I have nothing against dogs. I have 3 of them. I am a dog person.
And I really don't mind if you bring a small dog to the hospital to comfort a sick person.
But if you do, and a neurologist comes in the room to round, please try to restrain Li'l Cujo when he lunges across the room, barking and growling, to take a piece out of my ankle.
Fortunately, it stopped bleeding quickly, and a band-aid covered it.
Please fax your "harmless little cuddly-wuddly's" rabies shot records to my office today.
Jesus.
ReplyDeleteWell, at least it was not a Mastiff.
ReplyDeleteWhat?! You were actually bitten?!? I'm just shocked. And I would be livid!
ReplyDeleteI'm a dog person as well, had dogs all my life and not one has EVER bitten anyone! I would never keep a dog that bites people.
We don't generally give rabies vaccines to neurologists...
ReplyDeletePerhaps there should be a change in policy?
And since when do hospitals allow dogs in?
I have dogs. I train dogs. I show dogs in obedience. Well-trained dogs who come to work with me sometimes, have been in nursing homes, doctors offices, you name it. NEVER would I bring a dog to a hospital that wasn't well-behaved and didn't have at least a CGC if not a TDI! Since the dog drew blood, be sure to report it to rabies' control in your area.
ReplyDeleteDogs and owners like that are what give the responsible ones a bad name.
Dumbfounded. This is a new low, even for your patients!!
ReplyDeletedid the dog owner apologize?
ReplyDeleteYes, after saying "You'll have to forgive him, he gets excited."
ReplyDeleteYou're lucky you got the apology. I was recently bitten by a dog at a dog training class --- the owner never apologized or even admitted that it had happened! "Getting excited" is NOT a reason for a dog to bite! I'll bet it was a little yappy "oven dog" that bit you, right? Those are the absolute worst because the owners invariably spoil the crap out of them.
ReplyDeleteAnkle biters. The worst kind.
ReplyDeleteI would have been very tempted to punt it. Or the owner.
I am a dog lover but now have a fear of them ever since living in the Arctic--the dogs are so vicious that in every family someone has been either mauled, bitten, or killed by one.
I fear that I would have drop-kicked "little cuddly-wuddly" into the next life.
ReplyDeleteDog attack NO matter how small are NO fun. I was playing with a neighbors 2 dogs, when suddenly I was bitten on the chest right below my ICD, the subsequently bitten on the left leg. Both left physical and emotional scars.
ReplyDeleteIt's also scary to think, the dog may not be up to date on its shots.
In my case state law dictates if a dog attacks someone multiple times or multiple people... it is euthanized.
Owl
Report the bite to the department of public health. Every state seems to have different post-dog bite quarantine rules (for the biter, not the bite-ee if he's human) and these rules change frequently.
ReplyDeleteI hope the dog is current on its rabies vaccine. Even if its rabies vaccination is up-to-date, most states mandate a quarantine period for any biter. If the dog is vaccinated, the quarantine is usually done at the owner's home unless the owner has a history of irresponsible behavior. Most important: if Cujo dies sometime in the next week or so, of any cause, its brain must be sent for testing.
This may seem like overkill, but many dogs arrive in the U.S. via "rescues" or even "breeders" who obtain these animals in Asia or South America. The dogs arrive unvaccinated without reliable medical histories. It's a huge public health problem given the incubation period for rabies can be as long as six months.
Most veterinarians are accustomed to working with the department of public health.
We had a patient whose wife would bring in two or three small dogs in a baby stroller. I wanted to say GET THEM OUT. But, since we are a Press-Gainey based institution, I said frickin nothing. So annoying. Seriously.
ReplyDeleteYikes!! Hope all is well ~
ReplyDeleteI know what CGC is, but what it TDI?
ReplyDeleteI'm with the drop-kick comment. I would not have held my cool. Seriously, man, I would have made a stink about it, sent the patient home with the dog, and told her to reschedule when she could get a dog-sitter. AND called Animal Control. I love my dog, but I can't stand other people's ill-behaved monsters (their ill-behaved monstrous kids and dogs!) Hmmm, come to think of it, I have such a poor ability to forgive, I probably wouldn't be able to preserve the doctor-patient relationship. That crazy byatch would be shoppin for another doctor.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I would have kicked the dog as well and not apologized for it.
ReplyDeleteAnd I thought it was bad when my patient's visitors wanted to bring live chickens into her room.
ReplyDeleteAre these patients in private rooms? If not, what if the roommate or even the staff had an allergy to the animal? What is the policy. I am severely asthmatic and very allergic to dogs and cats. Had I walked into that patients room it wouldn't be long before I was sucking on my inhaler and most likely transported to the ER.
ReplyDeleteWhat's your office policy on your staff wearing potent lotions, hair spray (especially that Aussie stuff) and perfumes?
My migraines are also so severe that when having a chest x-ray early last week the women checking me in as well as the x-ray tech had on very strong perfume and lotion (and A LOT of it). What was already a bad migraine (mine are severe chronic daily) was so bad that I needed to seek ER attention shortly after I left the imaging center (which luckily was less than one-half mile from home).
Before my severe and chronic medical issues got out of hand I used to teach. We were asked not to wear any perfumes, lotions or scented hair spray (they could not demand it) but asked us out of respect for each other and the students to be considerate. They principal and nurse said, "You could ruin a students of one of your colleagues day. One TA refused to stop or even lessen the amount of Love's Baby Soft (she was 55 and must have gallons upon gallons of it at home) she would wear to school. One day we had a staff meeting and she decided to sit right next to me. The principal caught what was happening out of the corner of her eye and asked me to come sit by her that she needed me to do something for her. By that time it was too late and I was running out of the room vomiting, my migraine became so out of control that someone had to drive me home and I had to take a sick day. The principal did pull her aside and told her she couldn't wear perfume anymore (I guess there was a severely asthmatic child in her class and he was having problems and they didn't put two and two together).
So, all that BS, Grumpy to ask my original question at the beginning. If the rooms aren't private, or a medical professional had a severe allergy what would be done?
Thoughts, feelings, suggestions? Anyone can chime in on this one.
Hope everyone has a GREAT weekend. I am liking both Paddy O' Prado and Backtalk in the Derby tomorrow. No, I am not from Kentucky. But here is a cool site for those interested: http://www.kentuckyderby.com
Try to have a nice day, GRUMPY! I sure hope you are not on call this weekend and can enjoy a few quiet days with the family?
Sorry to hijack your blog post today!
CGC - Canine Good Citizen. Pretty much guarantees that your dog isn't going to be an idiot, isn't likely to bite --- can even give you a break on your homeowners insurance. TDI - Therapy Dog International. These are the dogs that go to nursing homes, hospitals, schools.
ReplyDeleteThey have to be CGC to take the TDI test, and have to be good around kids, wheelchairs, crutches, not over-react to loud noises, not barkers, etc.
Two of my dogs are also my personal assistance dogs. My dogs love it when they get to go to Doctors' offices, and so the the doctors and their staff.
That's why dogs don't make good medical co-pays. Stick with chickens.
ReplyDeleteplease tell us you called security and are taking legal action.
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry to hear this. Hoping Fang's proof of rabies inoculation is rolling off your fax as I write. "Excited" my ass. Fang is an aggressive, untrained menace. I love dogs too, but not nasty ones.
ReplyDeleteAt least he didn't hump your leg..........
ReplyDelete::shudder:: I became terrified of small dogs as a young child when a childless aunt (she kept a toddler sized doll in a guest bedroom and changed its clothes every day...) had a chihuahua that would try to eat me whenever I came to visit. No, really. They had to lock it away in the guest bedroom with the fake kid. I can handle mid-sized & up and my cats. BTW what is the comparable organization for cats re therapy and how do you get pets vetted for such? Inquiring gimps (as opposed to grumps) would like to know.
ReplyDeleteSheesh! Dr. G. you're one sweetie. When I was a kid every one of my paper route customers had at least one dog, and several had mushing teams. (You ain't seen anything until you've seen a team of standard black poodles pulling a sleigh; it was probably cruel to have a group of poodles in sub-zero temperatures pulling a sled with someone sitting in it.) Normally the paper could be tossed somewhere away from dogs e.g. feet up on the handlebars when biking, but there were two situations that evoked strong emotions when time to pick up the payment: the german shepherd whose leash was affixed to a clothesline that ran past the front door, and the two unleashed yapping chihuahuas that rushed through a porch from the open front door. It was a lucky day when I could get past them without ankle injury. I never thought to stop and swat them. The worst that would've happened was a deeper wound. I wonder if the owner would've been a little more cognizant about the safety of visitors and paper deliverers.
ReplyDeleteThe dog is not (legally) responsible for biting you , the owner is for not controlling the animal. Sue the owner . If the owner is too poor to pay what happens then? I don't know. Irresponsible dog owners like this really piss me off. How do we get them to stop? Somebody has to stop them.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely stay on top of the rabies records & really consider reporting that shiz! If they do require any kind of quarantine, they are responsible for it...including boarding/office quarantine (we have one right now in our hospital). Too many people spoil & don't take responsibility for their little POS's. As a small animal vet, I have more scars from Micro Dog bites/scratches than cat & large breed dog bites put together. Bring me a pit bull any day vs. a Little Turd!! :)
ReplyDeleteI am owned by great danes for a reason.
ReplyDeleteI find the larger the dog, the more responsible ... well, no, that doesn't fit either.
I find that the smaller the ankle biter, the more offensive the person who thinks their ankle biter is cute and "just playing" - and on a retractable leash no less (oh, do not get me started on that)
Had a dachshund that was well loved by everyone but she was raised with a great dane or two or three. I think she thought she was one!
Can I bring my dane in? :D
Unless you are actually dying and are saying goodbye to your beloved pet....LEAVE THE PETS AT HOME!!!!!
ReplyDeletePets are luxuries that can wait until you get home. Unless your pet provides a service to you- LEAVE IT AT HOME. Believe it or not, you and your pet will survive the momentary separation.
Thank god nobody has ever tried to bring a pet inside the NICU where I work. I think I will explode if that ever happens.
I can understand having a pet for therapy in many wards but a NICU?! or an ICU?! Oh wait, these people are nuts, that wouldn't stop them anyway.
ReplyDeleteWelcome to my world...I see Li'l Cujo dogs every shift. I swear to you that we try to educate owners about the dangers of little dogs who are aggressive but nobody listens. They eventually figure the seriousness of the matter when some kid is having finger amputated from a nasty bone infection or when we're chopping off their dogs head to send it for rabies testing...or when Li'l Cujo is taking his last gasp after pulling an attitude on a much larger dog.
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness.
ReplyDeleteThere is something to be said about allowing pets into medical facilities. At the Alberta Children's Hospital here in Calgary, an area has been allocated where a patient's pet(s) can come visit. Works wonders, I hear.
ReplyDelete