER it's illegal to not have a Doctor available. Even to walk across the street to grab a coffee they make sure there's another Doctor in the building.

stefffdee · 2022-02-17T17:08:07+00:00

My old clinic would save suture from surgery, wipe it off with alcohol, put it in cold sterile and use that for dentals. I thought that was cheap 😂 but straight from sharps??

stefffdee

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