When Veterinary Clients’ Holiday Gifts Go Horribly Wrong

It’s the holidays! If you’re like most veterinary clinics, clients will begin showering you with love - and gifts - very soon! But what happens when those well-intentioned gifts carry unexpected consequences? What about holiday tipping, homemade food, and a host of other seemingly innocent gestures that can cause division (or food-borne illness) in your clinic? Viewfinders, get ready for a conversation about holidays in vet med that rarely gets spoken out loud!

Hosts Dr. Ernie Ward and Beckie Mossor, RVT, start with how to handle “special favors” and tips for nail trims, grooming, and baths. As pet parents scramble to fluff up Fido for holiday parties, they may go to great lengths to, as Dr. Ward puts it, “jump to the front of the line.” 

Beckie questions the safety of accepting “ a bowl of potato salad,” and why we should be extra-vigilant about food-borne illness during the holidays. Joint: we’re already short-staffed. Did Susie wash her hands? Did Billy double-dip? Keeping it real. 

And finally, how do we ensure our team distributes gifts equally? What happens when that box of cookies “gets crushed while we were doing a two-hour emergency surgery? Nobody cared to save us any!?” Beckie speaks from experience.

Viewfinders, take these questions to heart and discuss them with your team before the E. coli outbreak takes you out. Happy holidays!