[I saw the other thread about "what made you want to became a vet" but I didn't think my post would be appropriate for that thread. So, I decided to post my comments here instead.]
As a little girl, I wanted to become a veterinarian. Seriously. It was my dream.
My family had lots of pets (multiple cats and dogs) as well as an older horse on our land. I was responsible for caring for the cats; my brother was responsible for the dogs; and everyone was responsible for the horse. My parents made sure my brother and I learned that pet ownership was a serious responsibility 24/7.
I loved to draw pictures of animals and painstakingly copied detailed illustrations of animal anatomy from books. I also caught lizards, caterpillars, frogs, butterflies, and whatever else, and drew detailed diagrams of them, before releasing them back to the wild.
In addition to loving animals, I was fascinated with diseases and injuries in animals. I read books about basic animal first aid and completed a pet first aid class. Many times, I "pretended" to be a veterinarian and placed splints on our cats and dogs (and neighbor's cats and dogs!) and listened to their hearts with a flimsy toy stethoscope. I practiced taking their "vital signs." Later, when I started high school, I read books about basic veterinary medicine. I was (and still am) deeply fascinated with animal diseases. Later, I shadowed private veterinarians in their hospitals and clinics and volunteered in a second animal shelter.
Meanwhile ...
When I turned 14, I wanted to volunteer at an animal shelter in a neighboring city. At that time, one did not have to be 18-years-old to volunteer in a shelter. So, my parents patiently shuttled me to the animal shelter every Saturday morning for several years.
It was a "high kill" shelter - so I spent a lot of time showering love and affection on all of the animals. I cleaned animal cages, walked dogs, played with cats, assisted the veterinary staff, observed some surgeries, and assisted the other shelter employees with whatever needed to be done. I also socially interacted with visitors who were looking for a lost pet, or wanted to adopt a pet from the shelter.
I also knew deep down that many of these beautiful animals (through no fault of their own) would not be "present" when I returned to the shelter the following weekend. That was the biggest disappointment for me. Try as I might, it was exceptionally difficult for me to shake those sad thoughts: and those thoughts haunted me every week - especially when Fluffy or Bowser was noticeably absent the following week and I knew they had not been adopted by anyone. Aarrghh ... cries ... cries ... cries. Bottom line: I wanted every animal to have a fantastic forever home.
To make a long story much shorter ...
Although I wanted to become a veterinarian, I often felt extremely helpless, distraught and dispirited if an animal was experiencing pain, serious illness, or a debilitating injury; and there was nothing anyone could do to make the animal feel better or get well. Despite my best efforts, I couldn't shake those distressful feelings and I often took those feelings home with me. My heart would ache for those animals. I wanted to comfort, protect and care for all of them. My spirit and mind would mourn for them if they were destined to "pass away" or if a limb was amputated, or they were rendered blind, or whatever. For me, it was agonizing; and my feelings did not dissipate over time. To this day, my heart, mind and spirit still aches for animals if they're unable to be cured or if they're experiencing pain. Of course, it's not right or wrong: it's just the way it is for me.
Long story short ...
I did NOT feel the same way about people and their human illnesses or injuries. I can remain professionally objective about human illnesses and injuries. When a human has a serious injury or illness, I can separate those things from my personal life. If an individual needs one-on-one comfort, care and kindness - even though I know they might "disappear" from life within a matter of hours - I will gladly provide it. For those reasons alone, I pursued human medicine instead of veterinary medicine.
That's all I wanted to say ... and if you read this far, thanks for reading. 🙂
