Respect Your Elders

Quite a while back, I did a routine castration of a tiny adorable 4 kg poodle puppy.

The surgery was with no complication and the recovery was uneventful.

So the puppy went home.

The puppy return after 1 week for a post surgery review and was deemed to have a mild infection because the elizabethan collar was not kept on the puppy everyday, and that allowed the puppy to licked the wound and contaminated the healing surgical site.

A very small problem that can be resolved easily with a course of antibiotics and some more daily cleaning of the surgical area with the dispensed antiseptic cleanser.

The owner (son) called the clinic 2 days later and questioned about the cause of the infection. We explained that cause was a contamination of the surgical area from the saliva of the puppy.

The owner (son) proceeded to blame the clinic for not explaining the condition to his father & mother who are (I quote) "uneducated & simple minded"!!!

Ok, let's pause here.

This owner (son), who was never present in any of the consultations concerning the puppy, would have no idea what transpired between any of the clinic staff (myself included), should not then conclude that we have not explained the home care requirements of the puppy clearly to his parents.

Not an uncommon but definitely unfortunate behaviour, I must say.

However, what really upset me was his degrading description of who he thinks his parents are - "Uneducated and simple minded".

Without hesitation, I stopped this young man in his track and reprimanded him, without mercy, for shaming his own parents.

It is ok if you feel the veterinary team short changed you and deserved to be humiliated by you.

But please don't embarrass yourself, your parents and your ancestors by behaving like a primitive ingrate.