I once had a small elderly lady bring her dog into the clinic for a consult. What was unusual about this consultation was that the Shih Tzu dog that she brought in was stone cold dead! This dog was in rigor mortis (the process in which the body is stiff, cold and completely rigid like a statue).
Obviously, without touching the dog, as soon as the dog was put onto the table with a heavy thud/clunk, it was apparent that the dog was dead. In case there was any doubt, the fixed open glaring eyes, cold body and stiff extended limbs were further subtle clues! The only thing missing was a chalk outline around the body! The owner didn't seem to have grasped the fact that the dog had been dead for some time. I did the usual routine of checking for a heartbeat and pulse to satisfy the owner that the dog had been checked over properly and then confidently declared the dog dead (time of death at least 3 hours before the consult, as rigor mortis often kicks in after a few hours!).
The owner listened to my assessment and conclusion. She insisted that I was wrong and that I should proceed to treat the dog for its illness. This woman didn't appear to be mad, maybe just a little senile. I tried to politely explain the situation clearly to the poor lady but to no avail. After not being able to get the old dear to agree with me, I was becoming increasingly agitated and frustrated. I didn't want to start un-necessarily treating her dead dog and running up a bill that was a complete waste of money.
After she insisted on me treating her beloved pet for the umpteenth time, I ended up saying "I'm not Jesus Christ, I can't bring the dead back alive. How do you want me to start - maybe putting the dog in the microwave first to warm and loosen him up a bit?"
She decided that I was obviously not going to pander to her requests and agreed to leave. I felt sorry for her and decided that it wasn't worth charging her a consult fee. She sat in the waiting room for the next half an hour muttering to the receptionists and nurses that I was most definitely wrong. After hearing this for some time, I decided to ask the other vet to come and examine her dog and present his findings.
He kindly agreed to check the dog over and surprise, surprise, he also found the dog to be dead! She now decided that we were both wrong and in a conspiracy together. Eventually, she decided to leave and seek another vet clinic's opinion. Maybe they made money out of her and kept her happy.....I'll never know!
I've heard of the usual grief cycle of denial-anger-bargaining-acceptance, but this woman didn't even seem sad at all. All I can say is, that if she was in this grief cycle and the denial phase was so strong - I'm very glad that I never got to experience the other stages!
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