How hard is it to have a dog in med school?

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Having a dog as a 9am - 6pm human is already pretty damn hard. Unless you have a significant other willing to do 50% of the work, I might hold off until later in life.
 
If you live with other students or people that are interested in helping out, then doable.

Would probably be much easier to adopt a 1-2 year old dog than get a puppy though.
 
Cat with self cleaning litterbox and autofeeder. Can't go wrong
 
A resident I know drops off her dog at the parents when she's working.
 
Get a cat. Automatic litter box, automatic feeder, automatic waterer --> you could not see the thing for a week and itll be fine
 
The med student giving me a school tour after one of my interviews had a cat. He was telling us that it destroyed a power outlet while he was showering that morning, though.
 
I I guess I'm asking if in med school, you're only commitments are a school day 9-6?
 
1st and 2nd year would be totally doable, especially if you are at a school without mandatory lecture attendance. Definitely wouldn't work so well 3rd and 4th year when you are at the mercy of your rotation schedule.

EDIT: Many of my classmates have cats, but I don't know of anyone with a dog.
 
I work with an MD/PhD student (in his research years now) who has a dog. He enjoys having it but does regularly have to leave the lab at random times to walk it and feed it and stuff. Plus vet bills are not cheap, since every dog will inevitably eat a bunch of pennies or swallow a toad.

As for med school only being a 9-6 commitment, thats pretty unlikely. Between studying, ECs, research, and other stuff your schedule can be plenty unpredictable even during the pre-clinical years. If some surgeon offers to let you scrub on a case some random night, are you going to say "I'd love to, but can I run home and walk my dog first?"

samac said:
Poor cat. They need interaction too.
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Solved.
 
I have 2 cats, and I sometimes feel like I don't interact with them as much as I should. The bigger issue though is scheduling vet appointments and emergencies (you need to remember to budget for this). My roommate has a dog. Lots of my classmates have cats and/or dogs. More than a handful have kids. It's what you make of it.

As an aside, cats definitely need interaction and stimulation too. You can't just get one and forget it exists.
 
I have a dog now, but I also have a partner that works regular 9-5 type hours, so you probably need that support. We also adopted him as a dog instead of a puppy so we didn't have to house train him or anything.
 
The Knife & Gun Club said:
I work with an MD/PhD student (in his research years now) who has a dog. He enjoys having it but does regularly have to leave the lab at random times to walk it and feed it and stuff. Plus vet bills are not cheap, since every dog will inevitably eat a bunch of pennies or swallow a toad.

As for med school only being a 9-6 commitment, thats pretty unlikely. Between studying, ECs, research, and other stuff your schedule can be plenty unpredictable even during the pre-clinical years. If some surgeon offers to let you scrub on a case some random night, are you going to say "I'd love to, but can I run home and walk my dog first?"




Solved.
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I'd say, "but first let me call my mom/boyfriend/friend" to let her out.
 
I am a 4th year that got a dog 1st year, and then another one a few months ago. I have a wife who works easy hours, otherwise it would have been impossible. I'm a strong believer that regardless of how happy you'd be with a pet, you need to ensure that the pet is well cared for. No dog would be happy locked inside all day long with no interaction. Third/fourth year whenever I would be at the hospital all day, and my wife had to work a longer day, our dogs would go to dog daycare. Sometimes expensive, but fair to the dogs, as I would feel crappy leaving them inside for 12 hours. Everyone in my class with dogs either has a SO with a flexible schedule, or relies heavily on family/friends/sitters 3rd year.

Someone I know from college got a cat when she did not have a lot of money. She didn't get pet insurance, and the cat got sick and a vet bill was going to be like $500 and she wanted to abandon/euthanize the cat. Don't be that person. Ensure that you can afford a pet: vet visits, food, toys, vaccines, spay/neuter, etc...
 
Vandelay Industries said:
I am a 4th year that got a dog 1st year, and then another one a few months ago. I have a wife who works easy hours, otherwise it would have been impossible. I'm a strong believer that regardless of how happy you'd be with a pet, you need to ensure that the pet is well cared for. No dog would be happy locked inside all day long with no interaction. Third/fourth year whenever I would be at the hospital all day, and my wife had to work a longer day, our dogs would go to dog daycare. Sometimes expensive, but fair to the dogs, as I would feel crappy leaving them inside for 12 hours. Everyone in my class with dogs either has a SO with a flexible schedule, or relies heavily on family/friends/sitters 3rd year.

Someone I know from college got a cat when she did not have a lot of money. She didn't get pet insurance, and the cat got sick and a vet bill was going to be like $500 and she wanted to abandon/euthanize the cat. Don't be that person. Ensure that you can afford a pet: vet visits, food, toys, vaccines, spay/neuter, etc...
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I understand... I guess it'll depend who I live with/how close I actually live to my family.

I got a puppy when I was 12. I was the one that made the spay appointment, I was the one that took her for her vaccines (though they sometimes kicked me out for not being 18), I did the research for the best food, and I know where the closest Animal ER is. I got this, I just don't know if I'll have time.

And that's very ****ty of your friend. I'm sure they could have worked on a payment plan with her...
 
Yeah, we were all pretty disgusted with her when she told us about it. Thankfully her parents bailed her out with the bill. Cheesy, but pets deserve happiness too. I love having my two dogs around, but they're not pawns for my happiness. Sometimes it's cold AF out and I don't want to take them on that walk, but I know that I gotta.
 
How hard is it to use the search function on this site? There are probably at least a dozen threads on this exact same topic. :arghh:
 
Toutie said:
How hard is it to use the search function on this site? There are probably at least a dozen threads on this exact same topic. :arghh:
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I GET YELLED AT FOR OLD THREADS.
 
lalex said:
I GET YELLED AT FOR OLD THREADS.
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That is because you un-necessarily bump old threads. In this case...and some of the others...you do not have to bump up old thread(s). Just read them for the information contained in them! No reason to ask more people the same question that has been answered by many before in previous threads.
 
It is ok to lurk. I've lurked on 10 year old threads. You have to realize that the world will not end without you commenting on something. Peoples lives will not change with your pithy statements. Typical accepted med student personality.

I have a cat. I got a cat right after a breakup with my ex of two years. Now the cat is needier than a two week old infant. She cries 24/7 if she can't see me. And my fiancé is allergic to cats so it's really fun at night. I have to lock her in the basement at night or else she scratches at our bedroom door and cries all day.

Don't get a cat after a breakup. Med school, ok. But never after a breakup. Especially if they're a kitten.
 
I know several people who have dogs and are able to handle it fine, though I personally definitely don't see how one would be able to unless you have a stay-at-home spouse. I have a cat. You should get one. You just feed it like once a week and then watch it judge you all the time.
 
I found it really hard to have a dog in med school. He kept needing rides to class since he's not allowed on public transportation. Luckily, he got thrown out when he ran off with his cadaver's hand and buried it behind the parking deck. Long story short, I'm glad I don't have a dog in med school anymore.
 
I adopted a dog 3 weeks into school. I don't regret it. But it's entirely dependent on you and your habits. I personally study at home and don't have mandatory lectures so I'm almost always around and I live with my significant other so they can pick up the slack if needed. Admittedly though, I do about 99% of the work regarding him.

Yeah it added more stress and responsibilities to my life in some ways and sometimes I want to rip my hair out, but at the same time having him relieves a lot more of the stress school puts on me and my relationship. And I don't view having to take him out and walk him as a burden so much as a relief in that I am forced to actually get off the couch, go out to get fresh air, and get a few good brisk walks in every few hours that I would never do otherwise. With that said, I grew up with multiple dogs all my life and when I moved for college, I admittedly never felt quite as mentally and emotionally healthy without one as I do with one. Even if everything else was great, it always felt like something was missing.

Clinical years are undoubtedly going to be harder, but with my significant other around, the availability of dog walkers and even doggy day cares in the area at reasonable rates and having friends around who could help me out once in a while, I'm not overly concerned. Sometimes I feel like I'm neglecting him around exams, but at the same time, I adopted from a high kill shelter so even if I can't always give him 100% of my effort and attention, his life is still significantly better and happier then it would have been had I not adopted him. I'd probably feel more guilty had I purchased a pup instead of a rescue.

It all boils down to you and your needs. If you are absolutely sure you want a dog but are afraid of the toll it might take, adopt an older dog with lower energy. It won't need nearly as much time or attention. Or get a cat (unless you hate them like me). Just DON'T UNDERESTIMATE THE COMMITMENT! Getting a dog is literally signing up for a 10-15 year commitment.
 
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lalex said:
Cat?
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I have a cat that likes to go outside. MS1 and MS2 were a breeze. MS3 is a little more challenging. Don't like to leave him outside all day (like 11+ hours) when I'm at the hospital so I have to keep him in. He definitely is less happy on the weekdays when he's stuck inside. Another thing to consider is what you will do with your pet when if you want to do an externship during MS4. I only want to do one but my host at that location is allergic to cats so I'm going to have to come up with an alternate location for him during that month.
 
I decided to slum in premed today and this is the first post I see. Now I remember why I haven't been here in so long. How did you get accepted asking questions like this? Since you are looking to think up ridiculous questions to post here are a few more for you, that I promise haven't ever been asked before.

Is it possible to date in med school?
HELP I failed my first exam, what do I do?
Why does everyone do better than me?
Should I start studying for Step before I start med school?
Why won't anyone talk to me?
Is personal hygiene possible in med school? (How many showers per week is acceptable)
Is it unethical to pick up fellow med students in the cadaver lab?
My professor made a mistake on a slide, what should I do?
When can I start pimping my classmates?
I think I may have enterobius vermicularis, can someone please check for me?
 
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Terry Toma said:
I found it really hard to have a dog in med school. He kept needing rides to class since he's not allowed on public transportation. Luckily, he got thrown out when he ran off with his cadaver's hand and buried it behind the parking deck. Long story short, I'm glad I don't have a dog in med school anymore.
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I was going to post about how hard it was to get my dog to study for his MCAT and how he was having a hard time with the audience response system as well as taking the tests, much less how hard it was to assure we were both accepted to the same school. He doesn't interview well.

But OP: I have a Corgi who is laying about four feet from me right now. Many of my classmates have dogs. It's not a big deal if you have experience taking care of dogs.
 
lalex said:
Cat
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My roommate and I have 3 cats together. Anyways, I've never had a problem with a cat.

I also want a dog. I know many classmates that have dogs and they are fine. They wake up early, walk the dog, and maintain a super balanced life. I'm a pretty big procrastinator so I think that would be a bad idea. It all depends on you - and how well you can balance life.

Ps. don't get a puppy though.
 
moisne said:
My roommate and I have 3 cats together. Anyways, I've never had a problem with a cat.

I also want a dog. I know many classmates that have dogs and they are fine. They wake up early, walk the dog, and maintain a super balanced life. I'm a pretty big procrastinator so I think that would be a bad idea. It all depends on you - and how well you can balance life.

Ps. don't get a puppy though.
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I'm going to get a puppy/kitten this summer. I'm taking two gap years before medical school (hopefully). So, I trust myself to train a dog more than I do by picking an adult from the shelter that may/may not be trained.
 
Speaking about dogs and med school

dog.jpg
 
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