Just an ordinary day..

The phones start ringing at 8am. The doors open at 8am. Day patients are admitted from 8am. The on-call team have been working through the night, caring, medicating, reassuring. The emergency caesarean that came in at 1am is recovering well and successfully feeding her litter.

No matter what, it’s service with a smile, compassion, patience and understanding.

The over night team hand over patient care to the hospital day team and theatre team; examinations, toileting, cleaning, feeding, medicating, drip flush, blood test, bandage change, pain scoring, temperature, pulse, respiration care & cuddles.

Pet owners are provided with updates, treatment plans, progress reports, test results, visit times, home times.

The phones are running hot. Beak clips, vaccinations, pet insurance, itchy skin, waxy ears, lumps, bumps and diarrhoea.

Call back requests, advice on worming and flea treatment, microchipping, hibernation, husbandry, diet and exercise, puppy socialisation & training. Accounts enquiries, home visits, complaints and congratulations.

Before beginning consultations there are more phone calls, case discussion and handovers. Day patient pre op examinations & pre-medications, blood tests, drips.

Theatre scrubs on. The team now plan and prioritise procedures for the day; Anaesthesia, sedation, tooth extraction, x-rays, ultrasound, endoscopy, ECG, blood pressure. Tennis balls, stones and socks ‘removed’ (not necessarily in that order!).

From mouse to mammoth, the diversity here and expertise required because of it are bewildering. But we’ve been trained for all of this, haven’t we?

Consultations begin and run throughout the day from 9am until 7pm. Hydrotherapy sessions have already begun, the theatres are underway. The phones are still running hot and the admin team are planning, preparing, accounting, creating, stocking up, liaising and arranging.

Today is another sad day. We had known him as a pup. He was majestic and wise, trusting and trusted. His light had burned brightly for 14 years. He was a regular visitor and has left us in tears. His transition from life to death was peaceful. His was not the only light to fade, today.

The laboratory buzzes and beeps all day long with samples; blood, urine, faeces, swabs, lumps, bumps and biopsies. Samples for testing here (on-site), there and everywhere, depending on the test required. Samples are spun, separated, prepared, stained and fixed to preserve them before testing.

The laundry room whirrs continuously with washing machines and tumble dryers.. And you thought the washing at home was never ending!

Waiting for your appointment, watching the info-TV, perusing the pet shop whilst reassuring (and restraining) your pets; we snip, stitch, image and diagnose, administrate and comfort. All in a day’s work.

Meanwhile – there’s a Swan, a Squirrel and a Kingfisher to treat, a missing dog and a stray cat with no chip; Wildlife needs our care. Stray pets need our care. Charities and volunteers need your help, to help them & us, care.

By midday the ops are in full swing, patients recovering from anaesthetics and procedures, pain monitoring and management, drips, wounds and dressings are checked. At capacity, the hospital team could be monitoring up to 50 animals across 5 wards, all with individual requirements, treatment plans and needs (and all the time cuddles, reassurance, patience, love).

Patients are admitted from consultations for investigation, diagnosis and treatment, in addition to those already booked in.

An in-patient won’t eat. She has her food from home, her favourite toy. Is she in pain? Does she feel sick? Is she frightened, missing home? She needs time, reassurance, patience, fuss and care – She’s eating again.

Time for a break…? Only once the puddle has been mopped, the patient walked out, the drip flushed, the patient recovered, the instruments washed and sterilised, the lab samples run, the appointments made, the Facebook post posted, the email sent, the letter typed, the phone call made.

An emergency is rushed through by a receptionist from the waiting room. It’s a small dog, hit by a car, unconscious but breathing. His back leg is broken, he’s bleeding. The team work together, they prioritise, they plan, they reassure, manage expectations, prepare for the worst… They communicate their progress. They’ve saved another life.

Cuppa anyone?

By mid-afternoon some pets can go home. Their owners desperately keen to see them, to love them, they’ve been worried, they’ve missed them. But before they can go, their notes must be updated, their medicines dispensed, work invoiced, advice and homecare confirmed.

More consults, a few more ops, patients to treat, fuss them and show them we care. And, after we close the doors, at the end of another day this work continues. The pressures wax and wane, but the efforts continue, throughout the night, always. And so, it begins again…

It’s been just an ordinary day.