Tech Talk: Empathy and the human animal bond goes a long way

Photo Bigstock/HalfPoint The human-animal bond is described best by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) as a mutually beneficial and dynamic relationship between people and animals that is influenced by behaviors essential to the health and well-being of both. This includes emotional, psychological, and physical interactions of people, animals, and the environment. Veterinary medicine exists due to our clients’ amazing bond with their pets. The way it is described simply comes down to what we see each day in our own clinics. In so many cases, our clients treat their pets as their family members. They are making decisions that benefit their pets just as they would do for themselves. People are even more focused on being able to afford their pet’s own care than their own in some cases. This has been more apparent over the last decade as people are investing more in their pet’s care and taking a more active role in their health. They bring their pets to our clinics both when they are sick and when they are well. For serious things and then those that may seem trivial to us, but important in their own eyes. My staff is told from day one of their employment with my clinic, if a client perceives something as an emergency, it is to remain so until deemed otherwise. Over the 28 years I have been in veterinary medicine, I have had experiences from one extreme to the next, ranging from the client who can do anything and everything for their pet to the client who cannot even afford an exam fee. Yet, no matter their financial demographic, they all come in with the same goal: to get their pet the best care possible. If they did not care, they would not have bothered to come in to see us. While expression of their intentions may be skewed at times, emotional or un-emotional, our clients’ pets hold a place in their hearts, same as ours. Our patients are far more than just pets to our clients. They are part of their families. Even new pets become family members instantly, sometimes even before they are physically in their family units. Seeing a picture of a soon-to-be new pet causes people to already image them as part of their family. The stories of their “Gotcha Day” always bring joy to me, reminding me how unique each story is. Up until it is time for them to cross the Rainbow Bridge, the relationship a person has with their pet is special in its own way. They all hold different meanings to each person. I am no different in that way. I am just as human as the next person, remembering how important my pets are to my family is what helps to bring me closer to my clients. It allows me to be able to truly see their experiences as my own, bringing my knowledge and expertise to the table to help them as I am able to do so. Being relatable I share with my clients my own stories of how my pets came to be a part of my family. How each one of them snuck into my heart and what impact they have had on me. To my clients, it makes me seem more human and relatable on their level. Last year one of my own pets was sick and needed a major procedure done. I was in the same place many of my clients have been in, trying to decide what was best for my own pet. My Sadie girl is the absolute best dog in the entire world. I know everyone thinks that for their own pets, I happen to know it is true for my own. Earlier this year, we celebrated her 14th birthday. She came to live with my family eight years ago when she was signed over to the clinic I work at. While I was not expecting to take a dog home that day, destiny had other things in mind. She originally presented with a laceration on her leg that needed surgical repair. After asking when she would be able to go back outside where she lived, as well as how much her surgery would cost, her original owners decided at that point they no longer could care for her. They signed her over to my clinic and left, never truly realizing what an amazing dog they were giving up. The decision to adopt her was a no-brainer for me. From the day I decided to take her home forward, she became the best-behaved member of my family. She is my son’s best friend and loves her cats, as well. She fit into our family dynamic and we never regretted our decision to bring her into our home. She was rumored to jump fences and destroy toys and bedding. In the past eight years, she has done nothing of the sort. She prefers her fluffy bed and respectfully shares said bed with her feline companions. My sphynx loves her and lays on her all the time to share her warmth. One of my other cats cleans her face daily and spoons with her on her bed. She is now closing in on 15 years old. Other than a little arthritis, she is in great health. It is so hard for me to see her age. She is a red golden retriever. Her red face is now mostly white, her gait a little more ginger than it used to be. The weekend after she came into my home, she was needed to be a blood donor. She stepped up, raised her paw to volunteer as a savior and never looked back. Over the years, she was able to help save a more than dozen lives, donating on a regular basis in our clinic. Many a thank you card came her way from clients that expressed their appreciation for her services. She officially retired from our blood donor program a few years ago as her age was finally catching up to her. I take her to fall festivals and career fairs to help represent veterinary medicine. She still loves going to schools in the area with me to talk about veterinary medicine with kids of all ages. She is so tolerant of the students petting her as well as is always up for helping them learn how to use a stethoscope and allowing them to perfect their auscultation skills. In our clients’ shoes Last summer, we ran her screening lab work and found some minor abnormal values on the chemistries. Never to leave well enough alone, we dug into the values a little more to try to figure out why she had the minor changes that she did. She was acting totally normal and there was no indication of anything wrong with her. This led to my veterinarians doing an ultrasound of her abdomen and some chest radiographs. During the ultrasound we found a mass about the size of a gumball in her caudal abdomen. The exact location of the mass was unknown, but it was suspected to be near her cecum. The mass was aspirated, and the slides sent off for a pathologist to review them. A short while later, the results came back strongly in favor of cancer. I was in shock. I was never expecting to be faced with the decision of taking her into surgery a few days later. A plan was put into place to do an abdominal explore and attempt to remove the mass. Trying to make the best decision possible for her was my goal. I counsel clients to do the same every day. Could I unobjectively make the same decision for my own pet? As happens with most of us, my level-headed knowledge from being in the field for over 25 years went out the window. I couldn’t even thing straight. Always known to be the strong one on my team, ever the cool and collected one, I held it together and continued my day at my clinic, dying on the inside, acting like nothing was wrong. Pretending I was fine with what was going on but I knew too much. I had helped to care for thousands of patients in my 28 years in the field. I knew the possible outcome. I knew the odds. What was I going to do? What could I do? Why couldn’t someone make this decision for me? I left my clinic that night, driving home with my emotions in full swing. I sat in my driveway and ugly cried for an hour. For her. For me. For my family. I was not ready to lose her. Was taking her into surgery the right thing to do? Was she too old? Would she survive the procedure? How would she recover? What if I did nothing? Could I do this to her? Was it fair? My heart broke, thinking of her not being a part of my family anymore. A few days later, early in the morning, we took her into surgery. I was not even sure I could be there for her, but I knew I had to be. I would never forgive myself if something happened to her and I was not there with her. Surgery started and a calmness came over me. At that point there was no going back. We were in it to win it, no matter the outcome. One of my best surgeons was taking care of us that day and I knew she was in good hands. A nerve-wracking hour later, she was in recovery and doing well. We had successfully found and removed the mass. Based on where it was, we thought we were able to get good margins and things would be okay. Everything else looked good and she woke up with no complications. She was a little out of it because of the pain medications and that was exactly where we wanted her to be. Sitting in a cage with her while she recovered, I was thought about how thankful I was to have had the opportunity to have her in my life and the impact she had had on so many. She spent a few days in the hospital, building her energy back up and being nursed by an amazing group of technicians and assistants. That first night after surgery, I was able to sleep well as I knew she was in good hands. I was exhausted, both mentally and physically. The last few days had been so stressful on all of us. She rested as well, being on the receiving end of so much attention and well wishes from everyone on my team. Not one person passed her cage without speaking to her or laying their hands on her in support. Unfortunately, several days later, the biopsy results did show that the mass was cancerous. It was exactly what we expected it to be. It was fully removed with good margins. I held my breath for those days until I knew she would be okay. After consults with a few oncologists, we came up with a solid plan going forward in order to keep an eye on things as well as make sure we did what was best for her. Thanks to my amazing team of co-workers, she was able to make a full recovery. The first day she ate on her own everyone celebrated together. Her cage was decorated with Get Well Soon signs and she became the new owner of several stuffed animals to help comfort her. Due to my amazing staff and their very impressive skill sets, she is still with me and will continue to be a part of our family for many years to come. Fast forward to now, a year and a half later. Sadie is doing well and one would never know she had been sick. She is active and healthy. My goal is for her to continue to live her best life. She is a big part of my heart and soul and as we all know, the best. Jamie Rauscher is a licensed veterinary technician at a 24/7 GP/ER practice in Atlanta. She has been at this practice for more than 20 years and is part owner of the practice, as well as the medical manager. She is the current president of NAVTA and the vice president of the Georgia Veterinary Technician and Assistant Association. Her interests include anesthesia, pain management, emergency and critical care, as well as hospice and palliative care.

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Tech Talk: Empathy and the human animal bond goes a long way

A technician shares her pet’s story, and how it helps her relate to clients

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