Ethyl the Exotic Schnauzer

Allison Gedney, Oklahoma State

Foot In Mouth Disease, Honorable Mention

One evening during my first summer at a new small animal veterinary  clinic I answered the phone. After listening to the owners reason for calling I asked for the animals name and typed " Ethyl". This pulled up a Coatimundi listed in our computer system. Naturally it was about 7pm on a Friday night and we closed at 8pm. The owner requested a certain doctor to see her animal before closing however,that doctor was not in. I asked the owner if she wanted to see that specific doctor because of her animal being a "exotic", she replied yes. I put her on hold, walked calmly to the doctors desk and pulled up a picture of a Coatimundi on the computer and explained to her what the owners complaint was. The distressed doctor picked up the phone and talked to client starting off by saying" you know, I am really sorry but I've never even heard of let alone seen one of these before!"  The client paused then asked " you have never seen a dog before?!"  As it turns out I should have typed "Ethel" into the computer to find the correct animal, a miniature schnauzer. The doctor was humiliated, I was humiliated, and I learned the importance of getting a full history including the patients last name.

Sincerely,
Not allowed to work in reception anymore.