{"id":10891,"date":"2015-04-16T16:00:38","date_gmt":"2015-04-16T06:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/puppy.kreatology.com\/?p=10891"},"modified":"2024-01-19T13:10:14","modified_gmt":"2024-01-19T02:10:14","slug":"7-things-i-love-about-being-a-veterinarian","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/puppytales.com.au\/7-things-i-love-about-being-a-veterinarian\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Things I Love About Being a Veterinarian"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I think people who love animals are awesome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re here reading this, and you have a dog (or a dog has you!) that you love so much it hurts, you\u2019re amazing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And I want to thank you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s people like you and your incredible furry friends that make my job an absolute joy. You guys make the highs higher and the lows bearable. Being a veterinarian, like any career, of course has its ups and downs. There are good days, great days, quiet days and no-time-for-the-toilet busy days. There have been heartbreaking experiences I wish I could erase from my mind forever, and special moments that I grip onto tightly, hiding them away in a secret place so I can dig them up and remember what\u2019s important when I\u2019m feeling down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Overall being a vet incredibly rewarding profession to be a part of, and I feel deeply grateful to have found my calling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Having given it some thought, I\u2019ve shortlisted seven of the things I love most about being a veterinarian. I hope it gives you a little insight into the kind of people involved in caring for your dog\u2019s health, because I think most veterinary professionals would have a very similar list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. My patients<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I thought I\u2019d start with the most obvious one! I wouldn\u2019t be much of a vet if I didn\u2019t love the furry creatures who need my help! Although many of them don\u2019t quite realise they need my help, and sometimes they\u2019re downright ungrateful. Some expected a lovely walk in the park when the leash was produced, only to discover with horror that they\u2019re being walked through the door of a veterinary hospital. Occasionally these guys will look at me sideways, give a little growl, or even go for a nip. Many will glance around the room with distaste before cocking their leg on the nearest piece of furniture, or even decide it\u2019s the perfect time to do their number twos\u2026 It\u2019s best for us vets not to take these things personally!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Luckily for me, I adore each and every one of these beautiful animals. I adore the happy, bouncy dogs who slide and skid on the waiting room floor because they\u2019re so excited to come visiting they can\u2019t get traction. I adore the gentle giants who peer at me hesitantly around their owners, unsure just what this strange place is and whether this smiling lady with the jar of treats can be trusted or not. And you know what, I even adore the dogs who want to bite me. Strange? Well I don\u2019t think so. You see, I\u2019ve yet to meet a dog that tried to bite me because he was a mean, nasty dog. Every time it has ever happened, (and I can count all the times over the last decade on one hand) it\u2019s been because the dog is scared and I\u2019ve done something that has just pushed them too far out of their comfort zone. In fact aggressive behaviour is actually really, really uncommon in the vet clinic. It\u2019s unbelievable really, given the circumstances. These animals are brought into an unfamiliar environment that smells strange (maybe even like the pheromones of other scared animals). They are possibly in pain or feeling really unwell. Then they get hoisted up onto a cold, shiny table where they are poked and prodded by a complete stranger, who may even stick a thermometer in a rather undignified place. I have so much respect for all those dogs who are feeling utterly terrified \u2013 much the way I would feel locked in a room with a hissing snake or a pile of creepy crawly spiders \u2013 and somehow manage to hold themselves together and not lash out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I really do love all of my patients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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2. Their families<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

People who make the effort to bring their pets for a routine check-up or to have their fur-kid looked at when they are sick or hurt, are good people. One of my favourite things ever is getting a sneak peek at the awesome bond families have with their pets. I see it in the way they absently touch their dog while talking to me and in the way their dog looks over their shoulder at them for reassurance when feeling a bit unsure. And of course I see it when people make very difficult decisions that show incredible selflessness and deep kindness to their furry friends. For the most part I have as much affection for the owners as I do for their dogs, and I see the health, happiness and medical care of any dog as a partnership between me and the family. It\u2019s a bit of a triangle \u2013 vet, owners and dog \u2013 all important players in every consultation, decision, or procedure undertaken in the veterinary clinic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Prevention<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Ah prevention. They say it\u2019s better than a cure, and I don\u2019t know who \u2018they\u2019 are, but you know what, they\u2019re right. While vaccination consultations and talking about intestinal worms and heartworm and fleas and desexing, etc. etc. is certainly not the most riveting, exciting part of my day, it\u2019s really important. These simple things can save doggies a whole lot of woe. This is also why I love annual health checks.
Think about it, your dog visiting the vet once a year is kind of equivalent to you popping into your doctor\u2019s office once every seven years or so! A huge amount can change in a year for our pets, and every physical exam I perform is thorough and painstaking, starting at the nose, and working back to the tail. These are the crucial opportunities to catch something early. Because remember, from little things, big things grow. Sometimes a health check on a seemingly robust, healthy dog, detects a problem such as a lump where no lump should be, ultimately making the difference between life and death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Making a difference \u2013 one dog at a time<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Like any normal human being, I hate to see animals unwell or suffering. When a sad little bundle is carried through the door, admitted into hospital because she\u2019s not eating or drinking, vomiting everywhere, and is hunched over in pain, it\u2019s an amazing feeling to be able to help bring her back to health and watch her bound joyfully out of the clinic a few days later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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There are so many situations where something little can make a huge difference too. Sometimes a dog will come in shaking his head and howling in pain. A quick look down the ear canals with an otoscope, detection of the offending grass seed, gently extracting it, and off they go, happy as can be. Of course not every story has a happy ending, and this leads on to number 5.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Preventing Suffering<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This is a difficult one to articulate. I do not enjoy euthanasia. It hurts my heart \u2013 every time. The grief accumulates, and sometimes it threatens to spill over. The important thing about euthanasia is described by its actual meaning; \u2018good death\u2019. When done correctly it is painless, it is quick, and it is performed with kindness and compassion for an animal whose only other alternative is suffering. If we can\u2019t give an animal an acceptable quality of life, then euthanasia is a decision made out of love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. The nerdy stuff<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Yup. Not really surprising to those who know me, I love the science of being a vet. My eyes light up when blood results churn out of the printer for interpretation, and I hop about with excitement when there\u2019s a sample to be examined under the microscope. Sad, huh! There\u2019s something really satisfying about putting all the pieces of a puzzle together from an animal\u2019s history, physical examination, and diagnostic test results and coming up with an answer that can be used to make their life better. The more challenging the case, the more satisfying this aspect is when we have a great outcome for the animal involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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7. The really special ones<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Should I have favourites? Probably not. And as I said, I really do love them all \u2013 even the ones who want to bite me. For whatever reason though, there are some who I just have an extra special connection with. Sometimes it\u2019s the trust they have in their eyes from the start, and sometimes it\u2019s the difficulty of earning such trust. And sometimes it relates as much to the owner as to the dog. Just something about their close relationship with their dog that leaves me thinking and rethinking their treatment plans or care while I have the privilege of knowing them, and missing them long after they\u2019re gone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I\u2019m really lucky to be a vet \u2013 because I love it. There are many more than seven things I love, but I will leave it at that for today!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Give your dog a big smooch from me xxx<\/p>\n\n\n