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Story of the Week

Visit to Soundview Veterinary Hospital

_{Pictured Above: Belichick in the background seemingly hiding behind his brother, Brady, who is unsure yet curious of where he is and what is about to happen.}

Don’t worry, the visit to Soundview Veterinary Hospital was only a wellness check and vaccination update, or so they thought. Rachel knew Brady’s checkup would go off without a hitch, it would be Belichick that she wasn’t sure about.

Belichick has always been a bit special. He was the runt of the litter and has always seemed to have deficiencies in comparison to Brady. She knows, don’t judge one kid against the other. But… if you knew Belichick, you would know what she means.

From day one, Belichick has been a bit off. He’s far more skittish than Brady, he still can’t figure out how to cover his poop (yep, he’s one of those cats that poops, stands up and scratches at the wall high above his head, as if that will cover it up), he can’t jump very high and gets left behind when Brady is being mischievous, and he doesn’t seem to know that playing means not biting down so hard.

He’s also had some issues with his left eye over the last several months. Every once in a while, he develops what Rachel would call goop in his left eye. It’s different than any eye goop she’s seen before but resolves within a few days and doesn’t seem to bother Belichick in the least. Nonetheless, she brought it to the attention of Dr. Shiue on the recent visit.

Taking things a bit out of order, upon exam of Belichick’s eye, Dr. Shiue did a little digging, literally, and pulled a splinter from Belichick’s eye. What? Yikes! How long had that splinter been in his eye and why on earth had he not seemed to be bothered by this sharp object? This wasn’t just a tiny splinter either, Rachel was able to pick it up and place it between her fingers and feel how sharp it was. She was shocked by this find and hopes it will resolve the eye goop situation, and maybe make Belichick feel better.

_{Pictured Above: Belichick’s eye splinter next to Rachel’s fingertip to show a size comparison.}

Back to the beginning… When they arrived at the clinic, the staff quickly situated them in an exam room. This is something Rachel likes about Soundview Veterinary Hospital. There is no waiting in the lobby allowing added stress to the cats with dogs in the same room. They seem to have a great pulse on what makes a pet owner and the pets more at ease.

Rachel was introduced to Soundview back in 2019 when she had a beautiful Seal Point by the name of Honey. She had not been happy with the veterinary office she had established care with and her friend, Mira (of the Happily Ever After section) gave her the information for Soundview, as this was her vet office.

Honey was an older adoptee and not of great health. She had gone completely blind a few months before having two neurologic episodes one year into the pandemic. Rachel would have no choice but to have her put to sleep. The care team at Soundview made this experience as easy as possible, even with all of the restrictions in place at the time due to the pandemic. Two and a half years later when Rachel adopted Brady and Belichick, it was a no brainer, she would return to Soundview for their care.

At this visit, their one-year wellness exam, Dr. Shiue would check out their overall well-being and provide the needed vaccinations to keep them up to date. The Vet Tech would handle the weigh-ins prior to Dr. Shiue making her appearance. Brady was first and was unusually reserved. He sat only for a moment on the scale before making his escape and hiding under the chairs. Rachel then pulled Belichick from the kennel and placed him on the scale. She was prepared for a fight, but Belichick didn’t move. At all. Once his weight was registered, the Vet Tech let Rachel know that she would send Dr. Shiue in for the exam. Belichick was frozen on that scale. He would remain on that scale for the entirety of the visit.

Once alone in the exam room, Rachel grabbed Brady from under the chairs and placed him on the table with his brother, hoping to provide some comfort. He was more interested in staring at the snake on the computer monitor than anything else though.

Dr. Shiue was able to perform Brady’s exam without issue and assured Rachel she had a very healthy little guy. Belichick on the other hand… once the eye splinter was removed, Dr. Shiue proceeded with the exam. One swollen lymph node on the left side of the neck and left ear infection with minor signs of infection on the right. Oh, and gum issues. “Belichick will likely have dental issues in the future,” she warned Rachel. Great.

Rachel will get to brush Belichick’s teeth nightly going forward. She will need to keep an eye on the swollen lymph node to ensure there is no growth, as Dr. Shiue advised this could just be a result of the ear infection but better to be diligent just in case.

Medication for the ear infections was started immediately following the visit. Rachel will be cleaning Belichick’s ears regularly and applying the medicine drops for ten days. She hopes for a quick resolution and hopes it makes a different in Belichick, as he does seem like a grumpy old man most of the time (perfect likeness to his namesake, haha).

_{Pictured Above: A couple of pictures of Brady hiding under the chairs. On the left he appears to be taunting Rachel… come and get me, I dare you.}

All in all, not a terrible outing, as it could always be worse. One thing Rachel learned is that carrying the kennel was more difficult than she thought it should be. It turns out that the awkward shape and two live, moving felines can make it a bit tough to stabilize. She may need to look into a cat stroller (insert big cheesy grin here). How cool would that be? Until next time, be well.

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