Taking Lili to the Vet

I took Lili to the vet to get her acupuncture treatment last Friday.

We went in and I noticed it was quiet in the vet’s office. I saw the candle up indicating there was a pet being euthanized. They let us know they would be running late today. I said that was ok and Lili and I would walk around and asked if they could call us when it was ok to come back. Lili gets barky and I did not want the family disturbed by Lili's barking.

We went out and walked around for awhile and I thought about the time I had been sitting with Lance in the surgical area at another vet's office as he was having his teeth cleaned. There was a dog who had been brought in to be euthanized and I watched the whole staff be respectful to what was going on. There was a hush over the whole clinic as they took care of this family. After the family left, I watched as a staff member went in to the room and brought out the dog's collar, saw the paw prints he had made, being reverential of the pet.

When we finished walking around, we went back to the vet's office and waited outside. I watched a couple leave the clinic alone. They were an older couple and grief was written all over their faces. Tears started coming as I started grieving for this family. I thought of all my clients who have had to take a similar walk out of a vet's office without their loved one. They'd be going to an empty home, without their four legged friend to greet them. The grief process was just beginning for them.

A couple of minutes later, the staff saw us and said they were ready for Lili. We entered the exam room and after we answered the basic "how is Lili questions," our vet walked in, ready to treat Lili.

I asked our vet if she was ok, and if she needed a couple of minutes. She said she was ok, but thanked me for asking. She knew Lili could change the energy of the room. She did. The little spitfire was friendly with Dr. P and happily took treats from her. We chatted throughout Lili's visit and then I walked out the door with Lili, thankful she was still with me.

Part of me was amazed our vet could go from euthanizing a pet to being cheerful and loving with Lili within a matter of minutes. I’d be a puddle on the floor.

This is the side of vet care most of us don't see. The care and compassion that is taken every time a pet passes away.

I know it's easy to get frustrated with vet wait times these days as many clinics have become short staffed since the pandemic. You may want to vent your frustration at the thought of paying $260 for vet bill. But treat your vet and their staff with kindness. They are out there doing a job most of us would not want to do. You never know what circumstances they went through before you waked through their doors. And what you say could make a difficult day worse, or you could make their day a bit joyful.

Choose to make it more joyful.