He's Dead Jim

I walk out of the waiting room quietly. A few tears began to fall as I drove away. When did the world become so heartless?  Where did the humanity go?

I thought back to the stories I use to read as a kid about the English country veterinarian James Herriot in the books All Creatures Great and Small. I think it’s only natural for a kid to dream about becoming a veterinarian someday - I know I did. I wanted to live in the country and have lots of land with horses, sheep, cows, dogs and, of course, a lot of cats. I would be surrounded each day by puppies and kittens. There would be lots of other people with plenty of other animals and life would be like a strange cross between a Disney film and a BBC 70's Sitcom. What could be more rewarding and wonderful right? Right. If only.    

No, sorry folks, Herriot’s dead and so are his ideals. "If you decide to become a veterinary surgeon you will never grow rich, but you will have a life of endless interest and variety." (Chapter 19, page 120., Herriot, All Creatures Great and Small) His words, not mine. This message he wrote about is no longer valid. Oh, the rhetoric might be there, but it’s all for show - the compassion is absent. Today, the heart of our veterinarians are not on our innocent pets, but on the dollars and cents in our bank accounts.

By now you may have figured out what has set me down this road. For awhile, through no fault of her own, my older cat has been showing signs of illness and I’ve been trying to treat her as best I can. She’s quite stubborn and has turned up her nose at almost every attempt. Seeing as it already is a struggle to keep things going from day to day, there is very little extra cash to pay a vet bill. Nevertheless, today I went to talk to the vet, hoping that I could work something out. After all, I have been with them for almost 10 years now and have always paid my bills....You guessed it. ‟I’m so sorry, but there’s nothing we can do for you, or even suggest that you should try (it’s that liability thing, you know). It looks like your cat will just have to die a slow painful death, and your only option is to stand there and watch. Have a nice day.”