8 May 2001

When I was in practice in the USA I had an unusual experience with a donkey. I didn’t tell the story on The Jerry Springer Show but I’ll share it with you here.

Jèsus (say Hay-soos) was a 3-year old Cecilian donkey. That gray coat trimmed with black at the tips of his long ears, along the backline and through his tail made him look like a big loveable rabbit. Looks were deceiving, however. You only needed to get into the same paddock with the little guy to realise that this was an ass with an attitude. He had tooooo much testosterone.

His owner was an older woman named Francis who wasn’t too savvy on equine husbandry. She liked him for his looks. His aggressive nature was offputting, especially when she wanted to give him a cuddle. A knowledgeable horse owner told her in so many words that Jèsus’ disposition would never match his cute image until his testicles got out of the way.

A chance to neuter is a chance to tutor! I was the designated gelder.

Francis was nervous on the day. I assured her that this was a routine procedure (beware the routine procedure) and gelding was the right thing to do, given that Jèsus was acting like a hormone-crazed teenager.

I explained the surgery to her. Then I anaesthetized him and performed a standard open castration on the lawn in the back garden. The procedure and recovery were uneventful. I advised Francis to rest Jèsus in a box stall for 24 hours and exercise him with vigour every day thereafter for a week to control the post-op swelling. Then I left.

Usually this is the end of the story. In my case it was just beginning.

Francis called several days later and explained that Jèsus was quite swollen ‘down there’ and he was sick. I went out to find a very droopy donkey. He was still standing in the stall where I’d last left him. He hadn’t seen sunshine since. His nether region was a black balloon, hot and sore. There was crinkly crackly gas beneath the skin in the flank. He was febrile, he was toxic and he was dying. My best guess was that he’d laid in the muck and a clostridial infection took hold and took off.

Aggressive penicillin and fluid therapy was like using a garden hose on a house fire. Francis’ beloved Jèsus was dead the next morning.

A few days later Francis called. She knew that Jèsus’ death was all my fault and she wanted me to buy her a new ass or she was going to sue mine (it’s America, remember).

A call like that will get your adrenal glands going won’t it?

Fortunately the day the donkey died I sent a letter and a cheque to the animal health foundation in my home state. It took a few days but they sent Francis a grand letter saying what a caring veterinarian I was and how I had made a generous donation in Jèsus’ name that would be used to benefit other companion animals through research. It was a very nice letter and it arrived the day after she called me.

I imagine that Francis shed a tear as she read it. Then she wrote one of her own. To me. She apologised for being so harsh. She said ‘now that I know how much you care I don’t need you to find me another Jèsus.’ And I was off the hook.

Hallelujah!!

Marton veterinarian Mark Gilmour said it very well when he told last year’s vet class that people don’t remember what vets do, they remember how vets made them feel.

True story.

There is good news for those of us who deal with customers that are attached to their animals. When something catastrophic happens the NZ Companion Animal Foundation can provide the kind of special support that helped me out of a hard spot with Francis. It’s a way of showing your friends and clients how much you respect the bond that they have with their animals.

I used the foundation a lot. That might be a reflection of my technical talents as a vet or it could show how powerful the tool was. In every case it made a positive impact on the recipient. Every case.

Next time one of your clients experiences a tough loss put a stamp on an envelope and leave a caring impression on them. This is an incredible tool for building relationships and elevating our profile as a compassionate profession. Explore it for yourself. (The only flaw I can see is that their definition of companion animals is too narrow. Horses need to be included as well.) See the website at www.healthypets.org.nz or phone them on (04) 471 0484 for more information.

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