My Australian Terrier Kumbi, diabetic and blind, died suddenly and unexpectedly at home, Tuesday 8 June, 2010 – just before his breakfast-time.
I carried him out to the car, laid him on the passenger seat, and drove to the clinic, compressing his chest all the way, though Kumbi was thoroughly dead. Half an hour before opening time, after a long wait, Dr. Ute Mannhardt arrived. She took us right in. Dr. Carla Bell had the day off, and Dr Amanda Booth was on a plane to Anaheim, for a conference of Internal Medicine specialists (she’s a board-certified specialist).
Dr. Ute and I exchanged hugs over Kumbi’s body. I asked for an informal post-mortem exam; Dr. Ute agreed. I went home, dawdling – no Kumbi at home. He was my last living animal companion.
Over the next three days, Dr. Amanda sent me daily email from the conference. Kumbi had died of cancer, not diabetes. Dr. Carla had come in on her day off to assist Dr. Ute with the post-mortem, and all three vets had been in touch with each other.
Kumbi had been in hospital the day before for observation, and all had said he appeared quite chipper. He just took us all by surprise, before we could do the planned ultrasound. Kumbi was my first dog ever to die without euthanasia.
My vets all work together, and see to it that all the vets and staff get continuing education. It is we human clients – and the animals – who benefit. My vets work as team-mates, and we, the clients, are also team-mates; the vets ask for our observations. This practice makes for the best possible care for the animals.
A neighbor showed up at my home with a huge basket of food sent by the staff.
My vets and staff pitched in and helped me work on finding a dog to adopt. Dr. Amanda wrote me a reference letter. So, eventually, Camellia, a badly traumatized Havanese, aged 3.5 years, became my next dog. She is doing very well, and has the usual aid from my vets and their staff. Camellia has Trupanion insurance.
This story is only one of the many acts of kindness I’ve had from these vets in the more than 20 years I’ve been with them. I know others have had similar kindnesses. Also, this clinic sets aside a percentage of time and funds to care for homeless animals – who are not paying clients.
So you can see why these vets are my Tru Heros.
-Carol from Shirley, BC
I vote for Kumbi’s Story.
I vote for Kumbi. Carols choice to use these vets were invaluble to the care needed for all of her pets.
I agree, we have had nothing but kindness and compassion in the passing of our last three Best Friends, Casey, Trixie and Hooch.
They are a wonderful group of people, each and every one of them.
I vote for Kumbi’s story.
We take our dog to the same wonderful vets that Carol took her dog Kumbi to, and we also can attest to the selfless devotion to the pets and their owners that we see in Kumbi’s story. Our dog has had several medical problems in her 4 years on the planet and Dr’s Booth and Bell have, with skill and tender loving care, brought her through all of them, keeping her a bouncy happy dog living life to the full. Everything that is done at their clinic is professional and painstaking, and I often wish that human doctors could be as giving and caring as these veterinary professionals are.
The team at Saseenos Veterinary Services are exceptional. I’m delighted that they are being recognized.
During the ten years, we have had Dr. Booth and her great associates, take care of our animals. During sickness and health. Also, at the moments, we all dread, as animal lovers!! All the staff, are exceptionally compassionate and caring. Last Sunday, was an excellent example, when we needed emergency care, for one of our cats. Dr. Booth, made herself available, at a moments notice. They are truly wonderful, at Saseenos Vet. We thank them all!!
I vote for Kumbi..
We have been clients of this clinic for over 20 years and have known Carol for almost that length of time (through obedience classes). Dr Booth and her associates over the years treat every animal as if it were their own. They take the time with all of their clients that is necessary to inform, assist, treat, and most of all to answer our questions. Carol’s story is a fantastic example (and many will attest, is also a typical example) of the type of caring service that we have become used to and that has kept us as clients for all this time.
As there seems to be precedent for entering a comment on your own entry, I am doing so this morning, on the last day of voting for entries.
We are competing with a 5-hospital network in Toronto, which has a population of some half-million in the metro area, also with another half-million or so metro area in Lake Worth, Florida, also with a sizable population in an area that has a well-known veterinary school in Raleigh, NC, and also with an area in Alberta that has a population considerably larger than ours.
Yet, as I write this, we are in a strong, if much lower than the two leaders, third place, in an area with a mostly rural population (Sooke, B.C.).
I am personally grateful for every comment left on Kumbi’s entry. Some of the comments touch my heart very deeply; they confirm and enhance Kumbi’s story.
In this last day, I’d like to encourage any remaining comments that might be left today for Kumbi and his vets, and also, give heartfelt thanks for those already posted, including those without particular content.
How does a person sing the praises of their vets? Well, in the way people are doing on all the entries. They are all lovely entries, and I’m pleased that Trupanion gave us the opportunity to sing our vets’ praises.
I am touched by all the five entries; they are beautiful.
I’d also like to thank Trupanion’s Stacy for putting this together, and Heather, who has been managing the entries while Stacy is off for a week. Each has answered questions for me.
My friends – all of you – I know Kumbi is looking down from the Bridge, and thanking you all as well, and so is Kwali, whose comment I include here: Kwali says, “Thank you all; these are truly great vets – and staff as well.” Kumbi agrees. And so does Camellia the rescue Havanese, IFO (“identified Flying Object.”)
For the remaining time, please have fun! Expressing our devotion for our fabulous veterinarians (and staff) is, indeed, fun – a LOT of fun.
Thanks to Stacy and Trupanion for cooking up this idea!
I’ll be posting the photo on Coherent Dog, and also the comments that have particular content, after the contest closes, tonight at 23:59:59, Pacific Daylight Time.
Wed, 19 Oct 2011 07:06:58
Carol and Camellia, Kwali and Kumbi
I vote for Kumbi also, and triple that
I vote for Kumbi and Carol too, for choosing such am exceptional veterinary practice.
Update on Camellia: On 25 October, 2011, during an annual exam, Dr. Amanda Booth diagnosed my (large!) Havanese, Camellia, with atopy – a missing skin barrier made up of phytosphingosines,
She prescribed a VERY expensive shampoo and spray from DOUXO. This stuff is only sold, in Canada, from vet clinics. Also, Dr. Amanda put Camellia on daily antihistamines, as needed – well, she needs three doses daily (generic Benadryl: diphenhydramine hydrochloride). She also gave me a choice of two other antihistamines, and I tried them, but found the generic Benadryl worked best.
Reading on the DOUXO web site, I saw something to the effect that once the missing skin barrier had been replaced (probably a matter of five to six weeks), the frequency of baths and spraying could be reduced.
So I checked this out with Dr. Amanda – who replied that with Camellia’s particular sensitivities, she wanted me to keep her on once-weekly baths and twice-weekly sprays.
My policy with Trupanion for Camellia is for 90% coverage of eligible expenses, with no deductible.
I tall ya, I never did anything so useful in my life to help my dogs as I did when I took out vet insurance with Trupanion. It turns out that I can put in claims as often as I need to, with no penalties. In our last exchange, Trupanion encouraged me to keep submitting claims, and you can believe, I will be doing that.
So it’s not only my fabulous vets who are my Tru Heroes, but Trupanion, as well.
Thank you, Trupanion; you make it possible for me to take really proper care of my sensitive Havanese rescue! She will be five years old on Sunday, 4 March, 2012.
Camellia waves her glorious Magic Wand, in honor of my vets, Drs. Amanda Booth, Carla Bell and Ute Mannhardt – and Trupanion and its people.
Fri, 2 Mar 2012 08:11:15 (PST)
Hi Carol,
Thank you for updating us on Camellia. I feel that you, too, are a hero for rescuing this pup and giving her all of the love and veterinary care she needs! There are many people who would turn around and drop her right back off at the shelter so I commend your kind heart for taking the time to help Camellia.
I am so glad to hear that we have been able to provide so much help for her condition and I hope that it continues to improve.
Thanks for the compliments, Stacy. I REALLY enjoyed participating in your contest, because it gave me a special opportunity to sing the praises of my wonderful vets, and I’d never done that in public before. They are so deserving, and it was wonderful to see their smiles when they read my entry.
I didn’t get Camellia from a shelter, though. I inquired locally of two breeders, in case they had a returnee, or an older dog they didn’t want to keep, and I got a response from Seantiago Havanese (Gail Dame), who works in conjunction with another breeder, Elite Havanese (Bev Dorma). (Bev’s daughter Emily recently took Best-of-Breed at Westminster, with her dog Reo – owner-handled – Emily is fifteen – I had had no idea I was trying to get a dog from such breeders and partners.)
Gail had tried to place Camellia three times, and each time failed; SOMETHING, nobody was sure just what, had caused her such trauma that she was difficult to handle – hypervigilant. I thought I could help her, and didn’t have money to buy such an expensive dog, so I took her very gratefully; I have lots of experience with difficult dogs.
Camellia has been my dog now for just over a year and a half, and she’s come a very long way; Gail is ecstatic! And she’s great with my vets, partly because the vets and staff are so good with her! (Not to mention her fabulous groomer!)
My contract says if I dump Camellia, I have to return her to Seantiago Havanese. No way. They’re not getting her back; haha! (That is, I won’t be dumping her!)
Recently, I discovered how much Trupanion people love animals; they can take their dogs to work with them, and they do!
Fri, 2 Mar 2012 17:05:24 (PST)