Vet Visit

Neither Brandy or I enjoy trips to the vet.

I took Brandy in today for a routine exam, ahead of her scheduled teeth cleaning next week. The staff is wonderful and the decor is top-notch. It's always nice to catch up with the technicians and Brandy's doctor is a real sweetheart. But these trappings placate neither my dog nor myself.

My aversion to the vet's office is mainly financial. At the absolute minimum, I must spend $50 for an exam, and I usually average $100-$200 per visit depending on the combination of medicines and vaccines my pet requires. Next week's dental work will cost around $500 since it include anesthesia and an IV. Interestingly, I had the head doctor's (and clinic owner's) son in my class years ago. This has never gotten me so much as a single percent discount. And that little boy was a challenge! I don't have pet insurance - I researched it once and the deductibles were so high, it really wasn't worth it in my opinion. Of course, that was before the rattlesnake bite a few years ago - the insurance really would have come in handy then....

But my six-million-dollar dog hates going to the doctor for other, more emotional reasons. As soon as we walk in the door she starts shaking and although she really tries to sit nicely while we're inside, any time I so much as flinch, she lurches toward the door with a hopeful "time to go now?" glance over her shoulder. It's really quite silly for her to be so afraid - everyone in there coos and pets her and treats here like a little baby. But I think her fear stems from a horrifying event she's had to endure three or four separate times in that office: ear flushes.

Brandy is a spaniel, and those big, floppy ears trap moisture and bacteria very effectively. She's quite susceptible to icky ear infections if I don't diligently keep her ears clean and dry. When I bring her in for these infections, the first thing the doctor wants to do is flush the already tender, irritated ear. I'm not sure what flushing entails because they do it in the back, but I imagine they stick some kind of hose or sprayer in her ear and shoot liquid inside to get all the gunk out. Brandy always comes back to me with a wet ear, shaking her head and whining.

So now, I think every time we pull up, Brandy is afraid she's going to get an ear flush. She may be a dog, but she has the memory of an elephant. I like to think Brandy is aware, on some level, that, although the vet is scary (just like I know that, although the vet is expensive), I am protecting her health and well-being as best I can because I have so much love for her.