Man’s Best Friend gets examined by his doctor.

EVEN THOUGH PETS CAN’T SPEAK,
VETS ARE STILL ABLE TO LISTEN
TO DIAGNOSE THEIR PROBLEMS

A high level of dedication and sensitivity
often missing in the human medical world

VIOLATING PROTOCOL TO SAVE A CAT’S LIFE
 
By David Maril
 
In a world filled with poverty, war, disease, political strife, and illiteracy, it’s amazing to consider how much we seem to care about animals and our pets.

Perhaps it’s a sign of how difficult the pressures of work and crowded urban lifestyles have become for many people.

Those who have never owned pets don’t understand the big fuss some households make over their four-legged tenants.

Granted, there has been a tendency for some to go overboard.

Throwing birthday parties for pets is a little bit over the top. Slaving over a hot stove to prepare a masterpiece dinner for a dog or cat is also probably going too far.

But what petless people don’t understand is what a pet can add to brighten things up.

You can get home after a tiresome, aggravating day of work and a dog or cat is just glad to see you.

Pets aren’t going to question a decision you made or get into an argument about something that was said or taken the wrong way.

You are their best friend when you walk through the door. All they ask is food, shelter and a little attention.

   Veterinarians often relate to pets better than M.D.s relate to human patients.

In exchange, they offer companionship, loyalty, and can even provide some humorous, playful distractions.

Medical research has even revealed that those who live alone, especially older people, have a more positive mental outlook when they have a cat or a dog.

With the emphasis on pets, it’s no wonder that significant advances have been made in medical treatment for animals. But what really impresses me is the level of dedication and the quality of services offered by the majority of today’s veterinarians.

Even though their patients obviously can’t talk, many animal doctors seem to communicate as well or better than physicians dealing with humans. They actually seem to listen and understand what the animal is unable to express.

Just about every veterinarian I’ve ever known owns several dogs and cats that have unusual stories of having been abandoned or written-off because of some type of health problem. They truly have soft hearts for animals.

Here are a couple of random examples:

One vet I know made it possible for a 23-year-old cat suffering from kidney problems, who lived with an elderly woman, to survive for an extra 16 months.

With a couple of fluid injections each week, the cat was able to maintain a robust existence. The vet found a volunteer on his staff to visit the woman’s house twice a week for the treatments at a minimal charge.

“The cat wasn’t suffering with the treatments so it was nice to be able to keep things going as long as they were working,” he explained.

Cartoon cat Sylvester dedicated his life to the attempt to catch — and (pre- sumably) kill — Tweety.  It’s what God told him — and every cat — to do: Catch and kill birds.  (Also mice and other tiny creatures.)  A/K/A “instinct.”

Another vet I know actually violated protocol to save the life of a pet.

“A man brought a young, healthy cat, about two-years-old, in here one day and wanted him put to sleep,” the veterinarian recalled.

“The family had owned a parakeet for a long time and one day left the bird out with the cat when they went out.

“Naturally, the cat killed the bird.

“That’s the nature of cats and what they do if you leave them with a bird. The people were so angry when they came home, they wanted the cat put to sleep.

“I tried to reason with them but they were insistent. If I refused to do it, they would take the cat somewhere else to have it done,” he added.

So the vet took the cat and told them he’d put it to sleep. But instead of  killing the animal, he kept it and found it a new home.

“I gave the cat to someone I knew out of state, so there never would be any chance of those people running into it again,” he explained.

“I just couldn’t kill a perfectly good house pet like that.

“There was nothing wrong with the cat. It wasn’t mean or vicious. It’s just the nature of cats to attack birds. But these people were never going to understand.

“I stuck my neck out but it was something I had to do,” he said.

I know another vet who runs a clinic that allows people to bring in injured dogs and cats for emergency treatment free of charge if the animals are not part of anyone’s household.

Whenever you encounter situations in the human medical world where the corporate, institutionalized approach makes you feel like a number or a pawn, sensitive veterinarians are appreciated even more.
 
davidmaril@voiceofbaltimore.org
 
“Inside Pitch” is a weekly opinion column written for Voice of Baltimore by David Maril.
 
CHECK OUT LAST WEEK’S “INSIDE PITCH” COLUMN:  click here
…and read archived Dave Maril columns  by clicking here.