Don't Know How Vets And Vet Nurses Do It

[OSoSwift]

Being a vet nurse can break your heart. Holding someones animal to have it euthed will they are clinging to you crying is very hard and to be honest with people I knew well I occasionally joined in.

I had one couple who requested me as the person to hold their very old and sick dog for euthanasia as I was the only person she didn't bite and always seemed happy to see me. Those things reallyt ouch your heart. For someone to request that you are a part of something so emotional and raw for them. They trust you enough to include you

There are some days I have gone home and sobbed and sobbed. However there are many days that have been great like the Jack Russell who was rushed through the door going purple and not breathing after being bitten by a snake, he went home a week later and was fine. Or the Dane in the same position who when I went to work the next day was bouncing around in his run demanding breakfast.

I don't think you ever "get used to it" you just gain the ability to control your emotions better as you have more practice.

I have had to put a few of mine down now and I cry like there is no tomorrow. The nicest thing my vets has said to me??? If I come back as an animal I would like to live here. This was the day he came out to euth my beautiful Clyde mare.

Edited January 29, 2011 by OSoSwift

[mita]

Her name's Snowy because she's got slightly more white than black.

[~Anne~]

What a lovely story Mita. I love beautiful endings.

I am not an overly emotional person on the outside so I was effectively able to deal with those who were very upset about their animals. I was able to detach myself and offer comfort without being seen as too remote or too attached. I think this worked well as a Vet Nurse.

[jr_inoz]

thanks everyone for sharing....

it all reinforces my view that I couldn't do it...

Love the BC story.

my breeder took his 6 week old puppies in for their vaccination on Friday. (Same vet as me). Another interesting night for the vet it appeared - case before was apparently an emergency caesarean but the one that had them talking was the dog owner who came and said his dog was sick, but he couldn't afford the consultation and the medicine. Could he hold his dog up to the window and the vet could them say what was wrong and then give him the medicine?

I didn't find out what the outcome was - am very curious though...

[Crisovar]

the dog owner who came and said his dog was sick, but he couldn't afford the consultation and the medicine. Could he hold his dog up to the window and the vet could them say what was wrong and then give him the medicine?

Yep, there are heaps of those out there, and the ones who want the vet to get out of bed at stupid o'clock drive to the surgery and look at the dog outside and not charge an after hours because they will stay outside.

[mita]

But I love, too, the funny stories that vets & vet nurses come across.

My favourite is the lady who brought in her dog's first litter of 9 identical golden retriever puppies to be vet checked.

As the vet checked each one, he dipped his thumb in some water & left a damp spot on the top of that puppy's head. To show it'd been checked.

This procedure went on for a while, as the lady watched with great interest.

At last she said, 'I didn't know puppies had to be baptized!'

Edited January 30, 2011 by mita

[Swizzlestick]

@ Mitas story.

We had a lady tell us her horny little male Chihuahua used to hump her when she was in bed.

She woke up one morning, and he had indeed been humping...........her head.........and he left evidence too. As if you'd be telling anyone that story!!

Edited January 30, 2011 by Sir WJ

[Dog_Horse_Girl]

I nursed at an outer-Melbourne clinic for some time.

Of course, we had the usual euthanasia to carry out, but I dreaded every second Friday.

The practice owner also owned the pound contracted to the shire, and every second Friday the ute and trailer would pull-up behind the clinic and it would begin...... again.

All the dogs of all shapes and sizes would be led in and caged, then one by one in a constant stream they would be brought into the treatment room and killed. This was usually done in the brief period between consults and surgery so there was little time. Certainly no time to be compassionate, to give them "one last cuddle" or scruff of the ears..... they would be put on the table, shaved and injected as quick as we could do it. Then they were placed immediately on the floor where we would ensure the job was done with a stethoscope while the next dog was being prepped on the treatment table. One after another.

Over time I think I 'hardened' to it all, and probably still am a little 'cold' with such things, but I'll never forget the day I completely snapped as I felt like a murderer instead of a nurse. They stuck me back in the grooming room for a few weeks to 'calm down'.

I quit soon after and didn't nurse again for many years.

Oh, that's awful...I have a great deal of trouble in understanding how we can, as a society, discard so many young, healthy animals while they're in the best years of their lives. It's one reason I couldn't work in that environment...it would destroy me.

The difference in vets is amazing, some can be so caring yet others are very hard and callous.

When my daughters 2 month old guinea pig was injured by our toy poodle the vet was very kind, she consoled my daughter who was four at the time and explained there was nothing she could do for little 'jelly', he had a broken leg. She gently put him to sleep and wrapped him in some cloth and pinned plastic flowers to the material. My little girl carried this parcel back to the car with tears streaming down her face, we buried jelly in our back yard. The following day we received a sympathy card in the mail with a print out of the rainbow bridge story, it was all adressed to our little girl. I thought it was a lovely gesture and one we will never forget.

Yet when our beloved Border Collie took a massive seizure and ended up in the emergency clinic it was different. We were all very emotional and upset yet were treated coldly and unsympathetically. It was like a business transaction. Our boy was put to sleep the following day due to massive internal organ failure. He cooked himself. At least they were kind enough to cover his back end with a towel as he had pushed his bowels out during the seizure. We were allowed to spend a few minutes with him and were quickly ushered out to "finalize the bill".

I never heard back from them afterwards, not that I was expecting it but it just goes to show the wide differences between vet surgeries.

The first sounds like the vet we had in Canberra the last time we lived there. I had a foster dog in the waiting room, something routine that I can't recall...anyway, a family (mum, dad and 2 boys) came bolting in carrying their medium-sized dog in a blanket. I could see a lot of blood on the blanket and they were ushered straight into the consult room, with apologies to everyone else for the wait...

The family was in the consult room for about 20 minutes. I expected a poor outcome...The dog had been in his own yard, and was attacked by two other dogs, unknown to the family. Sadly he had to be PTS because he had lost so much blood...I was next into the consult room, and I asked if my vet was okay...I could see he wasn't. His compassion and dedication was truly awesome. I told him I could come back another time if he preferred, but he said it was okay.

The second vet sounds like the after hours vet we used in Brissy. The first time we were there, a man brought in a greyhound which had collapsed and looked in desperate need of CPR. The bitch on the reception desk demanded his credit card details...and that he complete a list of questions such as his contact details...and refused to allow him to see a vet until this was completed. He had to sign forms...yet nobody could come out to hold the dog while this was going on...nobody could take the dog to a consult room...the man couldn't do this AFTER the dog was seen.

Another time, when Lilly cut her leg open at 10.30 one Sunday night, the vet had a conversation with us about the costs of treatment. She didn't recommend anything at all, she just rattled off the possibilities and their costs. When asked for her recommendation, she said it was up to us and whatever we wanted to pay.

My vet did up a consent form.If a dog was to be PTS the owner/ownerS had to sign the form. This was done after a nasty relationship break up ..and one party had the other's dog PTS for non existent reasons

We did on more than one occasion talk folks out of PTS an unwanted pet ... and rehomed them

The first paragraph - OMG. I don't know what to say.

The second, bravo!

But I love, too, the funny stories that vets & vet nurses come across.

My favourite is the lady who brought in her dog's first litter of 9 identical golden retriever puppies to be vet checked.

As the vet checked each one, he dipped his thumb in some water & left a damp spot on the top of that puppy's head. To show it'd been checked.

This procedure went on for a while, as the lady watched with great interest.

At last she said, 'I didn't know puppies had to be baptized!'

Love that!

[Staff'n'Toller]

Another time, when Lilly cut her leg open at 10.30 one Sunday night, the vet had a conversation with us about the costs of treatment. She didn't recommend anything at all, she just rattled off the possibilities and their costs. When asked for her recommendation, she said it was up to us and whatever we wanted to pay.

That's quite a normal protocol for an AEC really.

Since it's $150 to walk in the door at most of our AEC's in Melbourne, lots of people have put off going to the Vet b/c they didn't have the money in the first place and then it gets to 'emergency' level and they find themselves at an after hours. Obviously yours was an accident and not something you waited to get treatment for of course, but these days owners are given options + pricing and they elect what they want to do vs. what they can afford to do.

In the case of non-life threatening superficial injuries it's quite ok that the dog gets pain relief and anti-biotic cover and presents to their regular Vet the next day.

Edited January 30, 2011 by Staff'n'Toller

[Swizzlestick]

Another time, when Lilly cut her leg open at 10.30 one Sunday night, the vet had a conversation with us about the costs of treatment. She didn't recommend anything at all, she just rattled off the possibilities and their costs. When asked for her recommendation, she said it was up to us and whatever we wanted to pay.

That's quite a normal protocol for an AEC really.

Since it's $150 to walk in the door at most of our AEC's in Melbourne, lots of people have put off going to the Vet b/c they didn't have the money in the first place and then it gets to 'emergency' level and they find themselves at an after hours. Obviously yours was an accident and not something you waited to get treatment for of course, but these days owners are given options + pricing and they elect what they want to do vs. what they can afford to do.

In the case of non-life threatening superficial injuries it's quite ok that the dog gets pain relief and anti-biotic cover and presents to their regular Vet the next day.

Sounds pretty normal lilysmum.

I had a similar experience afterhours with an injured horse leg. Cheapest option $250-$1300 most expensive. The vet let me decide what I wanted to do. So that's what I did.....I made a decision.

Did you just want the vet to go ahead without your consent and treat the dog without presenting you with options?

Edited January 30, 2011 by Sir WJ

[suezija]

I just don't have the mental stamina to be a vet nurse. I've had tears just reading this.

When we lived in Darwin (many years ago) the RSPCA ran the pound and every Tues was PTS day. There were many times I and another friend took home a dog or puppy to keep it alive, changed the paper work and found it a home later.

Most of my dogs have made "old bones" and touch wood I haven't yet had to make a decision to have to put down an injured fur kid. I did have to put down a young bitch who was full of cancer and although I felt really bad I'm sure she would have thanked me as she was so distressed. It still wasn't easy.

I don't understand why some vets don't allow the owner to hold their "baby" as they go to sleep. I always have been there for mine as I feel the last face they see should be their owners not some stranger. After all they know what's happening.

We usually get a card from our vet when one of our kids has gone over.

[Dog_Horse_Girl]

Another time, when Lilly cut her leg open at 10.30 one Sunday night, the vet had a conversation with us about the costs of treatment. She didn't recommend anything at all, she just rattled off the possibilities and their costs. When asked for her recommendation, she said it was up to us and whatever we wanted to pay.

That's quite a normal protocol for an AEC really.

Since it's $150 to walk in the door at most of our AEC's in Melbourne, lots of people have put off going to the Vet b/c they didn't have the money in the first place and then it gets to 'emergency' level and they find themselves at an after hours. Obviously yours was an accident and not something you waited to get treatment for of course, but these days owners are given options + pricing and they elect what they want to do vs. what they can afford to do.

In the case of non-life threatening superficial injuries it's quite ok that the dog gets pain relief and anti-biotic cover and presents to their regular Vet the next day.

Sounds pretty normal lilysmum.

I had a similar experience afterhours with an injured horse leg. Cheapest option $250-$1300 most expensive. The vet let me decide what I wanted to do. So that's what I did.....I made a decision.

Did you just want the vet to go ahead without your consent and treat the dog without presenting you with options?

No, but I did want her recommendation. She just rattled everything off and expected us to know what was best - neither of us is a vet so how would we know? When we asked for her professional opinion, she didn't answer the question but repeated all options and their prices again, as if we were completely dense.

She tried staples first because that was the first option she presented. We had to go back to the waiting room and could hear Lilly screaming - no local given to staple a gaping wound! Then she came out and said that the staples weren't a very good idea because they weren't closing the wound and in fact weren't penetrating the skin either because the skin was too thin and would just tear some more. She didn't say this when she went through the options with us before trying to staple it. That's the info we were looking for...before she started working on Lilly not during.

So eventually, she agreed to inject a local and to attempt to stitch the wound. She kept saying she could cut the flap off and leave it as an open wound, but with no explanation as to what that meant for either us or Lilly. I had no idea a wound could be left open like that...again I'm not a vet.

The stitches worked. But the wound took a long time to heal and when our regular vet saw it, he expressed surprise that the options weren't explained. He said the flap could have come off and the wound left open...with appropriate dressings, antibiotics and pain relief as necessary. The emergency vet didn't even tell us that much.

[Swizzlestick]

I don't understand why some vets don't allow the owner to hold their "baby" as they go to sleep. I always have been there for mine as I feel the last face they see should be their owners not some stranger. After all they know what's happening.

We usually get a card from our vet when one of our kids has gone over.

The majority of vets would prefer a nurse to hold the patient for euthanasia and have the owner pat their head or elsewhere.

The reason for this is owners (most of them) would not know how to restrain a dog or cat for an intravenous injection.

If you've seen a euthanasia where the animal has moved and the needle has come out of the vein, it's not pretty. Especially because the drug used stings alot when injected anywhere other than into a vein.

Although, some can be done just with the vet. Usually very sick/old ones, or those that may have been sedated.

Hope that made sense.

[Crisovar]

It may also depend on the state of mind of the owner too, an animal that is affected by the emotional state of the owner may end up very distressed. It is a very emotional time but the animals need to be kept calm and properly restrained.

[Staff'n'Toller]

Sorry you had an uninformative Vet LM.

Local hurts more than the staples generally, so if the dog's brave enough we just do the staples very quickly. Otherwise you have an upset dog who's had a bunch of needlesticks into the wound to get a good anaesthetic and then they won't let you near the leg to stitch it up.

For stitching we GA, no ifs, buts or maybes. Possibly they could have a deep sedation but for a 'gaping' wound it takes quite a few stitches and often a 2 layer closure.

Edited January 30, 2011 by Staff'n'Toller

[raz]

For you guys who work for vets - how do you ask for the bill after putting a dog down? I've only been with one dog when he was put down. He wasnt mine but the owner was outside and couldnt cope. I was such a mess there's no way I'd have the means about myself to pull out a credit card so do you sort of discretely ask for payment prior? I remember being at emergency one night with a sick dog and a young woman was in the consulting room sobbing her heart out so I only guessed her dog was being put to sleep. How do you ask for payment?

Icky question - sorry

[Crisovar]

For you guys who work for vets - how do you ask for the bill after putting a dog down? I've only been with one dog when he was put down. He wasnt mine but the owner was outside and couldnt cope. I was such a mess there's no way I'd have the means about myself to pull out a credit card so do you sort of discretely ask for payment prior? I remember being at emergency one night with a sick dog and a young woman was in the consulting room sobbing her heart out so I only guessed her dog was being put to sleep. How do you ask for payment?

Icky question - sorry

If it has been an emergency or a hospital case or one that has been ongoing usually an account is sent out later for established clients, of they may come in and settle the next day or on pick up of ashes etc.

For a pre arranged Euth or non client etc normally carefully suggest paying when they sign consent, that way they can leave straight away afterwards, much better than trying to do it after.

[raz]

Thanks Cris.

How do you ask a basket case to pay money in that situation, say if their dog suddenly got hit by a car? For example I wouldnt have a problem paying the bill but I wouldnt be able to stop shaking long enough to get my plastic out of my wallet so would you just tell me to go home and tell me I'd receive a bill or are people so shell shocked they just pay at the time?

Really morbid question, I know.

[Lab_Rat]

When we had our dear old mare pts last march, I had to ring around to find a vet to head out asap as she was in alot of pain...One vet told me I would have to pay up front, cash.....I told them as civily as I could - who has that amount of cash on them?? I live in the sticks for petes sake, dont keep a stash of cash on me!! Anyway I found a dear practice that would come out straight away, didnt even mention money!!

About a week later we recieved a beautiful card in the mail, and about two weeks after that we got the account. I cried on recieving both. The card for obvious reasons, as well as the fact they werent our regular vet...the second coz the bill was so damn tiny!!!

Our regular vets are pretty thoughtful too...they give us a bit of time to get the death of whichever beloved creature it was, then send the account!

I hope its like that in the city too.

[raz]

I hope its like that in the city too.

I'm sure my vet would probably do the same, bless him. I just suddenly had a freak out about how vet nurses/receptionists handle the situation because I havent got a clue. I started dwelling on the situation, silly duffer I am.