A doctor’s appointment is probably not the most awaited thing on your schedule. Trust me, your four-legged friend is likely equally unimpressed. And “unimpressed” is a soft word to refer to many people's experience of feeling anxious, nauseated and simply in fear before knocking on a GP’s or a vet’s door.
Some of us fear that the doctor will find something seriously wrong with us or our pets, others dread the “uncertainty” of whatever it is they are going to find out in their office.
And while we fight our demons armed with “what if” scenarios, some doctors and veterinarians take an extra step to make sure not just our health but also our state of being is in a good place.
So as a tribute to them, Bored Panda compiled this list with heartwarming examples of doctors and vets making us feel less miserable and way brighter. Whether it’s a simple comforting gesture or some cute decor in their office that makes you smile, little things work wonders!
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Saw This Next To The Weighting Scale At The Hospital
My Local Vet Has A Sign And Candle For When Someone’s Saying Goodbye To Their Pet
In Spanish-Speaking Countries, The Tooth Fairy Is A Mouse (Ratoncito Pérez). This Is My Dentist Office
To find out why so many of us feel that anxious about visiting a doctor or a vet, we spoke with Dr. Rory Lubold, the chief medical operations officer at Galaxy Vets. “A trip to the doctor is stressful for all of us, pets included. There is an added level of anxiety with a trip to the veterinarian because we can’t explain to our pets why we have taken them away from home.”
Moreover, for pets, the veterinary office is a place with unfamiliar smells, sounds and other pets they don’t know, Rory explained. “There is often something invasive done, such as a temperature being taken and their daily routine is interrupted by this car trip, which can be stressful as well. There are specific items and attire, such as scrubs, white coats, stethoscopes, and other equipment that pets can associate with it,” he told us.
A Doctor Made A "Special Prescription" For An Illiterate Patient
A moving "Thank You" To a vet
Found In My Doctor’s Office
Rory explained that the stress with a doctor’s visit is often associated with the anticipation of unpleasant things, and the fear of the unknown. “For pet parents, it is the fear of learning that something is wrong with their pet or the unknown costs associated with treating the pet. There can also be a negative association with a veterinarian’s office because it is the place to go when your pet has an emergency, is very ill, or where you might have had to say goodbye to a pet.”
Vet’s Mew Surgical Assistant
This May Not Seem Like Much, But After 10 Years, I Am Stepping Down As A Practicing Veterinarian. This Is Every Thank You Card And Picture That I've Received Over The Last Decade
Hospital T-Rex Has A Reminder For You
The chief medical operations office at Galaxy Vets added that pets are also very intuitive and will pick up on the stress and anxiety from their parents, which can add to their own discomfort.
When asked whether there’s anything to be done to make the patients feel less stressed, Rory said that veterinary clinics have indeed many ways to make this experience less stressful and still provide excellent medicine. “There are simple things such as keeping the clinic very clean to reduce smells, adding pheromones to lower pet stress, and creating positive associations, such as treats and visits where nothing bad happens.”
This Coffee Mug In My Doctor's Office Telling It Like It Is
At The Local Vet's
We Really Take Post-Op Care Seriously At My Job. Cuddles Is The Best Medicine
“The most effective way to comfort patients is to change how veterinary practices approach delivering care. Veterinary clinics may add virtual care to help answer questions and treat minor conditions without a stressful trip. If a relationship with a pet and its family exists, many questions can be answered and conditions treated with a low-stress video or phone call,” Rory explained.
This Was Outside My Local Vet's Office. It Made My Day And I Hope It Makes Yours
Always Choose The Doctor With A Sense Of Humor
Friend's Daughter Is Afraid Of Monsters In Her Closet. The Doctor Had The Pharmacy Fill This For Her
Another way to comfort pets is to help their parents better understand the cost expectations for care. It turns out that “financial stress is one of the most significant issues in treating pets and both pet parents and veterinary teams feel this stress.” Rory said that “we can help with the addition of clear payment options, pet insurance, and wellness programs that distribute the costs for care over a longer period of time.”
My Cousin's Costume. He's A Dentist. And Yes, He's At Work
I Saw This At The Doctor’s Office Today
Dropped Her Off At The Vet As A Dog. Picked Her Up From The Vet As A Taco
The Teddy Bear Is Taken Care Of
My Outdoor Cat Is So Fat The Vet Added A New Category In The Diagram Just For Charlie
My Friend's Work Requires A Doctor's Note If You Call In Sick
This Veterinarian
Babies Born In The Festive Period Are Wrapped Up In Christmas Stockings
The Was On The Whiteboard Outside Of Radiology At My Vet Hospital
Kitty Got A Boo Boo And The Vet Made His Body Cast Look Like A Little Shirt And Tie
Saw This At My Doctor's Office, Definitely Neat With The New Covid Vaccine Coming Out
A Client At My Friend's Vet Clinic Told Them It Was Their Dogs B-Day Today So Post-Op They Did This
This Vet With A Kitty In Her Pocket
Had To Take My Cat To The Vet. Ridiculously Handsome
Had To Get My Blood Drawn Today. This Was On The Wall At The Lab
My Vet Has An Empty Cabinet In The Exam Rooms Specifically For Cats To Hide In When They’re Not Being Examined
This Was In My Dentist's Waiting Room
Best Pain Scale Ever. Found At My Wife's Doctor's Office
My Doctor Has Kept All The Pictures Kids Have Drawn Of Him
My Doctor's Office Has A Legitimate Stool Sample
Doctors Paint The MRI Machine In The Children's Clinic To Look Like A Submarine
Every hospital should do this. I'm 18, but I will admit that the white color on MRI machines isn't exactly appealing.
I Noticed A New Sign At My Doctor's Office
Went To My Local Vet Clinic To Drop Off My Dog For Surgery And Was Surprised To See This Awesome Fish Tank/Dog House
Doctor’s Office Got Jokes... But Seriously, Vaccinate
Back At The Very Start Of The Pandemic, I Had To Take My Mom To Urgent Care For A Non-Covid Issue, And This Was The Doctor That Entered The Room
I still can't get it out of my head.
My Wife Took Our Cat To The Vet's, And My Son Told The Vet His Toy Dinosaur Was Feeling Poorly So The Vet Gave It An X-Ray
Of course his T-Rex was feeling poorly. He's only been dead for the past 65 million years!
This Sign At My Doctor's Office
Girlfriend's Eye Doctor Hit Her With A Good Ol' Dad Joke Today
I'd actually give this too my boss. "I just want you to know that I am so dedicated to my job that I'm willing to not follow doctor's orders to be here today"
IV Bag Plant Watering Thing I Saw At My Doctor's Office
We once had a goldfish in our staff lounge. Just so they would not get over fed we put a Medication Administration Record beside the bowl for people to sign off on feeding at listed times. One day when someone was cleaning the bowl they dropped the fish and it spent a bit if time on the floor. Put it back in the bowl. It could still swim, but it didn't look good. Our lounge used to be an exam room so it had a connection for oxygen. We rigged up an O2 nasal cannula into the water. It didn't help. It eventually died. We held a little funeral in the dirty utility room across the hall. Yep. We really did. Flushed him down the Rainbow Drain. We kept it secret because we didn't want to scare the patients that we couldn't even keep a goldfish alive.😳
So My Dad Got His Hip Replaced And Had The Doctor Save It So He Could Turn It Into A Cane
Toilet Lid At The Eye Doctor's Office
At My Local Vet's Office
My Local Dentist Has A Ceiling "Where's Wally?" For Patients During Appointments
My Coworker Got His Wisdom Teeth Removed The Other Day, The Doctor Said He Would Take A Funny Picture While He Was Under Anesthesia
By the look on your friend's face he was getting some pretty good "laughing gas" too.
The Ceiling At My Vet Had Paws On It
My GF Saw This At The Local Vet
Dogtor Is Ready To Perform Surgery. The Doctor On Surgery Today Felt Like Dressing My Sweet Clara Up Who Was Happy To Sit There For It
Successful Fat Scoring System For Your Cat At The Vet Clinic
My 2-Year-Old Niece Who Has Been Hospitalized Was Playing Operation With Her Doctor And Dora The Explorer. All Scrubbed Up And Ready For Surgery
What a wonderful surgeon. Talk about going that extra mile. Extra special care. I'll bet she just loves him.
This Hospital Knows How To Be Festive
My Childhood Doctor's Office Has A Mini Door Installed For Younger Patients
A Sign At The Vet's Office
Our cats congratulated me when I retired for finally getting the picture.
This Vets Office Put Windows In The Bottom Of Its Doors So Pets Could See Out Into The Hallway
However, those pets that actually use the window to look into the room, make a bee line for the exit.
Fish Tank At My Doctor's Office Has All Of The Fish From Finding Nemo In It
My Gynecologist Just Asked If I Wanted The Blinds Left Open
So I Had My Prostate Examined (By A Doctor) And At The End Of The Appointment He Hands Me This (I Am 31 Years Old)
At The Doctor’s Today, My 3-Year-Old Daughter Pulled Her Debit Card Out And Asked To Pay
They played along and even made her a receipt to “sign” and gave her candy. Above and beyond front desk service, my daughter was thrilled.
One evening my nephew stuffed something up his nose. Way too far up his nose and mom had to take him to the free standing clinic to have it removed. Well of course that involved some cost. Even at a very young age he understood the value of money. He had a bank account and a wallet with some money in it. Mom told him to grab his wallet when they left. While he was in with the doctor, mom spoke with the front desk and explained the situation. Of course insurance was going to cover it, but when he came out his mom took him over to the desk. The clerk went along with things and drew up a bill. That will be $10 please. A shocked look. Yep. Open up that little wallet and hand over the money. Now understood that concept. Needless to say, he never did anything on purpose that may end up with a trip.
Took Me Too Long To Figure Out Why My Vet Had An Eye Chart
At My Doctor’s Office
My Client’s Son Asked If His Dog’s Cast Could Be Superman Themed... I Didn’t Think Using Red And Blue Vet Wrap Was Enough
Veterinarian's Halloween Display Is On Point
Found This In My Doctor's Office. Seemed Accurate
That brilliance is by ALLIE BROSH. Her blog is Hyperbole and a Half. She has two books out, and a store where you can buy this and other wonderful things: http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/p/store.html?m=1
Our Vet Office Got A New Doctor. I'd Say The Kitties Are In Good Hands (And Pockets)
Opened My Dog's Prescription And Discovered The Vet Tech Broke The Pills In Half For Us To Make Sure We Didn't Accidentally Overdose Him
Cousin Gave Birth On Halloween Night. This Was The Doc During The Delivery
Found This At The Doctor's Office
This Vet Has Got Separate Entrances For Cat And Dog Patients
Vet Illustrates Top Holiday Pet Injuries With Prices
Found This In A Bathroom At My Doctor's Office. Critics Give It 5 Stars
Absolutely Adorable
A Pediatric Doctor Renovated His Office
Our Vet Has These Little Tabletops To Put Your Cats On So They Don't Have To Be On The Floor And The Dogs Can't Reach Them As Easily
My vet has separate waiting areas for cats and dogs so we don't have to worry about that. It's very cute!
My Vet Has Treats For All Of Their Patrons
Saw This While In The Doctor's Office Today
Saw This In My Kid’s Doctor’s Office
My Doctor's Office Has A Room 9 3/4
When I was having chemotherapy, I remember there was a room 0 in a nearby hallway.
How My Local Vet Labels Their Catnip
Meowijuana is a pet product line that sells catnip and catnip dispensing toys. Makes me laugh when I go to the pet store and see the displays.
My New Veterinarian And I Will Get Along Great
The Vet Gave My Boy Simon A Certificate Of Bravery After His Neutering Surgery Today
Just Got A Vasectomy. Doctor Gives You A Complimentary Bag Of Nuts Afterwards
The Thermostat In My Veterinarian's Office
This Sign At My Daughter's ENT Doctor
These Removed Fish Hooks At My Local ER
The Doctor Gave Me This For Being A Brave Boy
My Doctor's Office Has A Grown-Up's Version Of A Halloween "Trick-Or-Treat" Basket
My Wife Is Pregnant And Today Was Her First Ultrasound, This Was The Doctor's Pen
Spotted At My Dr's Office
The Asthma Ward Of My Local Medical Center Has Koffing And Weezing Pokémon Cards Framed
The Vet We Went To Today Has A Hay Cafe For All The Bunnies To Snack On If They Wish
The Chairs At The Vet Office
Light At The Vet's Office
My Eye Doctor's Office Has A Kids' Area Only Accessable By Kids
You Know You Work In A Hospital When The Christmas Decorations Look Like This
Saw This In My Vet's Office... Thought You Guys Would Appreciate It
My Bone Doctor Has A Sense Of Humor
My Doctor Drew A Smiley Face On My Foot Bandages After Surgery
This Nose Lamp At My Ear, Nose, Throat Doctor’s Office
Floor At My Clinic Has This Interesting Pattern That Looks Like Doctors' Signatures
Today At The Doctor's Office
This Is The Office Of My Kid's Doctor. He Is Special
Famous Eyewear Chart In My Doctor’s Office
Privacy Curtain At My Doctor's Office
Slushee Machine In Urgent Care Waiting Room
Saw This At The Doctor's Office This Morning
My Doctor's Office Has These As Stress Balls
Had To Wait At The Doctor With These People Today
I’d had a new little puppy for a week when she got a bad case of runny bum. I decided it was a bit too bad to deal with at home and called the vet. (In context I look after puppies from 9 weeks old until they’re 12 months old or so for an assistance dog charity). She’ was a bit subdued and actually a little floppy so I was very worried and I rushed her to the vet on a Saturday night. The vet was also worried. The vet recommended they give her antibiotics and keep her in on a drip and look at her again in the morning. 7am Sunday I get a phone call from the vet. “Could you PLEASE come and pick your puppy up? She’s definitely feeling better and she’s taken her cannula out, every 10 minutes overnight, opened her crate, every 10 minutes overnight and is now marching up and down the crate room barking her head off! She’s also let 4 other dogs out of their crates during the night. Repeatedly.” She was a lot better when we got her home and she went on to qualify as an assistance dog.
I’d had a new little puppy for a week when she got a bad case of runny bum. I decided it was a bit too bad to deal with at home and called the vet. (In context I look after puppies from 9 weeks old until they’re 12 months old or so for an assistance dog charity). She’ was a bit subdued and actually a little floppy so I was very worried and I rushed her to the vet on a Saturday night. The vet was also worried. The vet recommended they give her antibiotics and keep her in on a drip and look at her again in the morning. 7am Sunday I get a phone call from the vet. “Could you PLEASE come and pick your puppy up? She’s definitely feeling better and she’s taken her cannula out, every 10 minutes overnight, opened her crate, every 10 minutes overnight and is now marching up and down the crate room barking her head off! She’s also let 4 other dogs out of their crates during the night. Repeatedly.” She was a lot better when we got her home and she went on to qualify as an assistance dog.