A commenter who is a veterinarian has made some intriguing and well-thought out comments lately, and it reminded me of a story from the vet that happened to me not too long ago.
We took our cat to the veterinarian recently because he has been scooting his ass across the floor and we were worried he might have worms, or possibly some sort of anal gland blockage. We corralled him into the kitty carrier, sprinted to the car before he shredded the carrier from the inside, and then drove to the vet, accompanied by the melodic and high-volume protest singings of our feline friend.
We got to the office, got into the exam room, and produced the cat. Our vet, a kindly older man who walks with a cane, ambled into the room, glanced at the chart and then looked at our cat.
“Well, there’s the problem, right there. Your cat’s a fatty. He’s too fat to lick his butt, so he scoots on the floor. He needs to lose some weight…that’s diabetes waiting to happen. Is he lazy? Looks like a couch potato…most fat cats are. You need to put him on a diet and get him some exercise.”
I was stunned, then awed by our veterinarian’s honesty. Instead of hemming and hawing, he was direct and to the point. I half expected him to get a megaphone and say “YO! GIVE THE DAMN CAT LESS FOOD!”
He took the time to explain to us that not only was our cat way too fat at 18 pounds, but that being fat can cause the full range of illnesses in cats that it can in humans, from vascular problems to diabetes. He told us that since we can’t really let him be an outside cat, we should play with him more, feed him less, and look into some sort of diet food.
The whole time we were at the vet I was struck by how direct and honest this man was. It got me to thinking: why aren’t human doctors like this?
I mean, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen doctors let people slide on things. Instead of telling people that they will die if they don’t stop smoking and drinking heavily, they chicken out and avoid discussions about that lifestyle. Instead of telling people that living an inactive life will clog their arteries and lead to stroke and heart failure, they ignore these facts and simply avoid the unpleasant confrontation about defective lifestyles. Where is the candor? Where is the honesty? If my veterinarian can have an honest and frank discussion about the way we care for our animal, why can’t the pediatricians at work tell parents that their kids are fatties and they should avoid Burger King? Instead of “Oh, he’s a husky boy!” we need to hear “Sweet Jesus that kid is fat! What are you feeding him? How about you put down the fucking fork, madam, and get involved in your childs health instead of blaming everybody else for your failed parenting? Society didn’t buy him that cheeseburger…”
It seems to me that the medical establishment is unwilling to be honest with people about the way that their choices affect their health. Maybe if human physicians could take a cue from their veterinary cousins, modern medicine would work a little better. I know if I could find a human doctor who was as honest and frank as our vet, I’d see him until he retired.
A commenter who is a veterinarian has made some intriguing and well-thought out comments lately, and it reminded me of a story from the vet that happened to me not too long ago.
We took our cat to the veterinarian recently because he has been scooting his ass across the floor and we were worried he might have worms, or possibly some sort of anal gland blockage. We corralled him into the kitty carrier, sprinted to the car before he shredded the carrier from the inside, and then drove to the vet, accompanied by the melodic and high-volume protest singings of our feline friend.
We got to the office, got into the exam room, and produced the cat. Our vet, a kindly older man who walks with a cane, ambled into the room, glanced at the chart and then looked at our cat.
“Well, there’s the problem, right there. Your cat’s a fatty. He’s too fat to lick his butt, so he scoots on the floor. He needs to lose some weight…that’s diabetes waiting to happen. Is he lazy? Looks like a couch potato…most fat cats are. You need to put him on a diet and get him some exercise.”
I was stunned, then awed by our veterinarian’s honesty. Instead of hemming and hawing, he was direct and to the point. I half expected him to get a megaphone and say “YO! GIVE THE DAMN CAT LESS FOOD!”
He took the time to explain to us that not only was our cat way too fat at 18 pounds, but that being fat can cause the full range of illnesses in cats that it can in humans, from vascular problems to diabetes. He told us that since we can’t really let him be an outside cat, we should play with him more, feed him less, and look into some sort of diet food.
The whole time we were at the vet I was struck by how direct and honest this man was. It got me to thinking: why aren’t human doctors like this?
I mean, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen doctors let people slide on things. Instead of telling people that they will die if they don’t stop smoking and drinking heavily, they chicken out and avoid discussions about that lifestyle. Instead of telling people that living an inactive life will clog their arteries and lead to stroke and heart failure, they ignore these facts and simply avoid the unpleasant confrontation about defective lifestyles. Where is the candor? Where is the honesty? If my veterinarian can have an honest and frank discussion about the way we care for our animal, why can’t the pediatricians at work tell parents that their kids are fatties and they should avoid Burger King? Instead of “Oh, he’s a husky boy!” we need to hear “Sweet Jesus that kid is fat! What are you feeding him? How about you put down the fucking fork, madam, and get involved in your childs health instead of blaming everybody else for your failed parenting? Society didn’t buy him that cheeseburger…”
It seems to me that the medical establishment is unwilling to be honest with people about the way that their choices affect their health. Maybe if human physicians could take a cue from their veterinary cousins, modern medicine would work a little better. I know if I could find a human doctor who was as honest and frank as our vet, I’d see him until he retired.