Pulse - May 2023 - 4

PULSE PERSPECTIVE MEGANNOWELL@GMAIL.COM
Once Upon a Vet Visit
W
hen people find out I am a veterinarian, they tend to react in similar ways. They usually start
with a wide smile and the sharing of a familiarly mischievous tale about their pet. After a few
seconds of reminiscing, their smile quickly dissolves as they realize what else my job entails. Sudden
sadness will crease their face as they comment that putting pets to sleep must be the hardest part of
what I do. I smile and nod and move the conversation right along.
In reality, euthanasia is not the hardest part of
my job. Sure, it is emotional, and some cases hit
a little closer to home than others, but end of life
care is an area where I think veterinary medicine
shines. What a gift we give through a pain-free
transition surrounded by love. I have worked
hard to learn how to improve the euthanasia
appointment for both the pet and their family
and am immensely proud of the calm and
humane service I am able to provide. I do not
think clients can process euthanasia through the
lens of a veterinary professional, and therefore
project their own emotions as a pet owner. I
agree that from their point of view, euthanizing
pets must seem impossibly difficult.
In veterinary school, I was told that people,
client interactions and communication, would
be the most difficult part of the job. This has
proven true for me, but I have also been surprised
by some of the connections I have
formed with clients. Before COVID, I was
lucky enough to have clients that I looked forward
to seeing for their in-room appointments.
I am amazed by the depth of connection that
could be forged through fairly infrequent fifteen
minute interactions.
Several years ago, I provided care for a puppy
named Scooby Doo during her first year
of life. She was a very sweet and well-behaved
puppy and my team looked forward to her appointments.
Her family would tell us of her adventures
and the latest trouble she had caused
at home. Over the course of her preventive care
visits, I learned that " Mr. Doo " was battling
cancer and the family got Scooby to help him
through it.
After her spay surgery, I saw much less of
Scooby Doo and her family. I soon went on
maternity leave, COVID happened, and I
transferred to a different hospital. I thought
of her every once in a while when a similar
breed came in and hoped everyone was well. I
was recently surprised to see her name on the
schedule at my new hospital. When I called the
client to discuss her care for the day, we quickly
caught up on the last few years. Sadly, I learned
4
that Mr. Doo was no longer with us and my
heart broke for Scooby and her family.
After taking a moment to compose herself,
Mrs. Doo answered some medical history
questions. She mentioned increasing Scooby's
exercise by going on more walks and this reminded
me of a particularly memorable puppy
visit several years ago.
During a routine wellness visit, Mr. Doo
brought Scooby in by himself and asked a
question that caught me off-guard. He wanted
to know if I thought dogs could see ghosts.
Trying to keep the surprise from my face, I
smiled and muttered something about the supernatural
not being covered in vet school. I
asked a few more questions in an attempt to
understand if this might be a joke. It wasn't.
There was a stretch of sidewalk in their neighborhood
where Scooby absolutely refused to
walk. She would put on the brakes and there
was nothing he could do to get her to continue.
Treats, toys, pulling on the leash, coming from
the other direction - none of it worked. She
would, however, trot happily down the street if
they crossed to the other side. I threw out some
other ideas, maybe there was another animal's
scent or a loud noise had spooked her, but he
was convinced. It was a ghost.
The line was silent for a few seconds, then
Mrs. Doo made a sound between a sob and
a laugh. " That was him. He was terrified of
ghosts. I'd completely forgotten about that. " I
could hear the tears in her eyes and my own
voice caught in my throat. She thanked me for
sharing the memory, as she had completely forgotten
about his neighborhood ghost theory.
When we ended the call, I sat in silence and
took a moment to appreciate...everything.
Being a veterinarian is challenging and lately I
have had more hard days than easy ones, but
seeing Scooby Doo again reminded me of the
power of the human-animal bond and the important
work we do to support it. I'm grateful
for the trust our clients put in our profession
and for welcoming us into their lives one
veterinary visit at a time.
Megan Nowl
MAY 2023
SCVMA President
PULSE

Pulse - May 2023

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