but when an important component is forgotten, a routine day will
become extremely frustrating. Let me explain. I normally leave my
house at 4:50 am, drive for about 2 1/2 hours and arrive in Wendover,
UT some time past 7:00 am. This routine occurs each and every
time we are open for business at Dr. Sam Pet Hospital. When I arrive,
all the supplies are unloaded, taken into the clinic, we set up for the
day, and begin seeing veterinary patients until we close between
6:00 and 7:00 pm.
However, on March 13th, 2013, this routine was a little different.
The difference was that I had forgotten all my business keys at home.
So, when I arrived to Wendover, I got out of the car, unloaded
some supplies, approached the entrance door, and in a frightening
moment I realized my keys were two and a half hours away.
Imagine my surprise, anger, desperation, stress, frustration, etc.
I have come to realize my memory is not as great as I wish it was,
and as a result I placed myself in quite a predicament that morning
jeopardizing my patients' wellness care, my business and the staff's
compensation.
In a similar fashion, it is very easy to forget our pets' routine
veterinary care at home. It is quite simple not to remember when
"Fido's" vaccinations are due. It's easy to simply forget to give
"Max" her "heartworm pill" each month on a particular day.
There would be no surprise to forget that "Fifi's" veterinary
appointment was yesterday. Or, how common is it to forget to
give "Wolfie" his antibiotics and pain medications a few days after
his neuter surgery?... especially when he's now "acting normally?"
We are all human, with an very imperfect memory, and we simply
forget things (e.g. keys). We can easily forget simple things that
our pets need; thus, jeopardize their well-being. Nevertheless,
we have a responsibility to our non-human pals in providing them
with the care they deserve.
How can we make sure to remember our pets' veterinary care?
Simple... using reminders. At Dr. Sam Pet Hospital we strive to
send out mail reminders for routine wellness and preventative care
for our patients. We make reminder calls 1-2 days prior to a
veterinary appointment. I personally call all surgery and dental
patients the following day to follow-up and remind to start certain
medications and treatments. We post a calendar on our website
for our clients' reference. Heartworm medication packaging
includes reminder stickers that can be applied to a calendar as a
reminder. There are computer websites and smartphone apps that
help us keep a calendar and serve as reminders. Please don't follow
my example of forgetfulness, but strive to do what may be necessary
to remind you about your pet's scheduled and timely wellness and
preventative care.
No comments:
Post a Comment