I need to rant about this....i promise to catch up on my posts (including another one about the wildlife center) after this one--but I just need to post this.
I was working at an emergency center last night when some random person (i think who works there? i don't know who she is) made me want to explode.
A dog was anesthetized and getting prepped for bilateral (both knees) TPLO surgeries. TPLO is used to treat ligament tears in dogs' knees. It stands for tibial plateau leveling osteotomy---what they do is they cut off a chunk of the top of the tibia so the femur sits more nicely on it--so the torn ligament isn't needed---the knee will stay "together" because the tibia has been flattened.
So the dog is getting his lower back shaved for an epidural to control pain---because cutting off two chunks of bone is VERY painful!
The anesthetist is explaining that you don't need to clip this area super short--just get most of hte hair off--because teh hair on a dog's back can grow back slow--so they try to leave some there.
Then this random person starts getting into a heated discussion about how if it was her dog and the hair would grow back slow she wouldn't have the epidural done.
"you would refuse an epidural for your dog even if she was getting bilateral TLPOs?" asked a tech
"yeah--i can't bear to see that shaved spot on my dog for months" the random woman said.
"but what about pain? TPLOs are very very painful" said the tech again.
The random woman went on stubbornly about how she didn't care and would not let an epidural be done.
I'm new at this clinic so i forced myself to stay out of the conversation---it was one of the hardest things i've ever done.
WHAT THE H(#*?!?! You are refusing pain management for your dog who is having an extremely painful surgery done because you wouldn't like his haircut? I can't think of a more selfish and ridiculous thing. I consider that inhumane, neglegent and if i was a judge i would slap her with a fine for animal cruelty. If i was the surgeon i would refuse to cut her dog. period. i just can't understand this kind of thinking---
all you have to do is put yourself in the dog's shoes---would you want to have bones cut off (and bone pain, i'm told, is horrible) with only 50% of the pain management?
i could go on and on but i better stop and do something productive---i need to get rid of this anger.
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2 comments:
Unfortunately that will not be the only idiot you will see in your veterinary career. So focus on the wonderful caring owners who do all they can for their animals and who are grateful just to have their animals looked after regardless of how they look. Don't waste your energy and breath on people like that. You won't change their minds.
I know. I would be freaking out on an hourly basis if i wasted energy on people like this. But i'm still amazed at the lack of humanity on a daily basis....thanks for the support:)
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