VN April 2021

Vetnews | April 2021 49 exhausted staff to stay late. Clients accuse her of being incompetent or uncaring, and sometimes even sue her. Dr. Bowden describes one case that she says she’ll always remember, about a cat named Ollie. His owner brought him in because he’d been straining to urinate for several days. Dr. Bowden hoped Ollie’s situation would be easily fixable, perhaps with antibiotics. But Ollie had an obstruction, which would require the client to take Ollie to the emergency clinic. The client said she couldn’t afford that. In explaining the various options available, Dr. Bowden mentioned euthanasia. The treatment for Ollie’s condition was not guaranteed to work, and the condition would likely recur. It was causing him intense suffering. The client turned to her and said, “Dr. Bowden, you’re going to make me murder my pet because I am poor. Why are you even a veterinarian? You clearly don’t care about animals.” Distraught by the accusation, Dr. Bowden made an impulsive choice. She treated Ollie even though the owner couldn’t pay, and even though it was against the clinic’s policy. The next day, Dr. Bowden was berated by the clinic manager and her pay was docked the amount that she had discounted for the client. “There is nothing more soul-crushing in life,” Dr. Bowden says in her Ted Talk, “than having the skills and ability to help something helpless and you can’t do it because someone can’t afford treatment.” This was the line that hit me in the gut. It’s easy to forget that veterinarians are in the business of pet healthcare because they love animals. No one becomes a veterinarian because they think it will make them rich. With an average student debt of $183,000, the typical salary of around $100,000 per year certainly isn’t funding anyone’s country club dues. Dr. Bowden implores us to have more compassion and empathy for the doctors that treat our animals. She says the general public needs to better understand what it takes to be a responsible pet owner. For every client that comes in with a new animal, Dr. Bowden recommends they get pet insurance or set up a special savings account for that pet’s care. The one guarantee she can make is that your pet will at some point get sick and need care, that it will get old, and that it will eventually die. And we have to be willing to commit the time and energy necessary to be a good pet owner — to train and socialise and exercise. But more important than anything, Dr. Bowden says, is for pet parents to show up to their annual exams. If a vet sees your pet on an annual basis, whether they need vaccines or not, they are more likely to identify health issues before they become chronic or life- threatening. I didn’t have a good experience with my first veterinarian. Maybe I was unlucky and caught them on two rough days. Or maybe they should have done better. I’m happy with my new vet, but one thing I know for sure is that next time I’m frustrated because my wait feels longer than necessary, I’ll remember that someone’s beloved fur baby may be on death’s door a few rooms over. My patience and kindness may be the difference between my veterinarian having a terrible day or a day where he feels seen and appreciated for the work he does. And that’s the very least any of us can offer the people who work so hard to keep our fur babies healthy. v Regulars I Life plus 21