Vet Owner and Pet Owner

The first occasion was when we finally had to say goodbye to our dear old Labrador, Rye. At 13, she’d had a good innings and had survived toxic mastitis, severe rat bait poisoning and a splenectomy. She had developed many of the traits of a belligerent, arthritic, old Labrador – selective deafness, refusal to go on walks unless it was a specific route and an increasing obsession with sheep dung. Despite knowing that age would soon catch up with her, I found myself unprepared when the decision had to be made at short notice because she had sadly lost the use of her back legs. There was not much doubt that it was the right thing for Rye, but it is always hard for those left behind. For our family, it marked the changing of the guard in terms of our aged pets – she was the last of the “Noughties Generation” and a dog who had been a fantastic family pet. Other than tucking into 1kg of rat bait in 2019, she hadn’t put a paw wrong and we all miss her.  

Euthanasia is a sad, but necessary, part of the role of a veterinary surgeon and will end up being a consideration for many pet owners at some stage. It’s important to remember that (other than in cases of severe aggression), it is always the best decision for the pet and it is actually the pet owners who have had to come to a difficult decision, and often feel both guilty and bereft, for whom I have the most compassion. If you are struggling with any of these issues, or just want to talk, please get in touch with us at the practice – we have many resources that we can share, or can just give some advice.

The second “owner” experience  is much less sombre and was vicariously from my Mum’s perspective as a result of her dog, Fennel, becoming unwell. I’m sure Mum won’t mind me mentioning that when it comes to Fennel’s health, she may, on occasion, have sounded the alarm bells a little too soon because of an unwarranted worry! So, my concern levels were low when Mum presented me with a bouncing Cocker Spaniel who hadn’t eaten as much as normal and had been sick several times. The most common cause of these symptoms is normally “dietary indiscretion”, or eating something dead. After finding nothing on examination, we agreed to treat her with something to resolve the nausea with a full resolution expected the next day. 24 hours later, I was therefore sceptical when re-examining Fennel because despite no longer vomiting, she still wasn’t “right”. Nothing had changed on examination, so I agreed to admit her for blood tests, Xrays and ultrasound…

I don’t like the taste of humble pie very much, but I had to eat a rather large slice because as soon as I began an ultrasound scan of Fennel’s abdomen, it became apparent that something wasn’t quite right in there. There was general intestinal turmoil and lots of gas and fluid gurgling around as well as a large shadow. It culminated that I had to remove one of the biggest acorns that I have ever seen from Fennel’s small intestine. Whenever I remove a “foreign body” from the a pet’s bowel, it always confounds me as to what desire drove them to eat something that must have been so unpleasant and uncomfortable – only Fennel can explain the thought process and she remains tight lipped on the subject!

I am pleased to say that Fennel has made a complete recovery and is now on full-time “acorn watch”! For me, it is a worthy reminder that clients know their pets and while major bowel surgery is not generally required, all concerns should be taken seriously!

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