Kitten Feeding

We recently saw three kittens that were rescued from under a barn. Mom wasn't around so they had been struggling to find food, their mouths and bodies covered with dirt. Our client had cleaned them up and brought them in for exams. Two were pretty feisty and started drinking from a bottle right away.  One was disoriented, trembling, and appeared to have a problem with a part of the brain called the cerebellum.  However, his body temperature was low (93 F) so we first put  him on supplemental warm air heat.  That alone corrected most of his symptoms.  He also had some blood in his stool, so we started an antibiotic (directions:  1 drop twice a day!)  We tube fed him and his siblings for a few days, but now they are all taking the bottle and the weak one has surpassed the other two in body weight.   Here is one of the crew enjoying lunch.

Trust

Some of my extended family and friends have recently had a series of intense health issues. My experience in  communicating with the medical teams has given me a renewed appreciation for the trust that you, our clients, have in our care of your pets.

The medical system for humans has an impressive capacity for diagnosis and treatment and some incredibly dedicated and compassionate individuals.   A limitation however, is that care is so specialized that flow of information and therapeutic plans to the family can be a slow and often confusing process.  Further,  the patient/parent/relative who is advocating for proper care can sometimes feel left off of the health care team.

In veterinary medicine, we function more as generalists.  Even at the specialty level, the specialties are fairly broad. This allows us to have an overall view of a patient's health and clients relationship with their companion that allows us to efficiently carry out medical plans.  Further, although predetermined algorithms are very helpful in working through  rule outs for certain symptoms, we often must adapt our plans to the specific circumstances (medical, emotional, and financial) of client and pet.

Even so, it still is an act of faith for our clients to let us take their friend away from them for a surgical procedure or medical treatment in another area of the hospital.  This level of trust is usually unspoken, but next to the satisfaction of healing, is the most satisfying part of our profession.  When a client trusts our recommendations, we know they have confidence in not only our medical knowledge and skills, but in our personal integrity.  We take that trust very seriously and respond through our best efforts on behalf of their pet.  This happens dozens of times each day, but it is never taken for granted.

To all our clients, thank you for trusting us with the care of your companions!