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"Real Pets" Rant (Warning: Contains Some Sad Stuff and Language)
As some of you may know, I work at several Veterinary Clinics. One of them, in addition to seeing the typical cats and dogs, sees exotic pets such as birds, small mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and the like. They don’t see large animals (horses, cattle, big farm-type animals) or dangerous animals (venomous reptiles, monkeys, natural skunks) but pet foxes, water fowl, and pet squirrels are fair game. At this clinic, we see all kinds of animals on a daily basis and, even though we are marketed as an “exotic” clinic, we get lots of dogs and cats thanks to the doggie daycare next door.
One day, I was working up front because we were a tad short staffed reception-wise and I have no problem working up front. I’m at the front desk, checking in customers, when a woman approaches, red eyed and sobbing, with a Tupperware container. Inside is a decently sized goldfish clearly on its last legs (metaphorically speaking), listed to one side, gasping, barely moving. The woman told me her fish is dying and she wondered if we preformed euthanasia’s on fish because she didn’t want her fish to suffer anymore. I told her we did and brought her back into a room.
When possible, we recommend our clients coming in for a euthanasia to have a ride home for safety reasons. Of course, we don’t want grief stricken owners getting in to an accident because they are too upset to pay attention. This woman was alone. I sat next to her and asked if she had someone driving her because she was so upset. She said she didn’t and admitted that she didn’t want to ask any of her family or friends to come with her because she felt they would think poorly of her for crying over a fish.
She laughed.
“It is silly, isn’t it? It’s just a fish…”
“No. It’s not ‘just a fish’. You’ve had her for 6 years, you love her, and she clearly means a lot to you. She’s part of your life.”
I told her about how I moved a few months back and the stress of the move killed one of my fish. I was heartbroken. I cried. This was a fish I raised from a baby and had for many years. I admitted that I felt pretty silly at the time and was sure my boyfriend would make fun of me. He didn’t care about my fish, but he cared enough about me to see what my fish meant to me and instead told me how sorry he was for me and held me while I cried. I said her loved ones will likely react the same way; they may not care about her fish the way she does, but they care about her and will want to be there for her.
I went over options and pricing with her and mentioned the cremation services we offer. She decided to just get the euthanasia and take her fish home to bury in her backyard. We took care of payment and I did my usual spiel asking if she was ready of if she wanted a moment. She wasn’t ready and asked me if I could sit with her for a moment.
“I’m sorry, you don’t have to stay long; I just don’t want to be alone.”
“Don’t be sorry, I’ll stay as long as you want me to.”
“No, no, I’m sure you have lots of work to do.”
“My coworkers can handle it. Right now, you need me here. I know how hard this is and I want to do whatever I can to make it easier for you.”
So I stayed. I stayed and talked with her for an hour before she was ready. During that time, I learned that the fish once belonged to her son who died in an accident a few years back. That little goldfish helped her stay connected to her son and seeing the goldfish suffer made her feel like she was watching her child hurting. She asked a lot of questions about the procedure because she was worried her goldfish would be hurt. I assured her it was completely painless and explained that it was an anesthetic oil put into the water which gets absorbed through the gills and the fish will slowly fall asleep and then pass away. I assured her the doctor was a very wonderful person, very kind and gentle, and that I would trust him with any one of my pets. She said she was ready and handed her little fish over to me.
“Can you please stay with her? I know it’s a lot to ask, but I don’t want her to die alone.”
“Of course I will. I promise, I’ll stay right there with her so she won’t be alone.”
And I did. I pulled up a chair and spent an hour in the back keeping a dying goldfish company. When it was done, the doctor gently wrapped her up and put her in a box and then decorated the box with pretty paper before handing the fish back to the woman. She thanked the doctor and thanked me for staying with her. I assured her she went peacefully and wasn’t scared and told her, as I promised, I didn’t leave her alone. She thanked me and the doctor and then I walked her to the door. On the way out, I heard another customer talking to a coworker about the woman with the fish.
“Did her pet just die?”
“Yeah, she put her pet to sleep. It’s very sad.”
“What pet is small enough to fit in that tiny box?”
“Her pet goldfish.”
“What? Seriously? I didn’t know you treated fish here. Who would waste money on a fish? They aren’t real pets.”
I was pissed. That customer said this within hearing range of the woman who just lost her fish. I. Was. Pissed. I just spent hours with this woman helping her through this difficult time. She was in pain. She was grieving. She didn’t need to hear pompous assholes writing off her sadness because her pet isn’t “real”. She was a sweet lady who didn't deserve that kind of rudeness. I wanted to smack that bitch and ask her what qualities made a pet “real” and who the hell died and made her the authority on pets. She should have thanked her lucky stars that I was at work and I had my "euth face" on. If I was off the clock at a different clinic where my job wouldn't be effected, the claws would have been out and I would have gone full tiger-mom on that bitch sandwich. Thank the universe the woman with the fish didn’t hear this, so I just put my hand on her back and told her to drive safely and to take care of herself and sent her on her way.
I’m sure many reading this are thinking, “wow, what a bitch saying such a thing in front of that poor woman! It’s a good thing no one else it like that!” Actually, you’d be surprised at how many people think this way. A decent chunk of cat and dog owners, as well as some of the staff at the cat and dog clinics I work at, truly believe that cats and dogs are the only “real pets” deserving of health care and truly believe that money spent on veterinary care for a non-cat/dog pet is a waste of money. Some of these people are polite enough to keep their beliefs to themselves around exotic pet owners, but a fair amount are very open about their opinion on the matter and will loudly criticize others for spending $200 on a $20 rabbit (meanwhile spending $200 on vet care for their free rescue dog). These people need to get roundhouse kicked off their high horse.
You love your dog. Your dog is like your baby. You would do anything for your dog. You want to keep your dog healthy so your dog lives with you a long time. You don’t want your dog to be sick or in pain. You want your dog to be happy. I’m glad your dog means a lot to you.
That woman loved her fish. That fish was like her baby. She wanted to keep her fish healthy so her fish could live with her a long time. She didn’t want her fish to be sick and in pain. She wanted her fish to be happy.
Her fish may not have been furry and cuddly, she couldn’t keep your feet warm at night, she couldn’t run to greet you at the door, you couldn’t play fetch with her or take her for walks or give her belly rubs, but she was loved. That woman’s love for her fish is just as strong as your love for your dog, so what makes her pet less real than yours?
I get it. Veterinary care for exotic pets is pricy. Staff has to undergo years of training, special tests and medication have to be used, special equipment is needed, and this all drives up the price. If you aren’t willing to pay for vet care for your hamster or gecko or canary, that’s fine. I can respect that. But realize that this is because of your opinions, perhaps you don’t have the money or perhaps your relationship with your exotic pet isn’t as deep as your relationship with your dog or cat, NOT because exotic pets aren’t “real pets” and don’t deserve vet care. And so to you, horrible bitch who felt the need to announce that fish aren’t “real pets”, kiss my ass.
One day, I was working up front because we were a tad short staffed reception-wise and I have no problem working up front. I’m at the front desk, checking in customers, when a woman approaches, red eyed and sobbing, with a Tupperware container. Inside is a decently sized goldfish clearly on its last legs (metaphorically speaking), listed to one side, gasping, barely moving. The woman told me her fish is dying and she wondered if we preformed euthanasia’s on fish because she didn’t want her fish to suffer anymore. I told her we did and brought her back into a room.
When possible, we recommend our clients coming in for a euthanasia to have a ride home for safety reasons. Of course, we don’t want grief stricken owners getting in to an accident because they are too upset to pay attention. This woman was alone. I sat next to her and asked if she had someone driving her because she was so upset. She said she didn’t and admitted that she didn’t want to ask any of her family or friends to come with her because she felt they would think poorly of her for crying over a fish.
She laughed.
“It is silly, isn’t it? It’s just a fish…”
“No. It’s not ‘just a fish’. You’ve had her for 6 years, you love her, and she clearly means a lot to you. She’s part of your life.”
I told her about how I moved a few months back and the stress of the move killed one of my fish. I was heartbroken. I cried. This was a fish I raised from a baby and had for many years. I admitted that I felt pretty silly at the time and was sure my boyfriend would make fun of me. He didn’t care about my fish, but he cared enough about me to see what my fish meant to me and instead told me how sorry he was for me and held me while I cried. I said her loved ones will likely react the same way; they may not care about her fish the way she does, but they care about her and will want to be there for her.
I went over options and pricing with her and mentioned the cremation services we offer. She decided to just get the euthanasia and take her fish home to bury in her backyard. We took care of payment and I did my usual spiel asking if she was ready of if she wanted a moment. She wasn’t ready and asked me if I could sit with her for a moment.
“I’m sorry, you don’t have to stay long; I just don’t want to be alone.”
“Don’t be sorry, I’ll stay as long as you want me to.”
“No, no, I’m sure you have lots of work to do.”
“My coworkers can handle it. Right now, you need me here. I know how hard this is and I want to do whatever I can to make it easier for you.”
So I stayed. I stayed and talked with her for an hour before she was ready. During that time, I learned that the fish once belonged to her son who died in an accident a few years back. That little goldfish helped her stay connected to her son and seeing the goldfish suffer made her feel like she was watching her child hurting. She asked a lot of questions about the procedure because she was worried her goldfish would be hurt. I assured her it was completely painless and explained that it was an anesthetic oil put into the water which gets absorbed through the gills and the fish will slowly fall asleep and then pass away. I assured her the doctor was a very wonderful person, very kind and gentle, and that I would trust him with any one of my pets. She said she was ready and handed her little fish over to me.
“Can you please stay with her? I know it’s a lot to ask, but I don’t want her to die alone.”
“Of course I will. I promise, I’ll stay right there with her so she won’t be alone.”
And I did. I pulled up a chair and spent an hour in the back keeping a dying goldfish company. When it was done, the doctor gently wrapped her up and put her in a box and then decorated the box with pretty paper before handing the fish back to the woman. She thanked the doctor and thanked me for staying with her. I assured her she went peacefully and wasn’t scared and told her, as I promised, I didn’t leave her alone. She thanked me and the doctor and then I walked her to the door. On the way out, I heard another customer talking to a coworker about the woman with the fish.
“Did her pet just die?”
“Yeah, she put her pet to sleep. It’s very sad.”
“What pet is small enough to fit in that tiny box?”
“Her pet goldfish.”
“What? Seriously? I didn’t know you treated fish here. Who would waste money on a fish? They aren’t real pets.”
I was pissed. That customer said this within hearing range of the woman who just lost her fish. I. Was. Pissed. I just spent hours with this woman helping her through this difficult time. She was in pain. She was grieving. She didn’t need to hear pompous assholes writing off her sadness because her pet isn’t “real”. She was a sweet lady who didn't deserve that kind of rudeness. I wanted to smack that bitch and ask her what qualities made a pet “real” and who the hell died and made her the authority on pets. She should have thanked her lucky stars that I was at work and I had my "euth face" on. If I was off the clock at a different clinic where my job wouldn't be effected, the claws would have been out and I would have gone full tiger-mom on that bitch sandwich. Thank the universe the woman with the fish didn’t hear this, so I just put my hand on her back and told her to drive safely and to take care of herself and sent her on her way.
I’m sure many reading this are thinking, “wow, what a bitch saying such a thing in front of that poor woman! It’s a good thing no one else it like that!” Actually, you’d be surprised at how many people think this way. A decent chunk of cat and dog owners, as well as some of the staff at the cat and dog clinics I work at, truly believe that cats and dogs are the only “real pets” deserving of health care and truly believe that money spent on veterinary care for a non-cat/dog pet is a waste of money. Some of these people are polite enough to keep their beliefs to themselves around exotic pet owners, but a fair amount are very open about their opinion on the matter and will loudly criticize others for spending $200 on a $20 rabbit (meanwhile spending $200 on vet care for their free rescue dog). These people need to get roundhouse kicked off their high horse.
You love your dog. Your dog is like your baby. You would do anything for your dog. You want to keep your dog healthy so your dog lives with you a long time. You don’t want your dog to be sick or in pain. You want your dog to be happy. I’m glad your dog means a lot to you.
That woman loved her fish. That fish was like her baby. She wanted to keep her fish healthy so her fish could live with her a long time. She didn’t want her fish to be sick and in pain. She wanted her fish to be happy.
Her fish may not have been furry and cuddly, she couldn’t keep your feet warm at night, she couldn’t run to greet you at the door, you couldn’t play fetch with her or take her for walks or give her belly rubs, but she was loved. That woman’s love for her fish is just as strong as your love for your dog, so what makes her pet less real than yours?
I get it. Veterinary care for exotic pets is pricy. Staff has to undergo years of training, special tests and medication have to be used, special equipment is needed, and this all drives up the price. If you aren’t willing to pay for vet care for your hamster or gecko or canary, that’s fine. I can respect that. But realize that this is because of your opinions, perhaps you don’t have the money or perhaps your relationship with your exotic pet isn’t as deep as your relationship with your dog or cat, NOT because exotic pets aren’t “real pets” and don’t deserve vet care. And so to you, horrible bitch who felt the need to announce that fish aren’t “real pets”, kiss my ass.
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