Her Master's Voice

So despite feeling like death warmed up, I had to work today.

Still coughing, spluttering and snuffling like a, well, person with flu. But I would like to report to all that the two hot toddies and a hot bath did make me feel slightly less poorly last night, as did the ten hours sleep.

So not busy today but for all you puppy watchers, today's star goes to Millie, a very cute chocolate lab pup who was in with her lovely new owners for her vaccinations.

She is delightful, but a bit of a wriggler so it took her dad to stand behind me and call to her to get her to stay still for a nanosecond to have a non-blurry shot taken. This was the least blurry of them......

So thought for today.

Insure your pets.

I had to put to sleep a poorly little kitten yesterday, and although insurance may not have saved, it might have given her more of a chance.
Unfortunately her illness was very sudden and severe, and her best chance was referral to the University Vet School, however unfortunately the owner had not insured her, and therefore could not afford it.
It is never nice to have to put to sleep young animals, and even though the Vet School may not have been able to save her, it is heart wrenching for the owner to have to make the decision to put her to sleep without knowing if anything could have been done as finances did not stretch to a full investigation.

It is far too common these days that pets are last in the queue when it comes to finance, and people think that with a younger animal, saving the £10-20 per month on average it costs to insure them, will not be a problem.

I hate it that even though we offer 4 weeks free insurance, some people still turn it down or fail to take out any cover when it runs out.

I don't mind that some people do other things to put money aside, such as a bank account in the pet's name, or a spare credit card for these eventualities. However there are drawvbacks to both of these systems. But in the main those that make the informed decision to do so know that if the sword falls in their pet's direction, it is their reponsibility to pay whatever it takes to investigate and treat their pet.

However, this owner was sensible enough to realise that the best thing that she could do was allow us to put the kitten to sleep and not cause any further suffering with no guarantee of a cure.

No what really annoys me are those people who are used to receiving everything from the state, and expect to be able to have a pet, and claim that because they are on benefits, they should have that pet treated for free.

Anyone ever stop to think, why did they get a pet in the first place?

The country's pet shelters are at overflowing. The veterinary assistance charities are running a fine line as donations are down, and reliance on their services is up.

Thankfully this puppy has lovely owners who thought long and hard before they got their pet, and had already decided that they wanted to insure her as soon as possible. They were happy to receive the 4 weeks free insurance that we provide, with a recommendation that this was a good insurance firm to deal with.

This girl is very lucky. And she already loves her master.