This really did happen overnight....

I always laugh when clients give us the famous line ' this really did happen overnight' because often times it didn't. However....this literally did happen overnight....to my dog.

This is Duncan.....he is my 7 year old Boxer who I adore (sometimes) and find irritating at other times.....but truth be told he holds a special place in my heart. A few weeks ago my husband and I awoke to this. A big swollen faced boy. And that age old saying came out of my mouth...'this literally happened overnight'. Poor guy! His little nub of a tail still worked well and he eagerly greeted me at the bedroom door, butt wiggling, face all swollen from what I assume was an insect sting/bite that occurred sometime last evening or overnight. The poor guy looked miserable however he was still waiting to be fed! (Not much stops a boxer from eating!).

Luckily for Duncan his mom was prepared with some medications to relieve the itching and swelling. A few hours later he was back to his normal, sometimes irritating, self with a much more normal appearance.

Spring and summer seasons mean more outdoor play time for us and our four legged friends. I know I come inside with more mosquito bites than I can count and often our pets do as well. Not all insect bites will produce this type of reaction but if you do notice your pet is swollen or extremely itchy after being outdoors, a visit to the veterinarian is probably in order. It may be tempting to administer medication at home to help but we do recommend they be seen as well. Some insect bites/stings are more serious than others, for example spider bites can be extremely serious and lead to life threatening complications if not attended to by a doctor. Depending on the location of the bite and swelling it may be necessary for your pet to be monitored in hospital for a few hours. And some pets, like humans, can have anaphylactic reactions to insect bites which requires very intensive treatment.

So...if things do happen overnight and you awaken to a swollen face please give your vet a call. We love to help get them  back to their normal appearance

The ones left behind

It's 8 am and I am dropping my daughter off at daycare. I give her a big hug and say 'see you later' but the truth is it will be tomorrow morning before I see her again. As many other veterinary hospitals have realized, the traditional 9-5 hours just don't suit most of our clients anymore. More often than not veterinary clinics are extending hours or offering measures of convenience, such as drop offs or tele-medicine, to cater to the needs of today's busy clients. The truth is most people don't have the ability to drop everything and take their pet to the vet at 9 am on a Tuesday. And as veterinarians we get that....we are busy too. My days are full....even my days off are busy with appointments, housework, social visits, etc.  Honestly, veterinarians are people-pleasers. We want to be there when our clients need us, whether that be at 8 am or 8 pm. That in turn means we work longer hours than most people realize. Today, for example, I will work until 9 pm so that our clinic is available during those busy evening hours. We are available when our clients get home from work and discover that Fluffy has vomited several times, Squeakers has come home from his adventures and is limping or Max has started seizing for the first time. We are there to provide care with a  friendly face and a smile so that our clients don't have to go to a clinic where they don't know anyone. We are there. And at home we leave behind our families and our pets to be seen by us another day. I don't often give my husband and daughter enough credit. My husband was with me when I worked as an  emergency vet and was gone for 14 hours at a time. He stayed with  me when he didn't see me for 5 days in a row...when we were merely ships passing in the night. I sacrificed being at home during the first years of our marriage and over holidays because I truly love what I do and the people I do it for. I want to be there when you need me the most. It pulls at my heart strings to not see my daughter for 24 hours but I know my clients appreciate my sacrifice to be there for them and their four legged children. And I want to set a good example for my daughter - that being dedicated to your career is a good thing. That hard work pays off. That if you do good for others, good things will happen to you. So the next time you bring your pet in at 8 pm for an appointment remember to thank your veterinarian for their sacrifice. Those left behind at home  hope you appreciate what we do.

How hard could it be....isn't it just puppies and kittens?

Ask any veterinarian and they will tell you that they have heard this question at least once in their career. The truth is more often than not, our days are not full of happy puppies and kittens. Most of our daily appointments are filled with aging patients, sick patients, even dying patients. At this point in my career, the happy puppy and kitten visits are few and far between, providing a much needed respite from long talks with owners about quality of life or pricey diagnostics needed to determine what is ailing their furry family member. I recently had the pleasure of seeing a dear friend of mine's new puppy. A 5 month old Labradoodle.....cute as a button  as you can imagine. It was not very long ago that I helped this same friend say goodbye to two very beloved pets who had been with her for longer than I can remember. It was my honor to help her end their suffering just as it was my honor to help her bring in a new family member. This loving bundle of chocolate colored fluff would bring joy to a family that so desperately needed it and I was glad to take an hour of my day to spend with her as we discussed Miller's preventative care plan, his diet, his exercise and his overall health. As Miller lay at his new parent's feet I knew that this dog would be loved more than any other dog could imagine and I also knew he would be filling a hole in the hearts of two people who had  so much love to give. It's these days, the few and far between, that remind me why I became a veterinarian. So yes...sometimes it is just puppies and kittens...if you are lucky.