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| Miss Lisa found a second home with vet student Nicky Quinn. Pictures
taken by Tim Bamford of Portrait House Photography Burleigh
http://www.portraithouse.com.au/ |
Nicky is a vet
nurse, vet student and companion to a beautiful Tibetan Spaniel. Like many “vet’s
pets”, she was initially a patient before she found a home with Nicky. The pair
are inseparable.
What’s your day
job?
I'm
a qualified Veterinary Nurse who is currently undergoing further education
completing the Bachelor of Veterinary Science at JCU Townsville. Along with
which I occasionally undertake evening shifts at the local emergency hospital
to ensure continued experience and receive a supplementary income.
Tell us about
Miss Lisa. How did you meet?
My
little sweetheart is a 9 year old Tibetan Spaniel who is like a child to me,
she is kept shaved short due to the climatic conditions as well as me not being
great with long coat maintenance. When I comes to grooming I do however have a
special feature I like to maintain and that is her tail being dyed pink with a
dog-safe dye, as well as painting her toenails with dog nail polish. Miss Lisa
came to me when I was working in a kennel situation and she come in for a visit
whilst her then family sorted out some personal issues in their home
environment.
Unfortunately after some major discussions they came to let us
know of their
inability to continue to care for her. At this point I offered to
take care of her and we performed a transfer of her details to my name, thus
becoming my new baby. Miss Lisa was approximately 3-4 years old when this event
took place.
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| Nicky and Miss Lisa. Pictures
taken by Tim Bamford of Portrait House Photography Burleigh
http://www.portraithouse.com.au/ |
Does she have any
health issues?
What
was involved in treatment (acute and ongoing) She fortunately is a breed that
is not commonly afflicted by many medical conditions, however being the small
breed that she is dental disease is a major issue due to her small mouth. She
has previously had a dental under anaesthetic performed and will be going under
anaesthetic again for another dental in January 2016.
This
is despite having her on t/d (specialised tooth diet), the aim is that after
the next surgery I will be doing daily teeth cleaning with a brush and canine
toothpaste to maintain best practice in containing this issue. Additionally she
did have a major episode of HGE (Haemorrhagic Gastroenteritis) when I first got
her due to a error in feeding. However this was cleared up immediately with
treatments and has had no lingering effects to her health
How would you
describe their relationship?
I
would describe my relationship with Miss Lisa as that of a parent caring for a
child. To me, pets are family and as such should be treated in the same manner
as any other family member.
What do you do to
spend time together?
I
ensure that whatever spare time I have available is dedicated to spending time
together. I have divide up my evening exercise to be a ride where Miss Lisa
sits in the bicycle basket five days a week and then on the weekends I take her
out for a walk. Any local events that are on where it is permissive for a dog
to be along I take her too as well as trying to find cafes and eateries that
are pet friendly whist out and about. I have even been known to take holidays
where she can specifically come along and just chill out with her in these
places. At other times when I am studying she generally hangs out asleep on the
bedside me and always sleeps on the bed with me at night. Finally my friends
usually know that if possible I will bring Miss Lisa along with me if I am
visiting and I will take her along when possible.
Has caring for Miss
Lisa taught you anything you didn’t already know about their condition or
animals with this condition?
Having
now owned a small dog has made me appreciate how little people are aware of the
problem of dental disease and do not regularly even look at their entire dogs
mouth, instead simply look at the front teeth.
How has your bond
with Miss Lisa changed your approach to patients?
It
has made me ensure that I show clients how to correctly check their dogs entire
mouth and be more vigilant about plaque build up in their animals as well as
being able to impart techniques to help prevent dental disease.
Any parting words
of wisdom?
Enjoy
every day and every minute with your pets continuously making memories, you
never know what is around the corner in terms of their health.
Thank
you so much Nicky. If you are a vet, vet nurse or vet student who is happy to
share your story about the bond with your non-human companion or companions,
drop us a line.
