Quote:
Originally Posted by ladyjane  The difference between your tiny patients and your tiny pup is that your patients are under the care of a MD.....your pup was not under the care of a DVM and did not have the benefit of the diagnostic testing that your tiny human patients have and I that believe were in order just based upon the description that you gave of her condition. |
Any nurse will tell you that yes, a patient is legally "under the care" of an MD, but that doctor spends a total of maybe two minutes with the patient in a single day. That's what NURSES are for! We are at the bedside constantly, monitoring the patient and being the eyes and ears for the doctors. They count on us to alert them when something is wrong, they depend on our skills at recognizing a problem early!
My Lyla was "under the care" of a vet as much as my human patients are under a doctor; she saw one and I was invited to call them if her condition changed. Also, the vet did not feel that diagnostic testing would be beneficial in her case, or I would have agreed to it. He felt her fluid status was very good based on his exam, and didn't even give her the subcutaneous fluid bolus he had originally written up on the estimate. That was HIS call, not mine.
I'm just saying, I am here looking at this puppy. She was tired but didn't appear to be on death's door. I knew that could change very quickly which is why I watched her so very closely, I'd wager I watched her more closely than the vet's office would have been able to. I did what I felt was the best thing FOR LYLA based on the circumstances at the time, and was prepared to take her back to the vet if things changed.
Let me also say that I would NOT recommend anyone else do what I did. I have a skill set and experience that allowed me to assess her condition and treat her in a way that most people probably cannot.
Now........our potty training has pretty much gone out the window since she has been sick, so I'm back at square one on that.
I have a Potty Training Puppy Apartment (PTPA)....anyone have experience with one of these?