RANT HERE thread

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britzen said:
I got in a fight with my peroneus brevis tendon lost [emoji39]


Partially tore it like 9 years ago which has caused chronic ankle instability + osteophytes + scarring of my plantar fascia.

Mostly bearable for years with controlled exercise and meds, but added a new acute injury over winter break (maybe tore the tendon more?) and the whole thing just became absolute garbage that I could barely walk on.

So... a tendon debridement and repair on the ankle and a fasciotomy for my foot.
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Awwwww that’s sucky 🙁
Bright side is now someone has to wait on you and bring you everything you want??????
Hope you heal quickly 🙁
 
SkiOtter said:
Awwwww that’s sucky 🙁
Bright side is now someone has to wait on you and bring you everything you want??????
Hope you heal quickly 🙁
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Yep! Hubz took a sick day to wait on me all day today.

He also got me all my favorite snacks at the store, stocked the fridge with pre-made breakfast and lunch, picked up my prescriptions and knee scooter, and got the living room all set up (pillows, blankets. books, electronics + chargers, pitcher of water, snacks, etc). All I need to do for myself tomorrow is get from the bed to the couch and I'm set.
 
britzen said:
Yep! Hubz took a sick day to wait on me all day today.

He also got me all my favorite snacks at the store, stocked the fridge with pre-made breakfast and lunch, picked up my prescriptions and knee scooter, and got the living room all set up (pillows, blankets. books, electronics + chargers, pitcher of water, snacks, etc). All I need to do for myself tomorrow is get from the bed to the couch and I'm set.
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Awww!!! Glad he’s got you all set up!
 
@capri1722 I'm sorry you're going through this. I just lost my childhood kitty to cancer in December and I'm still grieving hard over her. Making the choice to euthanize her was incredibly hard and I still question my decision a lot.

Usually same day euthanasia only happens when the animal is already struggling or because the owner would prefer to do it then rather than bring their pet home for a few days. It's a very personal decision.

Try to take a deep breath and remember you aren't sure what the diagnosis is yet (I know it is easier said than done) and in the mean time spend a lot of time with your pup. Take lots of pictures and videos. It's one of ther things I really wish I had done.

My PM box is open if you need to talk.
 
Awkward but baby woke me up by making some small noises. I glanced at my Fitbit, saw a 3, and thought it was 3 am. Since he'd settled back down I decided I needed to pump. Got all the supplies out, started pumping, pull out my phone to catch up on sdn/ distract myself for 15 minutes, and come to find out it's only 1am. Ugh I'm such a sleep deprived *****. Now I'm going to have to do this again in the late night hours. I just want sleep dang it
 
Update that no one asked for:
Husband is snoring so loud that one of the dogs just went to check on him. Whether to make sure those weren't death rattles or to see if he was up and would feed them is anyone's guess.

And I feel guilty waking him because he's got a cold and has to work tomorrow but I'm going cray cray over here
 
kcoughli said:
Update that no one asked for:
Husband is snoring so loud that one of the dogs just went to check on him. Whether to make sure those weren't death rattles or to see if he was up and would feed them is anyone's guess.

And I feel guilty waking him because he's got a cold and has to work tomorrow but I'm going cray cray over here
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For what it's worth, I appreciated the update [emoji23]

Hope you get some rest!!
 
kcoughli said:
Husband is snoring so loud that one of the dogs just went to check on him. Whether to make sure those weren't death rattles or to see if he was up and would feed them is anyone's guess.
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I laughed irl at this and I feel bad now. Thanks. 🙂
*sends you some sleep via FedEx*
 
PubMed is down. I take a board exam tomorrow. +pissed+

Edit: It's at least down on my university internet system. I seem to be able to pull it up on my phone when not connected to wifi?
Edit #2: Never mind, on my phone it will pull up their main page but not any actual articles.
Edit #3: It is finally working reliably again.
 
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JaynaAli said:
PubMed is down. I take a board exam tomorrow. +pissed+

Edit: It's at least down on my university internet system. I seem to be able to pull it up on my phone when not connected to wifi?
Edit #2: Never mind, on my phone it will pull up their main page but not any actual articles.
Edit #3: It is finally working reliably again.
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Thank goodness it's back up! Good luck tomorrow!!
 
A dog we saw last week for a wellness just randomly died for no immediately explainable reason, my coworker is out because his mom died (today, which is his birthday) so I’m filling in, and one of my favorite clients just got arrested... for selling meth. What is going on.
 
Stroganoff said:
My lead distributor got busted today. I have 56 kilos of product but nobody to push it! 🙁
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I should’ve seen it coming. Always coming in with a porkpie hat and parking her Winnebago out front.
 
Feeling positively broke, depressed, tired, and alone. Vet school left both my financial future and self-esteem in tatters, and it’s been super hard to try to convince myself to continue on with everything that I have faced and continue to face because of my previous mistakes and (in some cases) just really awful luck. And then I hate and guilt myself still not being over this well over an entire year after the fact. Gaaaah.

I’ve just been feeling incredibly down about it all the past few weeks as my former classmates post on social media about getting prepared to start clinics very soon. Like, I’m excited for them, but a deeper part of me still feels bitter and angry. That probably makes me a terrible, weak person, I know.

But I’m trying to hang on. I’m freaking trying with everything I’ve got to stay the course and aim to be and do better.

Anyway, I really appreciate the support of the SDN pre-vet community and all of the connections I’ve made through these forums, before, during, and after vet school. You guys have helped me out in more ways than you know.
 
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Elkhart said:
Feeling positively broke, depressed, tired, and alone. Vet school left both my financial future and self-esteem in tatters, and it’s been super hard to try to convince myself to continue on with everything that I have faced and continue to face because of my previous mistakes and (in some cases) just really awful luck. And then I hate and guilt myself still not being over this well over an entire year after the fact. Gaaaah.

I’ve just been feeling incredibly down about it all the past few weeks as my former classmates post on social media about getting prepared to start clinics very soon. Like, I’m excited for them, but a deeper part of me still feels bitter and angry. That probably makes me a terrible, weak person, I know.

But I’m trying to hang on. I’m freaking trying with everything I’ve got to stay the course and aim to be and do better.

Anyway, I really appreciate the support of the SDN pre-vet community and all of the connections I’ve made through these forums, before, during, and after vet school. You guys have helped me out in more ways than you know.
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I’m so sorry you’re feeling that way. Don’t feel bad that you’re bitter at your former classmates. It sucks to look at, and there’s no way around feeling that way. But remember, they’re probably going through hell in their lives as well. People often post their highlights on social media. You don’t usually see things like “just vomited for the third time this week from a panic attack! Wooo!” Of course some of them just have great lives and there’s nothing under the surface. But most of them are probably not always great. Don’t forget that. You’re not alone in feeling upset or ****ty or that things aren’t going your way. I can definitely promise you that. But keep trying to help yourself in any way you can. Once you get yourself mentally to where you need to be, you can start working on other parts of your life. It took being hospitalized for me to realize that. So trust me, you’re not alone. Hang in there.
 
that redhead said:
@Elkhart big hug.

Would it help to unfollow your former classmates and just check in on your own every now and then? I can only imagine the range of emotions that must be rekindled when you see their posts 🙁
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This was going to be my suggestion @Elkhart

Totally unrelated but I had to do this with some of my former military friends today who were a bit too sympathetic with the terror attack in new Zealand today.
 
Not really a rant, but a sad.... I just spent quite a while on the phone with my SIL letting her talk through her decision and reassuring her that it sounds like putting her little dog down is the right thing. She's brought her home for one last night and will take her in in the morning (if she even makes it through until then). Her son is very against it, and believes that people shouldn't "interfere with natural processes" so she's really struggling with it! 🙁 (a glimpse into my future for sure....)
 
Squeaksmom said:
Not really a rant, but a sad.... I just spent quite a while on the phone with my SIL letting her talk through her decision and reassuring her that it sounds like putting her little dog down is the right thing. She's brought her home for one last night and will take her in in the morning (if she even makes it through until then). Her son is very against it, and believes that people shouldn't "interfere with natural processes" so she's really struggling with it! 🙁 (a glimpse into my future for sure....)
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This is when I explain that every disease is a natural process- diabetes, distemper, rabies, etc.... but we still don't withhold vaccines or treatments for these natural processes. It helps people to understand that just because it is "natural" doesn't mean we have to allow it to happen the way nature designed. Her son has likely never seen something die so explaining that they don't just "go to sleep" like in the movies.... there is often an extended period of time where they gasp for air, they can vocalize, howl, the "death cry" is a very real thing, etc. People seem to think death is just a fall asleep and done thing because most people don't have to witness it fully.

But these are all methods I have used, some people are still adamant, in that case all you can do is offer to keep the pet comfortable (once you are practicing) and that if they change their mind, give them locations to clinics that are open 24 hours.
 
Squeaksmom said:
Not really a rant, but a sad.... I just spent quite a while on the phone with my SIL letting her talk through her decision and reassuring her that it sounds like putting her little dog down is the right thing. She's brought her home for one last night and will take her in in the morning (if she even makes it through until then). Her son is very against it, and believes that people shouldn't "interfere with natural processes" so she's really struggling with it! 🙁 (a glimpse into my future for sure....)
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We wouldn't even have dogs if we didn't "interfere with natural processes." I sympathize with you, as I recently had to talk my mother through her decision with her dog who was in renal failure. It's a big responsibility to make that decision for a pet, so it's only natural for the person responsible to want to be sure they're making the right decision. Hopefully your SIL's veterinarian can add to her peace of mind.
 
While we’re on the topic, I’ve been trying to convince my girlfriend’s mom to put down one of her dogs for months. The dog has severe polyneuropathy that’s progressed over the last year. The dog has zero muscle in the back legs, no sensation, and has lost most of the control of her bowels and bladder. She used to be able to slide around with her front legs, but at this point she can’t even do that. She can’t get to a bowl of water that’s two feet away. She just sits in the corner all day, breathing in a way that almost looks like agonal breathing. It’s not, but it has that similar look where she fully expands her chest and abdomen and opens her mouth to breathe. She barks to go to the bathroom, which at this point is at least every hour. Her mom is retired so she’s able to get to her most of the time, but it’s now to the point where there are still multiple accidents everyday. She was shaved two years ago and literally none of the hair has grown back. Yet she went to the vet a couple days ago who said that she seems fine mentally and that as long as everyone is okay with helping her to do literally anything, they don’t need to put her down. Hearing that really annoyed me. This dog exists solely for her mother at this point. She has absolutely no quality of life, and spending an hour in the house makes that painfully obvious. This vet is very young and I’ve always had a suspicion that she doesn’t know how to break difficult news, and this really confirmed that. While this vet was away on leave, another vet said twice that this dog isn’t doing well and that it’s only getting worse. My girlfriend’s mom was starting to come around to the eventuality of putting the dog down and now everything is reversed, and this dog is suffering. I don’t know what to do.
 
DVMDream said:
This is when I explain that every disease is a natural process- diabetes, distemper, rabies, etc.... but we still don't withhold vaccines or treatments for these natural processes. It helps people to understand that just because it is "natural" doesn't mean we have to allow it to happen the way nature designed. Her son has likely never seen something die so explaining that they don't just "go to sleep" like in the movies.... there is often an extended period of time where they gasp for air, they can vocalize, howl, the "death cry" is a very real thing, etc. People seem to think death is just a fall asleep and done thing because most people don't have to witness it fully.

But these are all methods I have used, some people are still adamant, in that case all you can do is offer to keep the pet comfortable (once you are practicing) and that if they change their mind, give them locations to clinics that are open 24 hours.
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(to the bolded) Exactly. I have... both animals and humans. I actually gently explained to her that, not only is it the last gift we can give them, but there are situations where I think it would be kinder to do the same for people. So many people get so focused on quantity of life over quality of life, and do every heroic intervention there is in situations where there's no hope. All it does is prolong suffering. That gave her a lot of peace of mind. I haven't had a chance to talk to my nephew about it yet, but I'll for sure try to use some of the tactics everyone's mentioned here.

(and yes, I know that's an unpopular opinion re. humans, but after 8 years on internal medicine in a large, inner city human hospital followed by a year on lung transplant, that is honestly how I feel)
 
ajs513 said:
This vet is very young and I’ve always had a suspicion that she doesn’t know how to break difficult news, and this really confirmed that. While this vet was away on leave, another vet said twice that this dog isn’t doing well and that it’s only getting worse.
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You are going to be a new/young vet someday. Other vets/techs will disagree with you about your plans with clients. People who aren't vets are going to disagree with you. There are also going to be things that you aren't good at or won't ever be good at. Other people/colleagues are going to talk about you behind your back. She is probably doing the best she can. It sounds like a difficult case and time for the vet and your girlfriend's mom. Remember to be kind.
 
katashark said:
You are going to be a new/young vet someday. Other vets/techs will disagree with you about your plans with clients. People who aren't vets are going to disagree with you. There are also going to be things that you aren't good at or won't ever be good at. Other people/colleagues are going to talk about you behind your back. She is probably doing the best she can. It sounds like a difficult case and time for the vet and your girlfriend's mom. Remember to be kind.
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You’re right. And I do think she’s a good vet. I just know a lot of people figure these untaught things out at different times, and I don’t think she has yet. It’s just tough because I see this dog suffering every time I stay over, and I stay over for days at a time. Everyone who sees the dog is telling my girlfriend’s mom that she needs to be put down, except for this one vet. It’s just really frustrating.
 
ajs513 said:
You’re right. And I do think she’s a good vet. I just know a lot of people figure these untaught things out at different times, and I don’t think she has yet. It’s just tough because I see this dog suffering every time I stay over, and I stay over for days at a time. Everyone who sees the dog is telling my girlfriend’s mom that she needs to be put down, except for this one vet. It’s just really frustrating.
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I see dogs like this sometimes. The thing is, some people will latch on to the strangest things you say. You can tell a person point blank that the dog isn't going to improve, express that you feel that the dog is suffering and say that the type of death that the dog will endure will not be peaceful, but if you at all say words like "I don't think he's explicitly in pain right now" or "we can try 'x option' that will help quality of life for now'" that's all that they take away from the conversation. Unless you are in the exam room with the veterinarian and your girlfriend's mom, you have no idea what is actually being said vs what she is taking away from it.
 
nyanko said:
I see dogs like this sometimes. The thing is, some people will latch on to the strangest things you say. You can tell a person point blank that the dog isn't going to improve, express that you feel that the dog is suffering and say that the type of death that the dog will endure will not be peaceful, but if you at all say words like "I don't think he's explicitly in pain right now" or "we can try 'x option' that will help quality of life for now'" that's all that they take away from the conversation. Unless you are in the exam room with the veterinarian and your girlfriend's mom, you have no idea what is actually being said vs what she is taking away from it.
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That’s a good way of thinking of it
 
ajs513 said:
While we’re on the topic, I’ve been trying to convince my girlfriend’s mom to put down one of her dogs for months. The dog has severe polyneuropathy that’s progressed over the last year. The dog has zero muscle in the back legs, no sensation, and has lost most of the control of her bowels and bladder. She used to be able to slide around with her front legs, but at this point she can’t even do that. She can’t get to a bowl of water that’s two feet away. She just sits in the corner all day, breathing in a way that almost looks like agonal breathing. It’s not, but it has that similar look where she fully expands her chest and abdomen and opens her mouth to breathe. She barks to go to the bathroom, which at this point is at least every hour. Her mom is retired so she’s able to get to her most of the time, but it’s now to the point where there are still multiple accidents everyday. She was shaved two years ago and literally none of the hair has grown back. Yet she went to the vet a couple days ago who said that she seems fine mentally and that as long as everyone is okay with helping her to do literally anything, they don’t need to put her down. Hearing that really annoyed me. This dog exists solely for her mother at this point. She has absolutely no quality of life, and spending an hour in the house makes that painfully obvious. This vet is very young and I’ve always had a suspicion that she doesn’t know how to break difficult news, and this really confirmed that. While this vet was away on leave, another vet said twice that this dog isn’t doing well and that it’s only getting worse. My girlfriend’s mom was starting to come around to the eventuality of putting the dog down and now everything is reversed, and this dog is suffering. I don’t know what to do.
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The bolded is a decent part of why suicide is rampant in this profession. You've got a lot to learn still and to have the nerve to judge what a vet does or says when you weren't even present is absurd. Especially when you aren't even a vet......and even when you are a vet, have some professional integrity and courtesy for your colleagues.
 
ajs513 said:
That’s a good way of thinking of it
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I'm happy that you're open to thinking about these things. I think you'll learn going forward, particularly in clinics and in any other training you decide to do (internship/residency/whatever) where you aren't the primary decision-maker or communicator with the client, that you may not always agree with the way that a colleague or instructor or advisor or whoever presents something to an owner, or you may think that discussing it in a different way would be better, but there's something to be learned from all of those experiences too. And sometimes the way they are doing it ends up being better, even if you're skeptical at first.

Trust me, as someone who sees these neurodegenerative cases fairly frequently where the dog is mentally fine but progressively losing other functions....it's really, really hard for everyone surrounding the case to know when to say when. And sometimes we (as specialists...in training, in my case!) are the second-opinion, and the owner tells us that their pet's primary veterinarian "never told them" these things, or even that they told them things that they didn't. Huge grain of salt there. I don't think that the owners are necessarily lying about it or being malicious most of the time, just that they misunderstood or had selective hearing because they were in shock or upset or grieving or whatever. But always, always remember that for all of us, perception is reality, but the reality of what happened isn't always perception.
 
DVMDream said:
The bolded is a decent part of why suicide is rampant in this profession. You've got a lot to learn still and to have the nerve to judge what a vet does or says when you weren't even present is absurd. Especially when you aren't even a vet......and even when you are a vet, have some professional integrity and courtesy for your colleagues.
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This is a rant thread. I was frustrated and was venting. Don’t take everything at such face value. There was no need to be so hostile in your comment. I really am open to advice but there are better ways to get your point across.
 
nyanko said:
I'm happy that you're open to thinking about these things. I think you'll learn going forward, particularly in clinics and in any other training you decide to do (internship/residency/whatever) where you aren't the primary decision-maker or communicator with the client, that you may not always agree with the way that a colleague or instructor or advisor or whoever presents something to an owner, or you may think that discussing it in a different way would be better, but there's something to be learned from all of those experiences too. And sometimes the way they are doing it ends up being better, even if you're skeptical at first.

Trust me, as someone who sees these neurodegenerative cases fairly frequently where the dog is mentally fine but progressively losing other functions....it's really, really hard for everyone surrounding the case to know when to say when. And sometimes we (as specialists...in training, in my case!) are the second-opinion, and the owner tells us that their pet's primary veterinarian "never told them" these things, or even that they told them things that they didn't. Huge grain of salt there. I don't think that the owners are necessarily lying about it or being malicious most of the time, just that they misunderstood or had selective hearing because they were in shock or upset or grieving or whatever. But always, always remember that for all of us, perception is reality, but the reality of what happened isn't always perception.
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I’m definitely already experiencing that, and I know you’re right. I know I have a lot to learn and I’m trying to learn. It’s just tough when you’re so close to the patient and are on the other side of things instead of being the one giving the owner advice in a medical setting.

And as far as things being misconstrued or misremembered, that’s definitely possible with her mom. She’s the kind of person to do that so it’s reasonable to think that that’s what happened. I really appreciate your advice.
 
ajs513 said:
This is a rant thread. I was frustrated and was venting. Don’t take everything at such face value. There was no need to be so hostile in your comment. I really am open to advice but there are better ways to get your point across.
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This isn't the first time you've posted something akin to that. I get venting but you've judged what vets have done in here before. You keep posting that vet tech experience is the end all/be all. It would be different if this was the first time you've posted like you're better than/can do better than/know better than current vets, but it isn't.
 
DVMDream said:
This isn't the first time you've posted something akin to that. I get venting but you've judged what vets have done in here before. You keep posting that vet tech experience is the end all/be all. It would be different if this was the first time you've posted like you're better than/can do better than/know better than current vets, but it isn't.
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I don’t see anything wrong with questioning things. Well, to a point. It’s crazy to say that just because I’m not a vet that I can’t question anything a vet says or does. I’m not trying to say someone is a bad vet or that they don’t know anything, and I’m not crusading against vets for one thing I disagree with. And I do think vet tech experience is the be all/end all for gaining hours while also making money. That’s not really disputable. I don’t think it makes you smarter than someone else. I do think that it helps to learn what it’s like to work in a practice and interact with clients better than other opportunities.
 
A general response:

Honestly, I think pre-vets often fall into this knowledge/experience category that makes them just smart enough to be dangerous. I've been guilty of this. When I was more immersed in vet med, I knew more than the average pet owner, and I knew enough to follow along with diagnostic/treatment conversations, but I did NOT know enough to extrapolate from limited information or come to conclusive decisions about other people's pets. It's easy to say "I've seen a case similar to this and they did things THIS way, so this must be incorrect." There are so many nuances and gray areas that you don't even know enough to know that you're not seeing. It's not necessarily that the vet is wrong or the client is misunderstanding. Sometimes it's just more complicated than what you're hearing, and you're not privy to all the details.

I've definitely had foot-in-mouth moments on this forum and have been called out for them. It's all a learning process. There's a reason why vet assistants don't give medical advice, and why when someone messages me and wants to know my opinion, it is always "call Fluffy's vet."
 
ajs513 said:
I don’t see anything wrong with questioning things. Well, to a point. It’s crazy to say that just because I’m not a vet that I can’t question anything a vet says or does. I’m not trying to say someone is a bad vet or that they don’t know anything, and I’m not crusading against vets for one thing I disagree with. And I do think vet tech experience is the be all/end all for gaining hours while also making money. That’s not really disputable. I don’t think it makes you smarter than someone else. I do think that it helps to learn what it’s like to work in a practice and interact with clients better than other opportunities.
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It is disputable. There's more to vet med than clinical medicine and you can gain paid experience in these areas of vet med that aren't clinical medicine.
 
DVMDream said:
It is disputable. There's more to vet med than clinical medicine and you can gain paid experience in these areas of vet med that aren't clinical medicine.
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If you’re trying to become a small animal GP, I don’t really know of other vet experience that has been more worthwhile or effective in both teaching about the field, client interaction, patient care, and finance. Sure, being an assistant can be fine, but I never felt like I wasn’t bored working as an assistant. We’ve had this discussion before, and that part is just up to the person doing it.
 
ajs513 said:
If you’re trying to become a small animal GP, I don’t really know of other vet experience that has been more worthwhile or effective in both teaching about the field, client interaction, patient care, and finance. Sure, being an assistant can be fine, but I never felt like I wasn’t bored working as an assistant. We’ve had this discussion before, and that part is just up to the person doing it.
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not everybody is interested in SA GP though. i am not, i have less than 50 SA hours, so i gained my experience in a different capacity. being a vet tech was not the end all/be all for me, and i think that one of the issues is that you didn't say "being a vet tech is the end all/be all for gaining small animal GP experience" you said that its the end all/be all for gaining experience. period.
i can't weigh in on whether it is or isn't the best way to gain small animal experience, obviously. just be aware that there are a lot of aspects to vet med that fall outside of a traditional small animal practice when making broad statements like that.
it's great that it worked for you, and i know that you are coming from a good place and aren't trying to be superior, but unfortunately it is how you are coming across. and if i hadn't had experience speaking with you in person outside of this forum, i would probably feel similarly to DVMD. something that is the end all/be all for you may not work for someone else, even if their interests and goals are the same. differences in personality and circumstance will also factor into what works and doesn't work for people, and it will vary by individual.
feel free to continue to share you experience with applicants who are looking for advice, but keep in mind that experience is yours, not theirs, and it is not more or less valuable than anyone else's.
I'm really glad that you could see where nyanko was coming from and take her advice to heart.
i'm really excited to get to know you better in the fall, and please don't take this as any sort of personal attack because i have really enjoyed our conversations outside of SDN, but DVMD is not incorrect.
 
ajs513 said:
nd I do think vet tech experience is the be all/end all for gaining hours while also making money. That’s not really disputable.
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I was an unlicensed tech, a necropsy tech, and a receptionist over a 5.5 year long stint in vet med. The job that taught me the most about small animal GP life was the reception job, end of story, hands down.

Your experience is true for you. Mine is true for me. Don't be patronizing here, please.
 
grebes4lyfe said:
not everybody is interested in SA GP though. i am not, i have less than 50 SA hours, so i gained my experience in a different capacity. being a vet tech was not the end all/be all for me, and i think that one of the issues is that you didn't say "being a vet tech is the end all/be all for gaining small animal GP experience" you said that its the end all/be all for gaining experience. period.
i can't weigh in on whether it is or isn't the best way to gain small animal experience, obviously. just be aware that there are a lot of aspects to vet med that fall outside of a traditional small animal practice when making broad statements like that.
it's great that it worked for you, and i know that you are coming from a good place and aren't trying to be superior, but unfortunately it is how you are coming across. and if i hadn't had experience speaking with you in person outside of this forum, i would probably feel similarly to DVMD. something that is the end all/be all for you may not work for someone else, even if their interests and goals are the same. differences in personality and circumstance will also factor into what works and doesn't work for people, and it will vary by individual.
feel free to continue to share you experience with applicants who are looking for advice, but keep in mind that experience is yours, not theirs, and it is not more or less valuable than anyone else's.
I'm really glad that you could see where nyanko was coming from and take her advice to heart.
i'm really excited to get to know you better in the fall, and please don't take this as any sort of personal attack because i have really enjoyed our conversations outside of SDN, but DVMD is not incorrect.
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No you’re right. I do forget that large animal/wildlife is a thing and sort of use my experiences as the template. And I’m not taking what you’re saying in a bad way at all. It’s important to know how you’re coming across to people so that you can keep from making those mistakes in the future. I do need to qualify my statements more. But I do think that just as I shouldn’t have come across the way I did, neither should DVMD. Just because I’m not a vet doesn’t mean it’s okay for me to be talked down to like a child/outsider/someone who’s lesser.
 
ajs513 said:
If you’re trying to become a small animal GP, I don’t really know of other vet experience that has been more worthwhile or effective in both teaching about the field, client interaction, patient care, and finance. Sure, being an assistant can be fine, but I never felt like I wasn’t bored working as an assistant. We’ve had this discussion before, and that part is just up to the person doing it.
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You can't broad stroke "assistant" in this profession. In many states an assistant is able to do everything a licensed tech can.

Again, small animal GP isn't the only thing vet med is about. This is the problem here, you don't even realize what all you don't know about a veterinary career. You only know one aspect of the career, which is great because that is what you want, but you can't expect everyone to want the same thing.

And as someone else said, if you want fast experience in client care/communication..... being a receptionist will get you there 34123423421x faster than being a tech.
 
ajs513 said:
No you’re right. I do forget that large animal/wildlife is a thing and sort of use my experiences as the template. And I’m not taking what you’re saying in a bad way at all. It’s important to know how you’re coming across to people so that you can keep from making those mistakes in the future. I do need to qualify my statements more. But I do think that just as I shouldn’t have come across the way I did, neither should DVMD. Just because I’m not a vet doesn’t mean it’s okay for me to be talked down to like a child/outsider/someone who’s lesser.
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This week alone we have lost 2 vets, 1 tech/assistant and a vet student to suicide.

One of the big issues we have are vets and non-vets judging everything we do, how we do it, why we do it, how/why it is wrong, etc.

If you aren't sure of something your vet or a relative vet's said, the appropriate way to address it is to call them up and ask them, talk to them. It is not to bitch about it online, complain about it, assume it is wrong, say point blank that you know that vet "doesn't know how to deliver hard news".... etc.

You are about to enter a profession where you are likely not going to see eye to eye with everything that another vet has done or is doing, but you best learn how to understand that there are 234213432 ways to skin a cat and how to portray that to a client. You will have clients ask if another vet did something "wrong" and you have to learn that just because you wouldn't do it that way doesn't mean it is "wrong" or that the vet "doesn't know how to deliver bad news" or whatever else you are thinking. You have to learn how to explain that every vet has a different approach. You could seriously be the difference between a client going on an online rampage that could drive a vet over the edge and that client not going on that rampage.

We get enough judgement from clients every single day that we have to be kind to each other. We have to support each other. Or we're going to contribute to our own profession's worst statistic.... that we rank highest in suicides.

Keep this in mind as you develop through your career. I will speak out when I see someone judging another vet especially if they were not present and I will not apologize for speaking on it. This HAS to stop. Period.
 
I had a patient today who was a second opinion.

Geriatric Rottweiler; adr and having difficulty walking for the last week.

The doctor's notes and what the owner reported to me were in some cases almost OPPOSITE. Some bony changes on the ribs? "Suspect arthritis/old age, cannot r/o neoplasia" = "he said he had a tumour in his chest" "possible mass effect ventral to kidneys, cannot r/o FB or overlay = he has a kidney tumour"

Trust nobody to transmit detailed medical information. Ever. And try your best not to judge colleagues because it sucks to be the judged one.
 
PrincessButterCup said:
A general response:

Honestly, I think pre-vets often fall into this knowledge/experience category that makes them just smart enough to be dangerous. I've been guilty of this. When I was more immersed in vet med, I knew more than the average pet owner, and I knew enough to follow along with diagnostic/treatment conversations, but I did NOT know enough to extrapolate from limited information or come to conclusive decisions about other people's pets. It's easy to say "I've seen a case similar to this and they did things THIS way, so this must be incorrect." There are so many nuances and gray areas that you don't even know enough to know that you're not seeing. It's not necessarily that the vet is wrong or the client is misunderstanding. Sometimes it's just more complicated than what you're hearing, and you're not privy to all the details.

I've definitely had foot-in-mouth moments on this forum and have been called out for them. It's all a learning process. There's a reason why vet assistants don't give medical advice, and why when someone messages me and wants to know my opinion, it is always "call Fluffy's vet."
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Hell, I'm almost at the end of my second year and if anything the information I'm learning is continuing to make my opinions more dangerous every day, because I'm getting a lot of clinically relevant info but absolutely don't yet have the necessary clinical judgment to make recommendations at this point in time.

I think the best trait a good diagnostician can have is a frank humbleness about their knowledge and skills. This is even more obvious in a teaching hospital setting, where I can say with a lot of confidence that the single best decisions that were made in the course of some animals' care was a GP out in the field acknowledging that they didn't have the resources or expertise to adequately resolve a patient's problem and referring them out here. Medicine is a team sport, and every member of the care team is critical at some point or another. At some point you have to recognize that knowing a lot of things isn't going to automatically make you the best person for the job, and there are a lot of other factors that contribute to a case as a whole that may make you more or less suited to being the person for the job.
 
Also, there's a reason that we call it practicing veterinary medicine. You're never going to make the perfect decision perfectly 100% of the time. The goal is to learn from these mistakes and use them to improve and cultivate how we practice over time. When we catch these mistakes when they're made by our colleagues, I think it's important to approach them from a place of understanding and a desire to build them up to improve and do better in the future.

I think it also helps to think that 90% of people are doing their best 90% of the time. Give people the benefit of the doubt.
 
Quality of life discussions are very emotional and not every client is ready to make that decision despite what you say. Some even try their hardest to get you to say their pet is fine and can go on living at home (or twist what you say to fit what they want to hear). Others don't want to make that decision no matter what you say and want them to die in their sleep at home

Not everyone has a good idea of what a good quality of life is. To some, just being (eating and going to the bathroom) is a good quality of life. This is something to keep in mind whenever having these discussions. Talking to a vet and finding resources to help with awareness of what a good quality of life actually is can be a great step in a quality of life discussion. In the end, you have to keep in mind that not everyone is ready to make that decision no matter what you say even though it can be super frustrating
 
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