I could never do your job

The most common comment made to me (and I guess, vets all over) is "I could never do what you do."  And in most times, the context of this is a pet that has passed away, either through its own illness or accident, or at my hand, through humane euthenasia.

Many of them are right... if what I did was just a job, then no one could do it, unless you were a psychopath.

But today is National Pet Memorial Day, where we light a candle for our pets who were so much a part of our lives, and in many ways, guided our temperament.  As a vet, I have to light a few more candles than the average household, as there have been so many pets, although not mine personally, who had touched me and my family in many ways.

Grief, sadness, sorrow often fills the void where our animal's smile, playful glint in the eye, the eagerness to play ball used to sit.  Every day, most individuals remember, but today, we all come together to smile, as we were indeed fortunate to have these animals as  parts of our lives.

Our dog Teddy, passed away in November 2011.  His photo sits next to my desk still.  He is fondly referred to as Mr August, as he was in the 2011 Save An Angel Calender.   He is now the face of my Lost and Found facebook page, and the face you see on the left here too.  That is Teddy.

He fought against a horrible disease called Canine Lymphoma.  He had chemotherapy, and was successfully in remission. And then it came back, and we had to let him go.  He was euthenased at home, and by my own hand.  I still cry when I think about that afternoon, when it was a struggle for him to walk, and the look in his face when he saw his beloved tennis ball - he just didn't care.

Teddy was much more than my family dog.  He was a lifesaver.  He was the blood donor for my vet practice as his blood group meant he was a Universal Donor.  He saved many dog's lives through this, and whilst he didn't exactly volunteer, he didn't complain much either.   And when those dogs come in to visit for their check ups, I look them in the face, and see a bit of Teddy pumping around them.

He is what I would've called "a true gentleman".  We used to have a pet rat, Athena  It was summer, so his cage was on the back verandah (under cover).  I woke up at 3 to hear a whingeing sound, and went out to see what was wrong.  The latch on the rat's cage had become undone, and Athena was sitting in the middle of Teddy's trampoline bed, in lovely blankety comfort, whilst Teddy was lying on his chest, with his head between his paws, on the cold concrete.

His eyes looked so mournful, and so sad, whilst Athena was curled up, very comfortable and safe.

What a gentleman... or "gentle  man". 

Every time a pet dies, a bit of my soul goes with them too.  But it is with love and respect, that I do what I do.... I see it as  a gift given to me, to have a huge soul, to be able to hug all of these pets, and hold their hand into their next world.

Yes it hurts, and yes, I do cry (alot). And yes, sometimes the pain is unbearable, and I don't think I can carry on. 

Today, all of us at Russell Vale Animal Clinic, light a candle to remember all of our pets who have died.  For it is for them, that we are what we are.






 

A boy scout motto... Be prepared

The weather is so warm right now, that it is giving me a really bad feeling about what the next few months will bring.

Queensland has gone 40 days without rain.  Strong winds in the past few days in the 'Gong are nothing compared to what the Victorians have had to go through. Yesterday was a total fire ban in Wollongong.  And this is only Spring.

And what has surprised me in all of this is the knowledge that, if someone knocked on my door and said "Evacuate, now", I would not be prepared. I would not know what to take or what to do.

I read a blog of a vet in the US after their most recent Hurricane in Louisiana.  She was so proud of her clients for being prepared - they had time to prepare. They knew the storm was coming, so they prepared. Good for them, as this is awesome.  After Hurricane Katrina, they learnt alot as they made alot of mistakes.

Have you seen the movie "Terminator"?   She knew what the future held, and she prepared herself (and her son) for the time. Did you know that a vet is a good person to have around in  a zombie apocalypse?  Google it, and you will see.  Apparently, vets are good to have around in the time when the shit hits the fan.

Apparently sometime in December is supposed to signal the end of the world according to the Mayan calendar.   Well, I don't know if the world is going to end, and I don't know if we should be stockpiling years of food, or building a self enclosed bomb shelter in our backyards that could sustain the entire neighbourhood for 5 years.

But I do know that if someone knocked on my door and said, "You need to evacuate, now",  I know that I am not prepared.  My family is not prepared. And that is my fault.

Be prepared.  Tomorrow (well, it is now 8.30 and I really need a good sleep, so, yes, I will put it off until tomorrow),  I vow to get my Pet's Emergency Details updated, uploaded to my vet, as well to a friend in a town away from me,.  I vow to get my First Aid kit together and ready for any emergencies for me, my family and my pets.  I vow to get a box together ready to grab in the event of that knock on the door that I need to evacuate, now.


And, I vow to hug my family every day, tell them that I love them, and value them, as bad things don't always happen to "other people".   And my cats... well, they get fed, don't they?  No, joking aside -my entire family deserve to be protected, and whilst many emergencies can't be protected, they can be protected from the feeling of "I have lost everything, because no one was prepared". I vow to have cat carriers/pillow cases/whatever to grab the cats and go.  We don't have a dog now, but if we did, we would vow to have leads easily accessible, ready to go.

My vet hospital has those pages available for anyone to borrow, steal, whatever.  Use them for the benefit of your pet and your family. Visit http://animalclinic.com.au/site/view/214123_EmergencyFirstAid.pml

for this information. 

But love your family  (four and two legged, haired or furred or feathered) - every day. Hug them, appreciate them, even if they look at you as if you are nuts.  It is far better to be thought nuts, and be nuts and show your love, than to go through the rest of your life reliving the moment of anger and not being able to retract those words.

And no, this is not a personal regret of mine... it is just an observation from the regret of others. 

Be a good boy scout... Be prepared.





 

Bring Spring On

Yesterday, was a big day of "firsts" for us at Russell Vale vets.

It was the first day of Spring -- well, we have had them before - every year in fact!

It was the first Saturday of the month - nothing too unusual there.

It was our first day of our Dog Hydrobath, and we had the sum total of "zero" dogs.  But, that is due to lack of advertising the fact - and it was just as well, as Dirk spent the entire day (literally) scrubbing graffitti of our building (see an earlier blog post).

It was the day of printing of vaccination reminders, doing the birthday cards, updating invoices, and doing the stock control.   None of it directly involving touching or playing with pets.

But it was a great day for contemplation.  I, with many of my colleagues, attended a local seminar held by Animal Referral Hospital at the Novotel.

It was an interesting night where I learnt alot.  But all this learning finished at 11 pm, and for this old body, way past my bedtime.

Today - well it's Father's Day, and whilst I am not a Father, but a mother,  I am also enjoying the Sunday morning sleep in, hearing the chirping birds outside, and the soft snoring husband next to me (as I type this blog).

So, on that note, Happy Father's Day everyone. Bring Spring On!