Letters: Puzzling essay provides perspective

While I was tutoring reading to third graders, a teacher gave me the following essay. Its author and origin are unknown. I found it interesting and thought my colleagues might, too.

Two different doctors' offices

Two patients limp into two different medical clinics with the same complaint. Both have trouble walking and appear to require a hip replacement.

The first patient is examined within the hour, is x-rayed the same day, and has time booked for surgery the following week.

The second patient sees his family doctor after waiting three weeks for an appointment, then waits eight weeks to see a specialist, then gets an x-ray, which isn't reviewed for another week, and finally has his surgery scheduled for six months from then.

Why the different treatment for the two patients?

The first is a golden retriever. The second is a senior citizen.

Ed Wolff, DVM

Stevensville, Montana