# Have you thanked your Veterinarian lately?



## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more. | Claws Carefully Sheathed

I know many of us tend to be critical of our animals veterinary care. I'm guilty of this too, so I wanted to share this article. After reading it the other day, I brought my vet some cookies, partially out of guilt and mostly because I *do* value her.
Today we had an emergency visit(Sunday am) and my vet accommodated us within minutes. She could have sent me to the local ER, but didn't. 
Thankfully it was only very painful muscle spasms, not the dreaded hemangio or meningitis I was so afraid of with the symptoms presenting.


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

I'm glad that Karlo is okay (I'm assuming it was for Karlo?). After what you just went through with him. That article is poignant - I don't think I could be a vet and deal with what they have to deal with all the time. 

When Keeta was sick and I took her in to emergency, the vet on call left her family and little kids to tend to Keeta, then stayed the entire night at the clinic, trying to sleep in an office chair, as Keeta needed constant supervision. This vet didn't know me, didn't know Keeta, but did everything she could under her ability to try and get Keeta through the night, and Keeta made it. 

I was so impressed with that kind of dedication. When you patients can't tell you what's wrong, trying to figure out how to make them better is a real skill.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

My vet was up all last night with her sick son...took him to ER at 3 am and then had to go to the 24 hr pharmacy for meds...just to have me texting her at 9 for help. She has been in contact all day thru texting as well. Above and beyond is right! We chatted a bit about the burnout for vets. She said the suicide rate is growing among them.


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## gsdsar (May 21, 2002)

I went on an after hours home euthanasia call with one of my vets yesterday. We actually discussed this article at length because it made a huge impression on her. 

I have the honor of working with some very dedicated vets. Everyday I see the wear on their faces. They never work a strict 8 hr day, they take emergency calls, clients have their cell phone numbers. 

They spend an entire day in appointments or surgery and then have to stay late to return phone calls of the spouses of the appointments because they don't understand what was told to the other one. Or they have to explain why bloodwork is needed to refill meds, or listen to irate people blame them for the declining health of their pet because they can afford treatment. 

I see them miss personal appointments and time away from the clinic because a client needs a call back, and a receptionist needs a question answered, and a tech needs clarification on a treatment plan. I watch their faces fall when they realize they are 2 hours past their time to leave. 

I know the crushing debt they are in. I see them struggle to make ends meet, same as me. And I see how bad they feel when they can't or won't give away services and get called heartless monsters who only want money. 

I personally get so angry when I read some of the hurtful things people write about vets on this board and elsewhere. I live it everyday. I understand the burnout. And it breaks my heart.


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## SuperG (May 11, 2013)

I have always thanked my vet over the years......especially after doing the final deed. My vet had tears in her eyes the last two times...so it's only fitting to thank them for assisting in sending my dogs to a better place...It can't be any fun being a vet under those circumstances regardless if they have euthanized a bazillion pets.


SuperG


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

Thank you for posting this. I am sure many of us have no idea it is so very taxing.

I used to bake cookies and bring them to my vet when I lived up north. We moved down here, and our lives got so much busier. But I'm going to bake a batch tomorrow and bring it to my new vet. 

Just because.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I did not realize that they lead the professions in suicide. That's terrible.

I have had some bad advice from vets over the years. Sometimes it is rather raw, if there is obvious negligence, at least initially. But generally, I take it that a vet's knowledge is over a broad spectrum of disease and injury of critters of many breeds and species. And how they diagnose, there are some that run a bunch of tests first, before any treatment, and others that give it their best educated and experienced guess and treat it as such, and if there is no improvement, then they go deeper into the testing etc. This way, will be easier on the pocketbook for the clients, and will be effective most of the time. It is a balance. And people have to accept that there are margins of error. 

Normally, I stick up for vets. People complain about how they are all in it for the money. But your average vet has more education and more overhead and more stress than most engineers and make probably 1/2 to 2/3s what an engineer makes on average. So, bad choice if you are in for the dough.

Do I think that sometimes they push products and procedures because of money? Yes, sometimes. The vet techs and the various services must be paid, the mortgage, taxes, utilities, loans. Mostly though, I don't think that they are pushing things solely for the revenue, but because they think, overall it is a good idea, spay/neuter, flea preventives, vaccines, foods they might be selling -- yes, Science Diet and Iams are junk, but it is better than Ole Roy, and a lot of the dogs that veterinarians see are being fed Ole Roy, or Tractor Supply's big bag of Dog Food. 

Cujo passed in the vet's office. He was passing as the vet came in, and she did not need to administer the juice. They have euthanized a couple of my dogs over the years. I am sure they witness a LOT of grief. They will not euth unless they feel it is the right thing to do. And that, perhaps is helpful. If you know that the critter is suffering, and you can end the pain. It has to be just as awful to put an old or weak critter through invasive procedures and surgeries and treatments trying to eek out so much more life in them. 

It shouldn't all be black and dark though. They laugh and joke in there, they have good working relationships with each other, they see puppies and pets that are far from dying, and they sometimes bring much happiness to people by helping a critter through something bad. 

I did not read about Dr. Yin because I had never heard of her, and the fact that she was dead was not something I was going to get into, having never heard of her. Finding out that she killed herself, that is awful, and now she matters to me, and her death matters to me. Why is that? 

I do appreciate my vets. I do not always go with what they say, but probably 98%. Sometimes I think they are charging an awful lot. And sometimes I really am thankful that they have taught me to give injections, tube feed, have come in on Sunday because my bitch was hemorraging, gave me their cell number, and so forth. 

I wanted to be a vet when I was growing up. Perhaps the way things worked out was for the best. When you add it all up, it's a pretty sucky job all in all, and then people diss you on top of it all.


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

I thanked not only the vet but the vet techs too for taking care of Brennan. I thought as I was sitting there Saturday that I would like to do something for them.


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## gsdsar (May 21, 2002)

As a tech, really, an honest thank you card, naming people is great. Let's is know you noticed us(techs). And food. Food is always good. 

Some of the most memorable things I have gotten were very personal. A 4 leafed clover with the paw print if my favorite GSD on it, and a card congratulating me on getting my puppy. 

But a picture in a frame of your boy with a personal thank you note, WILL be cherished and displayed. Trust me, all the heck, is forgotten when you feel noticed and appreciated.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Thanks for sharing that gsdsar! I was going to ask, what is a nice thank you gesture? I wouldn't want to leave anyone out. And I have to say, some of the staff may not want the temptation of goodies....
In my clinic, I know they are extremely overworked and busy, it is a hectic environment. 
I try to go in and out without wasting their precious time. Usually I have to wait and between the phone ringing and other interruptions, I can see why mistakes can be made in communication.
Then the sales reps are never ending in appearing so the staff has to accommodate them and the UPS driver bringing in supplies to the waiting room. 
I think the staff is grateful when a client doesn't take up their time....but some clients feel like they aren't important when that happens.
Balancing act.


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## gsdsar (May 21, 2002)

It's always a balancing act. A good compromise, a fruit basket, or one if those fruit flower arrangements. 

We recently lost a beloved patient. He stayed with us for 6 months post back surgery. His owner brought in Tiffany picture frames, and bracelets with his name and the techs names on them for the techs and staff that worked with him. Now that's really big. And not needed. A few clients have made beautiful plaques with their dogs or cats pics on it and a thank you plaque. Those are displayed on our walls. 

But when it comes down to it. Personal is best. If you learned anything about your vet or tech, they have a pointer, they love cheesecake, they like wine, they are sports team fans, little trinkets, knowing you heard them, knowing you noticed, is all we need. Heck, even a call to the owner and manager, giving names and gratitude, is enough. 

I don't do my job for the gifts. I don't do it for the thanks. Nor do any vet I work with. We do it for the pet. More, we do it for the person that loves the pet. Period. 

And if I get pulled aside by my practice manager because a client called to let her know how much I helped her with her puppy, well that's amazing. Or if I go into a room and the client says " look Muffy, it's your favorite tech", or "Sam's here Jojo!", makes my job and day wonderful. 

In the end, and this is not only about veterinary work, people just want to be noticed and appreciated. Learn names, wherever you go, and use them. Get to know people. From your mechanic, to the guy at the grocery store. SEE people and acknowledge them. Nurses and techs get overlooked a lot. It's part of the job. To blend in. 

But if someone goes out of their way, SEE it. And let them know.


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## ugavet2012 (Apr 15, 2010)

gsdsar said:


> I went on an after hours home euthanasia call with one of my vets yesterday. We actually discussed this article at length because it made a huge impression on her.
> 
> I have the honor of working with some very dedicated vets. Everyday I see the wear on their faces. They never work a strict 8 hr day, they take emergency calls, clients have their cell phone numbers.
> 
> ...


Thank you for this post. This is exactly my life. 
I almost walked out of not just my clinic, my job but the whole profession this past week. First thing Monday morning a patient died on me from rat poisoning, long story, but in no way, shape, or form my fault. Didn't matter, client blamed it all on me, and made a huge drama queen scene in my clinic. Then proceeded to refuse to speak with me and discuss everything, and tried to speak horribly about me to my staff......and there's even more to it I don't want to get into. 
This was on the heels of another situation where I just felt thrown under the bus by the whole world. 
Then suddenly I started getting a number of clients going out of their way to say "thanks," a lot more than in a normal week, and it was my birthday on the 9th, which my boss usually gives me a very small gift for, but this year, for whatever reason she got me a huge s'mores ice cream cake and a $25 gift certificate. I was so close to walking out. 
Thank you Jane for posting this.


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## Colie CVT (Nov 10, 2013)

I am glad that you shared this Jane, and frankly, as tragic as it was, I am hoping that because of Dr. Yin's death, perhaps people will realize that this job isn't just all kittens and puppies, we aren't rolling in money and don't like having to say that the best treatment for your pet may be more costly than you were thinking or planning for. 

Personally that article hit home harder than I ever would have had it happen before. 

Last year was hands down the worst year of my life. Both personally and professionally, there were things that shoved me off of a cliff and left me barely hanging on. I had always been just in front of the worst of the depression that tried to rear its ugly head, but after losing my grandmother just after Christmas 2012, things just kept slapping me. I made some big mistakes last year. No I will not get into details, just that they were big and I am still in the process of learning how to forgive myself. Not only did those things happen, but we lost my parent's golden 3 months after my grandmother to hemangiosarcoma. It was bad. We saw evidence of it having spread to his lungs, his liver. Though where I work we have performed such miracles, had so many dogs get some extra time, that we tried. My parents agreed so that hopefully my brother could be home to see his beloved dog one last time. 

Grizzly passed three nights after surgery with my patient care director and friend crying and begging him to hold on.

Not only that but I had two friends that I lost, one who jumped off of a roof and the other who I have a feeling accidentally ODed on medication. It was the worst roller coaster of my life and the strength that I tried to cling onto was breaking and cracking. I kept falling into this hole. Deeper and deeper. The one thing that kept me truly hanging on was my golden, Myles. If it wasn't for him always being with me, always coming with me to work, I would have likely driven my car off of the hill down to where I work or simply let my car hit something else. I was beyond caring. I couldn't get away from the pain, from the shame, from the anger at myself for so many things that year. 

People forget that we are all human. We all are imperfect, we try our hardest to do what we feel is right, and we often have many things going on that aren't being shared. While they say to keep your personal and professional lives separate, sadly that isn't always a possibility. I know when I have a particularly hard case, it sticks with me. I can't shake my worry for the patient. I often go in on my days off to check on them. Since I now have a smart phone, I keep pictures of patients who I came close to losing. Who were on the brink, and I was fighting along with my wonderful co-workers to keep them with us. Being back in surgery, few people know who I am. Few people realize just how much I did to be certain their pet was comfortable, safe and as well as they could be while they were in my care and under anesthesia. 

This past January, I took the extremely hard plunge into getting better. I admitted to my parents that I was suicidally depressed (which really didn't go over well) and I have done everything that I can this year to push for positive, to be who I am again. I sought treatment from my physician, I have put my everything into becoming a better CVT and while the thank yous are still few and far between, the outpouring of support and trust I got from the people I work from, and the very recent praise from the surgeons who I bust my butt for, has helped me tremendously. 

Sorry this is long winded, but this truly hits home for me. So thank you. Thank you for posting this, and thank you for caring. Like gsdsar said, the truly little things mean the most to us. We aren't in it for the money or the fame. We are in it because we want to help animals and their owners. 

I will bow out with this picture of what was hands down the hardest case of my career to date, the day that she was going to get to go home.


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## Juliem24 (Jan 4, 2014)

Ugavet2012
Glad you didn't walk away. Your knowledge is invaluable to many, actually most. There are a certain percentage of folks that are just going to be, let's say "difficult". They're not going to change, so let it roll off your back. The one critter you save for a grateful family, or the one whose pain you lessen, is worth 8 gazillion of those other people.
Same as in my profession: you learn to swear silently in your head and in many languages!


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## Juliem24 (Jan 4, 2014)

ColieCVT: you hit the nail on the head! I just wish that people would understand that we do the best we can under the given circumstances, no one is willfully making an error or being mean, at least I've been lucky enough never to work with them or have them as my vet. Sometimes, I am just having the worst day of my life and struggling to hold it together for patients and families. Please, have a heart!


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## Blitzkrieg1 (Jul 31, 2012)

No but I always seem to be PAYING her...lol.


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## LoveEcho (Mar 4, 2011)

I love this. My vet is WONDERFUL and in dealing with diagnosing Echo's seizures has been an incredible support system for me. He's been so kind and generous to us, and I've been racking my brain trying to think of a way to adequately and appropriately thank him...


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

gsdsar said:


> As a tech, really, an honest thank you card, naming people is great. Let's is know you noticed us(techs). And food. Food is always good.
> 
> Some of the most memorable things I have gotten were very personal. A 4 leafed clover with the paw print if my favorite GSD on it, and a card congratulating me on getting my puppy.
> 
> But a picture in a frame of your boy with a personal thank you note, WILL be cherished and displayed. Trust me, all the heck, is forgotten when you feel noticed and appreciated.


I like the picture frame idea a lot. That is what I'm going to do The vet techs cared for Brennan like he was their own. I seen the difference between the first vet and my vet. Brennan didn't have a bowel movement at all at the first vet and went right away at my vet. I could hear the smile in the vets voice when he left messages about Brennan. There was no lack of communication at any point. I felt comfortable with him being there and that says a lot because I trust no one with my dogs.


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## Billn1959 (Aug 11, 2012)

I've been through EPI, 2 TPLO surgeries, DM, and various other sickness'. Then of course shots, annual exams, spay/neuter, etc. It cost a lot of money to own a German Shepherd. We've been using the same Vet since we brought Molly home in 2001. We love our Vet and the entire staff. We couldn't imagine taking them anyplace else.


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## tcass (Sep 26, 2014)

I love our vet. i have a dog that is probably a GSD and Scottie mix. He's 11 and got a hold of a rope/twine that lodged in his intestine. to make a long story short, we almost lost him. the vet, an old country sawbones, pulled him through with emergency surgery and some close monitoring. he wouldn't eat after the surgery and after about 5 days, the vet was at a point he had done all he could do. We took the dog outside the clinic for a walk and to try and decide if it was time.....he decided to take a bite or two of some treats, the first good sign. we took him home and he improved. now, a year later, he's still kicking and showing our GSD pup how to get along.....in gratitude, i got the vet a bottle of decent scotch.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

I thank mine all the time. Especially after reading some of the crazy stuff on here. And then sometimes I hope I'm not THAT person that is driving them nuts.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I had a recent experience with a vet clinic I have not done business with previously. They have one vet that specializes in Avian's so my mom took her sick African Grey there the week of Thanksgiving. Turned out the bird needed round the clock care, and vet was going to send the bird, Myrnie, up to an e-vet an hour away for the holiday.
I said I'd take Myrnie as I'd had experience in tube feeding and giving injections, if he died at least he'd be with family and not at a place that wasn't specialized in birds. 
Myrnie lived for 10 days, and the Avian specialist, Dr. Updike was wonderful. She emailed me often after hours, researched the condition and had meds compounded. Birds are so complex in their being that it takes a huge network to diagnose certain cases. Just running the normal blood/labwork has to be sent out as the cells are so different than mammals. 
The vet didn't charge for subQ fluid treatments or tube feedings when I brought Myrnie there while I worked. 
The staff were very compassionate too. I can't say enough about the treatment I experienced with this clinic. We weren't even clients before all this began. It still cost a bundle with the meds and Myrnie couldn't fight any longer. But I do believe the staff did everything possible to try to help. The labs and holiday timing played against us. 
I brought the staff cookies a few different times when I would get Myrnie after work. I sent them a thank you card with more goodies after he passed. Dr Updike went above and beyond.
This is the meds Myrnie had to be given, it was hard to keep track of everything, and the schedule they were to be administered.


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## HOBY (Aug 12, 2013)

Always a thank you. My vets own GSDs. On of the dogs is related to my boy.


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## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

I'm glad you posted this. I worry very much about a wonderful, young vet who helps our rescue. I worry about burn out for her, as she has the weight of the world on her shoulders. This article makes me worry about her even more. 

I take the vet's staff cookies pretty regularly on Friday afternoons. I took her tech one of our rescue's shirts, after the tech spent a weekend curled up next to a dog in critical condition, singing to him and talking to him so he wouldn't give up his fight for life. It's never enough to thank them for what they do -- they're there this weekend, with a freak case of parvo in a 9-month old vaccinated dog, making sure he pulls through. I've been at the clinic at 10PM and had emails answered at 2AM. 

I've seen the stress, sleeplessness, and worry on their faces. They work so very, very hard. I absolutely adore that vet and her staff.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I know of a vet tech that is a supervisor at a shelter(her husband runs a VCA clinic) and she is quitting her position because the shelter is a no-kill yet are euth'ing pups with worms just because they are overwhelmed. They also had a litter come in just after that one with parvo, and they put them all down, instead of dealing with it. It isn't her decision to do the euth'ing but the head of the shelter. If the community gets wind of what they are doing, it will be on her shoulders as a supervisor. She is in a moral dilemma, not to mention the burn out rate of her position. They even have rescues that help, but it isn't enough.
So sad


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Maybe the community needs to know they are no longer a "no-kill"


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I think that will come out...but it won't be on the supervisors watch. She is ethical and has morals, it is a difficult situation regardless. I don't know if it is a county shelter or private, assume it is run with tax $.


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## AddieGirl (May 10, 2011)

I personally know a GREAT vet who left the profession because of some of the things in this article. The animals in her community have lost a loving, caring, knowledgeable, kind-hearted healthcare provider. I am, however, so thankful that she is still living and did not succumb ultimately to the negativity. We all need to take a look at how we treat our veterinarians (and staff). They are not super-human. There are always bad apples in every profession but the vast majority of vets are caring and truly love our pets.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

https://ocrtrivet.wordpress.com/201...f-vet-med-what-the-world-needs-to-understand/


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## Anubis_Star (Jul 25, 2012)

This touched home, for sure. I love my job, but it is a CRAPPY job and profession in general. Long hours, hard physical labor, no money, and then you come onto forums like this and see many people left and right bashing vets because Dr. Google has taught them more and they know better. It really does just add up and there is a valid reason it's the leading career field for suicides. It's not because we're killing animals, we learn to accept that as the best gift we can give them. It's that owner on the other end of the leash...

But the love shown here, it reminds you that the good owners far outweigh the bad :wub: :wub: :wub:

The best thing someone can ever do for me? Write the clinic a thank you card. Or even better yet, just leave a good yelp review. My first year at my current clinic, I was on an overnight shift and we had a woman rush in her 15 year old dog. Her neighbor had helped her get the dog here. Unfortunately we discovered cancer with a very poor prognosis, and she euthanized. She had that dog a LONG time, and it was very sudden and unexpected. Those cases are hard. A month later I found a yelp review, where she mention the doctor and I by name, and said how kind and caring we were to her in that very hard moment. THAT touched me more than most things. 

I had a little girl draw me a picture of her pet hampster - I had run anesthesia the week before while the doctor amputated it's leg (WORST anesthesia experience ever, the darn thing kept trying to wake up!)

And then there was the super hard case where a patient went downhill VERY fast. I really liked it, adorable younger cat, of course owner was out of town. We called him in the middle of the night to tell him we were afraid the cat wasn't going to make it, and he opted to euthanize. That was a hard one for me, I cried several times. I really liked the cat and felt REALLY bad for the owner. I personally spoke to him on the phone, told him I wanted to give him his total invoice just so he was aware but by no means expected payment because of the hard decision he had just made, and he could call us at any time to settle everything. He told me he just wanted to give me the credit card number then. A week later he posted a hostile review stating we killed his cat and my only concern was forcing him to pay his bill over the phone. 

Dr. Sophia Yin was a hard loss. She taught me most of what I know about decent cat restraint (thank god for her kitty burritos). I can't imagine what personal demons she was fighting and it's so heartbreaking that was the only way she could see to escape.


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## Anubis_Star (Jul 25, 2012)

But there are plenty of things to be thankful for and it's the reason we do what we do 


















































And OBVIOUSLY, most importantly when Berlin helps out


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## osito23 (Feb 17, 2014)

I thank my vet and the staff every time we go there. I know their job is not an easy one and I really appreciate all that they do for me and my animals. We had to make an unexpected trip to the vet last week when my lab mix injured herself at the lake. She must have landed on a stick or rock underwater and busted her side open, requiring sedation to be washed out and stapled back together. It's a busy practice that is always booked, but when I called them from the lake the had me bring her right in and immediately took care of her. They charged me only a small fraction of what I would have paid at an emergency clinic. I think I'll bring them in a thank you card when I go to get her staples removed this week.


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