Veterinary days in Switzerland

People’s habits do change and I don’t seem to be an exception…..

Since working no longer at my own clinic, I have started to arrive at work much earlier. This is even more the case, here in Switzerland where being late is just not an option ……..

When I arrive at the clinic in the morning , which is often half an hour before the first clients, I am greeted by Yuki, the ancient practice feline, who is already patiently waiting to be let out to inspect the car park before being fed.

I then tend to make a beeline for the high end coffee machine in the waiting room, to get the water heated up for my obligatory caffeine fix before starting my consultations.

Switching on the lights in the consulting rooms, I am always in two minds, if I should love or loath them….

I appreciate that they are all very well lit, very clean and spacious, but at the same time they offer a lot of escape routes for frightened cats and it is at times difficult to get the rooms dark enough for a meaningful eye examination. Thankfully I have a windowless X-Ray room just next door.

Due to my very international clientel, there is constant switching between German and English and it is not uncommon that I am addressing German speakers in English, or my German introduction is met with an expression of utter puzzlement, if it turns out that a pet owner with a Germanic sounding surname does not speak the language.

A very frequent task here is the handling of travel documents and it amuses me slightly that by holding a Swiss veterinary license, I am entitled to sign pet passports – something I am since Brexit no longer allowed to do as an official veterinarian in the UK.

The average dog here in Zug is well travelled, weighs somewhere under 10 kg and prefers to hide underneath a chair or in the arms of the owner. A lot of time is spend to reduce the stress with a nice selection of treats and by limiting the hands on part of an examination. However, it is not uncommon that a second visit is scheduled and some sedatives are handed out to make the experience less challenging for all parties involved.

With my feline patients it seems to be an even more mixed bag, where a very relaxed ginger tom with a long history of visits to the clinic might be followed by a completely new arrival that is indicating its displeasure of being here, with a low growl from its carrier basket.

Once this and all other warning signs were missing and after I had performed a full clinical examination on a cat without a problem, I sustained my first cat bite in over 20 years while returning my ungrateful patient to her basket.

With a considerable number of cats and small dogs at this clinic, it is no surprise that there is a fair amount of dental work and once again I am being spoiled with a dedicated dental suite with a direct digital X-Ray unit (something even the dentist at my own recent check up in Bavaria could just have dreamt of…..).

Another positive feature in Switzerland is the high number of insured pets, which is certainly driven by the considerable cost of veterinary care in this part of the world.

Due to the limited opions to provide over night care at the clinic, the number of inpatients is very low, but I am once again in the lucky position, that I have a number of first class referral options in close reach.

This all – may be with the exception of the cat bite…..- makes all for a very pleasant working environment, so that even Mia, my trusty Vizsla, has no problems in joining me at times on my Swiss working adventure.