I have been meaning to blog about this for a while now, and since it is snowing I figured this is a good day to get caught up on inside work, including this blog post.
A few months ago I decided it was time to have my two furry children checked out. It actually started because Fuchsia, my long haired cat, had stopped grooming herself in her old age and I wanted he checked out and possibly sedated and then groomed. But just about a week before my other cat, GinSue, started acting really weird. I knew that she had been off, she hadn't been sleeping with me for weeks, but I figured it was due to the crazy schedule I have during August and that she was just mad at me, or experiencing some anxiety.
I had read an article about another local vet who makes house calls for euthanasia, and had bookmarked that site thinking I may need it one day. But that sparked a thought that maybe someone else would come to the house and see the girls, saving me the time and the agony of binging them into an office. So I looked up veterinarians who make house calls and stumbled upon Dr. Samantha Ottinger.
And before you ask, yes it costs a little more. There is a "house call" fee above the regular visit fee and any other testing fees. But it wasn't so expensive to be cost prohibitive, and in fact in the end I thought it was well worth every penny (and more).
I made the appointment via email, which is great for my crazy schedule. We decided on a Monday and Dr. Sam and her assistant Lexi arrived. It was amazing- they had these kits all ready with everything they would need, a scale, the laptop, it was impressive. What was more impressive was how GinSue handled the visit. She acted like it was any other of my friends coming over, and although some of the poking and prodding offended her a little, she didn't run and hide during the exam at all. Since Fuchsia is a more cranky cat, she did eventually hiss and spit a little, but nothing near the anger and abuse I expected her to dole out to our visitors. The whole experience was much more comfortable for me as well. I got to sit on the floor, hold them while blood was taken, and in general be part of the procedure, rather than just having them whisked away from me to some unknown part of the office.
So while the news for Fuchsia was good, she is old but healthy for her age, it was not good news for GinSue. Some of her lab work came back off the chart, and it was diagnosed at CRF- Chronic Renal Failure. Our little furry girl is on a path, and we know where it will end, now all we can do is make her comfortable along the way. About a week later I made another appointment with Dr. Sam and she and Lexi came out to administer some subcutaneous fluids to GinSue before I left on a trip with my Mom. I got her medications and left my dad in charge. Honestly, I didn't expect her to be here when I got back.
But here she is and she is doing well. She is comfortable and responding to her medications well. Dr.Sam answers all of my questions quickly (via email) and is honest, reliable, comforting, but realistic. And when it s time for GinSue to leave us, Dr.Sam will come to the house and go through the process of euthanizing her with us, and be sure she is cremated properly, and return her to us in the end. Knowing that is very comforting to me.
So please, if you are in need of a vet, call Dr.Sam. You ultimately may not like the news you hear, but it is impossible not to like the doctor you will be getting it from.
Samantha Ottinger, DVM
PO Box 152
Bath, PA 18014-0152
(484) 809-9838
sam.ottinger@gmail.com
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