large animal ppls, help a small animal guy out

[JSpitz]

for frame of reference, i've never seen a pair of bib overalls in my life or worked with large animals in a veterinary setting (petting zoo, hah!)

so, do you wear these overalls....over a pair of jeans/pants or the bib itself are pants? (god i feel so dumb)

and there are these Tingley 10" washable, over shoe work boots. i am assuming "over shoe" means you wear a pair of sneakers and then put these boots on?

final question, do you buy a size larger than "normal, casual" wear like jeans or are do the sizes take the extra layer into consideration? (i.e. buy a size 34 waist bib if you wear size 32 jeans; same goes for shoes)

i am a very sad person.

oh! and if you have recommendations on brands or models other than the ones that i've linked to, please feel free to suggest them

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[jmo1012]

for frame of reference, i've never seen a pair of bib overalls in my life or worked with large animals in a veterinary setting (petting zoo, hah!)

so, do you wear these overalls....over a pair of jeans/pants or the bib itself are pants? (god i feel so dumb)

and there these Tingley 10" washable, over shoe work boots. i am assuming "over shoe" means you wear a pair of sneakers and then put these boots on?

final question, do you buy a size larger than "normal, casual" wear like jeans or are do the sizes take the extra layer into consideration? (i.e. buy a size 34 waist bib if you wear size 32 jeans; same goes for shoes)

i am a very sad person.

oh! and if you have recommendations on brands or models other than the ones that i've linked to, please feel free to suggest them

oh man you are awesome for posting this! i have no freaking clue what i'm supposed to do when it comes to getting coveralls and boots!

 

[sunshinevet]

Whether or not I wear clothing under my overalls depends on several factors:

1. What I'm doing before and after
2. What species of animal im working with, and what I'm doing
3. The weather

Its always best to get a pair that you can wear other clothes under, for when its cold etc. Summers here in Oz are horrendous so between Oct-April I will do everything I can to wear nothing but my overalls - other clothes would make it too, too hot! Also, if I'm working with pigs I dont bother wearing other clothes underneath them - EVERYTHING ends up smelling like pig and I like to minimise washing! I also dont bother to wear anything else under them when im preg testing - usually everything gets dirty. See above comment re:laundry.

The best thing to figure out sizing is to actually try them on. There can be a few sizing issues relating to overalls. For instance, I am a slim girl but i am 6 foot tall. Therefore, the overalls in my waist size are not long enough for my body - remember, you have to be able to crouch down, bend over, extend both arms etc in them, so you dont want anything restricting your movement. I would not be able to crouch down in the size overalls for my waist. So if you can try them on before buying, do so. Talk to students in older years with the same body size etc as you, should be able to give you a pretty good idea.

Lastly, I wouldnt use that type of overalls. I would prefer something that actually covers everything - full coveralls, not just the bib thing. Are these the ones you have to get for school? Just I dont see the point in wearing something designed to keep your clothes clean, when the top you wear is going to get dirty too! (Think sleeves!)

As for the boots, I have no idea! I just wear either rubber gumboots or leather workboots depending on the species, the environment and the biosecurity requirements (remember, leather cannot be properly disinfected, hence you NEED the rubber boots more than the leather ones. If you want, you can get steel capped gumboots that are really hard wearing! Great for dairy!)

I hope this has helped a bit!

 

[moosenanny]

You might want to ask current students at Illinois directly (I see that's where you're going). Your vet bookstore might sell what you need (as ours does), and thus you can just get everything once school starts. I wouldn't rush into buying anything in advance and then regret your choice of gear later . . .

 

[sunshinevet]

You might want to ask current students at Illinois directly (I see that's where you're going). Your vet bookstore might sell what you need (as ours does), and thus you can just get everything once school starts. I wouldn't rush into buying anything in advance and then regret your choice of gear later . . .

Totally agree with this. Sorry, I thought you had started vet school and were discussing options put forward by your school.

Some places will require you to have overalls made by them (damn you murdoch!) so you all look the same, some will specify certain types of boots etc. It would be easiest to wait to see what they actually require before buying 🙂

 

[Minnerbelle]

+1 moosenanny

Unless it's required of you to already have this stuff when school starts, I'd wait. Some schools require a certain height on the boots and coverall sizes can be kind of funky too. Like... I swear, they weren't meant for women so unless you have totally boyish figures you may have to adjust the size. You want to be able to wear a couple of layers underneath too, so the best thing you can do is try them on.

(and if you're unfortunate like me and gain 15% of your body weight during your first-year in vet school, you may be cursing yourself later for getting a size that's just right with no room to spare)

 

[heylodeb]

....Like... I swear, they weren't meant for women so unless you have totally boyish figures....

Lol - I think jspitz is a guy. 😉

 

[JSpitz]

thanks for the info everyone!

the reason i'm asking right now is because our student chapter of AVMA is offering "package orders" (i.e. surgical pack - scissors, needle holders, forceps, etc; bibs; boots; scrubs) and the orders are due before july 1st. good point about school requiring the same items.

also, we start clinicals in our first year, so i don't want to get caught unprepared. i agree that i should try out the bib in person.

 

[primatevetjess]

These are the overalls that I have: http://www.amazon.com/Dickies-Short...TGYA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1306785673&sr=8-1
I second the opinion that you should get coveralls that cover both your top AND bottom. I used these for all of our cow repro labs, and always wore clothes underneath them, since I usually wanted to peel them off before getting in my car and driving home. I can't help much on the sizing, since you're a guy. For me the smallest they had was a men's small, and they are a bit baggy on me.

These are the boots I have: http://www.muckbootsonline.com/Chore_Boot_Hi_Muck_Boots_p/chh000a.htm
They're not over boots, they're regular boots, so I can't answer your sizing question. But I LOVE these boots. I use them for all farm animal labs and for the pathology floor as well. They're super comfortable and pretty close fitting around the top. They're also relatively breathable.

Like others mentioned, you may want to ask someone or wait, but those are my personal recommendations. 🙂

 

[Coquette22]

A big thumbs up on Muck boots. 👍

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

Boots that go over your shoes are VERY helpful in winter, when you're out pulling calves at 2am in February in the freezing snow and wind 😉 But I suppose that also depends where you live. Insulated coveralls are also awesome if you rotate during the winter months.

 

[deleted387118]

I'd also recommend getting mens boots rather than womens. They tend to be higher up the calf which helps protect pants. It also may give you some more room to scrub before you hit the top of your boot and get water down your boots!

Oh yea - if you have a Tractor Supply Company or something like that around I'd recommend going there and trying stuff on. It gives you a better idea of size and price. My lab partner just went there to try on and found out their prices were the same as online and she didn't have to pay for shipping or worry about resending them back.

 

[ORvetgirl]

Pellas (the brand OP linked) is what everyone here wears...they're the color our school requires, and they already have the vet insignia embroidered on them (also required for us). We don't need them till 3rd year, so every year the current 3rd years have a "pella try-on" day for the current 2nd years so we can figure out what size to order. They are made to wear over other clothing, and all the sizing info is in the size charts on the site. For reference, I'm about 5'10", and I definitely need the tall length--I can fit the regular length, but they're highwaters. I'd go a size bigger than you think you need if you plan to wear top layers underneath (like a hoodie). They also do sell the short sleeved jumpsuit style, and I think long sleeved as well. Keep in mind the bibs are sized differently than they jumpsuit styles (which are by chest size I believe).

Most people here get at least one pair of the bibs, and a lot of people also get a pair of the short sleeved. That way for palpation, etc. you have ones that cover your sleeves, and you can wear hoodies/layers under the bibs when you're just on duty in the large animal hospital.