It’s not always medicines that fix our pets, love and compassion is everything

Amy Booth
RVN
Blue house veterinary centre

The context

A very poorly and nervous 4 year old collie came into the clinic after falling ill suddenly at the weekend. He could barely walk and was very sad on presentation, he was going to need extra care while in clinic, this would include assisted feeding assisted cleaning and toileting It was a busy Wednesday with a smaller team, including Amy a qualified nurse. He was a vulnerable patient that may have gone on suffering in silence without continued care or monitoring

The action

He needed extra care that in a busy environment was a struggle, but Amy sat with him encouraging him to eat, gently cleaning his face and paws and giving him not only medical support but also comforting care while he was with us and away from home. He came around to wagging his tail with Amy, which was nice to see for a very nervous and scared dog. I feel she showed a lot of compassion to this dog, to me as the Vet and to the owner.

The ripple effect

The dog responded well to treatment, but I do not feel he would have had the fight in him without the continued care from Amy The owner was extremely grateful after considering euthanising him but after explaining how far he had come with his confidence and his health the owner wanted to see us both with the dog to express his gratitude for the kindness and care given

Voting opens 13 November.