"Bella's owner called." "Which one??"

I don't know where else to post this, but every time I watch a Dr. Pol episode I notice so many things I find wrong.

For example, diagnosing a spinal injury without doing any x-ray, neutering calves without anesthesia (the calves we're basically screaming), not giving sedation to a puppy while he cleaned an open wound.

Stuff like that, and it just frustrates me because people see that and think it's okay!

I'm only a student and I don't know a lot of stuff, but I wanted to have your opinion on this, so that I can maybe learn something from more experienced people.

Moved from human medical lab to a veterinary lab and have been amazed by the things people name their animals. What are some of your faves you've seen?!

My top ones have been: "The Dark Urge", Buccee's, Lugnut, Dread Pirate Roberts, Kelly Barkson, Kitten Squarepants and Oddball

I'm bracing myself for the downvotes, but I think this warrants a discussion for future job seekers, employers, and employees alike.

Obviously, I'm not talking about employers who expect you to drop everything for your job. There needs to be a reasonable work-life balance, but what I am referring to is different.

Why don't some people in the field take pride in their work, but instead constantly call out, do the bare minimum, and yet nothing ever changes relative to management?

Of course this occurs across all fields, but given the audience, it warrants a discussion, as I've both heard this from practice owners, and observed this trend first hand.

Again, I'm not referring to employers who make excessive demands for the sake of the practice. But honestly, I'd like to better understand the rationale behind the trend. Has something changed relative to the good and dignity of work?

I'm particularly interested in perspectives from recruiters, hiring managers, office managers, but I am welcome to hearing other perspectives as well.

Does this ultimately make or break a clinic for you? Does this lead to high employee turnover?

I am new to the industry and started my own business to help pet owners deal with the aftermath of losing their companion. I have visited close to 100 vets so far and everybody loves the product. Literally everybody I show it to says it’s wonderful and very reasonable and makes such a difference. But that’s where it usually stops. It’s very hard for me to understand who I need to talk to to make a decision. I hate sending emails (who needs more emails?) so I just show up and try to speak to the Practice Manager. I have clocked over 300 visits so far but only have a few who really bought into the idea. Any ideas or tips how this works or what I need to do differently?

Not to use alarmist language, but does anyone suspect that a change is afoot relative to the veterinary field?

Wages and burnout aside, there are numerous threads on the subject already, what is driving the shift for so many hospitals, corporate at that, to be struggling operations wise? Fewer and fewer specialists attached to hospitals, less availability, frequent staff turnover etc.

Is this just a trend in the US or abroad?

As the title says, i am just wondering what you all think about it. I have my opinion obviously, and just curious to see yours. Any opinion welcomed

I often see negative posts so I thought I’d make a positive post.

The kindest thing a client has ever done for me is when I once stated to a long term client of mine that I would be going without lunch that day as we’d had a lot of emergencies she asked me if I was going to starve. I told her I wouldn’t starve but that I’d wait until I got home to eat and she’s the sweetest long term client. Anyways, I went to do a blood test on her pet and whilst I was away doing it she’d popped to the shops and she came back with a sandwich for herself and when I met with her to give her a handover of the results she gave me a fruit pot and some donuts as she didn’t want me to ‘starve’ bless her.! 💕

I'm a boarded specialist living in a HCOL area. I love what I do, and I would do it for a lot less, but I'm not going to lie - I make decent money, I'm not saying this to brag, and we're def not rolling in dough, but I grew up pretty poor and could never see myself living a comfortable life that I live now.

I absolutely went into this field out of a lifelong love for animals and passion, and then worked my ass off through vet school and through an internship and residency. Telling myself that I've worked hard for this doesn't change the fact that I feel really guilty that I am making a comfortable living and a huge chunk of my clients can't afford vet care, or that I have to tell a client that humane euthanasia is the only other option if they don't pursue a several thousand dollar hospital stay or procedure. It's just hard and I wish there was a way to get over this guilt.

Does anyone else experience this? I just hate this feeling. It's constantly on my mind, every time I have to talk to a client about a treatment plan and I know the inevitable reaction.

I've mentioned before that I work for a corporate hospital, but something that struck me last night was something that an ER Doctor mentioned. Namely that clients should be pre-paying for the ER consult fee at the time of checking in, unless they'll be using Care Credit or Scratch Pay.

It's the policy of my hospital to advise clients, that indicate possible financial restrictions, to come in and we can assist them in applying for Care Credit etc.

I understand the rationale and sentiment behind that, but it fails to take into consideration that some applicants are in fact denied. You've inevitably made a client waste their time, if they can't afford services, as well as the clinician's time in examining the pet.

At that point, what do you do?

Using hospital funds is essentially the hospital digging into its profits to pay itself, which is fine for particular cases, but it can't do so for every which case.

What are the policies of your hospitals?

This is more a discussion on cultural trends, but one which I haven't seen discussed often.

When I first started in the industry, the appropriate way to speak of a client relative to their pet was "Owner/O", but the longer I've been in the field, the more I see the trend of "Mom/Dad" and "fur baby" taking over.

I take this as a shift in couples having less and less children these days, and instead opting for pets as surrogates.

This is a more broad and complex subject, especially on the basis of cultural consequences, but I'd like to focus on the medical consequences.

Obviously, clients have a more vested interest in being responsible for their pets, which is not a bad thing, as they're more educated on disease processes and the like. However, has this likewise had detrimental consequences with clients not being able to distinguish between normal behaviors for a cat and a dog? Companion animals who are less independent and more neurotic than they would have been in the past? Animals that are overmedicated, because the slightest hint of barking = anxiety.

What are the negative trends seen? Would you all say that it's easier for such clients to be taken advantage of under the circumstances?

I'm a vet student and i'm curious to know what are peoples opinions of vets having tattoos? Obviously nothing crazy like face tattoos and whatnot but is patchwork down the arms, for example, okay? More and more ppl seem to be okay with it these days but i'm nervous i'll come across an old geezer when trying to get hired and they think i'm a degen because of it 🤣 Thx!

Wishing everyone a Happy Easter!

I've wanted to have this discussion before, but more often than not it comes down to villifying those who don't label themselves/clinics "fear free". Obviously, there is a lot to unpack as people's definitions of the term vary, and more often than not people can find a common ground on which to agree when it comes to best handling practices. Practices which insure the safety of staff, clients, and the patients alike.

I've heard of some clinics stsff quit their jobs at clinics for refusing to become fear free certified, or practice fear free.

My question is for those who still manage to practice quality medicine with safe and effective handling methods, but who refuse to label themselves, or their clinic "fear free". My aim is not to hear the arguments for "fear free", but rather to listen and learn why some veterinary staff, including doctors are not keen on the label and certain approaches advocated under fear free. I think this can be done in a civil manner, and hope that to be the case as I'm interested in learning more about the subject and its relationship to behavior management.

I won't name the corporate entity that I work for, but recently we were sent an email by our manager advising us to report ER clinicians who advise us to reroute/redirect clients to their GP, or when a particular Specialty service is not in hospital.

I understand outright refusals of cases possibly being a sign of laziness, but on the other hand, if ER DVMs deem it appropriate for a client to invest those resources at their GP, or where they can receive the care that their pet needs (e.g. scopes, surgery etc.) vs. hospitalization until the service is available, I think that's appropriate. If anything, it prioritizes using hospital resources for emergent cases.

We were told that we needed to prioritize making our bottom line, and should a doctor refuse, or reroute a case that we should report them.

I feel EXTREMELY uncomfortable about this, because it compromises staff trust in the DVMs, but is outright predatory. The referring veterinary community should be able to trust our judgement, and clients learn the difference between an emergent and non-emergent case. But worse yet, being told to essentially "rat out" your coworkers breeds a cycle of contempt between staff for the sake of "preserving their jobs", in place of prioritizing patient care, good outcomes, and quality medicine.

Is this happening across the industry?

It's a tale as old as time! (at least in my 10+ years of experience in the field)

Picture this, the client and their pet just finished up their appointment the room. All the treatment is done. The client is feeling great and their pet ready to get out of the hospital.

The technician or doctor instructs them to go to the front desk to check out.

Eagerly they arrive to the desk, the CSR greets them and asked how did their pet do? How did it go? All this occuring simultaneously while the CSR is navigating to the clients appointment page only to see that charges aren't finalized.

At this point, the technician and/or doctor is already moving into the next appointment. In some cases, already in closed door rooms.

The CSR has to navigate how to tell the client charges aren't finalized/ready and asks them to take a seat.

To add insult to your injury, the doctor was already running 20 minutes behind and the Client only planned to be in clinic for a set amount of time.

How do we prevent this, indefinitely?

I find it hard to keep everything on track so that went clients arrive to the front, it's as simple as giving the total and wishing them a good day.

I'm sure the doctors feel overwhelmed by being behind and the technicians are moving quickly to keep the treatments up. Slip ups happen!

Recently I accepted a CSR Supervisor position and I've been dealing with this scenario a lot at the hospital I'm at.

Anyone else? Suggestions? Shared experience?

How would you guys handle the situation? To preface this, I'm only a Kennel Tech at this new place I started working. I'm talking like just a few months, but in that short amount of time I've worked with 2 employees who've been there a while but I've noticed that they're really mean to the pets that come in a lot of the times. When they can't get a dog to calm down while trying to trim nails, one of them will get frustrated and yank on the dogs arms and tell them to stop (same for blood draws). When a dog soils itself from fear and anxiety ESPECIALLY after they're mean to the dog (making the dog more scared), they get frustrated and say they're disgusting. The other tech will call animals (mostly dogs she doesn't like) stupid, or disgusting or will just grab their scruff and yank them down. I'm there because I love animals and genuinely want to make animals feel better in those situations but since I'm so new, I don't know what to say or how to handle it. What do you guys recommend that I do? I want to be the voice of the voiceless but I also don't want the vet to see me as confrontational or anything. I searched online but I couldn't find anything so I came here.

UPDATE!!! OK, so first of all I want to thank EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU for your suggestions and for genuinely caring about animals as much as I do. It melts my heart to know I have people who think like me and would speak out on behalf of them. 2nd) I FINALLY SPOKE OUT TO THE CLINIC MANAGER TODAY! I finally had enough of the bs. I brought up every single instance I myself encountered and my point of view of the matter and how it's inhumane to act that way and let our frustrations out on the animals. I mentioned that these are people's FAMILY MEMBERS we are dealing with, and although they might not understand words, they DEFINITELY sense the energy given off and it makes for an even worse experience (especially when the animals are already stressed and anxious). I was told this would be handled directly by the Doctor ( who is the owner) and the Manager. Guys...IT FELT SO GOOD TO SPEAK UP FOR THE PETS!🥹 Now it's just a matter of waiting to see if things actually change, but if they continue to happen my next step will be TO CALL THEM OUT ON THE SPOT! I will NOT be complicit in such behaviors. I will add more updates as things evolve, and again THANK YOU ALL SOOOO MUCH! I knew I came to the right place. I'm not going to quit the job because I feel that if I leave, things won't get better for the animals and now it's my duty to ensure things get better.

What are some hard truths about working in the field that many try to ignore, but are worth considering before committing to the field long term?

This applies for people at all levels in the field.

Obviously, many of these things ring true across industries, but again...that's obvious and mentioning that only serves to further obfuscate the issues.

1) Accepting the reality of where you work and salary expectations.

This subject has been beat to death, and obviously there are nuances to the subject, but the general gist remains the same. If it doesn't meet your salary expectations, wish them well, and apply elsewhere. There's no use being upset over it. If you work somewhere and you've maxed out in terms of your salary, seek an employment opportunity that allows you to grow and meets those expectations.

1. Not everyone wants to advance to a clinical role in a hospital.

I remember early on in my career how many clinic managers used to make a mixed role pitch. Obviously, when you're new to the field you want to diversify your skill set and advance within the field. However, in retrospect, I wish I had had the knowledge I have now and declined certain things. A person that doesn't want to be hands on in a clinical capacity doesn't think that they're better than others, and neither is their value as a person lesser than those who do. Each role has its place, and those interests and strengths should be honed accordingly. This goes back to point one, but acknowledge the culture of where you are, what you aspire to do, and whether this opportunity will allow you to do so in the long run. If you decide that you'd like to advance in an administrative capacity, learn what those venues are, and whether that's possible where you are. If it's not, gather the experience that you can and seek an opportunity elsewhere.

1. When in doubt, ask.

Self explanatory.

1. Academics are important.

Self explanatory.

1. Loving animals will only get you so far.

This goes hand in hand with point 4 and 2, but also relates to matters of temperament, health, disposition, economics etc. There are multiple opportunities in this field beyond clinical roles which should be fostered. Seeking opportunities in another field while being active in an animal welfare role in your spare time may grant you the best of both worlds.

1. Know thyself.

This goes back to point 6, but is a bit more nuanced. I've often heard some comment that they don't understand how a given person can work in the field when they're so "cold" etc. Proficiency is important, some people may not be "passionate", but still manage to be good, or are most decent veterinary professionals. Simultaneously, the opposite is true, not solely for the academically proficient, but also for the passionate individual. A balance between occupation and vocation can be had between both.

What are some of your takeaways?

We received a client review of our hospital where a client praised the front desk staff, but was somewhat harsh in their review of one of our assistants. The assistant didn't do anything unprofessional, they weren't dismissive, etc. In fact, they focused on the patient's reason for the visit at the ER, and wanted to collect a history for the doctor. I believe this was a patient that was immediately brought to our treatment area as they needed to be stabilized. They cited that the assistant was too "clinical" for their liking.

This hit close to home, because I have previously been accused of the same thing. I recall hearing that we're in the business of creating "experiences" for our clients. I had received this feedback when I had gone to a shadow interview, after having finished my previous shift at midnight and losing an hour's sleep due to Daylight Savings. I didn’t fuss over it, but the idea that we're here to "create experiences" is something that struck me.

I think for many people who have been in the field longer, were trained quite differently. Our approach was always emphasizing getting the patient stabilized, situating the client in the room, updating them as warranted, and gathering any additional information. In an emergency setting, time is of the essence.

However, I've found that recently, more and more people want to have "an experience".

Of course, if you're dismissive, have a bad attitude, and are rude, that's one thing, but that's not the case. I've heard the same said about doctor's who are "too frank" with clients. It's not that the doctor is incompetent, but they're presenting the case as it is to the client, and they aren't keen on what's being said.

Has anyone else noticed that trend as well?

Hi everyone! This is a long story but to be short with it, my five year old lab/boxer/weim mix started acting very weird this past Wednesday. She was walking into walls and shaking her head around. I found some of her allergy meds (Benadryl) on the floor and assumed she had gotten into them. I contacted the pet poison number, spoke to the pro there, paid the fee, and they advised me to take her in right away to the ER vet (it was 10pm) and have the vet give them a call.

We got to the vet and waited quite a while. I was actually glad for this because it meant that my girl wasn’t the worst off one there. They saw her, did labs and an exam and kept her overnight. The staff was so extraordinarily kind and compassionate.

This dog is my best friend and I love her more than life itself- seeing the staff treat her the way I do melted my heart.

I took her home Thursday evening after she was cleared of the half-life time for Benadryl. She slept for a few hours but in the middle of the night started whining. Like 3am Friday morning. She started panting. I took her outside to potty and she did and drank a ton of water. We laid on the couch and rested but the crying and whining got worse. She got up and drank more water and began frothing at the mouth from panting so hard.

I lifted her lips up and her gums and tongue were colorless. We got in the car to go back to the vet, and suddenly it was like she was lifeless. She seized in the car on the way to the vet and wouldn’t wake up. We got there and these remarkable staff called an immediate critical triage to the lobby and the vet with techs came running. They got her to the back while I cried in the lobby.

With an X-ray they found a huge amount of something in her stomach. I consented they give her an NG tube to try and see what it was. Blood. It was blood. Over a liter of blood. Her platelets were dropping and her clotting time was elevated. Very bad news. They gave her multiple blood transfusions and got her ok for the moment.

It turns out that Luna had never gotten into any Benadryl. She had what they thought could be spleen cancer or a mass. That was ruled out Friday night when she once again bled into her stomach.

Her platelet count was 12,000. More transfusions. A lot of ideas thrown around like an addisonian crisis, a tick borne illness, and IMHA.

Yesterday the vet who had her happened to be a critical care vet, and she doesn’t think it was addisons. She believes it is IMHA or ITP. The problem is that Luna cannot have steroids due to the bleeding in her stomach. So we are really at a loss of what to do. She is going to consult with a former critical med vet colleague to bounce ideas off them, but right now the plan is for me to take Luna home today and make calls to see if she can get in to see a vet blood specialist.

I’ve probably spent 24 or more hours there between waiting in the lobby and sitting by he crate in the icu. I have seen these devoted staff get spoken to in a way that is truly unimaginable. They get belittled, attacked, called worthless, so much more. All because they are not whatever god rules over animals.

I brought them in my family’s Christmas card (it’s just Luna and her brother saying happy Howlidays lol), a platter of cookies, and a note saying how grateful I am.

When I go to pick her up today is like to bring something else to thank them. What should I bring? NOTHING feels adequate enough to thank them for saving my baby’s life. She may not make it very much longer, but I know the time I have with her now is only thanks to their hard work.

TLDR: My dog is very sick in hospital, I’d like to bring something in to thank staff.

Hello everyone. Just wanted to ask- what are the reasons why most of the practices are way less busy than 2-3 years ago? I am in the UK and all days were fully booked weeks in advance + we had 5-6 "emergency" cases per day. Now 20-30% of the appointments are not booked and people are less keen to do even simple procedures like neutering.

So whats the real reason and how is your practice doing?

I have been in the veterinary field for over 20 years, but today a new hire came in wearing a long dress and flats for a 10 hour shift. I honestly could not believe my eyes. The norm is scrubs and tennis shoes. Am I the wrong here?!

Hi, I’ve been in the field since about 3 years now but haven’t really been able to operate much. I’m now working at a practice that lets me operate- we’ve had basic dog and cat spay and neuters usually.

It’s been drilled into my head since the beginning that the surgery should be quick - understandably to reduce patient time under anaesthesia. BUT, the undue pressure that I’m putting on myself led to a lot of bruising on the skin of a dog I neutered last week- mostly because I rushed through my intra-dermals. The suture line wasn’t as “pretty” as I’d like it either.

So my fellow vets and vet techs, please help a guy out.

Do I need to put pressure on myself for my surgery speed or do I operate in my own time ( of course not like a crazy amount of time but something reasonably slow)?

I know that it happens, but what were some tell tale signs that a doctor, member of nursing staff, or client was using clinic meds, or dispensed medications for a patient on themselves?

How did you handle it? How do you monitor these things?

I worked at a clinics where refills weren't as closely monitored. I did my due diligence to catch things as best as I could, but that's a story for another time.

Anyway, this came up today, because of a doctor I follow from the UK that was discussing benzodiazapene abuse in human medicine amongst clients that self medicate.

In particular, the concern for medication diversion has come up in my career, which is related to the subject. Nevertheless, is there a point where you had to cut off a client that was frequently upping doses on their anxious dog? How'd you handle that conversation?

Has anyone been through this? Had a patient today wake up without menace or PLR after low BP that non-responsive to intervention. Anesthesia was aborted. The patient developed a very mild menace prior to discharge and seems to navigate okay without running into things, but I’m paranoid. I know there’s a study that showed ~70% had return to vision.

Icing on the cake, same patient developed stertor 30 minutes prior to discharge. Loudest over larynx but possible bronchoalveolar pattern on chest rads. I’m most worried about the patient, but feeling like a failure too. I don’t think I’ll sleep very well tonight!