In response to all of the different variations of "it's your fault if you are bitten" or "getting bitten is part of the job", a police officer knows that his job makes it more likely that he will be shot at some point, but if a criminal shoots a cop the answer is not "oh well, it's part of his job, don't punish the criminal" or "its the cop's fault, he must have done something wrong".
working with animals means you are more likely to receive an injury, but that doesn't mean there are no consequences when that happens.
I completely agree.
I've worked as a tech for three years, and I work with some amazing techs and doctors who have been in the field literally longer than I've been alive. We've had some discussions about this very topic and I wanted to share a few thoughts.
1. While it's likely that at some point in your career as a tech/dvm you'll get bit, if you
expect it to happen, or think there's little you can do to prevent it, you're statistically more likely to get bit. Your "safety attitude" is important.
2. Handling skills take time to develop. Younger/less experienced techs are at a higher risk because they don't have as much experience with fractious animals. Older, more experienced techs and doctors should handle the more difficult pets.
3. I've known techs and doctors who have worked 30+ years and been bit once and only once. Scratches or bruises are one thing, nips are one thing, but serious bites should not be a regular occurrence, only the rare exception. My "job" is not to get bit.
4. Animals are under stress when they come into the hospital. This is a given. Every effort to learn animal body language must be made, so that you have a better chance of recognizing animals who might become fractious or aggressive. When in doubt, muzzle. When in extra doubt, the owner muzzles. When the owner can't muzzle, the animal needs to be sedated either safely by pinning between a door and a wall, or the owner needs to come back later, after the dog has calmed down and/or had oral sedation and the owner can put the muzzle on.
5. Any dog or cat is capable of inflicting serious injury. Any breed, any size, any age, any temperament. Never forget that.
6. I generally do not hold a client responsible for their pet's bad behavior at a vet's office. We can't explain to animals why we have to hold them dog, stick them with needles, or cut their nails, and even well socialized dogs get frightened and might snap to get away. I completely sympathize with them.
I DO hold owners responsible when they fail to mention their pet has a history of dangerous aggression. I saw a case where a 120lb "pittie" mix (looked like a mastiff to me) came in for a lump on it's chest. I was in the room with the doctor who asked twice if the dog had shown any aggression or fear at the vet, or if they had never needed a muzzle. The owner said no. The dog seemed mellow and was taking treats. The doctor went to step towards the dog, and without warning the dog lunged, teeth bared. The owner barely held the dog back. When the doctor asked, essentially, wtf, the owner was all "oh yeah he bites." We asked if the owner could muzzle the dog safely, or if the dog tries to bite when getting muzzled. The owner said no, he's fine to muzzle, so we gave the owner a muzzle. The owner tried to put it on, and the dog then tried to bite the owner (!). The owner then says, "Oh yeah, he does that when we muzzle him." ....(!!!!!)
This was a case where we had to pin the dog between a door and a wall and stick it with sedatives. It's also a case where, if our doctor had gotten bit, I would be personally fine with the doctor suing the client or holding the client accountable for owning a vicious dog, because the client essentially lied to us, and the risk for serious bodily harm was enormous. People with pets have a responsibility to own them...well, responsibly, and safely, and to warn veterinary professionals if their pet gets more than just "nervous" at the vet's office. None of us deserve to get bit.
When did it stop being Deanna??
