By VetStudent - 04/09/2013 07:30 - United States - Denver
VetStudent tells us more.
Ha! I can't believe this actually got posted!! I had just gotten home from my internship and wanted to vent anonymously. How funny. It is overwhelming, but I'm going to stick it out. I've learned my lesson: do not go in sick or with a full stomach.
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#7: Wait, so you got angry at #2 for using an overused generic comment, yet you thread jack #1 to post a comment to OP. Which is worse?
#11 He probably isn't getting enough attention at home. :)
I feel like being peed on and scratched as a vet should be expected. Maybe not so much the last three but you must know you would have to deal with dead animals and see some pretty gross things.
Do you know what concur means #11? #7 was agreeing with #1
#30 I work at an animal hospital and I don't think we've ever had to extract semen. =) we did an artificial once but it was the doctor. As for euthanizing, many vets won't if someone "just doesn't want it" since it's considered unethical. And for family pets, you know you're doing the right thing if theyre old and sick. That's just my 2 cents!
I've been a vet tech for almost 10 years now, and all the things OP said is considered minor to me now. I've never had to personally extract semen, but I have seen it and had to hold the dog down during. Not pleasant. As for euthanasia, animal hospitals generally don't euthanize for unwanted animals, they are sent to a shelter, and shelters will do it. OP will see many more disturbing things along the way. I started at a clinic in Arkansas originally, and how they handle dogs who have bitten someone is 100% more disturbing than anything OP could imagine. I would love to have a day like OP said they had, sounds like a good day compared to what it could be!
To be fair, I can imagine that something like that can be different from what you were expecting, even if you knew what would happen. I want to become a doctor and know that I will have to cut in dead bodies, tell people they're going to die and what not, this however doesn't mean that I will still be fine with it when the time really comes that I will have to actually do that. I do think it's probably a barrier that you have to overcome and hope OP will manage to. I can imagine that all that can be a lot to take in in one day, so good luck OP, I hope it gets better.
I had all these things happen in my first week at a shitty pet store ten years ago. Needless to say, I didn't stay long.
Aww. That sucks.
No shit Sherlock
Your username goes well along with the comment, I remember that FML post all too well. I mean... I got a flashback.
My friend works as a vet intern too. She found a dog tail once...there was no dog attached to it.
3- That just made me think of a dog boner and gave me shivers. Dog boners creep me out...
You should've expected things like that if you're gonna be working with animals.
Precisely why I wouldn't want to work at the vet. I love animals, but sick, diseased, and hurt animals cause an unsettling feeling in my heart and stomach. Better working in a pet shop, I guess. There's no guarantee that unfixed newborn animals won't have a disease but I digress..
That was my first thought as well. I mean, if you really want to pursue your dream career, you'd have to know the not so pleasant side of things too right? I would study every part of my dream job, good and bad, before I commit to it fully.
I guess its better to find out sooner then later?
Sooner then later means finding out twice. It's sooner than later.
grammar nazi/
As far as I know interns get stuck with the crap jobs and don't get to do the things more enjoyable.
like spaying and neutering?
Yes interns have to do a lot of grunt work but for the most part, what OP just described is a typical day on the job. I've worked in a bet hospital for years, and it's not always pleasant. When we get interns in we usually make then do kennels and lab work since that's is usually what they are learning at the time. It depends on what they learned in school. Yes the job has its good days of puppies and kittens an having fun, but people don't realize that there is a lot of messy work with it for everybody
Puts a new meaning into the phrase "doggy bag"
oh and in case it isn't obvious, becoming a pediatrician or mortician is probably something you don't want to do either
That sucks OP, but really? It's an animal clinic not an animal hotel. What else did you expect?
Yes, you definitely should rethink your career. Doing that until you retire doesn't sound like something worthwhile.
Well obviously every vet on earth would disagree.
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Well what did you expect to happen when working with animals?
Wait till you have to jerk off a dog