Working Trip to the Seaside

Well l have had a weekend with no nursing and 2 days off, l feel spoilt with time off. Later today l drive across country till l get my feet wet on the other side.

I am going to cover a vn friend's job while she is away for the week. It is a regular cover for the 2 vet nurses. In this case Jill is away. I always stay in her flat but this time l baby sit her 2 hoodlums. Not kids that would be more than l could handle this is cats.
The worst part is Jill won't be there and Hub is of course not there so l am left to cook my own food. I am ok on stews but as to the rest, the dogs have turned my cooking down before and hub won't eat it, he cooks l wash up.

Wibble is the only dog allowed in the flat, not Jill's rules the cats rules. The last dog that a friend of hers tried to take in got shredded by both cats by the time it got over the doorstep. Both are rescue cats FJ her older cat knows Wib as he stayed with us for a time. Momo younger adult looks on Wib as a source of food as Wib is a fussy eater and leaves a lot of food, perfect.

Momo last Xmas opened the cupboard where the overripe Stilton cheese was in the bin awaiting disposal. When l visited 5weeks later FJ and Jill still carried gas masks for when Momo used his litter tray.
I once asked if there was anything that Momo did not eat and was told well he isn't keen on turnips.
I am waiting to see the new slimline Momo apparently through using Hills RD dry and making him hunt for food and using food bottles. Coke Cola bottles with holes in Momo has to bash about to get the food out. All other food, human and animal is battened down. Momo has lost about 1kg.

FJ is very fussy as any sensible cat is, he will only eat Hills Natures Best food. This is how cat's avoid all but accidental poisoning. Stick to a food you know is not going to make you sick. Cats that are poisoned are generally accidental poisonings, grooming after walking through something toxic, or eating a rat/mouse that ate rat poison, eating a bird that ate poisoned slugs etc. Some are like Momo and will try anything but those that have any cat sense are actually the fussy eaters. It saves their lives in the wild.

Both cats are obsessed with water and their idea of heaven is when Jill fills the bath puts in some bubble stuff for cats and lets them loose. First loo rolls, toothpaste etc are removed from the room. If left the hoodlums dart out of the bubbles grab them and haul them back for killing.
If no baths are on offer then especially Momo swims in the water bowl. Well more tries to fit as much of his body in as possible.

I take my camp bed and air mattress. This is always a worry for me l do not trust one of the pair not to decide to bounce on it with claws out, or pull themselves along under the bed claws making numerous holes in my bed. I glare at the pair of them muttering threats if my bed is punctured. So far this has worked.

The practice l am going to, unlike my regular place, is a small, first opinion practice, like 95% of vet practices in the country. They carry out general surgery work. Neutering, dentals, lump removals etc. They hold vet or nurse clinics depending on what is needed, advice or treatment. The more complex medical or surgical patients are referred on by the vet to specialists.
There is no one there over night but anyone who has to leave a pet is warned about this. If the animal is to be checked or needs meds then the vet goes back and checks on them. If a nurse is needed by the vet there is a week rota on whose nurse turn it is. The nice thing about being a locum is l am not on that rota.

Even in general practice the importance of insurance for pets is never to be underestimated. For instance a Pyo is a common problem in unneuted bitches, the uterus fills with pus.
Some people insist vets try and treat them medically but it never really works and the bitch is always falling ill. Removal is always the safest option. Very often the only first option is removal as the patient generally presents collapsed and critical.

Treated in general practice is about £300/400 but if referred you are looking at about £700+. Despite being common a lot of vet's do not want to do them so referral is suggested.
The patient has a lot of toxins in the system with the condition and sometimes to add to the trouble the uterus may leak pus internally during or if very full before removal. The best surgeon can not prevent this and if leakage happens the patient needs intensive vet and nursing work to pull them through.

Some of the insurance companies are starting to pull fast ones on their payouts but Petplan is so far the one l have heard has the least problems on claims, they are the biggest and best quality, yes you pay more but it is peace of mind.
Too many times l have seen patients put down because owners can not afford treatment and can not get a loan from bank, friends or family.

To get insurance some things to look for:
Life cover regardless of age.
Will it pay out for life or just a year or even worse a visit for a problem.
Will they cover an amount per/problem if so not good you may think that it seems a lot of money but it won't go far, not over the pets lifespan.
What is their yearly total the standard at Petplan is about £4000/year but they are just revamping their policies
Do you need to keep your pet vaccinated to qualify for insurance even if it is not related to the problem.
Some companies will not cover a pre-existing condition. With some for life, others if that has not been a problem for a set time they will re-include it in the policy.
Do not be fooled by "winner of...." awards that some places say they have.
How long do they take to payout. Some at least 3months, one notorious company one will only pay when threatened with the insurance ombusman.
A lot of vets will accept Petplan excess upfront but not the other groups. Even if you have full insurance they will make the person pay, if not in full, a large amount up front or get pre agreement for treatment before they do anything.

Well, on that gem, l may as well start thinking about packing and getting some food. My next blog will be sometime tomorrow evening as l am doing sensible work hours ending late afternoon.

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I arrived here after a long and boring drive in the dark, had a listen to radio4 and the Himalayan trip on audio from Michael Palin and the BBC.
Once here it took a couple of trips to get my junk, unloaded and about 30mins to pump my bed up.

FJ finally appeared from somewhere and allowed me to scratch his head in homage for a couple of seconds, then he flicked his tail and stalked off to clean where my grubby hand had been, he and Wibs ignore each other.
Momo is more accommodating. He ran over to say hello and almost but not quite sniffed noses with Wibs.
"Hi dog hi dog, you got any food handy, can't smell any on your breath, you wanna get her to get you some and leave me half your bowl, huh huh?"
He was underfoot till all food was down, bless him!.

I tripped off to work and later on in the day had a word with the practice owner about the blog. They preferred l did not write about the practice so l will fill in this week with various happenings over my years in the vn world instead.