Amanda Le Roux reached out to her community for a vet that could help her daughter’s puppy; the only catch was that it happens to be a stuffed toy.
Amanzimtoti, KwaZulu-Natal – Amanda Le Roux’s daughter Lemieke was very concerned about her puppy, Marshall. The adorable 4-year-old asked her if they could take the puppy to the vet. This stumped Amanda a little as she knew the puppy was actually just a stuffed toy and didn’t know if a real vet would entertain the idea.
She asked for help on Facebook, hoping that someone would be a pretend vet for her daughter’s sick puppy and was blown away by the response. Dr Tammy Mc Nair from the Seadoone Veterinary Clinic in Amanzimtoti saw the post and offered a free check-up for Marshall.
Amanda’s husband called to make the appointment, and a few hours later, Lemieke had Marshall in a pet carrier and was on her way. Before they arrived, Lemieke announced that she was feeling shy and didn’t want to tell the vet what was wrong. But, after the initial details of weighing the puppy and filling out the patient forms, Lemieke lost all of her shyness.
“Yesterday I posted on our local Facebook group about my 4-year-old daughter who needed a vet to take a look at her sick puppy. But the catch is, her puppy was a very special kind, he is a stuffed animal.
Initially, I hoped for someone to volunteer to play vet. Never did I think a vet would be able to assist. After a few interesting comments, Dr Tammy McNair at Seadoone Veterinary Clinic volunteered some of her precious time.
This morning my husband phoned and made an appointment for our daughter’s puppy. When we arrived I collected a carry case for the puppy. We received a patient information form and they even weighed him.”
Dr Tammy went through the full treatment protocol and did everything she would have done for a living puppy. She checked heartrates, temperatures and even gave Marshall two injections to manage his pain and fight off infection. Amanda said she was incredible and treated the entire situation brilliantly.
“Dr Tammy was amazing! Lemieke told me beforehand she’s to shy to tell the doctor what’s wrong with Marshall, but after Dr Tammy started her checkup Lemieke wasn’t shy anymore. She answered all the questions.
She first checked his heart and breathing. Then took his temperature and had a look at his eyes. After a careful assessment, Dr Tammy asked permission to inject him with some medication.
Marshall received two injections – one for pain and another one with antibiotics.”
The entire appointment made Lemieke incredibly happy; she was beaming. Amanda was so pleased that Dr Tammy went out of her way to provide a service for the family.
“My daughter walked away smiling from ear to ear. Thank you dr Tammy for making such a big impression on my daughter and for taking a few minutes out of your very busy schedule to assist a young girl. You are one in a million!”
Everyone who has been following the story has loved the outcome and been moved by Dr Tammy’s efforts to help out a little girl. You can see her whole vet visit below. Be aware; it too will make you smile ear to ear!
