There’s been a lot of discussion about how or when a company policy can dictate what amounts to be an employee’s appearance. Granted, tattoos and body piercings, and what guidelines to employ, if any, can generate a fair amount of debate and concern. Our practice has tried a few times to navigate that exact discussion, and though we do have a policy, the question always comes up…..when does legislating risk becoming discriminating?
To be fair, the policy that our management committee wrote years ago contained the following guidelines – ‘all tattoos must be covered by uniform’ and ‘ear piercing is allowed, but all other body piercings must be covered by uniform and securely fixed to avoid injury’ (any “hoop” poses a risk of injury). Twice since it’s inception we’ve amended the policy – once to allow a single 2mm stud in the nose, and once to allow tattoos as long as they are not visible above the neckline of the uniform and are not of a profane or explicit nature. These changes were made in response to the changing culture we live in because, after all, isn’t “professional” just code for “culturally acceptable”?
Our practice is located in a small northwest community that could just as well be called Anywhere, USA. My litmus test of many policies is how something would be viewed by the average member of my parent’s generation, right down to what radio station is played as background music in our practice. To those wondering about a single stud piercing in the nose……I think that train has left the station. We now allow it because it now appears that society has accepted it. To date, that’s where our line is.
My concern is…..how long will we get to say where that line is? This is a much bigger conversation than just these topics. Our policy also contains a sentence that requires each employee's hair to be a “naturally occurring color,” meaning they’re free to have their hair colored, but not green, purple, etc. There’s so many other appearance related issues that I wonder how long it will be before some decision eliminates our ability to have any guidelines at all?
Let’s forget hair color…..how about hair style. Could we allow our receptionist to have a mohawk? Would that be considered professional? Let’s go a step further….instead of the hair style, how about each employee’s attention to good grooming. We once had a receptionist that always looked like she just got out of bed – I heard the complaint several times, but is that something I can respond to? How long until that conversation starts to sound like I’m attacking someone who is simply less attractive?
How about the uniform…….we provide uniforms to our employees and they are consistent – no problems there, right? What if I decide to dump my XXL top and try fitting into a size medium? It’s one thing when a petite size employee wears a snug fitting size small. When I put on the size medium, that snug fit starts to look like something else altogether, and could our practice tolerate that?
How about the “low rise” pants (now available in scrubs)? With many employees that insist on not tucking in their tops, what should we make of the occasional appearance of anatomy that is not meant to be seen? Who wants to have that conversation, and would it even be possible to have without risking some feeling of harassment? How about facial hair; how about an employee that refuses to wear antiperspirant; how about an employee that wears shoes that should have been discarded years ago?
Fortunately, our practice is in an “at will” state, and we have the luxury of making employment changes without cause. The reality is that many of these policies are probably only as good as an employee’s willingness to follow them, and the only safe policy is to 'measure in policy only that which is measurable in reality.'
I recently re-read a favorite book of mine, a biography of President Harry S. Truman. No matter what your politics, the man was the consummate Midwesterner: honest, hard working, and practical. I came across a passage that I had forgotten or skimmed over on the first reading. After he had retired and gone back home to Missouri, a group of college students came to his house to visit him. After introductions and prerequisite small talk, one of the students asked Truman what, after all that he had accomplished and seen, was the best advice he could give to a young person. Truman thought for a second and said, “Finish things. Finish what you start.”
What sound advice coming from a master of pragmatism and fundamentals. What a solid idea. How effective this could be if we apply it to our daily life, to our patients, to our clients, to our staff, and to our families. What if we finished each day to finish as much as we can, to resolve each problem, to leave as little as we can hanging? What great advice, if we heed it.
The next day, after finding Truman’s message to the college students, I was watching a golf tournament on television. One of the golf commentators said that the most important part of the golf swing is the follow through. It struck me that, here again, is the advice of Truman. It is not the power we begin something with, it is the strength and the control to finish and to follow through. Think about it. How often we start things—resolutions, projects, various programs we commit to—and we never finish them or do so half-heartedly. Do we always follow through for our patients and clients? Do we always tie up loose ends for our staff with finality and a fair, constructive finish? It is not possible each day to finish everything we start. Nevertheless, we should strive for the resolution of problems and avoid letting issues linger when they could have been nipped in the bud. We should try to focus on completing goals and finding responsible, realistic solutions to problems. What a positive impact this could have on our lives and on the lives of those around us. What are you sitting there for? Go finish up.
See you next week, Kev
When I became a member of this profession in 1956, practitioners never wore a stethescope. It was considered pretentious. Stethescopes were kept in a drawer or, at most, hung on a peg on the wall, and used when a thoracic problem was presented.
I opened a practice in a community with a very large and varied animal population, but one which had never had a resident veterinary practitioner. Livestock owners usually knew how sophisticated our training was, but most small animal clients had no idea. I was often called “Mister Miller,” asked if I “had to go to school to be a vet” and even asked if a correspondence course was available.
Starting out with a strictly house-call mixed practice, I was frequently asked if I planned to open a “shop.”
TV programs showing veterinarians at work didn’t exist then.
Although the valley did not yet have any MDs, the public knew of their training and respected them.
I decided to emulate the physician’s image. So I worked by appointment, something extremely rare then. I wore a white medical smock. My nearest neighboring colleague wore an apron. There was only one straight small animal practitioner in our county back then. The rest of us (about a dozen in a huge rural county) did mixed practice.
I wore my stethescope and I soon found myself using it on every patient I saw, even if for a rabies shot. Stethescopes back then weren’t nearly as efficient as today’s, but the more I used mine, the more I could hear.
I learned that in order to recognize the abnormal, one must be thoroughly familiar with the normal. Eventually I began to detect unsuspected abnormalities in apparently healthy animals, such as an early cardiac murmur.
This inspired me to make an ophthalmoscopic examination part of every routine physical. The variations possible in a normal retina can only be recognized after seeing hundreds and hundreds of eyes.
The same concept applies to abdominal palpation and thoracic percussion, to palpation of the lymph nodes and examination of the mouth and throat.
Thoroughness is the mark of the skilled clinician.
Amanda Brown, DVM says, "I am a grown woman with a doctorate. Why do I still tremble at the sound of my mom's voice on my voicemail? And gross! Carpark left a hairball next to my bed that I swear was the length of his entire jejunum . *grumble*" See what she's talking about at www.generationvet.com.
Generation Vet, the first online comic about a veterinarian, launches to the veterinary industry.
The third installment of Generation Vet, the first online comic about a contemporary veterinarian, was posted online today at the request of a growing fan-base of veterinarians. After launching a pilot minisode in September and a follow up in October, Phillip Barnes and Hillary Israeli made the decision based on the growing number of fans and requests for more content to formally launch the series.
The new series will feature minisodes posted to YouTube around the fifteenth of every month. With an over-arching storyline connecting each stand-alone minisode about Amanda Brown, DVM, Generation Vet aims to inspire and entertain veterinarians, students and other animal health professionals. Writer Israeli said, "Generation Vet represents the struggles, successes and issues of today’s up-and-coming GenX and GenY veterinarians, and makes people smile and laugh in the process."
In addition to the minisodes posted to YouTube, the story leverages current social media networks such as Facebook and Twitter to interact with fans. Illustrator Barnes said, "The format for this story is unique, because the viewer not only gets to watch this story unfold online in a traditional sense, but the character is also brought to life through regular Twitter posts and interactions with her Facebook fans, making her truly tangible and authentic."
Co-creators Barnes and Israeli believe the character of Amanda Brown and the launch of this comic are especially timely. As the industry demographic shifts to more young women working as companion animal veterinarians in small suburban practices, this character and this story may come to represent the new face of the industry and chronicle the unique experience of today’s veterinarians.
Barnes began drawing comics as a young child, and as an adult remained determined to follow his dream of one day being a comic book artist. After years of working with and learning about veterinarians, he developed the general concept of Generation Vet, but couldn't find Amanda's voice. Israeli has always been a writer. People in her life have been saying to her "you should write a book" for more than 30 years, but the timing wasn't right and Israeli didn't think the world needed another book of vignettes about an animal doctor. Generation Vet's unique format has inspired her to finally give voice to her stories. Israeli found the format of Generation Vet and character of Amanda Brown very inspiring, and when asked by Barnes, started writing immediately.
Those interested in seeing Generation Vet or joining the online community are encouraged to visit www.GenerationVet.com, www.Twitter.com/AmandaBrownDVM and www.YouTube.com/AmandaBrownDVM. Companies serving the animal health industry that wish to partner with Generation Vet are encouraged to send an e-mail to GenerationVet@gmail.com.
About Generation Vet
Generation Vet is the first online comic dedicated to the topic of what it's like working as a veterinary medical doctor in a today's small practice. It follows the story of Amanda Brown, DVM, a young and impetuous veterinarian juggling the daily struggles of life and caring for animals. The stories and community can be found at the following sites online.
Facebook: www.GenerationVet.com
Twitter: www.Twitter.com/AmandaBrownDVM
YouTube: www.YouTube.com/AmandaBrownDVM
E-mail: GenerationVet@gmail.com
About Hillary Israeli
Hillary Israeli graduated from UC Berkeley in 1992 with a BA in Dramatic Art, spent some time working as a technical support person for dial-up and leased line customers at Philadelphia's first ISP, and then went on to get her VMD from the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine in 2000. Having retired from the stage prior to entering veterinary school, she has subsequently been working in companion animal general practice at Ivens-Bronstein Veterinary Hospital in Ardmore, PA, waiting for the right creative project to come along. Hillary lives in southeastern PA with her husband, three children, Norwegian Forest Cat, and six hermit crabs.
About Phillip Barnes
Phillip Barnes graduated from York College of Pennsylvania in 2001 with a BA in Graphic Design and a minor in Entrepreneurial Studies. After working briefly as a graphic designer for an agency in Philadelphia, he began working in the marketing department for a company serving veterinarians for the last seven and a half years. During that time, he had the opportunity to get to know and become friends with many veterinarians, animal health professionals and related industry professionals around the U.S through events and conventions, and now via online social networks. Phil lives in New Jersey with his wife, son and Australian Shepherd.
I pride myself on a long history of illness-free attendance at work. The last time I remember missing a day to illness was over 10 years ago when I picked up something while bottle feeding calves. Naturally, our office, just like any other, has spent some time fretting over H1N1 and what we would do it if it spread through our staff. Between what you hear on the news and what you hear about someone nearby who has it, it's hard to imagine whether it would be a serious problem or just an annoyance to our daily routine.
The truth is, our staff systematically had what appeared to be a mild to serious cold recently. Between boldly bragging that I was untouched by whatever everyone had and scolding our staff for coughing directly onto work areas, I started to worry that I was tempting Karma. Sure enough, I made it through half a day on Halloween, spent the weekend in bed, and got the words I was dreading from the Doctor on Monday........"you've got the swine flu."
My first instinct was that I'd miss a day or so of work and get back to it - after all, if that is what the rest of our staff had, it shouldn't hurt too much. 48 hours later, and one return trip to the Doctor, and I got to add pneumonia to my list of problems. Over $400 worth of prescriptions (after insurance!), and I'm slowly feeling better....though my "day or so" of work is now almost two weeks.
The question is, did the rest of our staff have H1N1 also, and if so, why was I the only one hit hard? The answer - who knows....and who cares? If even one person out of the 15 on our staff has to go through this, it's enough reason to do a better job of controlling contamination. As I mentioned, I personally caught one staff member couging right onto our pharmacy counter, making no effort to cover her mouth in any way, and that was one of many instances, according to others.
We should do a better job of disinfecting doorhandles, telephones, counter surfaces, and other areas common to our staff and clients. We should take seriously public health recommendations such as coughing into a sleeve rather than into a hand, and we shouldn't ignore it when we see a co-worker fail to be safe.....their ignorance effects everyone.
I was lucky.....I'm salaried and have more vacation built up than I can use. The owner of our practice is more worried about my health than my return date, and our assistant manager has gone out of her way to communicate by phone, help me complete payroll remotely, and get the practice through a period of shifting schedules, hours changes, and general unrest. This may not be the case at all practices - in this economy, many staff would be crippled by missing two weeks of pay, many people can't afford $400 for medications, and many managers don't have people that can pick up their duties at a moment's notice.
While for some it may be No Big Deal........for me, it was very Real.
I was in a discussion today about piercing and tattoos and if professionals should avoid them. Here are my thoughts on this. I think people should be able to do what makes them happy and comfortable. I also try my best to always judge people by their actions and not their appearance. On the other hand I certainly do know that extreme individuality makes people judge you differently and act differently and I bet it even holds people back from being successful. I meet lots of people and see lots of speakers and and everyone is very "normal" appearing but I would hope that if I went to a conference and there was a management topic I wanted to hear being delivered by a fully tattoo'd woman with an eye brow ring that I would still attend and not be distracted. I would hope that I would admire her individuality and right to do what she wanted that made her feel comfortable. On the other hand...would I hire her? Well based on my policy manual I couldn't but that would be the extreme. I have 2 staff with tiny nose studs and I myself am thinking of getting one. I find them very feminine and beautiful. I have staff with tattoos but most of them can't be seen. I too, have 2 tattoos but they only show in a bathing suit. I am trying to break in to the veterinary world as both a consultant and a speaker. I love my profession and am passionate about what I do and believe in. I have worked hard to earn my Associate and Bachelor Degree as well as my CVPM certification. would a nose stud make me less knowledgeable? I would hope not. So the debate rages on I guess. I may get the nose stud....and hope that I am not judged. I will see the speaker covered in tattoos but probably wouldn't be able to hire her as my receptionist. Not because I don't want to but because my policy manual for the practice I don't own states that I cannot. I would also feel that the extreme might be distracting and make clients uncomfortable. On the other hand a small nose stud or even a small tattoo on the back of her neck (I have staff with both of these) wouldn't bother me and I don't think would bother my clients. Why the difference? Small is not distracting and extreme is?? Not sure. What about piercings that are part of a culture? Is that more acceptable? I guess this is a debate that will live on. I hope the day comes when we are all judge solely on how we treat people and what our skills are. I wonder if that will ever happen?
Who’s coming to the meeting? By: Donna Bauman, CVPM – Visions Consulting
So the staff meeting is about to start and you wait as your staff files in 1 by 1 and gets settled in their seats with their $5 pizza. You know all these team members so well. There is John, Kristy, and Michelle….and so on right? Sort of. Those are their legal names but then we have their given names. You know. When you gather as a team for a meeting all the little characters, affectionately known as your staff, attend and each and every one of them has a role in the way the meeting is about to go. Just are there are different types of meetings held within the practice there are also be different types of personalities attending those meetings. Since it is the responsibility of the leader of the meeting to keep the meeting moving in a positive direction, ensuring that all staff has the opportunity to share thoughts, let’s identify who’s coming to the meeting and how you can deal with them when they arrive.
Ø Chatty Kathy – Chatty Kathy is your staff member who has a lot to say and loves to say it. When Chatty Kathy gets going there isn’t much that can stand in the way to stop her. Be careful not to let her take over the meeting with her endless chatter as it keeps other staff from getting a word in edgewise and participating in the meeting. When Chatty Kathy is allowed to run at the mouth for too long, other team members will begin to get that glazed look in their eyes as they mentally check out to avoid the seemingly endless story shared by Chatty Kathy. Solution: Kathy’s ideas are probably great but her social personality paired with her inability to get to the point, unfortunately, does a disservice to the ideas because nobody is listening when she finally arrives at it. Help her by grabbing the idea from the story and politely interrupting. Praise her idea and ask others to offer input in regards to that idea. This way Kathy has her acknowledgement for a great idea and everyone else doesn’t go in to Chatty Kathy Coma!
Ø Evelyn Eye Roller & Stevie Sigher – Evelyn Eye Roller is the one who will roll her eyes at every idea or suggestion that is brought up during the meeting; whether it has anything to do with her or not. Her male counterpart, Stevie Sigher will sigh, loud enough for the entire room to hear, as a stand against the idea on the table. These staff members can kill staff morale in a minute and also tend to gather a following rather quickly. I mean, who doesn’t want to eye roll or sigh at some point when their boss speaks!? (Well, except for my staff who love to hear me talk! J) Solution: Keep control of these two. When they roll their eyes or sigh ask them if there is something they would like to contribute to the meeting. Often time the public displays of “affection” (said jokingly) are a way to gather attention so it is your job to turn that negative attention in to positive by making them contribute in a constructive manner.
Ø The Big Kahuna – This team member is a leader. They may or may not be the owner or manager but they are known by the team as a positive role model and cheerleader for the team. Let them be an assistant in the meeting. The Big Kahuna will help get staff on board with new ideas and will help guide the team as the changes occur in the day to day operations. The Big Kahuna is a great team cheerleader. There is little negative about the Big Kahuna. Be careful that the Big Kahuna doesn’t try to take over too much though or be a manager without the title. You know what they say about too many cooks in the kitchen? (I don’t either but it worked here!)
Ø Sarah Shyness – This team member hides in the back of the room, crouched down in the chair and makes very little eye contact. She does her best to wear clothes that blend in with the chair in hopes you never call on her. She would rather look at a fecal then your eyes when you ask staff a question or for a volunteer. As a leader in the practice help encourage Sarah Shyness to share his/her ideas so that he/she can see that their ideas are valuable to the team and the practice. I guarantee that Sarah has amazing ideas but it may take a little hand holding to get her to share them. Don’t push her too hard or she will pull back. Baby steps with Sarah will work. When she sees positive feedback from her team as she begins to share ideas – she will take off and run with that!
Ø Negative Nelly - Be careful of Negative Nelly. Unlike Evelyn Eye Roller and Stevie Sigher, Negative Nelly will verbalize the negative comments that he/she is feeling. Negative comments have no productive use in a meeting and can have a negative impact on the overall feel of the team. Don’t let Negative Nelly vent their frustrations or glass half-empty feelings at the meeting (that’s what diaries are for). Validate that they have a concern and ask them to give a positive idea that would work. You can turn a Negative Nelly in to a Charlie Cheerleader with a little work!
Ø Peter Picker – Peter Picker has the ability to pick on and attack other staff members who share in a meeting. This behavior cannot be allowed in any form and must be stopped. If Peter Picker is allowed to continue his/her attack staff will stop contributing to meetings for fear of being Peter Picker’s next victim. Staff may also plan a behind the scenes mutiny to take Peter out and that is when you get to experience staff fighting, team separation and even team sabotage. Peter may also need a closed door talk with management to set some behavior expectations and to set clear guidelines on what things will and won’t be tolerated.
Ø Devil’s Advocate Danny – Danny can be an important part of a meeting. He/she can share ideas and thoughts seeing the topic from a different perspective. Just like ice cream though, often the grass is always greener on the other side part of the story must be taken in small doses. If Danny ONLY sees the other side and the other side is ALWAYS the side that makes the plan not work, or difficult to get staff buy in then Danny might have to be limited as well. As with many of the other personalities attending the meeting, listen to Danny’s ideas and perspectives but keep them on topic and away from negativity.
So there you have it. With a little planning and a keen eye you can have the whole family at the staff meeting and you will never have to ask again, “Can’t we all just get along?”
Square peg and the round hole.
Donna Bauman, CVPM
When I first became a manager it seemed like the job was pretty self explanatory. Technicians work with the animals doing medical stuff. Receptionists answer the phones and make appointments. Managers – well they manage stuff and owners and associates do surgery, diagnose and prescribe. Piece of cake! I will take that job! Give me a new name tag and a business card and I am good to go….off to go manage a veterinary hospital. That was day 1.
On day 2 I learned the real and sometimes ugly truth! Some technicians aren’t great with people and forcing them to do exam room appointments can be a nightmare and certainly not a top notch veterinary experience. Other technicians are so social that I needed a shock collar to stop them from wandering out of surgery to go up front to chat with the new puppy owner. Receptionists, I found out, only wish they had to answer the phones & make appointments. Those poor girls are on the frontline of disaster! Managers? PLEASE, just let me manage. I tried; in between begging my owner to let go and stop micromanaging, putting out fires, calming down irate clients, explaining to Mr. Jones that while YES, we do love animals we still are a business and expect payment when services are rendered, finding missing inventory and cats, restraining a pit bull while in heels and a skirt and actually trying to complete a single management task off the day’s to do list. I ended day 2 in tears, with a torn skirt, hair on my black blouse and the most disheveled hair ever seen.
Day 3 started with an epiphany and a new outfit! Stop trying to put a square peg in a round hole3. Just because someone has a title for their role in the practice doesn’t mean that role is black and white.
Day 4 was implementation day. Social technicians make GREAT exam room technicians. They love to talk and educate clients! Perfect! Happy clients, healthy patients and increased outpatient services. Anti-social technicians love surgery. Nobody to smile at and clients with 4 legs and fur who don’t talk back! Perfect! Happy technician, closely monitored surgical patients, no missed in patient fees and a shock collar I sold on E-bay for $50! Receptionists can do SO much more than answer a phone & make an appointment. I never saw happy people after being set free to serve our clients and serve them they did. Perfect! Ecstatic clients with coffee or water in one hand and a brochure on microchipping in another, pre-scheduled medical progress evaluations and a happy chatter going all around. Perfect! A meeting with the owner with a complete list of my responsibilities and how I would report to him allowed for him and the associate to do surgery, diagnose and prescribe! Happy manager, closely monitored practice and doctors doing what doctors do! PERFECT!
Day 5 – Happy, non-dysfunctional, well managed practice….. PERFECT!
Breathing is a natural thing that we all do without thinking, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Put on 30 pounds of gear, sit on the bottom of a pool, cover your nose and breath out of a tube...Then, it stops being so natural. Logically, I know and trust that there is air in the tank. But every survival instinct in my body that has evolved over a couple thousand years tells me otherwise.
'You mean to tell me that my life is dependent on this little tiny tube...So, your saying if I puke I am supposed to spit it through this tube too, the one that gives me air?...Your saying if I don't blow out enough air on the way up, that I could sort of blow my lung up?...I'm supposed to equalize me ears and my mask every few feet?...This is all just to much to think about at the same time I need to be thinking about how to breath.
Before I descend, I hover over the surface of the water and take huge deep breaths. For no good reason it feels like it is the very last time that I am going to take in that sweet, life sustaining thing called air. So, I take in a huge breathe and stick my head under the surface.
It doesn't matter how many times I have done this...every time I am still surprised that there is air coming out of my tank.
Under the surface everything feels so different. It is really peaceful and movements are slow and methodical. The one thing I hadn't banked on being a part of that peace is the deafening sound of bubbles continuously blowing by my face and ears. It sort of feels like you are at a concert and standing next to a speaker that is larger than you. The bubbles sort of make your whole body vibrate. It should feel like the good vibrations of life sustaining air but oddly enough all that noise makes me feel kind of uneasy. Avid divers say it is like a lullaby. We are going to have to see about all that.
So my head is under the surface now. Step one: Check.
All these questions start spinning through my head. Is my mask on right? Is it leaking? Can I still breathe? Am I okay? I want to kick and throw myself around like I am drowning but still I'm breathing. Awkwardly, but yes I can still breathe.
Step two descend
I release all the air out of my BCD (buoyancy compensation device, or giant vest full of air) and against every instinct try to sink. Now, my lungs are so full of air from all that heavy breathing that I just hover at the surface. Then I start talking to myself, "your ok. Just breathe. In for three out for six. In for three out for six. Your ok. Be calm. Relax. Relax."
Then all the sudden, Thud! My feet hit the bottom of the teeny tiny 11 ft pool. Success! I made it down here.
I swim around for a bit, do a somersault underwater and I realize finally that I'm going to be ok and that this is actually pretty cool. Ten minutes later I may start to feel overwhelmed by the bubbles and seemingly closing in tight space or I may not, I never quite know. They say that it is so much easier in the ocean because you are so mesmerized by the underwater world that you can now be a part of. We will have to see next week when we take off for Belize if that is the case. Bring on the sand, sun and palm trees.
Practicing at the scuba shop this week I will try to run Bob Marley songs through my head.
'Don't worry 'bout a thing...Cause, every little thing is gonna be alright. This is my message to you hoo hoo.'
(Denver, CO) November 4, 2009: The North American Pet Health Insurance Association (NAPHIA) announced today that there will be a reception and news conference to honor the late Heimdall, a much beloved deaf Great Dane as the winner of the 2009 North American Favorite Pet Story. The Rocky Mountain Great Dane Rescue and the North American Pet Health Insurance Association have added a news conference and award presentation to the “Cocktails for Tails”, fundraising reception on November 7, 2009. Members of the media are invited and encouraged to attend.
The “Cocktails for Tails” event takes place from 5:30 to 8:30PM, Saturday, November 7, at the Rembrandt Art Gallery, 1301 Spruce St., Boulder, for the general public; tickets are $30 per person and $55 per couple.
Meg and Joel Wittenmyer are Denver area Rocky Mountain Great Dane Rescue Group members and the owners of the late Heimdall. Just a few years back, Meg and Joel were only going to keep Heimdall for a few days until a good home could be located. The dog was very special and not just because of his hearing disability. Meg and Joel quickly found a kind and gentle giant with a soul that could be seen through his eyes and he immediately melted the hearts of what became his new family.
The 145 lb Heimdall would gently approach his new owners and softly lay his head on their shoulder and he pretty much got whatever he wanted. Yes, they spoiled him quite a bit, but he returned that favor a hundredfold with all the love and devotion he could give.
Working with the Rocky Mountain Great Dane Rescue and having Great Danes for years taught Heimdall’s new parents the importance of maintaining pet insurance coverage. “With big dogs there are sometimes risks for big bills, which is why we and the rescue strongly recommend pet insurance to all our friends and adoptive families,” according to Meg Wittenmyer.
Meg did not know how true that would be when she and her husband took Heimdall to their vet, Dr. Carrie Miller, DVM, DACVIM, of Wheat Ridge Animal Hospital (Denver CO) for a persistent cough. In November 2008, what began as an upper respiratory infection progressed to recurring pneumonia and to bacteria that mutated each time the veterinarian tried a new antibiotic.
Like many pet owners with pet health insurance, Meg and her husband had been paying premiums for a long time without actually making a claim. However, within the space of six months, all their expenses and efforts were repaid in ways they had not imagined.
Dr. Miller is a respiratory specialist, but their optimism turned into months of trying one antibiotic after another, included countless lung x-rays and three bronchoscopes. At one point, the Wittenmyers were paying over $300 a day for the special antibiotics, as Heimdall was fighting both staph and E.-coli bacteria which had settled in his lungs. It was at this point that they realized the value of not only having pet insurance, but the added drug and dental benefit they decided to purchase as part of their coverage.
Between November 2008 and May 2009 their pet insurance company had paid their policy’s maximum annual benefit of $10,000. According to Meg, “not only did they pay the bills we submitted in a timely manner, but we knew that the staff of the pet health insurance company cared as much about what happened with Heimdall as we did.”
Very sadly, as Meg was writing the story of Heimdall for the North American Favorite Pet Story, Heimdall passed away (last month), “We would have done anything to get Heimdall the treatment he needed and having insurance meant not having to take out a second mortgage or even selling our house, but more importantly, pet insurance gave us many extra months with our beautiful baby boy, which really is priceless. It's just that simple” continued Meg.
According to Dr. Miller, “Heimdall was a very sick dog with a complicated form of recurring pneumonia and bacteria that mutated each time we tried a new or different level of antibiotic. As Heimdall is recognized as the North American Favorite Pet Story, it is most important to realize that the treatments and cost of care would not have been possible without the support of Meg and Joel having pet health insurance."
"Though sad, there is also a great deal of joy that we celebrate the life and bond that was enjoyed by Heimdall and his family. The North American Pet Health Insurance Association is very pleased to share this special story as the winner of the North American Favorite Pet Story, and to also witness the extraordinary care provided by Dr. Miller and the entire team at Wheat Ridge Animal Hospital” said, Loran Hickton, Executive Director, North American Pet Health Insurance Association.
A special donation will be made in Heimdall's name to the Rocky Mountain Great Dane Rescue. Also, the family will receive a special award of $500.00 for pet related purchases and future veterinary care for their pets.
About The North American Pet Health Insurance Association
Founded in 2007, the North American Pet Health Insurance Association is committed to educating and promoting the values and benefits of pet health insurance to North American pet owners, the general public, and the veterinary industry. To learn more, visit our website at http://www.naphia.org
About Rocky Mountain Great Dane Rescue
Rocky Mountain Great Dane Rescue, Inc. is recognized as a major resource for the welfare of homeless, abandoned and abused companion animals in Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Utah and Wyoming. Our goal is to lower euthanasia rates in our region by: 1. Bringing adoptable pets into our program for medical and social rehabilitation and re-homing.
2. Providing resources to pet owners to encourage their responsibility and commitment to their pets and prevent them from contributing to the homeless pet population. We want to continue to be a valuable resource to our community. We believe that one person can make the difference in the life of an animal in need, so as an organization, we have more strength to help more animals. As part of our mission, RMGDRI firmly believes that it is our responsibility to do all that we can for every Dane that comes into our haven, into our care. To learn more visit: http://www.rmgreatdane.org
Dr. Wayne Ingmire to receive 2009 "North American Favorite Veterinarian” Award
Though it is likely that the association will hear some barking from the good folks that nominated many of the other deserving veterinarians, Dr. Wayne Ingmire is the 2009 North American Favorite Veterinarian!
(Pittsburgh, PA) October 23, 2009: The North American Pet Health Insurance Association (NAPHIA) announced today that Dr. Wayne Ingmire of Chicago has been selected among client nominations as the winner of the 2009 North American Favorite Veterinarian. As the North American Pet Health Insurance Association celebrated North American Pet Health Insurance Month in September, the association encouraged pet owners across North America to nominate their Favorite Veterinarian and provide a short story as an example. According to the association, Paws Down, Dr. Wayne Ingmire’s nomination made him the Purrrfect Winner!
Dr. Wayne Ingmire practices at the Mokena Animal Clinic near Chicago. He was nominated by Charlene Tabler, a client since 1982. According to Ms. Tabler, “Our family feels that “Doc” is the most caring and focused care providers we have ever met. And that includes our children’s pediatrician and we certainly love our pediatrician! Doc has been with us through the lives of our pets during the good times and times of illness and loss. From getting down on the floor and saying hello to our pets, to holding our hand as we discussed cancer treatments for one of our dogs, Doc is a most loving and caring health provider. There have been several times throughout the years that Doc would call in the early evening to check on our pets and make sure everything was going well. He does so much more for us than treating our pets, Doc treats our entire family.”
“It is with pride that the North American Pet Health Insurance Association announces Dr. Ingmire as the winner of the North American Favorite Veterinarian Award for 2009. Dr. Ingmire is a committed and caring practitioner that gives much to his clients, patients and his profession. He has distinguished himself at all levels of his profession and within his community. The North American Pet Health Insurance Association is gratified to provide a small part of recognition that is so well deserved.” Said, Loran Hickton, Executive Director, of the North American Pet Health Insurance Association.
The North American Pet Health Insurance Association is providing a special reception and lunch on October 27, 2009 at 1:00PM at the Mokena Animal Clinic for Dr. Ingmire, his staff, and friends. There will be a special presentation of an educational grant and also a recognition plaque. Charlene Tabler, the client that nominated Dr. Ingmire will be there as part of the presentation.
About The North American Pet Health Insurance Association
Founded in 2007, the North American Pet Health Insurance Association is committed to educating and promoting the values and benefits of pet health insurance to North American pet owners, the general public, and the veterinary industry. To learn more, visit our website at http://www.naphia.org
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An important part of any veterinary hospital is to have a medical philosophy that the whole staff can agree on. It can be very damaging to have one doctor with one view on a vaccination protocol, and another doctor who views it differently. Clients will be left confused when one doctor believes in year round heartworm prevention and another doctor recommends seasonal protection. Inconsistent medical messages will undermine the recommendations and ultimately the integrity of the practice. Differences in opinion can occur between a technician and doctor, or a manager and receptionist. But the most likely divide in the practice occurs between two doctors that are a generation apart.
Over the span of thirty years a lot can change in medicine. Having only been out of school for five years, I am impressed with the knowledge and tools today’s students are walking away with. There are many things in place to help bridge the gap between the vetted doctor and the one with the crisp diploma. For experienced doctors there are more and more opportunities for continuing education to help keep up with the latest research and technology. For new graduates there are growing opportunities with internships and residencies to gain hands on experience with cases before being thrown to the wolves. However, these bridges are not always ideal to help bridge the gap. Suppose an IMHA case comes in on the third week and the doctor who still owns the Monkees last album has one way of treating the case because it has worked well for the last thirty years. The doctor who just did a summer internship a few years ago with some monkeys feels otherwise based on the recent literature. So how do the vetted doctor and the new graduate come together to have one comprehensive medical philosophy for the hospital?
The answer is a symbiotic relationship that benefits everyone. Plenty has been said about mentoring a new doctor. It is easy to have good intentions and say that you will mentor a new graduate, but you have to put a structured plan in place to make it work. A practice that is taking on a new hire probably is busy and can’t wait to unload some of the workload on the new doctor. After doing a hundred cystotomies and hospitalizing fifty renal disease patients it is easy to forget how stressful that first one can be. The younger doctor knows how to do these things, but may still have the first time jitters. The vetted doctor needs to make sure there is time to talk through these cases, to scrub in during these procedures even if it just means you are going to hold a hemostat for an hour. The vetted doctor’s presence will considerably raise the confidence of the new doctor and also allow her to see, “this is how I do it.” In return the newer doctor will be more likely to adapt her medical practice in that fashion. On the flip side, having the more recent graduate in the practice is the ultimate continuing education for the other doctors. That doctor has come out of four years of schooling instructed in recent research and protocols. Medicine is so rapidly evolving that there are many tricks the new doctor has in her bag for the other doctors to learn from. Most of us in private practice don’t have time to review literature with our colleagues for several hours a week, but the new graduate has just been absorbing everything she can learn from that hotshot internal medicine resident at school. So pick her brain and be willing to adapt just as she should be willing to continue to learn the practical application of what she has just learned the past four years. You may find a new hybrid type of medicine is being practiced in your hospital, which is a good thing because a less than excellent standard of medicine can develop from one that does not evolve.
A controversial subject in our practice continues to be our decision to run our own low cost cat neuter program. Sure, we participate in programs run by the local shelter and other advocacy groups to get cats and dogs spayed and neutered, but this particular program is our own. It has not been without debate.....we regularly take a look at whether or not it continues to make sense for us, and as you might guess, our closest local competitor wasn't too excited when we rolled it out.
The truth is, it never was our idea. We were approached by an advocacy group a few years ago and asked if we would offer some promotion to celebrate national Spay/Neuter Month. We decided to offer a special on every Thursday of the month - a low cost cat neuter. At first, we were willing to do it for two reasons.......we are very community minded and the practice owner feels an obligation to "give back,"; and we knew that Thursday was a day we had less traffic and plenty of labor. The program was a huge success. Near the end of the month, we started looking at our expenses on a cat neuter scheduled for surgery as part of any other day of the week vs. our expenses on a cat neuter scheduled as part of a high volume, well planned process. We realized that at our regular fee for the service (pretty reasonable to begin with) we were no more profitable when done on another day than we were at the lower cost when done as part of the program.
How can that be? When performed on a regular surgery day, other than actual surgery time, the process takes the same labor as any other procedure.....admit appointment, paperwork, logging into our procedure board, clean up, cage occupancy, cage cleaning, laundry, more paperwork, discharge appointment. With our low cost program, we mail the surgery paperwork in advance and expect it to be completed upon arrival. There is no admit appointment, they're not logged into our procedure board, participants must bring a large enough hard plastic carrier with laundry to avoid recovery in our cages, the discharge paperwork is pre-printed, and there is no discharge appointment.
I can account for every cent of our expenses, and I promise you, there is no difference in profitability in the two models. We don't take any medical shortcuts....we still do a pre-anesthetic exam, use the same anesthetic agents, maintain complete medical records, etc. Because of the popularity of the program, we decided to continue it on a schedule based on demand. Several years later, we offer it on the first Thursday of each month and we've gone from neutering approximately 150 cats per year to an average of nearly 500. If nothing else, we can feel good about doing our part to help fight an overpopulation problem that may never be won.
While conventional wisdom may consider that this program devalues veterinary medicine, I can tell you that many of our clients, not to mention the community, feel just the opposite. At a time when we risk quality veterinary care becoming inaccessible to some pet owners, this is a way we can reassure our clients that we care about the needs of our community, which has a large feral cat population.
From a business standpoint, this particular block of time was not in demand, and if you believe that labor can often be considered a fixed cost, then most of the expenses associated with neutering 30+ cats in two hours was coming out of our pocket either way. Although it wasn't our goal, we have recieved more positive attention from the community then we could have ever paid for, and based on numbers alone, we are making a difference. Mostly however, I can't ever consider something a 'devalued service' if it is a 'community service' and in a town of under 10,000 there is no other way to survive.
You can help dogs or cats live long, healthy lives with good food choices. Quality pet foods lead to healthier pets. But there are situations when feeding a good food, clean water, and exercising your pet may not be enough. In these cases, natural supplmentation, often given in conjunction with or following NSAIDs or antibiotics, allow the pet to be more vibrant and healthy.
Joint Building Blocks: Glucosamine, Chondroitin Sulfate, Hyaluronic Acid
Anti-inflammatory Support: Yucca, Black Cohosh, Cayenne, MSM
Anti-oxidants: Turmeric, Ginger, Devil's Claw, Alfalfa, Vitamin C
Circulartory Stimulants: Nettle Celery Seed
Digestive/Immune Health – 6.5 million dogs and 12.4 million cats suffer from chronic digestive problems, creating discomfort and reducing immune health. Healthy digestion leads to a strong immune system, among other benefits. Digestive supplements should contain enzymes to break down and deliver nutrients from a pet’s food to every part of the body. Situations that lead to insufficient enzyme levels include advanced age, strenuous exercise, illness, stress, processed food, genetic factors or antibiotic use. The four key enzymes for dogs and cats are:
· Protease for Muscle: Provides protein digestion in the stomach and small intestine
· Amylase for Energy: Digests starchy foods to release simple sugars
· Cellulase for Fiber: Provides dogs and cats with the enzyme needed to reduce the bulking effect of fibrous foods
· Lipase for Overall Health: Digests fatty acids allowing the pet to absorb Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Vitamins A, D, E and K
Also, digestive supplements with prebiotics such as fructooligosaccharides (FOS) support intestinal balance and a healthy immune system. FOS selectively feeds the beneficial, native bacteria in the dog or cat’s system. Unlike probiotics (live microorganisms), FOS does not have to be refrigerated and is more customized to your pet’s unique system, promoting growth of bacteria already naturally present.
To find high quality natural supplements that will work well, look for products that add back what the body would naturally make if it were healthy. Compare ingredients and look for supplements that contain clinically-tested levels of active ingredients, and minimal inactive ingredients. Finally, look for the NASC Quality Seal. This means the manufacturer has passed rigorous quality audits.
Team Building
Open communication is the key to successful team building. We are all working toward the same goal...helping pets. Our team has gotten around the "us vs. them" attitude by openly communicating with each other on a daily basis. As with every veterinary practice, we have the front/back and the day/night employees. We have structured our practice so each person knows who is responsible for which duties.
On an average day, we have two doctors seeing appointments, one or two receptionists, a surgery tech, a lab tech and two appointment techs. The surgery tech is ultimately responsible for all surgical/hospitalized patients (some duties are delagated). From checking them in, to making sure all procedures are completed to checking them out and going over instructions with the owner. The lab tech is responsible for all lab procedures, prescription refills and fielding any questions that may arise. The job of the appointment tech is to assist their respective doctor with appointments, callbacks, charting, etc. The appointment schedule and who is doing what position is decided at the beginning of each shift AM and PM. If only one receptonist is on duty, everyone is aware and will pick up the slack by answering the phone, checking out a client, covering for a lunch break, etc. The appointment techs keep the receptionists in the loop by walking the client to the front desk and letting the receptionists know if "Fluffy" needs to be rechecked in 2 weeks or we are keeping "Rover" for radiographs. At the beginning of each shift AM/PM the staff discusses who is hospitalized and for what procedure/illness so each staff member knows what is going on in case they answer the call from the worried owner.
At the end of the day, when the receptionists are finished with ther duties they will come to the back to see what they can do to help the techs finish up and vise versa. This allows all staff members to leave at the same time.
This systems work really well for us and prevents the "us vs.them" mentality.
I smelled a burning odor around 3 p.m. By 3:05, my wife and I stood across the street from our house—our first house, the one we planned to bring our first child home to in January—and watched thick clouds of black smoke pour out of the garage.
As we anxiously waited for the fire trucks to arrive, I tried to wrap my head around the situation. We were OK. The dogs were fine—we immediately called for them to go outside as we ran out ourselves—and were now running around in the neighbors’ yard, blissfully unaware of what was happening. But plenty of questions remained. Would the house survive? What about all of our wedding pictures, important paperwork, and family heirlooms? Where would we live? Who should we call?
As firefighters cut through the garage doors with giant saws, it became clear that our lives wouldn’t be back to normal any time soon. For starters, both of our cars were in the garage, where the fire started—in fact, it appears a defective part in my 1998 Ford Explorer caused the fire. The structure survived, but our belongings didn’t. Even today, 11 days after the fire, the smell permeates everything: clothes, furniture, electronics. Every surface in the house is covered with black soot.
I’ve discovered that it’s best not to think about the “What if?” possibilities. Sure, we could have been asleep and not woken up before the fire got out of hand. Or we could have left for the evening, leaving the dogs trapped in their kennels. But there’s no use in playing that mental game.
You can’t predict most natural disasters. One minute, you’re doing a little cleaning and admiring the sweat equity you’ve put into your house; the next, you’re living with your mother-in-law and driving a borrowed minivan. It’s going to be a long four months.
Still, I can’t help but feel a bit unprepared. We had no fire evacuation plan, other than holy-crap-let’s-get-the-dogs-and-get-out-of-here-quickly improvised escape route. To be honest, I had never even thought about what I’d do if my house were on fire.
Turns out, I’m not alone. According to a new study, just 54 percent of pet owners have a fire evacuation plan for their dog or cat, and only 20 percent kept a stocked pet first-aid kit in their home. These numbers may seem disturbingly low, but what about you? I’d be there are plenty of veterinary practices without disaster emergency plans. Do you know what to do in the case of an emergency?
Here are some helpful tips from the AVMA for both clients and veterinary practices:
Disaster preparedness for veterinary practices
Encourage clients to prepare for a disaster—and practice what you preach. Make sure you have a plan for handling emergencies, and make sure all team members know what to do if the worst happens. After all, things can be replaced—but lives can’t.
One more note: If you drive a Ford vehicle made in the 1990s or early 2000s, PLEASE click here to see if your car is included in Ford’s recent recall. If it is, take it to a Ford dealer immediately to have the faulty part replaced. In the meantime, don’t park in a garage or near any other structures.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to call back my insurance adjuster. And my contractor. And the cleaning company. And the fire inspector. And…
I recently had to make quite a few "cold calls" to private veterinary clinics in a particular city. I won't name the city because I have had this experience with other areas of the country, even my own city. My mission was to speak with a veterinarian, any veterinarian at the practice, to ask if they would be interested in helping with an upcoming event in their city. I won't muse about having to leave messages with the receptionist at 99.9% of the places. I practiced for 9 years, I know that veterinarians are extremely busy professionals with erratic schedules and I know the receptionists were doing their job of filtering client and phone traffic well.
What I'm not sure how to take is the first few seconds of the majority of the phone calls I made. In one instance, I got lost in an automated never-ending holding/voicemail loop. "If you'd like to leave a message for the clinic, please do so. If you'd like to continue to hold, press one." I'd press one, wait on hold another few minutes, then get automatically transferred back to voicemail, "If you'd like to leave a message for the clinic, please do so. If you'd like to continue to hold, press one." I consider myself a fairly patient person, but this was maddening!
In a few instances, I got through to a person that was ready to talk to me. However, in about 75% of the calls, the phone would ring and be picked up by a polite, but obviously hurried receptionist, "Hello, thank you for calling XYZ Veterinary Clinic. This is So-and-so. Would you hold please?" To be fair, they would wait for my answer, but unless I had a bleeding pet (in which case I should be on the road to the hospital and not on the phone anyway), what am I gonna say? "No, I'm in a hurry, take care of me right now."??? So I would say, "Sure." and be put on hold for varying lengths of time.
While we’re on the subject of answering the phone, I also have to say a word about the trend I am noticing with human doctors' offices to let the answering machine pick up calls during the lunch hour. Do your human doctors’ offices do this? The offices of my children's pediatrician, my dermatologist, and my personal doctor all do this. We never did that when I was in veterinary practice and I did not encounter that in my recent veterinary calls (thank goodness), but I am concerned that it will leak over into our profession sometime soon.
Yes I REALIZE that everyone needs a break and the time away from the phone helps everyone catch up on their other work, but what about the rest of us that work? It drives me insane when I call my doctor's office over lunch (the only time that it is appropriate for me to do so during the work week) and I get the answering machine because they are "closed for lunch".
I also understand that the vast majority of the time, the veterinary staff bend over backwards for their clients, who do not properly appreciate it, as evidenced in sportychick10’s blog on this site, “Mind YOUR manners, please!”
I’ve been there. I get it. But now that I’m seeing it clearly from the other side (or other end of the line, so to speak), my point is this; if I was a polite, respectful, potential paying pet owner and good client that only had a few minutes over lunch to call to schedule an appointment and I got the “hold, please” or the answering machine, I would be very tempted to call another practice that would talk to me right away or answer the phone…whatever time I called during normal operating hours.
I think that service professions are certainly aware that before and after work and the lunch hour are the busiest times because it’s when customers have free time and are shopping for their services. And like it or not, veterinary medicine is somewhat of a service profession. If we make it inconvenient enough for a wanna-be customer to spend their money with our clinic, they will go to the clinic down the block or just put off Fluffy’s vaccinations until they think about calling to schedule that appointment again, most likely over their lunch hour or before or after work hours again, right?
I do not at all think we should go back to the “whatever, whenever, we’ll take anything, anytime” mentality, but surely there has got to be a happy medium somewhere.
Back to my recent calls, one receptionist did say, "Thank you for calling XYZ Veterinary Clinic, this is So-and-so and I'm helping another customer, would you mind holding please?" That helped. I was actually so surprised that it took me aback for a second. "Uhhh, sure?" That’s better, but still not the stellar customer service that I know we all strive to attain.
So I’m wondering what the “answer” is (sorry, couldn’t resist :o). Surely some practice managers will have some insight on this and maybe some recommendations.
What do you do at your clinic? Do you schedule over-lapping shifts during lunch? Do you politely ask people to hold? Do you explain why you are asking them to hold, like the one practice did? Do you leave people in the voicemail black hole that is so common these days? Or do you turn off your phone during lunch in the name of respecting the staff’s time and hope those customers will call back? Am I missing viable options? Is there anything that will satisfy all parties in this professional relationship?
We all remember our favorite teachers. Some teachers stand out in our memories—a special kindergarten teacher, a particular coach, or a revered mentor. What sets them apart from other educators, coaches, and advisors? What unique talent makes us remember them so fondly and vividly?
They encouraged us. They believed in us, and by doing so, they made us believe in ourselves. They got involved, they invested in us, and they saw the best in us. They made our fight their fight. Often, something so beautiful and so powerful is so simple!
People do better when we encourage them. By showing that we value them, they place more value on themselves and their actions. Encouragement, like praise, must be earned. It must be sincere encouragement, honest and appropriate. By giving it out sparingly, but at just the right moment, it can be an incredibly powerful tool to motivate others. Encouragement can be an important mechanism in overcoming almost any obstacle. It also can be contagious. People who we encourage, who become more positively oriented and confident, are more likely to encourage others. Thus, encouragement is a large part of the culture of confidence and of a positive lifestyle.
One thing the veterinary profession has taught me is that no one does it on their own. We have parents and grandparents to thank for our success, along with mentors, spouses, and positive role models who believed in us and made us believe in ourselves. Become more aware of those around you, pay attention to their mood and behavior, and find ways every day to encourage others. Encouraging others is a great investment. It costs very little. However, by believing in others we learn to believe in ourselves. Make a difference in someone’s life today. Be positive and encourage them. Whether it’s a colleague, a staff member, a client, or a family member, I think that you will be surprised what a little encouragement can do for a person.
See you next week, Kev
As the owner of a very lively 4-year-old mutt with a stomach of steel, I'm no stranger to finding things around the house go missing from time to time. As a puppy, Emma tore down the molding around my apartment front door during a brief trip down separation anxiety lane. She once conspired with my mom's dog to snag a carton of cocoa powder (Patrick, mom's dog, most certainly helped but poor Emma took all the blame), and unwrapped grandpa's present under my Christmas tree that contained a whole box of imported chocolates. She ate most of them, stuffing a few in the couch cushions to enjoy later. That shenanigan ended in lots of dark chocolate stains in my apartment carpets (goodbye security deposit!) and Emma eating a puppy pad I set out. I think she thought, like eating grass, it might settle her stomach. But all those upsets ended the way I hoped ... with everything coming in the, well, (rear) end.
But those were her puppy days. Grown up Emma no longer chews on remote controls or nibbles on baseboards. Sure, I still have to barricade bakery and food on the counter or else lose it to her bottomless pit, but I swear, you've never seen a dog that can sniff out pastries like she can. It starts with Emma sniffing the air, tail wagging away. Then she follows you around, waiting for you to get comfortable somewhere else, away from the kitchen, before she sneaks back in to pounce on her prey. She'll snatch anything lightening quick, then gobble it down, knowing she has only moments before she's caught. She'll display her usually guilty look, but you know she's not sorry at all.
This time, though, I think Emma really is sorry. It started last Friday night, when my husband and I came home from the high school football game he was coaching. We noticed three or four long rows of the Berber carpet in our living room was gone. It snags easily and often gets caught in the vaccuum. I can't break it with my hands — it has to be cut out. But the breaks were clean and there was no trace of carpeting strings anywhere. Emma ate it, says my husband. But the carpet's not made of carbs, and my dog is stricly a food stealer now, not a home wrecker. My thought was Emma's collar maybe got snagged and she ate her way free of the carpet when she couldn't pull away.
Either way, I watched Emma, waiting for this latest problem to pass, literally. By Saturday, she had thrown up, and Sunday Emma woke us up with some miserable diarrhea. On Monday, she passed a little bit of string, but wasn't eating. She was still acting perky, as usual, but when Emma wouldn't take her treat as I l
eft for work Tuesday morning, I knew this wa
s not going to be like old times.
I dropped her off at the veterinarian's on my way into work, and by the time I arrived in the office, I got the news. Emma's intestines were filled with gas and my old schoolmate, Dr. Adam Hechko, said he could see a large mass in her stomach. He could keep her until morning and see if it moved, but if the carpet strings got caught up in her intestines, they could cause more damage and result in a more complicated surgery. So I decided, surgery now seemed a better bet than another day and more X-rays followed by a most-likely more expensive surgery.
Emma went under the knife Tuesday afternoon, her stomach hard, bruised and inflamed from the carpet that filled it. The smell of what they took out of her cleared the
clinic, says Dr. Hechko, who saved the evidence for me in a sandwich bag. A little piece of carpeting worked its way into her intestine, but they were able to remove it without too much trouble. Good thing, too, because Dr. Hechko said Emma could have lost a portion of her intestines with how rough the carpet fibers were.
By the next day, Emma was acting like nothing happened. I picked her up Thursday evening, and she was very happy to see me. (A special shout-out to the technician that had to come and wipe up the piddle she left on the waiting room floor.)
I stayed home with her Friday, feeding her some special soft food and five different pills every 12 hours. Emma's back her to her old self, maybe a bit more ginger and a little groggy, but she's starting to figure out that I'm putting pills in her food. Now I pry her mouth open and chuck them down her throat while she grits her teeth like a child. She's showing off her stitches to anyone who will look, giving them her best sad face and enjoying a lot of "poor Emma's" in return.
But I knew she was feeling back to her old self last night when, as I was making dinner, she pointed her nose to the air with her tail swaying until she realized it was only broccoli on the counter. Now, I'm working on my husband to replace what I'm going to refer to from now on as the "death carpet." He says Emma won't do it again, and I laugh. He hasn't known her as long as I have, and I point out new carpet would cost LESS than Emma's surgery just did. I'm still working on him...
Rachael Whitcomb is news editor of DVM Newsmagazine. She can be reached at rwhitcomb@advanstar.com.
Is there a new attitude in the workforce? I admit there are many dynamics influencing it -- education costs, incomes, hospital size, work ethic, work-life balance, family demands, etc. In just two weeks, I am moderating another DVM Newsmakers' Summit at CVC San Diego on Nov. 8. And I need your help. What would you ask the panelists? What's on your mind?
If it's important to the discussion, I promise I'll ask it.
Let me give you a little background. The idea of this summit is to bring together a diverse panel of veterinarians to talk about the challenges and opportunities facing practice. At this session we have invited four veterinarians who bring unique perspectives to these issues, including Dr. Michael Andrews, Board of Directors National Commission of Veterinary Economic Issues, owner and practitioner, Woodcrest Veterinary Clinic;
Dr. Nancy Soares, owner and practitioner, Macungie Animal Hospital, Macungie, Pa.; Dr. Micaela Shaughnessey, practitioner/relief veterinarian; and Dr. James F. Wilson, Priority Veterinary Management Consultants, Yardley, Pa.
The way I see it, education costs have risen to an entirely new plateau, but new graduates’ incomes are lagging behind. Vet students are taking on huge debt. More and more veterinarians are entering advanced studies, yet the hardest hit area during the recession is believed to have been specialty veterinary practices. There are funding challenges facing veterinary education too. As we emerge from this recession, I have always believed that one needs to tackle problems by understanding the reasons they developed in the first place. And I think they are important to start the dialogue whether you are an associate, new graduate or long-time practice owner.
So, will you help? Just click on the comment button to post your suggestions. Thanks, and I hope you can stop by and join us in San Diego. If not, we will posting excerpts from the event.
