On any given day, I treat about 10 or more pets, generally successfully and  always to the best of my ability. And yet it is the occasional failures that stand out in my mind, and the bad days that get remembered best. Yesterday was one of those days! First we received a phone call from a very irate pet owner, refusing to pay for the vaccine we did the previous day, because we vaccinated the wrong dog.  We vaccinated the only dog his driver brought to the practice - a middle aged Dachshund whose boosters were long overdue! It turns out he should have brought the Labrador puppy! He was told to take the "small dog" to the vet for a vaccination. As the Dachshund was the smallest dog on the property, the driver brought him! We vaccinated the Labrador later, and gave him a discount. Now we wait.... .

This crisis averted for the time being, I had to concentrate on operating a very small very old Toy Pom with a heart murmur. Thank goodness she was fine. Hungry and tired after all that concentration, I emerged from theatre, only to walk into a screaming client. The people who cremate pets for us, had failed to return her pet's ashes.  When I phoned the company, they screamed at me as well. Facts are they removed the pet from the freezer, but seems to have lost it. Of course they will never own up to it being their mistake. So why am I feeling personally guilty for something totally outside of my personal control! If there is one thing I should have learn't at university, it is how to let things I cannot or could not control, and are really not my fault, roll of my back and not lose any sleep or develop any stress because of it.

Then someone phoned because a dog I treated for biliary with low parasitaemia the previous evening, died unexpectedly. Although it was getting progressively worse for over 6 hours after being treated, they did not phone while I could still help. Now they do not want to pay  (after hours, blood smear and 4 injections) and I feel really terrible that I apparently did not realize that the dog was most likely developing cerebral biliary.

Finally, as the day was drawing to a close, we received a fax. A very unsuitable staff member, who resigned very emotionally during a performance review, has taken us to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration  for unfair dismissal.  So another drama unfolding!

And we are admitting puppies with Parvo virus almost daily - unvaccinated of course, hopeless prognosis in many cases too.

Ah well, there are those we actually do help as well - best concentrate on them!