having a dog during clinical rotations

[knr1527]

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I am in second semester of first year. I've decided I want a dog, and feel like I have plenty of time for it at the moment. I want to adopt an older dog not a puppy. I'm just afraid that when clinical rotations come around, the poor thing will be bored out of his/her mind and lonely because I'll be so busy.
My question is, how busy are clinical rotations truly? Do you have time to exercise your dog everyday (those of you that have one). Is it a huge mistake to adopt a dog?

Also I'm not married, and my significant other is long distance. I don't have any roommates either, so I won't have any help.
Please let me know what you think!

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

It completely depends on the rotation. Sometimes you are literally at the hospital for 12+ hours at a time, anywhere from 16-24 if you have overnights, etc. Sometimes you are 8-5.

For ones like surgery, anesthesia, etc I had to hire a girl to come and let my dog out during the day (I too was single and lived alone). So, that's an option if you have some disposable cash. 5-10 bucks a visit, a weekly discount maybe for some sitters. For rotations like pathology, radiology, etc. I was generally ok.

It was hard as hell sometimes getting up the energy to walk her every night when I got home, but I did it. Especially in the winter trudging through the snow.

Perhaps consider a low-maintenance breed. A retired racing greyhound, for example - they make great "couch decorations" 😉

 

[No Imagination]

Like WHTs said, it will totally depend on the particular rotation; and it will also depend on the dog. I defiantly would NOT want a puppy during my clinical years, however getting a dog was the best decision I made (helped me keep my sanity!). Being able to go out to dog parks or just hiking with my dog did wonders for my grades.

Also, a lot of times, other vet student may live in your area. More then once I asked a student to let my guy out, play fetch with him, whatever. Soon as I told them I was on X (shiHy rotation) they usually said "or course".

 

[knr1527]

Thanks for the info. I was debating between a retired greyhound and a cat. I live in a pretty large second floor above a vet hospital starting in may. I would like to think that during my tougher rotations one of the techs downstairs would be able to let my grey out quick for me when I can't, but I don't want to over-do my welcome there. Techs are pretty busy too. I'll have to think about it some more. I'm pretty lonely here as an out of state student living alone, and cats just aren't the same company as dogs are. I have nothing to do on weekends and would love a dog to go out hiking with and to jog with me everyday, but I can't resign him to 12 hours of boredom waiting for me to get home all the time during my 4th year.

 

[No Imagination]

but I can't resign him to 12 hours of boredom waiting for me to get home all the time during my 4th year.

This notion has popped up here in the past (myself included), but MANY dogs are left alone for 12+ hours at a stint while there owners are at work or away. Dogs (even high drive dogs) are amazingly adapted to that. While I wouldn't recommended it on a regular basis, I see no problem leaving a dog alone for 12+ hours every now and again.

Besides, if the alternative is a shelter... then 12 hours sleeping on your bed waiting for you to get home to greet you sure as hell beats sleeping on a cold slab waiting for the next feeding.

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

This notion has popped up here in the past (myself included), but MANY dogs are left alone for 12+ hours at a stint while there owners are at work or away. Dogs (even high drive dogs) are amazingly adapted to that. While I wouldn't recommended it on a regular basis, I see no problem leaving a dog alone for 12+ hours every now and again.

Besides, if the alternative is a shelter... then 12 hours sleeping on your bed waiting for you to get home to greet you sure as hell beats sleeping on a cold slab waiting for the next feeding.

Yep. Dogs are very adaptable creatures. My pup is a Mountain Cur, so a pretty high-energy breed. However, she's acclimated very well to my work schedule over the years. I work 8-5/6 now and she's totally fine as long as she gets her daily walk, petting, and some treats in her Kong. On weekends she pretty much sleeps all day even though I'm home; if I try too hard to play with her I get the sleepy grumble noise - you know the one

 

[ImNotThatGirl]

I am in second semester of first year. I've decided I want a dog, and feel like I have plenty of time for it at the moment. I want to adopt an older dog not a puppy. I'm just afraid that when clinical rotations come around, the poor thing will be bored out of his/her mind and lonely because I'll be so busy.
My question is, how busy are clinical rotations truly? Do you have time to exercise your dog everyday (those of you that have one). Is it a huge mistake to adopt a dog?

Also I'm not married, and my significant other is long distance. I don't have any roommates either, so I won't have any help.
Please let me know what you think!

Very smart of you to go for an older dog and not a puppy! I'm in 2nd semester of my 2nd year, and there are so many people in my class with puppies that you do not have time for! They generally end up being poorly trained and not housebroken, or people spend so much time going back and forth from school to home to let them out, etc....and then end up failing out of vet school altogether.

I have an 8-year old dog who is a former kennel dog that was owned by Ross University for teaching, and now he's "retired" and living the good life with me....he is so easy, just sleeps all day, and has only had 2-3 messes in the last year I've had him. Granted, he used to live all day every day in a cold kennel so he probably didn't have many expectations coming here, but if I had to do it again I would still adopt ANY older dog over a puppy any day!

 

[jmo1012]

Very smart of you to go for an older dog and not a puppy! I'm in 2nd semester of my 2nd year, and there are so many people in my class with puppies that you do not have time for! They generally end up being poorly trained and not housebroken, or people spend so much time going back and forth from school to home to let them out, etc....and then end up failing out of vet school altogether.

I have an 8-year old dog who is a former kennel dog that was owned by Ross University for teaching, and now he's "retired" and living the good life with me....he is so easy, just sleeps all day, and has only had 2-3 messes in the last year I've had him. Granted, he used to live all day every day in a cold kennel so he probably didn't have many expectations coming here, but if I had to do it again I would still adopt ANY older dog over a puppy any day!

oo yeah i agree with you on the puppy front! i also wanted an older dog between 4 and 7 years (not much beyond that because of all the traveling i still have to do in the next 1.5 years and i didn't want that to be a huge stress on a much older animal, seemed unfair). it is very nice having a dog that is happy to sleep a ton or play with you but doesn't have endless puppy energy and bad puppy habits.

 

[lailanni]

If you don't have a preference between a cat or a dog, get a cat.

Otherwise you will spend a lot of time worrying about letting your dog out.

Some rotations are ok, 8-5. Some are at least 12 hours, some are definitely way more than 12 hours. Some make you travel to clinics out of town for a week or two. Don't forget being on call during evenings and weekends. There also may be weeks at a time where you're working overnights.

My best friend had a dog, but her parents cared for it during most of 4th year. Is that an option for you? Other people have spouses than can care for them - or roommates who aren't 4th years.

You have no idea how many times I heard my classmates say "Oh no, I have to let my dog out." when surgery was running late, when a last minute case came in, when we had to bring them in as backup on-call, etc etc.

For me personally, I'm glad I didn't have to worry about a dog in 4th year. You mentioned wanting an animal since you're a little lonely. Trust me, you won't have time to be lonely 4th year.

Maybe you and I are very opposite in personality/priorities, so a dog might be good for you. But if you just want a furry companion cats great too, with less of a care timeline attached to them. (So are rabbits! But I'm biased)

 

[PetPony]

Maybe you can find a cat that acts more like a dog. but seriously, my cat demands more attention, loves to cuddle and will always have the last word when we're talking. She follows me around or sits on my shoulders or lap when I'm studying. She reminds me a lot of a dog, but its ok to leave her alone all day. She definitely made up for not having a dog (and I'm totally a dog person). I also just got a dog because my guide dog was released from her program, but I wouldn't have minded if that hadn't happened. If you find the right cat, it's awesome.

 

[LoveMyDerbyDog]

I adopted a dog the day after my first year finals were done- I had the same worries but decided that since it was something I really wanted I would make it work. I don't regret it at all.
I'm now in my second year and thinking ahead towards externships and probably an internship (since I want to do equine). I don't know if any of you had that experience, but it seems like most people I've heard ship their dogs home or off to a friends during their externships. What about internships? Do people usually have to find someone to take their dog? I can't imagine not having her around for that long... I know a lot of places have intern housing, but I have no idea if it's pet friendly (or if it's even realistic to think I will have enough time for her).
Any wisdom would be appreciated!