We are in process of doing something that has needed doing for a long time. Replacing the floors in the front of the clinic. The floors in a veterinary clinic are like a character in a story. There are few things that are interacted with quite as much in the course of a normal day. So, for this month’s Doc Talk I thought I would describe a few of the common things a floor commonly endures during any given week at VCVC:
1. Nervous pee. This is the dog that squats as soon as you enter the room or treatment area and looks you right in the eye as a puddle slowly grows behind and underneath. Technicians are quickly dispatched for mops and towels and the mess contained as much as possible while all tasks are finished.
2. Delivery men. All deliveries are brought in on dollies that are approximately 2 inches to large for our doorways. This invariably results in pivoting, swearing, and maneuvering that marks the floor and requires tireless scrubbing by staff to remove the marks on the floor.
3. Mud and grass. No matter how diligent we are (and all the staff as well as clients have been guilty of this) there is no way to keep floors clean when it is rainy and muddy outside. Grass is tracked in with mud and debris. We mop, sweep, and vacuum…but the job is never really done. I have been known to take my shoes off and rinse them in the back sink to remove said debris. It adds another moment to an already full day of moments when our staff takes a moment to wonder if I have finally lost it.
4. My knees and heels. I have always found it easier to get down on the level with pets and owners. I have worked in clinics with noisy lift tables and you do, sometimes, have to lift pets onto tables for various reasons. But, all things being equal, I prefer to kneel or squat, to make the pet comfortable and limit movement and manipulation required to get done what we need to. This will either result in early knee replacements or increased mobility lasting into my old age…we shall see.
5. Saying goodbye. More often than not, we say goodbye on the floor. Our floors have absorbed years and years of love and grief. The new floors have big shoes to fill.
The new floors will look great. They will look professional. I will miss the old ones though. They represent 13 years (almost) of our blood (literally in some cases), sweat, and tears and those of our clients and those of our pets. As we always say: we can’t replace them. It’s time for a new journey though and we’re excited.