Taken for Granted

This morning I took two of our fur kids to the vet for their regular check up. We got checked in and were instructed to go to Exam Room 2, but we usually go to Exam Room 1.  I shrugged it off that maybe we got a bigger room since I had two with me this time.  The tech came in and took Ditzy and Kaci back one at a time, weighed them and drew blood for the normal parasite tests, etc.  He said "We'll be back shortly to examine them." I thought it odd that he didn't say Dr. Koy will be in shortly. But again I shrugged it off.

Then this young female doctor came in and asked which dog she was examining first. Ditzy was already on the table so we started with her and she proceeded to examine my dogs.  I politely let her do her thing until she told me that Ditzy needed a rabies vaccination. I protested as I know she just had one of those last year when we first got her.  Dr. Koy wouldn't have made this mistake.  Well turns out she looked at the chart and agreed that she did get one a year ago but it was only a one year shot since we weren't sure how recently she had been vaccinated, we had only done the 1 year shot last year.  So she did need her rabies shot and got the one that lasts 3 years now.

The rest of the exam went without incident but I couldn't wait to get out to the receptionist area and talk to the gal I usually talk to.  I asked her if I could talk to her a few minutes and asked her why I didn't get Dr. Koy, that I've been coming there enough years I didn't think I still had to be specific as to who I wanted my precious fur kids to see. Turns out Dr. Koy retired last month!  What?!  My first thought was betrayal.  How dare he retire without asking me first!!

Then I started thinking, he is after all in his mid 60's.  He is perfectly entitled to retire after all but he is the only vet we've known and gone to the entire 8 years we've lived here.  I was a little surprised we didn't at least get a little post card letting us know he was retiring.  I took it for granted that Dr. Koy would be there for as long as I needed him to care for all the dogs I ever did or ever will own.  I know I shouldn't have done that, but I did, without even realizing it.

Now that the shock has worn off we will decide whether we want to still go there or go somewhere else. I do know of another vet there at that office that we used once when Dr. Koy was away and that office is the closest one to our house, so we'll see.  Chances are we will likely still go there. But the place just didn't seem the same as I walked out the door, knowing that Dr. Koy ,whom the clinic was named after will no longer be gracing its halls with his friendly down home veterinarian style ever again.