Pampering

Re: Pampering

Clive Ansell — Sat, 27 Jun 2015 11:13:29 GMT

Oh great, I'm a yokel, or a country bumpkin then? I was born and bred in rural Worcestershire, and still live there, so true I guess.

Re: Pampering

Rob Davis — Sat, 27 Jun 2015 11:01:52 GMT

[quote user="Clive Ansell"]Culchie? I thought that was a type of ham? [/quote]

It's a new one on me too so I had to look it up:

The term is defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as "One who lives in, or comes from, a rural area; a (simple) countryman (or woman), a provincial, a rustic". It is sometimes said to be a word derived from the remote town of Kiltimagh, County Mayo.^[1] A further explanation is that the word derives from the word agriculture, highlighting the industrial/agricultural divide between rural and urban populations.

Re: Pampering

grumpyoldman — Fri, 26 Jun 2015 23:47:52 GMT

I always used Derasect on them when they came home with lice , the lyclear stuff the schools recommended never worked at all ,and there was always some bloody Laura Ashley clad earth mother type Gargoyle with a bob hair cut and black lipstick that refused to treat her kids with dirty chemicals and acted as a reservoir for everyone else's constant reinfection . Happy days :-)

Re: Pampering

Neil Wheadon — Fri, 26 Jun 2015 23:14:14 GMT

[quote user="grumpyoldman"]

[quote user="Stephen Courtney"]Can anyone remember 'purple spray'? [/quote]

Yes I sprayed everything with it ,even the kids when they grazed a knee , it was almost like wode, in fact that is probably what it was .

[/quote] I've still got a 5cm pocked area on my right shin, where my father sprayed me for a few weeks with purple spray as a child in an attempt to shift a ringworm infection. My mother had quite a job getting the stains out of my grey pull up socks, never did me any harm???

Re: Pampering

Clive Ansell — Fri, 26 Jun 2015 20:56:52 GMT

[quote user="Virginia Campbell"]

[quote user="Clive Ansell"]I got into trouble when I was about 13 for taking a can and graffiting the local bus stop[/quote]

That's the most culchie thing I've ever heard.

[/quote]

I was only 13, and it was just a smiley face, honest. I was punished for it too.

Culchie? I thought that was a type of ham?

Re: Pampering

Virginia Campbell — Fri, 26 Jun 2015 20:41:05 GMT

[quote user="Clive Ansell"]I got into trouble when I was about 13 for taking a can and graffiting the local bus stop[/quote]

That's the most culchie thing I've ever heard.

Re: Pampering

Clive Ansell — Fri, 26 Jun 2015 18:22:05 GMT

Purple spray brings back memories. In my pre vet farming days it was the cure all for everything, or at least we though it was. I got into trouble when I was about 13 for taking a can and graffiting the local bus stop

Re: Pampering

Virginia Campbell — Fri, 26 Jun 2015 18:04:24 GMT

Mind you, we used to do it a bit ourselves too. My first boss was ace at cow Caesars - and they all had to get the blue spray (we used Alamycin spray) down the suture line at the end. It was the essential finishing touch- kind of like the crossed chives you used to get on any restaurant meal a few years ago, or the master artist painting his signature at the bottom of his latest masterpiece.

Re: Pampering

Virginia Campbell — Fri, 26 Jun 2015 17:58:28 GMT

[quote user="Stephen Courtney"]Can anyone remember 'purple spray'?[/quote]

Ah yes. All horses' wounds had been pre-decorated by the owner with purple spray.

Cattle farmers used to be a bit disappointed that it occasionally failed to cure absolutely hideous feet; you'd be contemplating claw amputation and they'd say "I don't understand - I've done it with purple spray AND she had a jag of (ancient, black) Engemycin AND PenStrep" (the 8ml that was left in the bottom of the bottle).

Re: Pampering

Virginia Campbell — Fri, 26 Jun 2015 17:58:28 GMT

[quote user="Stephen Courtney"]Can anyone remember 'purple spray'?[/quote]

Ah yes. All horses' wounds had been pre-decorated by the owner with purple spray.

Re: Pampering

Thomas Johnson — Fri, 26 Jun 2015 15:11:51 GMT

[quote user="Mark Hedberg"]

You'd think the pharma companies would cotton on to this and make *every* drug some fantastic color! :)

[/quote]

There's quite a bit of research in people that shows that placebos work better if they look more advanced, so a capsule works better than a white tablet, a shiny sliver tablet works better than a capsule, and an injection works better than a shiny silver tablet.

Re: Pampering

Mark Hedberg — Fri, 26 Jun 2015 08:37:32 GMT

[quote user="grumpyoldman"]

[quote user="Mark Hedberg"]as recently as 3 years ago still had clients who insisted the pink pills were better than the white pills :)[/quote]

that is not just a small animal thing : i remember farmers who wanted Alamycin but would not have terramycin or engemycin at any price ....weird !

[/quote]

You'd think the pharma companies would cotton on to this and make *every* drug some fantastic color! :)

Re: Pampering

grumpyoldman — Thu, 25 Jun 2015 23:28:58 GMT

[quote user="Stephen Courtney"]Can anyone remember 'purple spray'? [/quote]

Yes I sprayed everything with it ,even the kids when they grazed a knee , it was almost like wode, in fact that is probably what it was .

Re: Pampering

Stephen Courtney — Thu, 25 Jun 2015 22:59:47 GMT

Can anyone remember 'purple spray'? The one with chloramphenicol and gentian violet in? That used to coat the back of your throat and make your eyes water? Powerful stuff, the farmers loved it. Whether it did anything other than risk aplastic anaemia in bystanders and get your fingers all purple /i don't know...

Re: Pampering

grumpyoldman — Thu, 25 Jun 2015 22:28:46 GMT

[quote user="Mark Hedberg"]as recently as 3 years ago still had clients who insisted the pink pills were better than the white pills :)[/quote]

that is not just a small animal thing : i remember farmers who wanted Alamycin but would not have terramycin or engemycin at any price ....weird !

Re: Pampering

Mark Hedberg — Thu, 25 Jun 2015 21:27:57 GMT

[quote user="Nhombokisheni"]

Point accepted, under normal circumstances, sir. Specifically I was refering to the type of clients in this thread, the "highly demanding and self important" type, and the consequent friction created at the workplace by how staff differently respond/treat them. This is a special breed of client and my take was that if staff can diplomatically focus on the pet instead of making them feel so special they even go to the point of letting their pets suffer/die just because X is not in.......which is what happened in the other post in this thread.

Remember the old days of placebos.....one vet I know kept a few bottles of "coloured" IV fluids, so he was able to treat such clients indirectly.....[/quote]

I as recently as 3 years ago still had clients who insisted the pink pills were better than the white pills :)

Re: Pampering

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Thu, 25 Jun 2015 19:13:38 GMT

[quote user="Nhombokisheni"]I grew up being constantly reminded that "the world will always judge your character by the company you keep" .....maybe you should whisper this into some ears. [/quote]

...... and a colleen passing by did softly say,

"you can tell a man that boozes

by the company he chooses"

And the dog got up and walked away!

Re: Pampering

grumpyoldman — Thu, 25 Jun 2015 18:33:05 GMT

It has gotten worse over the last 10-15 years , I call it "veterinary hairdressing" , I do think that new grads would be better spending 4 weeks sweeping up making the tea/coffee and doing shampoos for the stylist in a hair dressing salon where they will learn the noble art of small talk and chit chat with the general public who like that sort of thing, instead of propping up a wall in a theatre watching someone drill holes in bones . Its difficult when you have to see someone elses bonded couch case out of hours or on a Saturday morning when its toast . A loose loose situation develops .

There have been times when I bit my lip when calling someone into the consult room and she has said "OH I do not like him " ., for the upteenth anal sac emptying , your batting on a sticky wicket before you start . You do find that some people like the adoring couch cases and start undercharging them which makes it worse. It also put pressure on everyone else because a 10 minute consult becomes 25-30 mins which means everyone else has to work around them faster .

Re: Pampering

Hannah Wynne Richards — Thu, 25 Jun 2015 18:13:52 GMT

There's a world of a difference between placebos, which, quite frankly are dishonest, and making time for genuinely attached concerned owners.

Wynne

Re: Pampering

Nhombokisheni — Thu, 25 Jun 2015 17:33:17 GMT

Remember the old days of placebos.....one vet I know kept a few bottles of "coloured" IV fluids, so he was able to treat such clients indirectly.....give the dog a placebo. He was popular and his mates who refused to succumb to this were considered, shall we say, in very unkind explitives. I personally dont think its wrong to expect clients to behave in a certain way and to politely correct them.....after all its a two way street.......they expect vet staff to also behave in a certain way!!!!!!

Re: Pampering

Mark Hedberg — Thu, 25 Jun 2015 16:07:36 GMT

[quote user="Nhombokisheni"]

If only every practice member could realise we are here for the pets.......not their owners,

[/quote]

In point of fact that's not correct; we are here for both of them. I've treated pets with absentee owners and despite the old joke about the pet coming in with a credit card in its collar, it's a very inefficient way to practice medicine!

Re: Pampering

Nhombokisheni — Thu, 25 Jun 2015 13:28:37 GMT

[quote user="Clive Ansell"]

one thing I can't stand and can't do very well is lick the a***s and smooch around high maintenance self important clients. I see so many colleagues playing lapdog and it seems to me to be counterproductive in making them worse.

[/quote]

I grew up being constantly reminded that "the world will always judge your character by the company you keep" .....maybe you should whisper this into some ears.

Clients often reflect your professionalism, will swear by your ability, intergrity and honesty. But most of all, clients will exploit you to the bone using your ego, which they will feed and manipulate, while you think they see you as "Mr Big." Unfortunately, when they have a serious issue they consult the apparently "off putting" colleague because they know its were they get the honest reliable truthful assessment.

If only every practice member could realise we are here for the pets.......not their owners, and team effort is what ensures continuity of care. Unfortunately some vets believe "you catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar" , when infact its the other way round!!!!!

Re: Pampering

Clive Ansell — Wed, 24 Jun 2015 19:38:13 GMT

Me too. I've worked in many practices were every day seems like another p***ing contest where one is working against rather than with colleagues. it turns what is an enjoyable job in to a stressful and counter productive work place.

Ms X doesn't want or like them either particularly, but she is too nice a person for her own good sometimes and gets lumbered with the psychotic nut jobs.

Re: Pampering

Utlendigur — Wed, 24 Jun 2015 19:29:35 GMT

[quote user="Gillian Mostyn"]

[quote user="Clare Tapsfield-Wright"] I think some vets are keen to big themselves up and make clients dependent on them which is hopeless for locums or other vets covering. Team work rather than vanity oils the wheels of practice.[/quote]

Couldn't agree more.

[/quote]

Ditto. I have had two clients allow their pets to die rather than see someone other than the boss. One of them then wrote a letter of complaint claiming they had had to "watch their cat suffer and die because they couldn't get anyone to help them" - despite the fact that I had spent ages on the phone to her trying to persuade her to even give me a hint what the problem was - she refused - and pointing out that given she had rung the emergency number on Christmas day it implied she had an emergency that may need seeing and repeatedly asking her to phone me back if she decided to be seen. The cat died on 27th - she didn't phone my colleague on Boxing day either.

Re: Pampering

Robin Grimmer — Wed, 24 Jun 2015 19:28:22 GMT

Me too. I've worked with vets like this. But it's all just an act though, and an ego trip. It really doesn't bother me any more, they are usually pita clients so Ms X is welcome to them!