Recently, a local TV host, Nabil, posted on his Instagram stories about the death of his cat, and he partially blamed the death on an unnamed vet clinic that allegedly refused to treat it as they were preparing to close.
The story has since reached the attention of a vet, Dr Salehatul Khuzaimah, who is fondly known as Dr Ima. As a vet and a pet owner herself, Dr Ima felt the need to express her thoughts about the matter. Do keep in mind that Dr Ima is not the vet who rejected to treat the cat, but just another vet who wishes to ‘shed some light’ on what goes on behind-the-scenes in the life of a vet.
WORLD OF BUZZ reached out to Dr Ima and it was revealed that as a vet, it is not uncommon to receive criticisms from customers.
‘We’ve received allegations that say we care more about the money and not the animals. People said we should’ve sacrificed a little since we’re an animal lover, and some even said our clinics should’ve been closed if we can’t treat animals.’
That’s not all, either. There are too many objections and unreasonable requests, such free medical care, to name them all.
Just another day as a vet
Dr. Ima then went on to describe the difficulties a vet faces in his or her daily life.
- The cost of the medicines, equipment, the premise itself, as well as the wages of the workers.
- The patients are unable to address their conditions, thus the vet must do so, which can be expensive and time-consuming.
- The need to deal with rude, insulting, and scolding clients.
- Veterinarians must deal with the stress and worry that the animals might not survive as well as high client expectations, which can be depressing.
- There is a chance that vets could get injuries due to the unpredictable nature of the animals.
- Long working hours, with their own families occasionally being “abandoned.”
‘Sometimes, the clients are still coming to the clinic despite seeing the ‘ON BREAK’ sign at the door,’ Dr Ima added.
She also said that clients might never know why a vet has to reject some patients.
‘The vet may have another emergency that needs his/her immediate attention, or simply the place may be facing a lack of manpower.’
As for the equipment, Dr Ima said that small clinics especially are no strangers to facing the lack of equipment and obsolete tools. She added that the suicide cases among vets are also high overseas due to the pressure in the career. You can watch and listen to the full video here.
In case you’re wondering about 24 hours vet clinics and hospitals, a netizen reached out to WORLD OF BUZZ and shared a short list of them.
Also read: M’sian Mourns His Cat After Vet Clinic Allegedly Refused To Treat It As They Were Closing