A day in the life of a mobile vet
Today was a busy day! It started off by getting the 2.5 year old ready and out the door to daycare - not easy! After daycare drop-off it was off to Caloundra to visit two German Shepherd dogs and give them their annual C5 and check up. Social distancing is a bit tricky when you have to hold a big dog and examine it at the same time but these guys were very well trained - good training is essential for this breed who can get otherwise very over-protective and unruly.
Next up was a visit to check a 5 year old cat who was sneezing and had profusely weepy eyes. She was not eating and her breathing was starting to get a bit noisy. After questioning the owners I found out that the neighbours had just brought home a new kitten who had similar symptoms. The most likely diagnosis: feline herpes virus, yes, cats get herpes too! This little cat will need some supportive care in the form of a nice steamy bathroom for 15 mins at a time to moisten her respiratory tract and help her to breathe and some very smelly sardines to eat. Did you know that cats can go off their food if they can't smell it? We also started this cat on some eye drops and some antibiotics to clear up the infection in her lungs.
After this was a quick trip up to Maroochydore to castrate a dog. As a mobile vet I can't actually perform surgery in your home however I use chemical castration in the form of a hormonal implant which can last either 6 or 12 months. This is a really good option if you want to breed your dog but would like to wait until he is more mature or need to wait until the female dog is old enough to breed him too. The implant is the same size as a microchip and most dogs don't seem to mind the injection, as long as there is treats afterwards!
Finally it was off to see one of my long term patients. Duke is a beautiful 12 year old golden retriever boy who has been living with arthritis for many years now. We have him on a combination of medications which, along with a few management and diet tweaks have enabled him to live with far less pain than he used to. This visit was just a quick check up and to supply his owners with some more prescriptions to keep Duke ticking along.
On the way to pick up my little one from daycare I reflected on how much I love that this job allows me to connect with owners and their pets in such a much more relaxed and comfortable atmosphere than in a clinic. I may only see about four of five patients in a day compared to the usual 10 or more in a clinic but the job satisfaction is so much greater.
