Little bits that bite
“To catch the squirrel, one must become the squirrel” (Instagram. @snickers_doglife)
Are pets the new laundry?
Drive up, employees arrive at car with clip board for instructions, unceremoniously pick up the drop off, and hand over a claim receipt. (Hopefully, you’ll remember and not leave them hanging.)
During the COVID shut down, pet owners were sometimes desperate to find a veterinary clinic open when a pet got sick. Everyone understood people had to wait in the car instead of going in and speaking for your animal. Cell phone conversations and trust the only thing possible. And we were grateful.
Apparently many vets have found the parking lot process convenient for them and much more efficient.
You know how pet parents love to chat and interpret every tiny little detail. Clinics have been super busy. Less small talk means staying on schedule which can mean making more money.
While some vets miss the friendship connection, others who are rather introverted like the distance.
Some clinic staff have mentioned it’s easier on them as they can play music they like inside the clinic and actually grab a bite to eat during the day.
- “My dog broke his leg” (Today’s Veterinarian Business). A vet consultant relays what he experienced with his long term relationship at his clinic, with plenty of pet insurance…and it’s not pretty. He got quite a bit of blowback, but….
- “Veterinarian consultant’s message touches nerves” (VIN news) Here’s the view from the other side.
- “Is Curbside Veterinarian Service Here to Stay” (The Bark) There are some pros – and a bit of a silver lining including a calmer clinic experience for pets despite the challenges.
- “Don’t risk your dog’s health with curbside vet visits” (Dogs Naturally) A holistic advocate’s thoughts to consider.
- “The future of curbside” (American Animal Hospital Association) Maybe a bit or remodeling or redesign can make a difficult situation better in the future? There’s a possible idea.
- “What 2020 taught us about curbside care” (Veterinarian Practice News) A debriefing/re-evaluation by vets as everyone involved struggles to provide the best care. Discusses the evolution of a hybrid practice including telemedicine, best practices for curbside care (which some owners love for convenience), and office visits. It’s a new world for all of us.
If anyone asks me, adding some awnings over the parking spaces and walkways would be a huge help. It got really, really hot here in the semi-tropics while waiting for someone to run out for Molly Malamute’s curbside nose vaccine “puff”and a yearly shot.
We also found out that “stick the dog nose or butt up to the window” was not as good an idea as it sounded.
Apparent the car is Molly’s “safe spot”, firmly her territory, and any attempt to breach is will be met with a snarly face defense – even if it’s her favorite tech.
Luckily the tech has a huge sense of humor – is fast on the nose aim…and has treats.
When Mom yells your full name.(Instagram @snickers_doglife)
With COVID lockdowns, and bitter electricity-killing freeze in the rear view mirror, and hurricane season approaching, what would you do different in preparation?
I’d probably stock more popcorn, add powdered milk for cooking, and get several additional cans of that Starbucks hot chocolate mix.
You can never have too any bags of Chili Spices Mango Slices, either
And vegetable seeds. A couple of bags of potting soil. Completely missed those.
(Memo to self: Some dried apples are better than others. And about the bags of beef/turkey jerky. Jerky may be protein, but one of last resort…even the dog turns up her nose at it…Luckily Sr Staff will eat anything, so one disaster item stocked and not needing replenishing)
“I’ve seen a look in dogs’ eyes, a quickly vanishing look of amazed contempt, and I am convinced that basically dogs think humans are nuts.” (John Steinbeck)
Phil, the Philosopher Mouse of the Hedge.
“If you see a puppy smile, you must smile back. (It’s the law)”. (Instagram @snickers_doglife)
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Philosopher Mouse of the Hedge 
I laughed at that “when Mom calls your full name” photo. We all know what that’s about, whether canine or human.
And here’s my hurricane tip for the year. Forget the powdered milk, and get some Horizon shelf stable milk. I keep some on hand for travel, etc.
I just checked the dates on the last carton I bought, and they’re good until mid-August. Best of all, the milk is drinkable; it tastes almost like fresh from the fridge.
Also: a bottle of Starbucks cold brew is expensive at $3.59, but it holds enough good coffee for two cups. I sometimes carry a couple of bottles with me to make up for the lousy coffee in motel rooms. It’s easier than carrying my own coffee and filters.
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We’re gonna have to build an ark if this rain doesn’t stop. Horizon is a better choice – remembered that too late, but might be worth picking some up pretty soon. Powdered milk is only good for cooking – gag. Mom tried to give that to us to drink….once. Not even on a camping trip! That is a great idea for coffee when traveling. Making note of that!
We are so grateful for your vet. That clinic is jammed – and many are still curbside, but he schedules people who come in late in the day so to keep on schedule – which is fine with us. Hopefully we are done with visits until cooler weather. They’ll need a redesign with awnings over the cars during summer.
Get ready for a weekend of memorable sweltering (and swatting) Thanks for driving a comment over here
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I’m not a dog, but I also think humans are nuts. The mom calls your full name photo is perfect. Happy Monday!
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Ditto on the nuts. A couple of nights ago some Door Dash guy must have gotten the wrong address and was going up and down the street with a flash light and small pizza box….dude, it’s after 1 am…ALL these houses are totally dark….do you really think it is wise going door to door with your car parked at the intersection with engine running – and all the home invasions locally…and ALL the dogs barking ferociously? That’s a tough job, someone made a mistake…but ALL the houses were completely dark. Might want to rethink.
Happy all week – hope your projects got wrapped up satisfactorily – will be over to check shortly. Thanks for peeking around the corner here
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Not currently a pet owner, but I had been one for 40 years . . . and that first piece annoyed me (I’m not a vet or associated with one).
That guy complained about treatment and experiences that — overall — seem better (or at least no worse) than what humans had to go through at hospitals.
To this day, when we go to the hospital or doctor’s office, one of us has to wait outside, usually with little to no information. My last procedure was scheduled for 1:00 pm, and did not happen until 3:00pm. Granted, I could text my wife waiting outside, but it’s not like I had any more information other than “the doctor is running late” for reasons to do with what was happening to other patients.
It may not always be the case, but most of the time I work under the assumption the people are overworked, underpaid, and are trying to do their best (outside of one or two having a bad day for either personal or other reasons).
Anyway, as far as emergency provisions . . . Spam, sardines/mackerel, saltine crackers, cookies, cheerios, various nuts, caveman bars, protein bars, and water (and pills/pumps to purify water). We also seldom let our car’s tanks get below half-full (a habit we got used to in Hawaii).
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See here’s the thing. We’re open here. Since Jan of this year doc visits allowed 1 person in with patient as family member/driver/advocate (We have been to waaaay to many doc visits in the past 6 months) – masks are still required in medical situations across the state, supposed to be only 2 in elevator (not really followed especially now), they have heat sensing cameras for temperature check as you walk in so all you have to do is answer the 5 covid questions, sign in, gel hands, and they make sure you have a surgical mask not a cloth accessory. But once in office, many docs after making sure all vaccinated, masks are often removed so everyone can talk and hear well.
So, people are wondering why vets locally are saying “We don'[t know when we’ll go back to business as usual. And you have to sit in the car.”
We search around and remembered Shoreacres (blogger who lives close) had a good vet. He is extremely busy – but will allow both of us in with ancient blind cat who is totally freaked out or rescued dog Molly who has trust issues with humans as she was terribly abused (and she’s big ..intimating …and will fall back into self preservation if we are not there to reassure her. Then she’s calm and fine.) He usually puts us at the end of the day as the visits may take longer, but that’s OK. We get to go in.
My Sister-in-law is a vet, so I can see both sides. She started out as a large livestock vet, but that has gotten too difficult to manage now. She’d rather just have the animal as people in her small-to-medium farm community town have a really bad habit of waiting to bring in an animal until it’s really really in bad shape. No doubt it’s hard to not yell at the owners,
Sardines – we’ve got those…still. Actually our lists are pretty similar (If not facing medical issues, the hot chocolate mix wouldn’t have been included…but it was nice during the freeze, so a maybe in the future.) Spam. There’s an option. We never had that as kids as dad said he’d had enough of that in the war and never wanted to see it again. But also a possibility for a kit.
Thanks for packing up a comment to shelve here
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I understand, but my beef … no, scratch that; too strong a word. Here, let me give you an example . . .
I make an appointment with a doctor (or insurance agent, or just about anyone) *after* I’m told the procedure and conditions for the appointment. So, I’ve basically agreed to the conditions of the visit. Complaining about it seems a self-indulgent waste of time and effort.
Then, say I have a “bad” experience (meaning, I get annoyed at something — it rarely happens because I’m pretty tolerant, and assume difficulties are just the nature of dealing with people).
OK then … I just had a lesson; call it an opportunity to assess if I will ever do business with that person/business again. Let’s say it’s egregious enough that I decide nope, not doing that again. Done. Looking for someone else.
But nooo! I now need to go the extra mile and tell everyone what happened and how unfair it was. Darn toothin’ someone is going to hear about it! Blah, blah, look what I had to go through. No one in the history of mankind has experienced anything like this before. Woe is me. Give me some sympathy.
Now, granted. If I’ve been mistreated, intentionally lied to, swindled, or otherwise experienced an interaction with a deliberate asshole, words *might* be directed at the individual or the company. Not angry words. Just an explanation as to why they lost my business. But most of the time, I just walk away; life is too short.
AND … if I can’t find someone who can address my needs as I want them addressed, well, that’s just life, isn’t it? Long ago I realized the world is nowhere near how I wish the world would be. One copes. Spam helps. Also, Nutella.
The point is, they should stop dealing with that vet and find another vet. They could have used the time they spent writing that account to search for a different vet.
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We just try to take things at face value – as you say, why waste productive time and effort – just locate a better fit.
Somehow that Vet consultant with the broken dog leg may have expected better/special treatment because of his profession?…when maybe he should have understood his business field better instead? (Did he just want to “shame” people and make them feel bad?…there’s a lot of that going around these days…)
Vets are busy and crammed. If the vet’s parking lot is jammed and full?
You’ve got a dog emergency/ (which we have had before). We’d head to where we’d have the best chance of getting in immediately with skilled people standing by for crisis- and with the best equipment quickly accessed: the Emergency Pet ER. Even if it’s more expensive and the regular vet has your records (which can be sent over quickly if needed, but probably not needed for the emergency.
Yep. Common sense.
Nutella and Vegemite
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Steinbeck knew better! 😉🤣
Thankfully our lockdown* didn’t affect vet visits.
*at last lifted!
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Oh, that’s great to hear. Everyone needs to go outside and play and play and play in the sun. (Dogs are going to be really miffed if the humans do take them along everywhere….all the months of establishing “pack”! Oh a solitary nap is OK once in a while. )
Enjoy the fresh air and wandering again. Thanks for checking in here with a comment
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You too!!!! 🐾🐾🐾🐾
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I didn’t realize most vet visits were curbside this last year. I’m glad you wrote some of the pros and cons. I pawsed to read them all.
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It was a really fruit basket turnover year – who knew all the adjustments that had to be made. Thanks for parking a comment here ( and have a lovely week!)
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Some vets have no compassion for either animals and owners, and we were appalled that someone’s beloved dog was euthanized on the doorstep in front of other clients. We were blessed in that our vet was very good when Maggie was poorly last year and came out to the car to see her, then when she went in for treatment, one of us was allowed to go in with her. On that horrible final day we were both allowed to stay. Other people have not been so fortunate.
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That was very compassionate.
Another blogger Shoreacres who lies newly recommended her vet who was so kind with her ancient cat when RC’s health took a dive shortly after the loss of power during the freeze here. He’s really busy, but allows owners in with their pets. Those vets have become so rare. We’ve switched both animals to his clinic. you may have to wait in your car until your turn, but you are allowed inside.
(And appalling about the doorstep pup – here there’s a state law no animal is allowed to witness another animal be euthanized even at pounds – people not only lost jobs by ignoring that, but spent time in jail. How can you teach compassion to those who seem to be totally clueless about it:? Sigh.At one time, kindness was the rule, not the exception)
People are upset here as human doctor visits are pretty much back to normal, so why are the vets staying behind closed doors?
What a confusing world it has become.
Thanks for leashing a comment here
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Our vet showed care for us as well as Maggie, so we shall stay with him when we find a new furbaby. GP surgeries here are still hit and miss
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Local news has reported vets are overrun with people seeking care for their many Covid-year adoptees. Sadly, we’re also getting reports of many people having second thoughts about their adoptions and now returning the pets to the shelters. So sad!
Just this morning I got an email from my vet announcing that they were once again allowing owners inside. Hurray! I’ve got two appointments in June and am especially pleased that I’ll be able to go inside with my aging 12-year-old pup. I was not at all happy with the parking lot system.
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So far people here seem to be hanging on to mos of the pandemic adopted ones…still, it’s puppy and kitten season, so the local shelter is looking for foster parents. (RC said, “No way.”)
The curbside service didn’t work for us. Blogger Shoreacres recommended her vet who will let owners in – especially if the pet is old. Those accompanied visits are always booked late in the day and you may have to wait until our turn if they are backed up, but it’s worth it.
I wonder if that vet in a van who parks down near the bay at a RV place is extra busy these days. You can go in. I think her even drove to houses for some situations. He was my next option.
Glad things are slowly sorting their way out now. The kids even had proms – some outdoors, but they got the dresses and pictures.
Onward! (and thanks for checking a comment in here)
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The parking lot vet thing cost my cat her life. I was not there to advocate for her. They kept her for 12 hours without food (she was diabetic). I’ll never go back there. Sadly for her (but good news for the others especially Morgan) I found a vet that allowed one owner in with the pet. I go there now. I was able to be with Morgan after she broke her leg. I truly believe it was a comfort to her. Something familiar. I don’t mind curbside for vaccines and such but not when a pet is extremely ill.
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I remembered that and panicked when. RC hit a bunch of bad wobbly days. No way I’d take an ailing, already stressed blind cat – she for the first time is even panicking in the cat carrier. But fortunately Shoreacres nearby had a great vet for her equally ancient and wonderful Dixie Rose, so I called her. Her vet let us both in at the end of his day so he’d have plenty of time. (Of course after a day of practically spoon feeding her chicken warm soup constantly before the appointment, she perked up ….a little bit) We have permanently changed vets for both animals. The one time we let Molly be taken in by herself, I heard a racket shortly while standing at the desk to pay – and suddenly Molly got the door open and she flew up and crawled over the counter on top of me dragging leash (around her neck where it is NEVER supposed to be due to tracheae damage when she was abused – and those people knew it from pervious visits) and a half-on muzzle. Our animals will never go in without us ever again.
No wonder this new vet is so busy.
The closest animal emergency room is flexible – if the animal is severely injured/stressed, the owner goes in too. We had to carry Molly in with heat exhaustion once. It may vary if they are really really busy. But so far every time we’ve had dire emergencies (a badly injured stray cat…someone has to help them…), they are understanding and say it make the animal calmer and easier to work on.
People are grumbling – if everything is open and humans can have people go in with them, what’s the deal with vets only doing curbside? (Disclosure: SIL is a vet, so we do hear other sides….but convenience isn’t enough of an excuse when animals are involved.)
You picked well, Kate’s kitties!
Thanks for slipping in a comment
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I’m sure it’s easier without us nervous nelly owners but when I worked my job in HR would have been a lot easier without people so there you go! 🙂
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I love that analogy!
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Another wonderful post. Love the advice for storing survival essentials.
It really has been challenging getting our dogs their medical care during this pandemic. We have good vets too, and didn’t have to do any of the procedures curbside. But not being able to go inside–particularly with our geriatric border collie who is now in a perpetual daze–was difficult. As for our senior senior citizen, she’s always smiling… no pain, etc. so she’s still enjoying life.
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Your collie sounds like RC Cat who may be ancient but happy and cared for (and still “exercise” with the dog. She has become much more vocal as her sight fades…needs a sound check to be sure where we all are…) With luck everyone will stay healthy as things get back to being open. People here are a tad annoyed if human doc visits are pretty much back to normal, why are vets living in seclusion still?
Which reminds me, best check the cat food supply…apparently there is a pet/cat food shortage, but luckily RC apparently also only eats what no other cat will eat…and thrives on it…She’s the smartie, I guess.
Paw waves and hope this week leading up to Memorial Day is calm and delightful. Thanks for checking in here
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Thanks for a lot of smiles and chuckles. I especially like that top shot. 🙂
janet
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German Shepherds are just such characters. Those ears and expressions. Glad you got a grin
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