'Pet' Peeves

Having worked in the veterinary field for the last 4 years as a veterinary nurse, I’ve come to realize that there are certain trends that become glaringly apparent when you take a look at pet owners as a group.

There are things that you notice about people who have particular breeds of dogs, or the lady who owns 17 cats and knows every detail about each one, or the new dog owner who decided to get a very excitable large breed puppy (but refuses to take training classes). Speaking on behalf of veterinarians and veterinary nurses alike, I would like to share the following list of things that we, as the caregivers of your furry family members, would like all pet owners to know.

So, to help keep us sane, please please PLEASE consider the following tips for bringing your pet to the vet:

1. For the love of everything that is good, please bring your cat in a carrier!

Preferably one that closes and locks properly. Not a laundry basket. Or a cardboard box. This is not only for your pet's safety, but also for the safety of the other clients and their animals, as well as for you and us. And to keep your cat as stress-free as possible. Because believe me, you don't want to get mauled by your normally docile cat when the next appointment shows up and it's a giant excited dog that scares one of nine lives out of it.

2. If your tiny purse-dwelling dog decides to try to bite us, please do not laugh. Or make a comment that they 'do it all the time.'

It's not a joke to us. We can get seriously injured from what seems like a "harmless bite." And just a heads up, we TOTALLY judge owners who don't train their dogs not to bite. Just saying...

3. If you INSIST on getting a large breed puppy, we INSIST you take it to puppy training classes... for your and your dog's sake (and ours…).

Because when that "puppy" weighs 100 pounds, we don't want to have to have four people restrain him for a nail trim. That's not fun for anyone. And we also don't want to get knocked down by an overly friendly small horse that hasn't been trained not to jump up.

4. Following up to #3, if you cannot control your 'hyper', untrained dog, please don’t ALSO have it on a retractable leash.

In fact, DO NOT USE RETRACTABLE LEASHES. Period. And no, unfortunately getting your hyper dog spayed or neutered will not "calm them down." If they're too hyper, it's usually because they haven't been trained how not to be. Or they don't have a sufficient exercise routine. Depending on the breed, make sure your pet is getting enough exercise to burn off that excess energy.

5. DON’T tell us about the 'research' you did on Google.

Now, this one is a bit of a grey area. I myself am quite the avid researcher and when I go to the doctor, you better believe I'm going to bring up things I found out through Internet searching. HOWEVER, please understand that information on the web may not necessarily be accurate. (I know, shocking!) If you have concerns or want more information on a certain subject, don't hesitate to discuss with your veterinarian or vet tech. But understand that we have spent years studying what's best for your pets, and we would never give you false information. We know our stuff, promise!

6. Don’t call 5 minutes before your appointment to cancel.

If you have to cancel an appointment, please try to give us a sufficient amount of time beforehand, because we may have other clients who have pets that could fill that spot if you're unable to make it in. But please do call if you're running late. That is always appreciated.

6.5. Continuing from #6, DO NOT call to book an 'emergency' appointment for your dog/cat who has had an ear infection/ bloody urine/ a giant lump for the last 6 weeks and suddenly needs to be looked at immediately.

Ear infections, eye infections, a growing lump, etc are NOT emergencies. Schedule an appointment when you first notice the issue. Not 3 months later. That being said, if it is truly an emergency, don’t hesitate to call your veterinary clinic and they will direct you to the nearest emergency clinic. Because, just like human medicine, not all clinics take emergency walk-ins.

7. Don’t start ANY sentences with 'My breeder/ groomer/ pet store clerk/ psychic told me…'

Believe me, it’s happened to me. I kid you not. And like I said before, we as your clinic staff have undergone YEARS of training and studying pets and their health. If you can show me your breeder or groomer's veterinary degree, I promise I'll eat my words. Otherwise, trust the medical professionals with your pet's medical care. I mean, you wouldn't ask your hair stylist for medical advice, would you? Didn't think so.

8. Don’t ask us to diagnose Fluffy’s problem over the phone.

It just won't work. However, if your pet is exhibiting odd behaviour or has *ahem* excreted something abnormal, don't hesitate to bring in a picture or video when you come for an appointment. Many clients have helped us diagnose their pet's issues with certain problems like coughing or vomiting or seizing by showing us videos of the questionable behaviour. And if your dog or cat vomited, take a picture of it. I know it's gross, but it can really help us figure out what could be causing it by narrowing down the many possible reasons.

9. PLEASE DON'T call in for a refill of medication or to request a certain medication knowing full well we haven’t actually seen your pet since, like, 2002.

Like human medicine (I know, broken record. But vet med and human medicine are the same in a lot of ways!), a veterinarian has to have examined your pet within a certain time frame to be able to prescribe almost all types of medications. It's important for many reasons, including trying to discourage using antibiotics for problems that don't require them. And we need to make sure we are giving the proper medication to treat the issue. Just because you used "that one ear medication in the purple box" that one time three years ago for your dog doesn't mean the same thing is causing the ear infection now. And if we treat with the wrong medication, it could actually make things much worse! So really, that's not helping anyone. Right? Right.

10. Don’t ask us a question and then disagree with the answer just because you don’t like it.

See #7. I promise, we know what we're talking about. We are here to help your pet. We wouldn't steer you wrong.

11. Don’t show up without an appointment and demand to be seen immediately. I cannot stress enough that VET CLINICS ARE THE SAME AS HUMAN MEDICAL CLINICS!!! BOOK AN APPOINTMENT.

Unless you’re taking your pet to an emergency clinic, obviously. That's a completely different situation as most emergency clinics are walk-in. But most regular clinics are not.

12. Don’t buy a $2000 YorkiMaltiChiWeeniePoo and then NOT get it vaccinated because you 'couldn’t afford it.'

That’s a great way to lose your dog to parvovirus, a horrible gastrointestinal infection… or any other number of diseases that can affect unvaccinated animals. If you're unsure about what the purpose of vaccines are or what they're preventing, ASK your veterinarian! We always want to make sure clients have all their questions answered in terms of treatments we are recommending, especially when it comes to the importance of preventative care like vaccinations.

13. Please don't complain about how expensive the costs of your pet's treatments are, or tell us we're 'just in it for the money.'

I promise you, if we were in it just for money, we would NOT be in this profession. We genuinely care about your animals, and that's the main reason we go into this field. And yes, some clinics do charge more than others so feel free to cost compare. Just make sure to get all the information about what each clinic's fees include. A lot of places that offer "gold standard" medicine will be slightly higher in cost because they offer more components with each procedure. And any clinic should be able to provide a cost estimate for all treatments they are recommending.

14. Do your research to find out if the breed you want is likely to have any specific health issues BEFORE you buy.

Don’t complain when your Bulldog/Pug/Boston/Frenchie has recurrent ear/breathing/skin/allergy issues that cost an arm and a leg every year. You chose that breed, not us. And if you do decide to get one of the more “problem” breeds, GET PET INSURANCE as soon as possible when they’re still a puppy. Trust me. It’s worth it.

15.) DO NOT ask a veterinary nurse, 'So when are you going to become a vet?'

We love our jobs, we didn’t want to be vets, and just for the record, we aren’t JUST vet nurses. We are the heart and soul of the veterinary industry. Without us, veterinarians wouldn’t be able to help your sick pet. And guaranteed, we spend more time giving your animal extra care/love/cuddles than the vet does. Because that's OUR job. And that’s a fact.

As you can probably see I could go on and on, but these are the most important things to remember when it comes to bringing your pet to us. We love your pets and we want the best for them. But we also would like to be able to do our jobs properly so that we can provide the absolute best care.

So the next time you take your pet to the vet, make sure to follow these simple rules to keep you, your pet, and your vet clinic staff happy. Because let’s not forget, we know how to neuter…

Kidding. Kind of.

(Oh, and a bonus tip, homemade baked goods are ALWAYS appreciated to show your gratitude to staff. Those are our favourite clients!)