Tales From the Vet Clinic: Fleased

by | Friday | August 27, 2010 | 12 comments

Thank you all for the lovely birthday wishes yesterday. It was a wonderful day despite dentist, doctor and 100 degree nasty weather. My husband brought home cupcakes, the kids had a great day at school and Brody found, then ate, a whole bag of goldfish crackers. Two out of three ain’t bad. I guess he was mad he didn’t get a cupcake.

It’s been a bad year for fleas, even worse than normal. With the long hot days of late summer dragging on with no signs of cooling off, they’re not going away anytime soon. Clients are understandably frustrated when they buy the right flea control, use it correctly, and are still seeing fleas because of the persistent reservoir in the environment. The idea of alternating treatments, vacuuming religiously, AND getting a pest control service in for cases of bad infestations is pretty unappealing. I get that. I have several conversations a day about that.

I also have several conversations a day with owners who had no idea their pet had fleas until we point the little bugs out to them. There’s at least a couple a month who, even when you DO point them out, flat out deny their existence. I think this conversation will sound awfully familiar to all the veterinary professionals out there:

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Filed: Daily Life, Tails from the Vet Clinic Tagged: ,
  • Cathey

    Too cute and TOO TRUE, I’m sure! Our “Fluffy” is VERY allergic to fleas and all their leavings so we fight them with everything known to man! If we are not vigilant, WE get them, too, as we allow our dogs to sleep at the bottom of the bed. Anyone who’s ever had flea bites on their ankles has found out what the animal is going through and doesn’t have a ridiculous conversation with their vet. Some people are just to stubborn or stupid to take good care of their animals!

  • Lindsay

    Bwahahaha, don’t forget your fleas! Love it!

  • macula_densa

    Yes, yes, I know this conversation very well. I think people just get so embarrassed and want to pin the blame on us rather than on themselves for failing to take the proper measures to control the fleas. I just wish they would allow themselves to be educated about it, but instead they just want to insist we’re trying to make money. It’s so frustrating!!!

  • http://www.biscuitsbylambchop.com Annette Frey

    Boy you vets are sneaky planting fleas and all! I had not idea! ROFBOL!

    • http://www.biscuitsbylambchop.com Annette Frey

      Oops, see what I get for being a smarty pants. Typos!

  • http://www.k9cuisine.com Anthony Holloway

    You are too much. I can always count on you for a smile and a laugh. This is too funny. “Don’t forget your fleas” :-) -

  • http://somethingwagging.wordpress.com Pamela

    Too funny! And too sad. Think of all the poor suffering dogs and cats whose people won’t take care of their fleas.

    We learned first hand how horrible fleas an be when we entered an abandoned building filled with feral cats. Fleas got under our pants legs and bit us all over our ankles. Our friend, however, had worn a sarong. Let’s just say that it’s true what they say about how high fleas can jump. And it wasn’t his ankles that got bitten!

  • Jen

    One word tapeworms! My parents new puppy had a massive tapeworm explosion at midnight on Christmas Eve, 2004. It was the most disgusting thing I’d ever seen and the poor thing had to wait until the vet opened on the 26th. My dad said the after-treatment poos weren’t any fun either. She came home from the shelter with one or two fleas & my parents treated her right away but she still ended up with tapeworms. I told my vet to tell that story to anyone who balks at buying flea preventative.

  • Sara

    I wish they all left that quickly. Most of my clients like that want to continue recounting the many reasons their pet CAN’T have fleas until I finally give in and tell them I’ll go get my top hat and magic wand… You know, to do that magic thing that makes the fleas disappear and the dog stop itching. But for free, of course, because you know we can’t afford frontline, much less an exterminator… OK they’re not all that bad but you know what I mean. I’ve been on the flip side, with my itchy dog at the dermatologist, and watched the derm resident pull a flea off him. I think I even used the ‘he must have gotten that one here’ line, but I really did believe it. I hung my head in shame and treated my apartment anyway just in case.
    ~Sara

  • Kristie

    “Don’t forget your fleas!” *snort*

  • http://www.pet-health-care-gazette.com/ Lorie Huston

    I love that line…”Don’t forget your fleas!” :-)

    Your conversation sounds VERY familiar and I have the same one with many of my clients every day. I love the ones that tell me they already know how to take care of it. Okay, if so, they why do you suppose your pet has fleas? LOL

    Thanks for making me laugh :-)

  • TaxiLab

    Great story and it’s even funnier with the animation. The best of course was the line “don’t forget your fleas.” Did the client ever come back?

    I hate how everyone thinks the vet is overcharging or trying to upsell flea and heartworm meds. And these are (supposedly) intelligent people too! Ugh.