Being a veterinarian certainly has it’s share of challenges (I suppose that a lot of jobs do). You meet dogs and cats who want to eat you, horses that kick and bite, and you get to spends days with your entire arm inside a cow’s rectum. And if that isn’t enough, there is always poop, pee, and puke to clean up. But by far, the most challenging part of the job, though, is dealing with the owners!

You meet all types of people out there in the world, but one of my personal favorites was Steven Smug. I met Steven when he brought his seven year old pit bull, Spike, to our office to be neutered. Spike had never been to a vet’s office before, so he was definitely nervous, but he was friendly, and except for the fact that he absolutely refused to walk on a leash, he was easy to deal with. I’m not really sure why Steven had decided after seven years to neuter Spike, but I NEVER mind getting one more dog or cat fixed and vaccinated, so I was happy to help.

We live in a rural, low income area, and unfortunately unneutered, unvaccinated pet are very common. Our shelters are full of unwanted puppies and kittens produced by these pets since many of them are also allowed to roam loose. So any chance to get one fixed is welcomed. Spike’s surgery went well with no problems and he went home with Steven that evening.

Two mornings later, I was confronted by a very angry Steven, who had Spike in tow on one of his old belts. Before I could even make it inside the office door, he began raving, “Doc, how could you?!? I paid you a lot of money to fix Spike, and just look at him! And just look at him! His nuts are still there!!!” Then he yanked Spike towards me with the belt. When I knelt down to pet him, Spike rolled over to have his belly rubbed. His incision looked good, and there was mild swelling in his scrotal area, a normal short term side effect of the surgery. To me it all looked great.

As I stood up, I spoke to Steven, “Mr. Smug, I’m not sure what your concern is. Everything looks great down there.”

If it was possible, Steven’s face got even more red and he shouted again, “His nuts! They are still there!!” He pointed at the space between Spike’s back legs. “You can’t fool me, Doc! The incision’s not even in the right place!!! And everyone in the trailer park agrees!” he added.

It was then that I realized I was fighting a loosing battle with Steven. I took him inside, and with the help of a very nicely illustrated anatomy book put out by Hills Pet Products, showed him how the surgery was done and explained to him that some post op swelling was normal (especially since Spike had been running loose throughout the trailer park for the past two days). I explained that the swelling would go down over the next few days. Then Spike would look like a normal neutered dog. Steven left our office no longer angry, but still very skeptical. I never saw Steven or Spike again, but I do wonder once in awhile if Steven and “everyone in the trailer park” are still convinced that I ripped him off.