Lessons learned

So life in the clinic has slowly returned to normal.  My parents had three whole days where they didn't have to say good-bye to any of the pet patients. 
It seems like what I've been hearing more than anything this week is "Wow, talk about learning a lesson the hard way!"  

One such lesson was taught by a Cocker Spaniel named Lady.  As a puppy she was adored by all, and no one could be in the same room with her without squealing "ooooooh, how cute!".  Her folks were such proud parents and brought her every few weeks to get her puppy pokes.  By the time she was ready for her sleeping procedure to remove her girls parts -- what my mom calls "puppy prevention" -- she had lost some of her puppy cuteness and seemingly some of her parents devotion.  "We do want to get her spayed" Lady's dad said "but things are getting tight and we're going to shop around for prices to get the surgery done".  Sweet Sally tried to explain the care that she takes with every sleeping patient, but Lady's dad wasn't listening.  That was the last we saw of Lady until yesterday.  It had been months since she had been in for a visit, and months since her surgery.  "She started acting really sick yesterday and hasn't wanted to eat or drink, and then this morning I noticed the sore on her belly.  What do you think that could be?" Lady's dad asked.   Mother took one look at the red, hot and oozing Cocker belly and said "Oh!"  in that surprised-but-trying-not-to-sound-alarmed kind of way.  After a closer look under the green smelly scab, the skin started to fall away over the place where her belly button used to be.  Mother and Sweet Sally took a sample of the green goo and looked into her my-crow-scope, "Yep, white blood cells and bacteria, this is the source of her 104.2 fever", mother confirmed.  Mother was less condemning when talking with Lady's dad "Dogs can have suture reactions after surgery, and if she licked the area after surgery she could have planted the bacteria in the sutures.".  Lady was given a big poke of Antie Biotics and sent home with two containers full of pills.  Vocal Vonie yiped in after they left, "Well, if you ask me, you get what you pay for.  Low cost spay means low cost suture, stuff not sterilized, and who know what other corners they cut.  I wish we could help people to realize just how risky it can be.  It's just too bad for Lady" Vonnie barked on.  Mother said "So long as the infection is just in the skin and surrounding tissue we're ok, if it goes into her abdomen, then it's a whole other problem.  At least she only has to be spayed once."

The other lesson had a happy ending.  Spotsie is a Papillon that is completely adored by her mother.  She is so adored that she never leaves her mothers arms.   When Vocal Vonnie once asked about getting a microchip put in Spotsie the answer she got was "But why?  She never leaves my arms.".  'Never' to humans, means never until they go away on vacation and leave you at home with your human sister.  And apparently no one ever told Spotsie's sister to carry her everywhere because as soon as she hit the ground she was off.  She disappeared for two full days.  Dancing Debbie first took the call asking if we had seen the missing Papillon.  Her first question to the caller was "Is she microchipped?".  Luckily, Spotsie was found flirting with some workers in an empty lot not far from her home.  She was limping,had a bee stinger in her leg, and was really thirsty but otherwise seemed impressively composed. 
I admit, I don't know what I would do for two days away from home -- no laps to lie in, no food and water brought to me on request, and I shudder to think of what might happen to Bea's ears in my absence.  Thank goodness for microchips, I don't know how they work, but I can sleep easy knowing that I have one.