The Other Family Doctor by Karen Fine
Author:Karen Fine [Fine, Karen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Published: 2023-03-14T00:00:00+00:00
* * *
â
During my second year of practice, I surgically removed a cyst from Trudyâs back, administering an intravenous anesthesia injection while a veterinary assistant held her. The procedure was uneventful, yet afterward I couldnât help thinking about how strange it had been to see her lying there on the surgery table, unconscious, hooked up to the anesthesia machine with an endotracheal tube sticking out of her mouth. The skin and tissue under the blue surgical drape looked like any other I had worked with, yet if I glanced away, I saw my own dogâs brindled paws, so familiar and dear to me. Veterinarians typically pride themselves on their self-sufficiency, and most vets I knew treated their own animals. But the next time Trudy needed something, I mused, maybe I would ask a trusted colleague to do the surgery.
While I often take it in stride if my own animals are sick, I have noticed that sometimes, a strange thing happens: my doctor side recedes, and my pet owner side takes over. Oh no! Sheâs sickâwhatâs wrong? I might ask myself. Why is Trudy vomiting?
Okay, relax, my vet side will respond. Think about what you would ask a client. How about, could she have gotten into something that may have made her sick?
No, I donât think so, but maybe she had too many leftovers yesterday.
Okay, so that could be why. Is there any diarrhea, and is she acting okay?
No diarrhea, and she is acting fine. So what do I do?
What would I tell a client? Give her a bland diet for a few days and keep a close eye on her.
Okay, I can do that.
I think sheâll be fine.
Phew.
Most of my petsâ problems until that point had been relatively minor, except for Daiquiriâs brain tumor. Even that, as stressful as it was, had occurred when he was an old cat. Rana was just entering the prime of her life. It had been only a few months since she had walked down the aisle in our wedding. I had never encountered something of this magnitude before, and I knew I would need support. In a sense, I was in the position of a layperson.
Even now, I recall the time surrounding Ranaâs diagnosis as one of the most difficult periods of my life. For years afterward, springtimeânormally one of my favorite times of yearâtriggered an âanniversary reactionâ of depression. My sensitivity to the difficulty of receiving a bad diagnosis spurred me to write an article for The Bark magazine entitled âHow to Cope with a Serious Diagnosis: Ten Tips for Navigating Tough Decisions about Your Dog.â[*]
I thought about my client Gloria, and how sheâd had to ask for help to care for her cats.
One morning, I picked up my business line to find Gloriaâs friendly voice on the other end. Gloria was an elderly woman who lived by herself and didnât have family in the area. She had two cats, whom she doted on and who kept her company. I expected her to
Download
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.
Grief & Bereavement | Hospice Care |
Pet Loss | Suicide |
They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera(9480)
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher(8451)
The Space Between by Michelle L. Teichman(6575)
Suicide Notes by Michael Thomas Ford(4650)
Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom(4397)
Suicide: A Study in Sociology by Emile Durkheim(2903)
The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande(2657)
Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom(2575)
In the Woods by Tana French(2409)
Bossypants by Tina Fey(2373)
Robin by Dave Itzkoff(2268)
Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout(2206)
No Ashes in the Fire by Darnell L Moore(2206)
Reservoir 13 by Jon McGregor(2143)
All Things New by John Eldredge(2051)
End of Days by Sylvia Browne(2051)
Bus on Jaffa Road by Mike Kelly(2035)
Scar Tissue by Anthony Kiedis(2008)
No Time to Say Goodbye(1997)
