Volunteering at Irvington Pet Hospital

Payton Mack
7/10/14, 3:00-6:00pm
Irvington Pet Hospital
Dr. Deborah Rue D.V.M.
irvingtonvet@irvingtonpethospital.coms

This is the second day that I volunteered at Irvington Pet Hospital. I learned a lot about the importance of seeing veterinarians regularly especially for puppies and kittens. The technicians told me about the many diseases that are hard to detect and can be overlooked. When learning this, I immediately thought of the many abused or neglected animals that don’t receive regular medical care. When I took my dogs to the vet, most of the appointments were check-ups and didn’t seem that important. But after witnessing all the procedures and learning the importance behind each one, I feel more passionately about making sure that all animals receive medical care.

Before I began volunteering, I thought that I would be much more behind the scenes helping out mostly by cleaning the facility and caring for the animals, but Dr. Rue and the technicians trusted me to help them with some of the procedures. After helping the doctor, I did feel as though I had made an impact on the animal’s life, although they didn’t quite know it. I felt a particular connection to one cat at the hospital. Her name was Ivy and she lives at the hospital because she used to be a blood donor. I helped the hospital by changing her blankets, refilling her food and water, and giving her medication. She was very sweet and would always follow me around the hospital.

This day overall opened my eyes to the important of caring for animals. I am now more passionate about helping to end animal abuse and I hope to one day volunteer at an animal shelter. Irvington Pet Hospital showed me a brighter side to animal care that was very educational, but now I want to impact the life of an animal that has already experienced neglect or abuse. I believe the experience that I gained from volunteering at a pet hospital will aid me in future volunteering.