The motivations for animal ownership are many and varied. They may be a companion, child, exercise machine, herder, guardian, alarm clock, rescuee, status symbol, waste disposal, puppy machine, test subject, egg dispenser, meat, lawnmower, retriever, drug detector, pest control, transport, eyepiece, hair model, or life coach, just to name a few. As nuanced and unique as each individual’s relationship is, it’s important for a vet to understand roughly where you stand on the spectrum of emotional engagement, so we can better predict the levels of care you may require..
.At one end of the spectrum (1) there are those whose pet is a primary companion; who carry a sense of duty and emotional attachment like that of a mother to child. A common history is that of rescue from death or disease: a relationship born of adoption from abuse or shelter death-row; and those whose bond, with both vet and pet, was galvanised by successful treatment of a life threatening disease. These owners are often highly committed, and valued by vets as they are loyal, follow instructions, keep us informed of progress, express gratitude, and contribute disproportionately to practice income.
At the other end of the spectrum (2) are seemingly unemotional clients who value their animal in terms of utility or dressed carcass weight, and may be comfortable using a shotgun in a paddock to save the cost of euthanasia. The majority of owners sit somewhere between these extremes (3), having an emotional attachment, tempered with a degree of pragmatism, maybe describing their pet as a close friend.
Its important to emphasise that while there will be a theoretical average, there is no single perfect level of emotional involvement with a pet. Every owner’s position is equally valid. Each of us moves up and down on this spectrum depending on the strength of bond with a particular animal and other life circumstances. Those raised on a farm may be more likely to be left of average. An owner who has recently lost her husband may be shifted to the right, and more likely to invest in treatment than they would have previously.
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.So where do vets sit in this range? We would be all along the spectrum, clustered around the average, although maybe shifted to the right with our own animals, and shifted to the left with patients. While a certain level of emotional engagement with regular patients is inevitable, as a protective mechanism, most vets try to avoid getting too attached. Those vets shifted too far to the right are more likely to suffer stress and burn out working in hospital environments.
Unlucky vets may also encounter owners on the far right (4). Their extreme emotional engagement is unhealthy, for themselves and their vet, usually obsessed with imbuing their pet with human attributes, and unwarranted fixation on their mental state and welfare. Hypochondriasis, and muchausen’s-by-proxy:pet are well described psychiatric disorders in man that vets rarely see in full blown form, and more usually as a borderline tendency.
Such an owner once screamed a threat of legal action unless I authorised a nurse to dispense morphine for her pug’s torn dew claw. She was in more urgent need of medication than her dog.
.Not looking forward to meeting an owner on the extreme left (5) – complete lack of empathy is seen in psychopaths.
During consultations vets listen to the language you use, observe how emotionally involved you seem, and how you respond to certain suggestions. We try to empathise with your situation so we can better tailor our recommendations to your needs and resources.
Tags: community attitudes, emotional engagement, gunshot euthanasia, human-animal bond, Hypochondriasis, muchausen's-by-proxy, psychology, psychopath