RANT HERE thread

[SkiOtter]

Lots of clinics only send invoices or reminders to downstream clinics unless doctors notes are explicitly requested...

Why though?
If someone was changing vets wouldn’t you want their whole record?

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[Caiter92]

Lots of clinics only send invoices or reminders to downstream clinics unless doctors notes are explicitly requested... so hopefully some aren't as horrible as they could be, haha.

Def some horrible records out there, but I definitely understand more (two years out) exactly why that is nowadays lol.

The clinics that we got a lot of clients from it was all they had. We’d always ask for everything from the last year or two, and I was often the one that had to call to ask if they had any doctors notes or more complete records when we’d get the above it was always the same 3-4 clinics nearby. Plus definitely more from random clinics we’d get clients from. It was probably only like 20% of records we’d get, but still.

I don’t know, I’m not hating on short records. Just records that give you no info and would not fly with the state board

 

[WildZoo]

My clinic is modeled after Banfield, so like Zoo said, we are present for the exam/findings. Mind you, our notes are certainly not as high quality as they should be if a doctor was writing them. Our doctors don’t seem to care though..they are just happy to pass off the responsibility to us. Safe to say I’m not happy with where I work. The quality of the doctors is as good as the notes we do lol.
Sometimes after a 13 hour shift, the doctor will give me grace and say he will finish the notes the next day. I come back to the file a few days later, and behold, the notes aren’t done! This is super upsetting for me because I could have just done them and there would at least be something written. It’s pretty bad. I come across a lot of files that don’t even have fecal, HWT, ear cytology, UA, etc results.

I saw that problem when we got clients from other Banfields. It's a shared computer system so we would import their stuff and man...some of those notes were clearly just a copied over template that hadn't even been edited.

The doctor I worked with the most was very thorough though. Continued below...

As much as it sucks writing them, I don't know if I could relinquish that control. They're literally the only thing that truly protects my butt.

I think they were happy to allow us to document things as we went, instead of having to do it all at the end. The doc I mentioned above would always check over everything, but when we first opened and most of the staff was very new to vet med, he was there super late every night just working on records. I was happy to have the opportunity to get the experience writing them, and to help him out. He still made sure everything was correct and thorough.

 

[DrinkWater95]

I saw that problem when we got clients from other Banfields. It's a shared computer system so we would import their stuff and man...some of those notes were clearly just a copied over template that hadn't even been edited.

The doctor I worked with the most was very thorough though. Continued below...


I think they were happy to allow us to document things as we went, instead of having to do it all at the end. The doc I mentioned above would always check over everything, but when we first opened and most of the staff was very new to vet med, he was there super late every night just working on records. I was happy to have the opportunity to get the experience writing them, and to help him out. He still made sure everything was correct and thorough.

Yeah it’s one thing for us to put in as much as we know and for them to look back over it to ensure it’s accurate. However, it’s another thing for the doctor to put blind faith in their techs like my doctors do. I work with a doctor who literally told a tech one day that she expects us to read her mind. That’s a whole different rabbit hole. Assuming things in the medical field can be really messy.
I once worked with a doctor and tech. A doctor told the text to give “X” ml of “Dex”. Surely he didn’t elaborate and the tech gave Dexdomitor instead of Dex. SP. that was a fun day

 

[DVMDream]

Yeah, boards will jump all over the opportunity to ding you for poor medical record keeping, I keep up on mine, probably a bit too extensively. I'd rather put in too much than not enough, never takes me too long though, an in-depth case might take me 20-30 minutes to type out but those a fairly rare. Ones with bitchy/needy clients get long paragraphs of near verbatim discussion... if you get a record with my name on it and there are paragraphs be ready for the insanity from the client... it is kind of my warning to other vets...

 

[DVMDream]

I once worked with a doctor and tech. A doctor told the text to give “X” ml of “Dex”. Surely he didn’t elaborate and the tech gave Dexdomitor instead of Dex. SP. that was a fun day

In part here, a tech should be knowledgeable enough to know... "hmm, this patient isn't being sedated" I mean, they are very different drugs with very different purposes, 99% of the time it will be obvious which "dex" is implied by just using a little bit of thought. However, I always write down my drugs that I want people to give, so usually there isn't a question, but, again, if the tech isn't sure... this is where they should go "Dr. so and so do you mean dexdom or dexSP?" Yes, should have been clarified at the start, but there is a lot of disconnect there to not know which drug (given how different of use they do have) and to not ask if uncertain.

 

[vetmedhead]

Yeah, boards will jump all over the opportunity to ding you for poor medical record keeping, I keep up on mine, probably a bit too extensively. I'd rather put in too much than not enough, never takes me too long though, an in-depth case might take me 20-30 minutes to type out but those a fairly rare. Ones with bitchy/needy clients get long paragraphs of near verbatim discussion... if you get a record with my name on it and there are paragraphs be ready for the insanity from the client... it is kind of my warning to other vets...

Dinging for records is really easy for boards to do, too. I know of a pretty ridiculous vet in this state who's had like 7 formal marks against his license and easily half of them are related to record keeping. I honestly think it was easier for them to concretely find fault for his records than for some of the other patently ridiculous things he's done since many of those situations were all basically word of mouth and hard to prove.

 

[DrinkWater95]

In part here, a tech should be knowledgeable enough to know... "hmm, this patient isn't being sedated" I mean, they are very different drugs with very different purposes, 99% of the time it will be obvious which "dex" is implied by just using a little bit of thought. However, I always write down my drugs that I want people to give, so usually there isn't a question, but, again, if the tech isn't sure... this is where they should go "Dr. so and so do you mean dexdom or dexSP?" Yes, should have been clarified at the start, but there is a lot of disconnect there to not know which drug (given how different of use they do have) and to not ask if uncertain.

Very true, not defending the tech because there are some techs out there that just lack common sense. Just giving an example of how “mind-reading” in the medical field can go wrong.

 

[PrincessButterCup]

Dinging for records is really easy for boards to do, too. I know of a pretty ridiculous vet in this state who's had like 7 formal marks against his license and easily half of them are related to record keeping. I honestly think it was easier for them to concretely find fault for his records than for some of the other patently ridiculous things he's done since many of those situations were all basically word of mouth and hard to prove.

My favorite Boss Lady got in trouble for her non-existent records more than anything else that was reported. That's what ultimately resulted in her losing her license last summer. Not the medical neglect, not dispensing without a current pharm license . . . Let me say again how much fun it was to work for her?

 

[Caiter92]

My favorite Boss Lady got in trouble for her non-existent records more than anything else that was reported. That's what ultimately resulted in her losing her license last summer. Not the medical neglect, not dispensing without a current pharm license . . . Let me say again how much fun it was to work for her?

She still owns the clinic though doesn’t she? She just can’t let go lol

 

[PrincessButterCup]

She still owns the clinic though doesn’t she? She just can’t let go lol

Yup. She's still in the office frequently, too, and she's not putting much effort into hiring a new vet. When her associate went on vacation for two weeks this summer they just didn't see patients at all. Two weeks. No patients. I don't know how that made any sense financially.

I hate running into her so I switched vets entirely, even though I love the associate there. My new vet is pretty great though. No ragerts.

 

[variegata]

Said by someone who has never had to finish a huge pile of records.

In my specialty, idgaf about the vaccine history. Make it easy for me to find blood work, radiograph results and make the PE findings legible! Bonus points for an actual anesthesia record instead of mls of abbreviated unknown drug!

 

[muttmanager]

The USPS is terrible at the 1 thing they should have mastered. I dont understand why 90% of my packages have some sort of delivery error, delay, missing scans, you name it. I'm almost starting to take it personal.

 

[jaboo]

On the topic of the downsides of veterinary medicine / debt / income, what fields do you guys think has the best turn around for paying off debt in the shortest amount of time (AKA little to no time in a residency but really good pay)? And the worst?

Money is something I’ve always been nervous about since I’m low income. So as I’m trying to figure out what field to pursue, I wanna keep the idea of “is this going to be worth the time/effort money-wise” in my head. But also I’m going to do what makes me happy but I digress...

 

[jaboo]

If we could, as a culture, get behind people staying home when they're sick...that would be so great. I'm tired of existing in a Petri dish several times a semester.

Agreed. Everyone currently has a nasty cold here right now, including several instructors. Mine turned into a sinus infection (at least it’s not contagious, but still).

 

[DVMDream]

On the topic of the downsides of veterinary medicine / debt / income, what fields do you guys think has the best turn around for paying off debt in the shortest amount of time (AKA little to no time in a residency but really good pay)?

Stripper veterinarian.. yeah, I guess you aren't really doing "medicine" but it pays well.

And the worst?

Anything that requires a residency and a PhD........ or large animal medicine.

 

[DrinkWater95]

Stripper veterinarian.. yeah, I guess you aren't really doing "medicine" but it pays well.





Anything that requires a residency and a PhD........ or large animal medicine.

HAH you made me laugh, thank you!
Why is it the Internet tells me food animal vet makes the most money out of all vets but every veterinarian I talk to in person tells me opposite?

 

[DVMDream]

Why is it the Internet tells me food animal vet makes the most money out of all vets but every veterinarian I talk to in person tells me opposite?

 

[DrinkWater95]

Can I have some of this magic??

 

[JaynaAli]

On the topic of the downsides of veterinary medicine / debt / income, what fields do you guys think has the best turn around for paying off debt in the shortest amount of time (AKA little to no time in a residency but really good pay)? And the worst?

Money is something I’ve always been nervous about since I’m low income. So as I’m trying to figure out what field to pursue, I wanna keep the idea of “is this going to be worth the time/effort money-wise” in my head. But also I’m going to do what makes me happy but I digress...

IMO probably ER has the best potential salary with little extra education, but that comes at the expense of long shifts and working nights/holidays. Often a 'full time' ER job you only work 3 nights a week. Everywhere I've ever lived they're pretty desperate for ER docs and relief ER vets. Path is pretty bad in terms of time spent in training vs salary...same residency time as the other specialties but significantly less pay than other specialties (I know of IM/surgery/onc residents getting easily 1.5x to maybe 2x as much as I'll likely make as a pathologist. Path does typically get more than the average GP salary, but when resident in other programs ask what I am expecting once I finish they're always surprised.

 

[KCgophervet]

On the topic of the downsides of veterinary medicine / debt / income, what fields do you guys think has the best turn around for paying off debt in the shortest amount of time (AKA little to no time in a residency but really good pay)? And the worst?

Money is something I’ve always been nervous about since I’m low income. So as I’m trying to figure out what field to pursue, I wanna keep the idea of “is this going to be worth the time/effort money-wise” in my head. But also I’m going to do what makes me happy but I digress...

Well for lab animal you don't need an internship year just residency and there are two year residency options. That plus the residencies pay better than the typical SA academic residencies (on the NIH payscale, so closer to 50k than 30k). Then it probably evens out afterwards and depends on academic vs industry for pay scale.

That being said, I feel like the real money is in radiology right now, though that's a tough one to break into I think.

 

[DrinkWater95]

Well for lab animal you don't need an internship year just residency and there are two year residency options. That plus the residencies pay better than the typical SA academic residencies (on the NIH payscale, so closer to 50k than 30k). Then it probably evens out afterwards and depends on academic vs industry for pay scale.

That being said, I feel like the real money is in radiology right now, though that's a tough one to break into I think.

How is lab animal medicine? I know it's not for the faint-hearted..but is any job in this field?

 

[Teepster87]

On the topic of the downsides of veterinary medicine / debt / income, what fields do you guys think has the best turn around for paying off debt in the shortest amount of time (AKA little to no time in a residency but really good pay)? And the worst?

Money is something I’ve always been nervous about since I’m low income. So as I’m trying to figure out what field to pursue, I wanna keep the idea of “is this going to be worth the time/effort money-wise” in my head. But also I’m going to do what makes me happy but I digress...

From surveys of graduating students that get job offers by graduation at my school, it looks like single species food animal exclusive are making out fairly well. And equine the worst.
But it's only a handful of people from a single school, so I don't know if that's reflective of the job market as a whole.

 

[KCgophervet]

How is lab animal medicine? I know it's not for the faint-hearted..but is any job in this field?

Not really sure how to answer that question. I love it! But I came into vet med wanting to do it. I honestly think its better than dealing with client-owned animals; the medical decisions are made moreso on the welfare of the animal balanced with the scientific needs of the study vs. client-preference or financial reasons. And no one has accused me of being a money-grubbing animal hater in this field so far so, big win as far as I'm concerned. If you have more specific questions feel free to PM me

 

[KCgophervet]

Well for lab animal you don't need an internship year just residency and there are two year residency options. That plus the residencies pay better than the typical SA academic residencies (on the NIH payscale, so closer to 50k than 30k). Then it probably evens out afterwards and depends on academic vs industry for pay scale.

That being said, I feel like the real money is in radiology right now, though that's a tough one to break into I think.

I forgot to mention that another potential benefit for lab animal is the possibility of doing public service loan forgiveness - if you work in academia/government jobs and the program still exists you could have your debt forgiven tax-free after only 10 years instead of the 20-25 + tax.

 

[RahyneDays]

 

[that redhead]

In my specialty, idgaf about the vaccine history. Make it easy for me to find blood work, radiograph results and make the PE findings legible! Bonus points for an actual anesthesia record instead of mls of abbreviated unknown drug!

I mean I’m “just” a GP but I want the same things when I get records, even if they’re just coming for updating vaccines.

 

[Cowlover99]

I am taking an elective reproductive physiology class and the professor lost my homework assignment that was worth 10% of my grade and gave me a 0. I talked to her about it and she vehemently denies losing it and won't give me credit or a chance to redo it. Now, the highest grade I can get in the course is a B+ (if I get a 100% on the rest of the homework and assignments). Do you guys think I should drop the class? I currently have a 4.0 GPA and this class would ruin it.

 

[PrincessButterCup]

I am taking an elective reproductive physiology class and the professor lost my homework assignment that was worth 10% of my grade and gave me a 0. I talked to her about it and she vehemently denies losing it and won't give me credit or a chance to redo it. Now, the highest grade I can get in the course is a B+ (if I get a 100% on the rest of the homework and assignments). Do you guys think I should drop the class? I currently have a 4.0 GPA and this class would ruin it.

Do you have time stamps in your word doc info or anything that proves when you finished it? I would talk to your advisor and see if you can/should go to someone higher up to contest her policy over your missing assignment. It is completely insane for you to be penalized so strictly for an assignment you did complete and submit on time. Talk to your advisor and see what they suggest.

 

[cowgirla]

<insert curse words here>
Last Wednesday, I became ill with the love child of parvo and ebola. I was dead to the world, even called into work for the first time ever.
Monday was the first day I felt semi-normal and the first day of solid food. Tuesday was my first day back at work. Today I have the start of a cold. And I'm on call for the next three days. Just shoot me now. Stupid immune system.

 

[Cowlover99]

Do you have time stamps in your word doc info or anything that proves when you finished it? I would talk to your advisor and see if you can/should go to someone higher up to contest her policy over your missing assignment. It is completely insane for you to be penalized so strictly for an assignment you did complete and submit on time. Talk to your advisor and see what they suggest.

The homework was handwritten, so I don't have a time stamp unfortunately . I am going to see if my advisor can talk to her (they are both Animal Science faculty and know each other). I even went to her office hours to get clarification on one of the questions the day before it was due. We just had an exam that had questions based off of that homework (and I got the highest grade in the class on it), so obviously I had to have done that homework.

 

[PrincessButterCup]

The homework was handwritten, so I don't have a time stamp unfortunately . I am going to see if my advisor can talk to her (they are both Animal Science faculty and know each other). I even went to her office hours to get clarification on one of the questions the day before it was due. We just had an exam that had questions based off of that homework (and I got the highest grade in the class on it), so obviously I had to have done that homework.

Good luck! That's an awful situation to be in.

 

[RahyneDays]

I am taking an elective reproductive physiology class and the professor lost my homework assignment that was worth 10% of my grade and gave me a 0. I talked to her about it and she vehemently denies losing it and won't give me credit or a chance to redo it. Now, the highest grade I can get in the course is a B+ (if I get a 100% on the rest of the homework and assignments). Do you guys think I should drop the class? I currently have a 4.0 GPA and this class would ruin it.

Before dropping it, I would highly recommend going and talking to either your advisor or your professors superior if your professor will not budge. If you have evidence you submitted completed it (ie on a word document it should have evidence of when it was last altered) it would help. It is uncomfortable to "go over someones head" but I mean, you are in a really uncomfortable position anyway. Just my 2 cents.

Edit: I read it was handwritten homework. That really sucks.

 

[pinkpuppy9]

I know people have it way worse than I do but I just need to vent. I'm so tired of feeling like I'm alone in this. I have no support group and it's all starting to hit a boiling point for me, especially with the NAVLE and match coming up. I've never gotten a single text from my parents, sisters, etc these past four years asking how I'm doing at school, what I'm learning, what I did that day, yet I'm expected to be on standby 24/7/365 for all of their pet-related concerns at all hours, be super interested in every single tiny thing my niece does and be super excited for my currently-baking niece/nephew or I'm selfish. I know it's immature but I can't help but feel pangs of jealously when I see my classmates getting care packages from family/SOs or even a simple Fb wall post offering encouragement. I talked to my mom about it once in first year and she said she assumes I'm "too busy" to talk so she doesn't reach out (yet I've always answered her calls/texts about anything else right away, if not ASAP). I tried a few times to start the conversation with them myself and it always ends with me getting yelled for "dumping my stress on them" (so the opposite of helpful). My family has always been extremely dysfunctional and emotionally abusive so I can't say any of this is unexpected, but it's really been on my mind lately.

To add to it all, I'm getting married in less than 8 months and was *promised* help from my sister/mom and literally all I have is the venues booked, my dress (which I just went and found by myself, hooray), Save the dates, and bridesmaids dresses. Nothing else. I only went through with a big wedding because I was under a ton of pressure from my mom/sister/fiance to do it (instead of elope or go to a courthouse). All of my other bridesmaids are busy with their careers or a new baby so I can't expect them to take on any responsibilities as a favor to me and I wouldn't want to ask anyways. I have absolutely no time to go back to Michigan just to talk to florists, figure out the cake, etc.

My dad also is being put on the list for a double lung transplant so that's an extra bolus of stress.

I am taking an elective reproductive physiology class and the professor lost my homework assignment that was worth 10% of my grade and gave me a 0. I talked to her about it and she vehemently denies losing it and won't give me credit or a chance to redo it. Now, the highest grade I can get in the course is a B+ (if I get a 100% on the rest of the homework and assignments). Do you guys think I should drop the class? I currently have a 4.0 GPA and this class would ruin it.

This is the worst. Honestly if I were you I would be bugging that professor constantly (be at her office every time you possibly can, offer to help her look through her office to find it, etc). I would also take this up with the ombudsman at your school (or the equivalent person) and file some sort of formal complaint as this is a legitimate conflict that needs resolution. A student who just flat out didn't do the homework wouldn't go as far as filing an official complaint with the college just to try and get credit for the assignment. Once you file the complaint, stay on top of it and call every few days to check the status and request a formal hearing/investigation if they don't initiate one on their own.

I hope the professor learns a lesson from this. Human beings make mistakes such as losing things. The benefit of technology is having a better 'paper' trail in situations like these...I don't understand why we're still doing handwritten assignments. Also, not that this situation is your fault in any way, but it might be a good idea start making photocopies of handwritten assignments before you turn them in to cover your a** and upload all finished digital assignments to a Google drive so you can provide a copy of it at a moment's notice. I witnessed this situation several times at my undergrad so I started doing the above just in case.

I actually went through the same thing except it was my high school anatomy teacher who lost my entire exam. When he handed the graded exams back, I let him know I didn't get mine and he tried to tell me I was absent that day and never scheduled a makeup so I'd been given a zero. After proving I was definitely not absent that day he still tried to tell me I must have skipped the class period to avoid taking the test. After what felt like weeks of arguing and trying to get my worthless principal involved, he gave me a C to shut me up which dragged down my gpa by quite a lot (I had an A in the class up until that). Good times.

 

[SkiOtter]

I’m sorry pinkpuppy

 

[calvin89]

Not necessarily a rant but also didn’t feel it was new-thread-worthy... Today I drove by a body of a kitten that had been hit by car (I didn’t see it get hit), the body was in the opposite lane of the street. I honestly have, for my whole life, tried not to look too much at the bodies when I drive by, but today I wondered if I SHOULD. I’ve always assumed an animal struck by a car would, at any cost, be out of the road or trying to get out of the road if alive. But, realistically I COULD do CPR or transport to a clinic if an animal were still alive in the road and I saw it. OBVIOUSLY I wouldn’t even hesitate to be out of my car assessing if an animal showed any sign of being alive, but I’m curious... what do other veterinary professionals/students do when they see an animal in the street that was previously struck by a car? Should I be stopping every time the body is not totally smushed to be sure? Should I carry supplies to transport bodies to a clinic for incineration? Maybe this sounds so silly... but today made me realize I don’t know what, if anything, my ethics or profession tell me to do.

 

[DVMDream]

Not necessarily a rant but also didn’t feel it was new-thread-worthy... Today I drove by a body of a kitten that had been hit by car (I didn’t see it get hit), the body was in the opposite lane of the street. I honestly have, for my whole life, tried not to look too much at the bodies when I drive by, but today I wondered if I SHOULD. I’ve always assumed an animal struck by a car would, at any cost, be out of the road or trying to get out of the road if alive. But, realistically I COULD do CPR or transport to a clinic if an animal were still alive in the road and I saw it. OBVIOUSLY I wouldn’t even hesitate to be out of my car assessing if an animal showed any sign of being alive, but I’m curious... what do other veterinary professionals/students do when they see an animal in the street that was previously struck by a car? Should I be stopping every time the body is not totally smushed to be sure? Should I carry supplies to transport bodies to a clinic for incineration? Maybe this sounds so silly... but today made me realize I don’t know what, if anything, my ethics or profession tell me to do.

Nope. I leave them. Way too many stories of people stopping and getting hit themselves. I personally know people that have been killed stopping and one that is now permanently paralyzed.

 

[that redhead]

Not necessarily a rant but also didn’t feel it was new-thread-worthy... Today I drove by a body of a kitten that had been hit by car (I didn’t see it get hit), the body was in the opposite lane of the street. I honestly have, for my whole life, tried not to look too much at the bodies when I drive by, but today I wondered if I SHOULD. I’ve always assumed an animal struck by a car would, at any cost, be out of the road or trying to get out of the road if alive. But, realistically I COULD do CPR or transport to a clinic if an animal were still alive in the road and I saw it. OBVIOUSLY I wouldn’t even hesitate to be out of my car assessing if an animal showed any sign of being alive, but I’m curious... what do other veterinary professionals/students do when they see an animal in the street that was previously struck by a car? Should I be stopping every time the body is not totally smushed to be sure? Should I carry supplies to transport bodies to a clinic for incineration? Maybe this sounds so silly... but today made me realize I don’t know what, if anything, my ethics or profession tell me to do.

I agree with DVMD. That being said, if i saw an animal be struck and it was obviously still alive and struggling, I think I would stop if at all possible. If it’s in the middle of a highway or something though, I would simply call animal control. Our own safety needs to come first.

 

[pinkpuppy9]

Not necessarily a rant but also didn’t feel it was new-thread-worthy... Today I drove by a body of a kitten that had been hit by car (I didn’t see it get hit), the body was in the opposite lane of the street. I honestly have, for my whole life, tried not to look too much at the bodies when I drive by, but today I wondered if I SHOULD. I’ve always assumed an animal struck by a car would, at any cost, be out of the road or trying to get out of the road if alive. But, realistically I COULD do CPR or transport to a clinic if an animal were still alive in the road and I saw it. OBVIOUSLY I wouldn’t even hesitate to be out of my car assessing if an animal showed any sign of being alive, but I’m curious... what do other veterinary professionals/students do when they see an animal in the street that was previously struck by a car? Should I be stopping every time the body is not totally smushed to be sure? Should I carry supplies to transport bodies to a clinic for incineration? Maybe this sounds so silly... but today made me realize I don’t know what, if anything, my ethics or profession tell me to do.

Never ever stop in the dark no matter what. If it's dead, I make a mental note of the description of the animal and post on the local lost pet Fb (and I've been able to give families closure this way). I wouldn't ever pick up a body, that's what animal control services are for (I've called to inform them of bodies and they've been promptly picked up). If I witnessed an animal get hit, I'd stop if it's safe and clearly suffering and/or still alive. No point in stopping for a dead animal.

For living animals: I do have a small baggy of dog food and a slip lead in my car at all times. I also often have a box for wildlife. I've been in enough situations where I've said 'shoot, I wish I had a leash or something right now' to myself. I do stop for loose dogs IF it's safe to do so. Don't ever obstruct traffic or expect other drivers to be paying attention to their surroundings whatsoever. If the dog doesn't show any interest in coming to me, I don't continue the pursuit because I'm that much more likely to chase the dog into traffic and get it killed myself. Better to post a pic onto Fb.

The biggest thing to remember is that your safety is the priority. Don't be a hero, it really is quite dangerous. Your intentions are good, but you can get yourself killed or cause harm/death to others. Also don't forget about the risk associated with handling animals with unknown vaccine histories, or deceased animals. You don't know what bugs they were carrying.

Woman who stopped car to help ducks, causing fatal crash, loses appeal

Woman who died after car swerved to avoid dog on freeway identified (sort of unrelated but this is one of those situations where you're supposed to NOT break/swerve...although I think you'd be hard pressed to find someone whose first instinct isn't to avoid an animal running in the road)

Driver charged after 2 women hit, killed while trying to save dog in Dickinson

And there are many more stories like these.

Also if you're in the south, don't go chasing dogs around bodies of water. I have a friend who had a near miss with an alligator that way (both dog and friend were uninjured and she still managed to catch up the dog, but dear lord).

Last thing: If you think it's realistic for you to perform roadside CPR on an animal that just lost a battle with a 2000lb vehicle going however fast and save it...then you might need to look up the definition of realistic Generally if they die that quickly (as in you saw it get hit, and by the time you got to the animal it had no signs of life), the trauma so severe that there's nothing anyone could possibly do (same for humans...so don't risk your life).

 

[vetmedhead]

I don't have much to add to this conversation but will say in certain areas it may not be animal control that is responsible for picking up deceased animals from the road. In my area that's the solid waste department's job since it is so time consuming and AC is understaffed and needs to be able to prioritize important calls that concern live animals

 

[Squeaksmom]

I miss my husband and I miss my son and I miss my pets and I miss my non-vet-school friends and I'm lonely and sad and this sucks!!! (sorry... long distance is hard!)

 

[supershorty]

It's snowing.

 

[WildZoo]

It's snowing.

 

[vetmedhead]

It's snowing.

Same here. I already told everybody I refuse to go outside today so I'm on the couch under a blanket with the dogs

 

[JustPaws]

I miss my husband and I miss my son and I miss my pets and I miss my non-vet-school friends and I'm lonely and sad and this sucks!!! (sorry... long distance is hard!)

 

[Caia]

Not necessarily a rant but also didn’t feel it was new-thread-worthy... Today I drove by a body of a kitten that had been hit by car (I didn’t see it get hit), the body was in the opposite lane of the street. I honestly have, for my whole life, tried not to look too much at the bodies when I drive by, but today I wondered if I SHOULD. I’ve always assumed an animal struck by a car would, at any cost, be out of the road or trying to get out of the road if alive. But, realistically I COULD do CPR or transport to a clinic if an animal were still alive in the road and I saw it. OBVIOUSLY I wouldn’t even hesitate to be out of my car assessing if an animal showed any sign of being alive, but I’m curious... what do other veterinary professionals/students do when they see an animal in the street that was previously struck by a car? Should I be stopping every time the body is not totally smushed to be sure? Should I carry supplies to transport bodies to a clinic for incineration? Maybe this sounds so silly... but today made me realize I don’t know what, if anything, my ethics or profession tell me to do.

I think stopping on the road has been covered quite extensively so I'll comment on the latter.

Don't perform CPR. You're not helping by doing this. Less than minimal chance of success and would still meet death anyway. If you can safely bring something to a clinic then great but the key word is safely.

 

[Squeaksmom]

Thanks!

 

[killerleaf]

hugs to everyone...it is grey and wet and cold here today..but I have to be a work. yuck! It was almost 90 yesterday, today it is 48. I want to be home.....

 

[DrinkWater95]

I’m having a wedding in April and within 1 week’s span, I had two of my bridesmaids cancel on me. Better yet, they thought it would be okay to cancel over texts! So annoying..

 

[sheltermed]

I’m having a wedding in April and within 1 week’s span, I had two of my bridesmaids cancel on me. Better yet, they thought it would be okay to cancel over texts! So annoying..

Bleh, that's crappy of them. But, think of it this way-- less $$ for you to spend!