No pet peeve

Our correspondent assists at a veterinary clinic and learns that pets don8217;t have it easy

Our correspondent assists at a veterinary clinic and learns that pets don8217;t have it easy
I have never been a big fan of animals, but when it was decided that I had to play my part as an assistant to a vet, I had to put my phobias aside. As I made my way to Dr Amit Apte8217;s veterinary clinic on Kamla Nehru Park road in Pune, I was greeted by two cocker spaniels who were waiting patiently to be examined by the doctor. Dr Apte gave me a quick glance that told me I should wait before I got my set of instructions.

My face, however, gave me away. This was the first time I was in a room with two dogs, both frisky. The owner of the pets, seeing me shrink back in fear put me at ease. 8220;Don8217;t let the dogs frighten you. Over here, they say forget the dog, beware of the dog clinic,8221; he said. I managed to smile back. Stylus, the cocker spaniel, was calm as he was being examined. The younger one, Odie, trembled when he was put on the doctor8217;s table. I helped hold him down as the doctor injected him. Odie8217;s sickness was a skin infection quite common among cocker spaniels at this time of the year. Shot over, Odie was a different dog altogether. Frisky, happy and very excited. He chased his tail till he panted and playfully snapped at everything, the table, the chair, Stylus and my feet.nbsp;

After the spaniels left, we had another visitor. 8220;You8217;d better not help with this one, he can bite. He8217;s very fierce, aggressive and very quick,8221; the doctor said. Dr Apte has been treating animals for over nine years now, including pets such as dogs and cats, besides rabbits, turtles and birds.

And this was a patient he knew well. Manya, the cat. A careless neighbour had caused Manya to fall off the terrace of the building seven months ago, giving him a paralysed leg and a spinal cord injury. Forcibly confined, Manya had been rolling and rubbing against the ground causing a searing wound to develop on his side. Dr Apte said that it was unlikely the cat would regain use of his legs for a long time.nbsp;8220;Cats are tougher to handle than dogs,8221; said the doc. As the cat whimpered, Dr Apte inserted a thin wire into his bladder to check for blockades.

Five minutes later, he seemed to gain more confidence in me. As he ministered to her wounds, he asked me to hold Manya. 8220;The only way to hold him is by the scruff of his neck and by his legs,8221; he said. As Manya8217;s protective owner took the neck, I held him by his legs andnbsp;Amit gave him two shots.

After Manya, a steady stream of dogs followed 8212; some with fever, wounds, and skin infections, colitis, calcium deficiency and even shyness. I held a dog-ear so Amit could clean out the wax, a dog tail so he could check the rump for infections, and the hind legs and the back so the dog wouldn8217;t sit down while he was being examined. nbsp;8220;The first thing is that an assistant should not be afraid of animals,8221; Dr Apte said, and then proceeded to tell me things I had never done. 8220;Assistants should be able to clean up after animals and not worry about getting their hands dirty. At least it8217;s better than cleaning up after humans,8221; he said.nbsp;

The doctor also spoke about the paradox of his profession8212;that he had to hurt the animals to help them. Sometimes one also had to resort to euthanasia. Thankfully, in my time as an assistant to the vet, I did not have to be a part of such difficult decisions. As I said goodbye to the doctor, I realized maybe I was also cured of my fear of the furry creatures. nbsp;