Spayded

"Well doc, we thought it was mean to have our dogs spayded."
"Yeah, and we thought we might want to breed them. They're such nice dogs, and we wanted our kids to experience the miracle of birth."
"Plus, it was expensive. That vet wanted a whole $150 to spay them!"
"We didn't know not fixing them could make them sick!"

Double whammy - a pyometra AND mammary adenocarcinoma (presumptive) in an 11 year old Yorkie. Who, thankfully, was either actually nice, or too sick to bite me when I put the IV catheter in.

"Will she make it?"

Well, I don't know. See, maybe if you'd brought her in one-and-a-half weeks ago when she started feeling ill, she'd be in better shape now and more likely to survive the emergency surgery she's about to have.

Epilouge:
The dog lived. Yay!
They are bringing in their other dog to be "spayded" next week. Double yay!
They applied for Care Credit, were approved, but paid 50% deposit cash anyway because they wanted to be sure we knew they were going to pay their bill. (New clients) Triple yay!
That last statement is not a reflection of our role as greedy, money-grubbing veterinarians, but excitement at gaining new clients who actually understand that pet ownership and veterinary care COST MONEY and don't expect us to do everything for free because "we love animals."