Sticking with this week’s theme of spay/neuter, let me tell you a story. Several years ago I had the pleasure of speaking with a very nice older woman who was dropping her puppy off for a spay procedure. She was well put-together, kind, and couldn’t be more upbeat about having a puppy-free day for the first time in months. The client signed all of the appropriate paperwork and went about her day.
Once surgery was completed and the puppy was waking up, I called the client to let her know that her dog was out of surgery and recovering well. During that phone call I informed her of a late afternoon pick-up time and she couldn’t be more delighted that surgery went smoothly.
Later that afternoon the receptionist peeked around the corner to let me know that Mrs. had arrived and was ready for her puppy. I gathered her discharge notes and medications to go home. Finding the client seated on the lobby bench, I joined her with a smile and began reviewing the procedure and post-op care. About 30 seconds into my instruction I noticed that Mrs. couldn’t keep her eyes open. Even when she was speaking to me, she spoke with her eyes closed. Two minutes into our conversation, Mrs. kept interrupting me, asking me the same question over and over again about appropriate chew toys for the puppy. The client clearly had not listened to a word about post-op care and was on the verge of falling asleep on our bench.
Given that this interaction was a stark difference from my interaction with her several hours ago, instead of going to grab her dog for her, I went directly to my managers. Neither manager believed me when I told them that the client arrived drunk to pick up her dog. However, I was not willing to send her dog out that door, knowing she was drunk and drove to the vet in this condition. To be honest, I was ready to call the cops for her own safety. Instead, the manager went to the lobby to speak with the woman and assess her condition for herself. After finding that she was in fact drunk, the manager pulled her into an exam room to chat with her and keep her occupied while the other manager called the secondary phone number on the account.
When the husband finally arrived at the hospital, he too was drunk. He apologized and explained to the managers that they both decided to take the day off work and celebrate their puppy-free day. They must have celebrated a little too hard, and he hadn’t realized just how much they had to drink. Luckily, this couple had a very nice neighbor that agreed to drive Mr. to the vet to collect his drunken wife and dog.
To date, these clients have not arrived intoxicated to the vet since.
*It’s not uncommon for clients to bring their pets to the vet under the influence of drugs or alcohol. I don’t quite understand this, as it seems common sense to not do this. Now that marijuana is legal in many states, it’s becoming more and more common for clients to smoke in their car seconds before entering the building. You may not think we know…. but we know.
Word of advice: Don’t get intoxicated before taking your pet to or picking your pet up from the vet. Best case scenario, we intervene and make sure everyone gets home safely. Worst case scenario, you pee on the lobby couch and make a fool out of yourself. Yes… that happened a decade ago when a lady brought her dog in late at night for an emergency visit. Either way, don’t be that person. Your veterinary staff doesn’t get paid enough to deal with this.
Have a safe and fun weekend!