Attacked! The Good And Bad

One of the hardest things we as veterinarians have to face is the enmity of our patients.  Most people probably don't realize the real danger veterinary staff are faced with on a daily basis.  Take today for example.  I saw around 20 pets, mostly dogs, and ff those pets I had five try to bite me.  Most of them made really serious attempts to the point that we had difficulty getting muzzles on them and one we had to give an intramuscular sedative to knock her out.  Though none were likely to truly maul me, several potentially could have ended me up at the emergency room for stitches.

This isn't a rare occurrence.  In fact, it's a rare day when I don't have a pet try to bite or scratch me.  It's one of the least favorite aspects of my job, especially on days like today.  I get really tired of having pets try and take a piece out of me, but it's not like I can put a sign out saying that I'll only see nice patients (tempting though it may be).  As long as I practice I'll be faced with situations like this.

What I much prefer is how I am "attacked" when I come home in the evening.  Once I walk in the door I'm greeted by our two dogs, Inara and Yvaine. They jump all around me and seek my attention.  Then they seem to suddenly notice that I have scents all over me and before I know it I have noses running up and down my legs.  Sometimes I have a hard time moving because their faces are pressed up against me and I have two 60 pound dogs curved around me.  I don't mind this kind of attack at all and wish my patients behaved more like this.