3 Ways To Make Your Veterinarian Remember You

And all 3 happened in one day.

1- Come in for booster shots for your Bichon and announce that your groomer recommends you not get kennel cough and rabies at the same time.  Have your vet explain that your dog, in 9 years has never had an issue with any of the vaccines, the body can respond to 10,000 antigens a one time, with the Lyme vaccine and DHLPP, that were also due, that's only 8 things. And lastly, be told that our kennel cough vaccine is oral, and I have never seen an adverse reaction to it.  The Rabies, Lyme and DHLPP are all much more likely to trigger a mild reaction.  After all of that say, "don't do the kennel cough today, I want to keep my groomer happy."  Really, 8 years of school, 30 years experience, yearly continuing education, and numerous informational meeting with drug reps, but let's listen to the groomer.

2- Bring dog in for lameness, barely toe touching on right rear.  After vet examines the obvious leg because that is the one being held up in the air by the dog, say "would you check the other leg because in horses a lameness can sometime look like a different leg."  Yes, I do horses too, sometimes a subtle rear leg lameness can seem like a front leg.  But even a horse will be lame on the one it is holding up in the air. 

3- Bring in a feral cat to be spayed and demand that only gas anesthesia be used.  Complain that all the other times when you pick your cats back up they are wobbly and need to be kept quite in a crate for a couple of days.  When asked what will you do with this feral cat when you get it home say, "it's not use to the other cats so I will keep it in a crate for a couple of days."  Then spend 10 more minutes listening to all the other anesthetic protocols that are more appropriate for a feral cat and say, "well, I was told that gas was the best."

I do have trouble remembering people.  And most are nice, normal people that care about their pets.  It's just these crazy ones that stand out.  And yes, I do remember these three.