1) It is truly an honor to have you trust me with the care of your pet. Once you have become a pet owner, you realize why God gave us the charge and responsibility of taking dominion over his creation. Animals are special creatures. They are beautiful in their own unique way, loyal to a fault, loving with no expectations in return, and needing of care. I truly believe God created animals to bring joy to us as His children... look at the awesomeness of the lion, the sweetness of a puppy, or the gracefulness of the birds as they soar and tell me anything different. So believe me when I tell you that I am honored to care for your pet. I do not take it as a small thing when you bring in a new puppy or kitten and are trusting me with its health for the next 10-20 years.
2) I promise to always be an advocate for your pet and a friend to you. There will be times when hard decisions have to be made. Times when the disease I am trying to explain to you may seem too much to deal with. Times when you may not know the right choice. That's my job. I am here to speak for your loved one. I am here to tell you what they can't and give you all the wisdom you need to make the right choices. And when those choices are difficult, I will be there to share in your sadness and frustration. When the choices are easy, I will also be there to celebrate in the triumphs. Either way, I ask you to always trust me. I am here for you and your pet and will always be honest. I will never push my wishes on you. I will simply speak for your loved one and guide you when you need help.
3) I will continue to always better myself as a doctor. I will use all resources available to me to provide the best standard of care I am able to give. I will go to conferences, consult with specialists, read the latest data, always practice my skills, and if I am unable to meet the standard of care your loved one needs, I will be honest and send them to a hospital that can handle your pet's needs. I will never stop working to be the best doctor you can find for your pet. I will always pursue excellence and work to bring that to every appointment, every single day. I will never let my heart become calloused by the hard days because if my heart is ever not in it, then my medicine will suffer and therefore my patients. This means that there will be times that I may not know the answer to your question or the situation put in front of us, but it also means that I will not stop until I figure it out. I'll never stop working for your family.
4) While most days are full of wellness visits or problems that are generally easy to fix, there are many days when tragedies happen and I will have to see you on an emergency visit. Those can be very stressful depending of the type of emergency, but I want to say some things about that. I may not be able to spend a lot of time with you during this time - my entire focus will be on your pet. I will be wishing I could tell you that I have trained for 8 years to be able to handle this, that I will be caring for your baby as if it was mine, that I will be working feverishly to stabilize your pet - because I know you are scared and may not understand all that is happening inside your baby. But I won't be able to tell you any of this because I won't have time. Some emergencies will not be so scary, so I will be able to walk you through the situation mentally and emotionally. Sometimes I will have to keep your baby with me - something not many people are happy to do. I promise they will be cared for with the most attention and love I am able to give. I will pray over them (usually with my son), pet them, talk to them, and do all I can medically to save them. And months after they go home, I will still think about them from time to time... because when they are here in the hospital with me, they are my family too.
5) Unfortunately, sometimes I won't be able to save them. Sometimes, disease, old age, or trauma are too much for them to recover. Believe me when I say that looking you in the eye and telling you there is nothing more I can do or that all the efforts we took failed, is the hardest thing I have ever had to do. I will tell you that we need to help them pass with no more suffering. While this is difficult, I also believe that it is the last brave and selfless act we can do for our pets. If you want to stay with them, I will stay with you. I will cry with you, but mainly for you - because I know you are having to say goodbye before you were ready. If you can't stay with them, I will stay with them. I will tell them how much you loved them and that you will miss them.
Thank you for letting me into your life and your families, even in the small capacity that being your veterinarian is. I want you to know that I will never take that for granted. I pray for all of my clients and patients daily - that God would bless you and shower you with goodness. I still have a lot of growing to do as a doctor, but I am privileged to do it with you all.