I sing the praises of vets & techs

 

On Tuesday, August 11, 2020, we had to put our Lucy, a therapy dog border collie corgi boon companion I-wanna-go dog to sleep. She was 15, and as is often the case when we age, everything stopped working at once. I knew the end was coming as we headed to the vet clinic. Cath knew it. The reception team, the vet tech, our long time vet; we all knew the reason we were there.

Except Lucy. She just knew she was tired. And that is what separates us from our pets, what makes our animals special, what makes their passing more than heartbreaking. Whether you’ve lived a good life or one marred by poor choices, a life of luxury or financial struggle, health or illness, you know “the years of our life are seventy.” Our pets, they live their lives in concert with our hearts.

And that is why I’m writing about veterinary medicine. Our pet caregivers love animals; no one goes into veterinary medicine for the money. They love to see our pets, to aid us as we raise our pets, to give them health, and when the time comes, to help us give our pets the gentle death we all wish for ourselves.

They do this every day; perhaps several times a day - a vet and the tech draw up a syringe, and as your beloved friend sits in your lap one last time, they ease your pet’s pain one last time. Your pet goes limp, you cry, the vet cries, the tech cries, and they leave you with your pet for as long as you must hug them goodbye, your tears mingling with their fur.

The vet and the tech, they dry their eyes, and go back to work, to heal the other animals in their care, and most assuredly, repeat the process several more times each day.

Who can cry over pets’ lives lost 2,3,4,5 times a day and still give their very best care to others’ pets?

I don’t know that I could. I doubt that you could.

Here’s to our veterinarians and their techs, the kindest of the kind. Thank-you.