Nervous Dog Gets 'Fake Vet' To Watch Over Him In Intensive Care So He's Never Alone
"He seemed to be mesmerized by it. It stayed by him his entire stay."
Denali has been going to Glove Cities Veterinary Hospital since he was just a puppy, so the staff there all know him well. They usually enjoy seeing him for his regular checkups, but recently, the overly curious husky got into some trouble and needed their help.
“Denali’s mom called concerned because he wasn’t eating, which is very unlike him,” Jillian, the marketing manager at Glove Cities Veterinary Hospital, told The Dodo. “He was even turning down his favorite snacks. After a physical exam, Dr. Sharpe decided to do X-rays in which she found … a rock foreign body.”
Apparently, Denali had eaten a rock, which definitely did not agree with his system, making him sicker and sicker. After a full day at the vet, the poor pup wasn’t getting any better, so Dr. Sharpe determined that surgery was needed to remove the rock and set Denali on the road to recovery.
While Denali loves his vet, Dr. Sharpe, he was getting a little anxious having so many people around him at all times. He was in the intensive care unit for his entire stay at the vet, where he was being constantly monitored, which was causing him to get a little overwhelmed. At the same time, he didn’t want to be completely alone — so the staff came up with a genius plan to give Denali the balance he needed.
They decided to construct a fake vet to keep watch over Denali, and as soon as they put it in front of him, he was almost instantly so much calmer.
“For Denali, less is more,” Jillian said. “With the use of the ‘make-shift vet,’ it appeared that he felt someone was still with him but not too much to make him anxious or nervous … As soon as the ‘make-shift vet’ was constructed (using an IV pole, mop and image of his favorite veterinarian, Dr. Sharpe) he settled right down. This is before AND after surgery. He seemed to be mesmerized by it. It stayed by him his entire stay.”
Once he had the fake vet with him, Denali transformed into a model patient. It turned out he just needed a different kind of support, and his friends at the vet were more than happy to give that to him. He’s now feeling so much better and hopefully won’t need another visit to the vet for quite a while.
“We are so thankful to say Denali is doing well after surgery,” Jillian said. “He is home resting with his family and staying away from rocks!”
