Category Archives: Communication

I learned some years ago to always offer my best to the client.  While it is certainly possible that they may not desire or be able to afford Plan A, they surely won’t ask for it if they don’t know what it is.  With every patient, my job is to offer what I believe to […]

Old Yeller Alert It’s always hard to give bad news, but sometimes it’s harder than others.   Today I had two old patients with kidney failure.  Everybody’s pets are special to them, and saying goodbye is never easy, but today… The first one was a cat whose kidneys were so large and misshapen that I could […]

When we welcome a new client to our practice, part of the process is a questionnaire about their pet’s health history and environment.  The last question is: "Do you consider your pet to be a member of the family?" and most people answer "Yes". The human-animal bond is very strong.  It’s very common for people […]

When I was a kid there was a TV show called "Let’s Make a Deal".  There were lots of appeals to greed in the program and many ways to make a fool of oneself.  The BIG deal of the day always involved three doors (evoking that great short story "The Lady or the Tiger", by […]

You might be surprised to find that many pet-owners feel compelled to comment when their pet protests an injection.  Some sympathize: "Did the bad old doctor stab poor ‘ittle ‘oo?".  Some are less sympathetic: "Welcome to the house of jabs."  And then there are those who apparently feel like the pet should just suck it […]

I don’t think it would improve the situation much.  People frequently ask me that and my reply is that "I wish they could roll up their sleeves." [Drawing blood from a vein hidden under an inch of hair is quite a trick.]  I can make friends with animals. The problem is that I then immediately […]

are mostly mistaken.  Many times I have had a client tell me that they "should have been a vet, ’cause I like animals and I don’t like people."  Get a grip, kid.  This is not a job for someone who can’t get along with people.  If you’re a real animal lover who just can’t stand […]

Every profession has its own technical jargon.  This is necessary in some cases because you deal with concepts that don’t come up in every-day conversation.  Sometimes it’s necessary in order to be precise, especially in communicating with another professional. It’s a lot easier to just say "intussussception" than "you know, that thingy where the bowel […]

In James Thurber’s charming fable "Many Moons" [Are there ever fables that aren’t charming?  Yes, to wit: "The Bird, the Mouse, and the Sausage" from the brothers Grimm.  I love it, but it’s not charming.], the Princess is ill and won’t get well unless someone brings her the moon.  The King summons all his wise […]