I just finished with my small animal ER rotation today. Basically, I don't like emergency medicine. It's just not my bag. I hate the heartbreak of it, I hate feeling helpless, and most of all, I hate having the money conversation. ER fees are hefty. Most 24-hour clinics charge a $100 exam fee, and that's just to get the animal seen, not including any diagnostics or treatments. After the emergency fee, bloodwork, radiographs, ultrasound, and ICU hospitalization fees, I was quoting owners $1,000-$2,000 routinely during this rotation. Many, many people don't have that kind of money these days. It was exhausting and sad and I really didn't enjoy it at all.
I am looking forward to tomorrow and the start of my exotic and wildlife rotation, though!
I've had a few rather cheap but important trips to the ER. One of my cockers got a paint chip from my ancient apartment fridge door stuck to her cornea from trying to get at something underneath it. The ER washed it out, and it took some time because it was really stuck. Another time, I accidentally put ear cleaner into my blind cocker's eyes because the bottle was almost identical to the one from her opthamologist (they used an eyeball symbol with really teensy letters saying NOT FOR EYES or READ DIRECTIONS or something, and the symbol was almost identical to the opthamologist's logo). Another eye wash! Another cheap trip was when my dog with facial nerve paralysis was chewing on a knotted rawhide and managed to un-knot it and have about a foot of it going down her throat. I didn't dare try pulling it out myself for fear of injuring her. I have never given a rawhide to a dog since!
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