Shadowing A Vet-Clear Up My Confusion?

[skipsbarryimage]

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Hello,

I am interested in becoming a vet, but I still have a lot of "what ifs" and questions that google can't answer, such as "Will I really like doing this everyday for the rest of my life?"

I was under the impression that shadowing a vet would be the best way to figure out if you actually want to be a vet or not, you get to see what they do, the good and the bad, and experience it before having to make a decision that you will be doing this for the rest of your life...

I was recently informed that I am getting ahead of myself..that I need to get my grades up and get into college and start pre-vet before even thinking about shadowing a vet....get more science under my belt, and more math (which I do NOT understand...I already have three credits for both of these subjects, and will be doing three more before I graduate, if things go as planned...(am in HS))

I'm completely confused and was hoping someone could clear this up for me...is it okay for me to shadow a vet with "poor" grades (my GPA dropped to a 3.1 due to illness this year 🙁 I just completed my sophomore year of High School and am planning to raise it in the next two years, and of course in college) just to see if I like it?

 

[Journey2become]

Shadowing is a great way to know if you even want to put all the effort it takes to get in! I can't even imagine that it would not be a good idea to shadow now!!! If getting into vet school is anything like getting into medical school then your high school will not matter! Your AP classes would be the only ones that could follow you into college - so essentially you get to start over and work for a fresh new GPA.
So, find out first if that is what you want to do - shadow as many vets as it takes (each one is different and one might not handle business in a way you would like).

- Caution, hs advisers and teachers are well meaning...but many are misinformed about how it works in other field other than their own. SDN is full of people that received terrible advice from someone that was supposed to know! Don't even take my word for it! You had the gut feeling first 🙂

 

[Doxorubicin]

Hello,

I am interested in becoming a vet, but I still have a lot of "what ifs" and questions that google can't answer, such as "Will I really like doing this everyday for the rest of my life?"

I was under the impression that shadowing a vet would be the best way to figure out if you actually want to be a vet or not, you get to see what they do, the good and the bad, and experience it before having to make a decision that you will be doing this for the rest of your life...

I was recently informed that I am getting ahead of myself..that I need to get my grades up and get into college and start pre-vet before even thinking about shadowing a vet....get more science under my belt, and more math (which I do NOT understand...I already have three credits for both of these subjects, and will be doing three more before I graduate, if things go as planned...(am in HS))

I'm completely confused and was hoping someone could clear this up for me...is it okay for me to shadow a vet with "poor" grades (my GPA dropped to a 3.1 due to illness this year 🙁 I just completed my sophomore year of High School and am planning to raise it in the next two years, and of course in college) just to see if I like it?

It's perfectly fine to begin exploring these options in high school. I have been shadowing both veterinarians and doctors. You're not getting ahead of yourself; you have what most people our age do not: direction. Find what you like. Find what you don't like. That way at least you can eliminate potential professions early and save yourself a lot of time when it really counts.

If it's something you're interested in or enjoy, by all means, shadow and find out more about it. After that, make a commitment to making the best grades you can. College is a fresh, new slate. Your 3.1 is, in the scheme of applying to veterinary school, a non-factor.

Go watch a few surgeries, see the huge scope of a general practice vet, and see what a skilled veterinarian can do for both people and animals. The ability to touch the lives of all species -- even human -- is incredible.

As an added bonus, the clinic I shadow in is run electronically. Some paperwork for business and documenting here and there... but nothing like in human medicine!

Edit: Last year, coming out of my first week shadowing at the vet's with a smile on my face and thinking that I could do that everyday for my entire life was something I'll never forget. I was surprised with veterinary medicine; to use Animal Planet's tagline, it is surprisingly human.

 

[Cephal0pod]

Hello,


I was recently informed that I am getting ahead of myself..that I need to get my grades up and get into college and start pre-vet before even thinking about shadowing a vet....get more science under my belt, and more math (which I do NOT understand...I already have three credits for both of these subjects, and will be doing three more before I graduate, if things go as planned...(am in HS))

Totally and completely false. I shadowed a vet for the first time when I was 13. Shadowing is not dependent on your GPA or the amount of science or math courses you have taken. Vets will not ask to see your transcript before you can shadow them. You can gain invaluable experience and insight through shadowing experiences, the sooner you can start this the better. Best of luck to you!

 

[skipsbarryimage]

Thank you all for the replies! I will deffinetly be able to get my grades up, as long as my Lyme Disease (chronic) does not get in the way of my schooling again *fingers crossed*. And I was almost 100% sure that vets do not have academic requirements of the people that want to shadow them! But I was still quite confused...I couldn't imagine being forced to choose a career path without knowing any more about it than Google can provide!

I will be contacting some vets soon and plan to shadow a large variety of them...if I look at the profession (vet) in the simplest form (helping animals!) I would LOVE to do it! And of course feeling my horse's freshly floated teeth and being able to feel the longer points the vet was telling me about was the most amazing thing I have ever experienced! But I'm not sure about the euths, the owners (I've heard quite a few horror stories about pet owners!), the time, the smells (lol)...and need to know if the helping animals part will out weigh everything else for me! Thank you all again! This forum is extremely helpful!

 

[Doxorubicin]

Thank you all for the replies! I will deffinetly be able to get my grades up, as long as my Lyme Disease (chronic) does not get in the way of my schooling again *fingers crossed*. And I was almost 100% sure that vets do not have academic requirements of the people that want to shadow them! But I was still quite confused...I couldn't imagine being forced to choose a career path without knowing any more about it than Google can provide!

I will be contacting some vets soon and plan to shadow a large variety of them...if I look at the profession (vet) in the simplest form (helping animals!) I would LOVE to do it! And of course feeling my horse's freshly floated teeth and being able to feel the longer points the vet was telling me about was the most amazing thing I have ever experienced! But I'm not sure about the euths, the owners (I've heard quite a few horror stories about pet owners!), the time, the smells (lol)...and need to know if the helping animals part will out weigh everything else for me! Thank you all again! This forum is extremely helpful!

Euthanasia should, in my opinion, be viewed as a gift. Although you may be asked to do "convenience" euthanasias, or ones that are because the proposed treatment is unaffordable, the ability to put an animal out of a surely painful fate is absolutely fantastic. We can ease our animals out of this life, but keep our own parents and grandparents barely alive in the ICU, dying on a vent. When my great grandfather died in 2001 of emphysema, my grandmother was absolutely traumatized from the agony my great grandfather suffered from attempts of weaning him from the vent. But that's another can of worms -- the human euthanasia issue.

Owners can be both fantastic and terrible, in my (limited) experience. Some owners are willing to do anything to save their pets. It may put them several thousand dollars in debt, but their animal is a family member. Then there are what I would call "average" owners who don't have pet insurance and don't have thousands saved for catastrophes; those that do might spend it on their pet, others might sacrifice some "unnecessary" (but preferred) services to cut down on their bill, and then there are those that have the money but can't justify spending it on a pet.

🙄 And finally, there are my favorites; the ones who feel that any vet bill is ridiculous. That $200 for an annual visit to include all shots, CBC, chemistry, and a slew of other panels to assure everything is in running order, is ridiculous. They don't feel like sparing a few hundred dollars to save their pets from periodontal disease. A few times we've had pets who have been malnourished because eating food was too painful/they had lost teeth from periodontal disease, resulting in gum infection. They want a pet, but are unwilling to bear the expense that comes with enjoying a lifetime of love with a very special buddy.

Most people, however, come to visit because they love their pet -- they love them and have a genuine concern about their health and well-being.

It's a fantastic profession that applies modern medicine to those with whom we share our world.

 

[Journey2become]

Thank you all for the replies! I will deffinetly be able to get my grades up, as long as my Lyme Disease (chronic) does not get in the way of my schooling again *fingers crossed*. And I was almost 100% sure that vets do not have academic requirements of the people that want to shadow them! But I was still quite confused...I couldn't imagine being forced to choose a career path without knowing any more about it than Google can provide!

I will be contacting some vets soon and plan to shadow a large variety of them...if I look at the profession (vet) in the simplest form (helping animals!) I would LOVE to do it! And of course feeling my horse's freshly floated teeth and being able to feel the longer points the vet was telling me about was the most amazing thing I have ever experienced! But I'm not sure about the euths, the owners (I've heard quite a few horror stories about pet owners!), the time, the smells (lol)...and need to know if the helping animals part will out weigh everything else for me! Thank you all again! This forum is extremely helpful!

I would suggest looking into setting up an accommodation as soon as possible when you start college. It varies from case to case - but it can help you from falling behind unnecessarily. These accommodations might include handing in assignments late or taking a test as long as you have documented a specific requirement (doctor's note, etc). Some provide tutors, or have it set up so that if you have to stop for a period you would be more likely to pick up next semester instead of dropping out then having to start from the beginning. Again, I do not know what accommodation would apply to your case, but at least they would have documented the possibility of having academic difficulty and they would try to make sure you stayed on track.

 

[hrandani]

I will deffinetly be able to get my grades up, as long as my Lyme Disease (chronic) does not get in the way of my schooling again *fingers crossed*.

Absolutely you should shadow if you feel like it. Don't listen to anyone who says no.

And..sorry to derail, but could you talk some more about your chronic lyme disease? I've seen so much contradicting information about this, a perspective from someone who suffers from it would really be enlightening - your symptoms, how you were diagnosed, if you're being treated with antibiotics or something else. Thank you for your time.

 

[Cephal0pod]

Euthanasia should, in my opinion, be viewed as a gift. Although you may be asked to do "convenience" euthanasias, or ones that are because the proposed treatment is unaffordable, the ability to put an animal out of a surely painful fate is absolutely fantastic. .

Exactly. 👍 A vet I shadowed about a year ago explained it to me that way as well after euthanizing a goat. It made me feel a lot better about having to euthanize animals myself someday.

 

[skipsbarryimage]

Euthanasia should, in my opinion, be viewed as a gift. Although you may be asked to do "convenience" euthanasias, or ones that are because the proposed treatment is unaffordable, the ability to put an animal out of a surely painful fate is absolutely fantastic. We can ease our animals out of this life, but keep our own parents and grandparents barely alive in the ICU, dying on a vent. When my great grandfather died in 2001 of emphysema, my grandmother was absolutely traumatized from the agony my great grandfather suffered from attempts of weaning him from the vent. But that's another can of worms -- the human euthanasia issue.

Owners can be both fantastic and terrible, in my (limited) experience. Some owners are willing to do anything to save their pets. It may put them several thousand dollars in debt, but their animal is a family member. Then there are what I would call "average" owners who don't have pet insurance and don't have thousands saved for catastrophes; those that do might spend it on their pet, others might sacrifice some "unnecessary" (but preferred) services to cut down on their bill, and then there are those that have the money but can't justify spending it on a pet.

🙄 And finally, there are my favorites; the ones who feel that any vet bill is ridiculous. That $200 for an annual visit to include all shots, CBC, chemistry, and a slew of other panels to assure everything is in running order, is ridiculous. They don't feel like sparing a few hundred dollars to save their pets from periodontal disease. A few times we've had pets who have been malnourished because eating food was too painful/they had lost teeth from periodontal disease, resulting in gum infection. They want a pet, but are unwilling to bear the expense that comes with enjoying a lifetime of love with a very special buddy.

Most people, however, come to visit because they love their pet -- they love them and have a genuine concern about their health and well-being.

It's a fantastic profession that applies modern medicine to those with whom we share our world.

I will try to view it as a gift, but seeing as I have only experienced three euthanasias, and all of them consisted of me going to school and coming home and hearing my mom go "Suzie went to a farm" "Buddy ran away" "I had Nino put down today, I didn't want you to know when so it would be less stressfull" I feel like at first it will be a little difficult for me to do. But eventually I should be able to do it without bawling...Knowing that they are no longer in pain will help of course.

I figured that the ammount an owner would be willing to pay would be "difficult", but I've also heard about owners being extremely rude to their veterinarians.

Thank you 🙂

I would suggest looking into setting up an accommodation as soon as possible when you start college. It varies from case to case - but it can help you from falling behind unnecessarily. These accommodations might include handing in assignments late or taking a test as long as you have documented a specific requirement (doctor's note, etc). Some provide tutors, or have it set up so that if you have to stop for a period you would be more likely to pick up next semester instead of dropping out then having to start from the beginning. Again, I do not know what accommodation would apply to your case, but at least they would have documented the possibility of having academic difficulty and they would try to make sure you stayed on track.

I will look into accommodations as soon as I can. Hopefully I won't need them though!

Absolutely you should shadow if you feel like it. Don't listen to anyone who says no.

And..sorry to derail, but could you talk some more about your chronic lyme disease? I've seen so much contradicting information about this, a perspective from someone who suffers from it would really be enlightening - your symptoms, how you were diagnosed, if you're being treated with antibiotics or something else. Thank you for your time.

Firstly you have to understand WHY there is such a contradiction. There are a couple "theories", one being that the board from the IDSA writing up the (forgot the word) guidelines for how to diagnose and treat LD have conflicting interests. They are paid by insurance companies for research, or are employed by universities. They got through "part one" of writing the guidelines when they first met. Then the original board split up, and a new one was formed, and they never got around to researching the chronic form. Finally, when LD was first discovered, it was in the "pure" form (Borrelia burgdorferi) which is indeed "simple" to treat. Now LD is commonly seen with co-infections, which cause way more symptoms than pure LD, commonly the co-infections consist of babesiosis, bartonella, and "Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever". And since the IDSA guidelines only talk about the simplest, pure form of LD, all of the co-infections are not recognized by them. And of course the test for LD is inconsistant at best. I hope that little explaination made sense. A good video to watch that explains the contradiction if you are intrested in that part of it and if you can look past the shock factor that they include in the movie is "Under Our Skin"

Now on to what you actually asked (LOL)....

Symptoms-I am going to copy and paste a list from this website: http://www.anapsid.org/lyme/symptoms/tbi-symptoms.html and bold the ones that affect me.
Note, on the website it splits these up according to which bacteria they are caused by, I just put them all together, as according to my doctors this list's organizing of symptoms is a bit off.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Bladder dysfunction.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Burning or stabbing sensations (in the arms and legs).
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Cardiac impairment.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Change in bowel function.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Chest pain.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Confusion.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Depression.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Difficulty thinking.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Difficulty with concentration and reading.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Difficulty with speech, writing.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Difficulty finding words; name blocking.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Disorientation: getting lost, going to wrong places.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Disturbed sleep: too much, too little, fractionated, early awakening.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Ears/Hearing: buzzing, ringing, ear pain, sound sensitivity.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Exaggerated symptoms or worse hangover from alcohol.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Eyes/Vision: double, blurry, increased floaters, light sensitivity.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Facial paralysis (Bell's palsy).
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Fatigue, tiredness, poor stamina.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Forgetfulness.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Headache.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Heart block.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Heart murmur.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Heart palpitations.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Heart valve prolapse.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Increased motion sickness.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Irritability.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Irritable bladder.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Joint pain or swelling.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Lightheadedness.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Mood swings.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Muscle pain or cramps.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Neck creaks & cracks.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Neck stiffness, pain.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Numbness.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Pelvic pain.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Poor attention.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Poor balance.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Poor short-term memory.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Problem absorbing new information.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Pulse skips.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Rib soreness.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Sexual dysfunction or loss of libido.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Shooting pains.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Shortness of breath; cough.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Skin hypersensitivity.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Sore throat.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Stiffness of the joints or back.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Swollen glands.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Testicular pain.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Tingling .
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Tremor.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Twitching of the face or other muscles.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Unavoidable need to sit or lay down.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Unexplained breast pain.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Unexplained fevers, sweats, chills or flushing.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Unexplained hair loss (luckily it is minimal!).
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Unexplained menstrual irregularity'.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Unexplained milk production.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Unexplained weight loss or gain.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Upset Stomach or abdominal pain.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Vertigo.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Wooziness.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Air hunger.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Cough.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Fatigue.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Fevers.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Headache.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Hemolysis.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Imbalance without true vertigo.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Mild encephalopathy.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Shaking chills.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]Sweats.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]abnormal liver enzymes.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]encephalopathy.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]endocarditis.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]flu-like malaise.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]headache.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]hemolysis with anemia.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]hepatomegaly.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]high fever.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]immune deficiency.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]jaundice.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]lymphadenopathy.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]myalgias.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]myocarditis.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]papular or angiomatous rash.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]somnolence.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]sore throat.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]splenomegaly.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]weakened immune response.

[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]elevated liver enzymes.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]headaches.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]myalgias.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]ongoing fatigue.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]persistent leukopenia.
[FONT=Arial, Verdana, sans-serif]thrombocytopenia.


How I was diagnosed-Christmas Day 2008-I thought I ate too much, thought I was going to throw up. This went on for two weeks, then winter break was over, I tried going to school, couldn't stay there because I still felt "flu like" and couldn't just sit in a class room. Stayed home sick for 5 months, Doctor One told me it was in my head and I need to take an antacid and go to school. Doctor Two tested for everything she could think of, everything was normal, told us to go to a specialist (gastroenterologist), they ran many tests as well, couldn't find anything. Told me I needed to see a therapist and that I was just an "attractive young girl looking for attention". My mom talked to my aunt in New Jersey, aunt told her that my cousins friends all had similar symptoms, that they were diagnosed with LD and felt better on treatment. Went back to Doctor Two, demanded she test for LD. Tested for it, the first time it came back positive, then inconclusive (I didn't have enough of the bacteria in my system to have lyme...) the negative.

Treatment-Mom demanded antibiotics anyways. Doctor gave her the treatment that the IDSA recommends (no more than one month oral antibiotics). I felt better, not 100%. I felt good enough to carry on with my life for a while. This was in March 2009 that we started the antibiotics, and also "finished" them. I had a few flair ups here and there (recurant symptoms). The doctors didn't know what to do, told me I was crazy again, but they only lasted a week at a time and were pretty spread out, so it was okay. Then I had a pretty bad flair up...and my dad started looking for a "specialist", we drove two hours to him. He said I do have lyme disease (he did a "clinical diagnosis), started long term antibiotics (I believe this was in mid 2010, not really sure...). I would start feeling better, then I would "relapse" and have flair ups again, which were caused by the bacteria dying off. Now after about 8 months of treatment for the LD bacteria I started to feel much better, but wasn't getting any better, which meant we now had to target a different bacteria...I believe it is Bartonella... I am still being treated for that with oral antibiotics...I am going back to the specialist in two weeks. He will most likely up the dosage of the current antibiotics I am on, or change them to a different one for that bacteria, and add one for another one of the coinfections.

Somewhere in there we did look into IV antibiotics through a PICC line. However, my case is not "extreme" at all, and the doctors (that actually knew what they are talking about when it comes to lyme) did not feel I needed one quite yet, as I am responding quite well to orals. I guess.

We also looked into "natural" treatment...with something called Tincture of Teasel Root..the drops burned my tounge, and it did not last long enough for me to tell you much about it....

I hope that makes sense and if you have any more questions I'd be happy to try to answer them for you!

 

[Journey2become]

I will look into accommodations as soon as I can. Hopefully I won't need them though!
!

I absolutely hope you don't need them. I just know of students that tried to put in place an accommodation AFTER they needed it and some of the teachers thought they were insincere, or the process took longer than they thought and didn't cover the episode they went through. With the symptoms you might show you might want check into - increased test time (if you are having a little difficulty concentrating), taking the test a few days after the fact if you woke up and had symptoms the day of or before the test, a set time to hand in assignments late if needed, and immunity from grade reduction if class has a limit on missed classes to name a few.
Of course you wouldn't want to have to use them because even though it will help you not fall to far behind there are still some negative effects of not going to class etc.
Good

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

🙄 And finally, there are my favorites; the ones who feel that any vet bill is ridiculous. That $200 for an annual visit to include all shots, CBC, chemistry, and a slew of other panels to assure everything is in running order, is ridiculous. They don't feel like sparing a few hundred dollars to save their pets from periodontal disease. A few times we've had pets who have been malnourished because eating food was too painful/they had lost teeth from periodontal disease, resulting in gum infection. They want a pet, but are unwilling to bear the expense that comes with enjoying a lifetime of love with a very special buddy.

(begin rant) Tell me about it. People whine that it costs 60 bucks to do a CBC. "When I go to a doctor, I don't have to pay that much". That's because you have insurance, dummy. The larger hospitals (ie referral centers) have to buy they *exact same* blood and chemistry analyzers as human hospitals and we charge a third of what it costs to run blood. Smaller clinics also buy analyzers, though smaller ones - same reason, they just can't afford better ones, because no one will pay for it.

Many vet clinics are paying off their X ray machines for decades, because we simply can't charge as much as a human X ray exam would cost - no client would pay for it. Yet, we have to pay for the same machines, maintenance, upkeep, etc....

Please, We're already giving you a huge effing discount, stop complaining. I'm in pathology - the hospital usually covers the cost of necropsy under teaching, but the average animal necropsy costs $50 (dog or cat) to $100 (large horse or cow) dollars. That covers the full necropsy AND histology on half a dozen to a dozen organs. A human autopsy costs THOUSANDS. (end rant).

Whew! Done

OP, if you haven't already, stop by the pre-vet forum. They're nice over there, and I'm always hanging around.

 

[Doxorubicin]

(begin rant) Tell me about it. People whine that it costs 60 bucks to do a CBC. "When I go to a doctor, I don't have to pay that much". That's because you have insurance, dummy. The larger hospitals (ie referral centers) have to buy they *exact same* blood and chemistry analyzers as human hospitals and we charge a third of what it costs to run blood. Smaller clinics also buy analyzers, though smaller ones - same reason, they just can't afford better ones, because no one will pay for it.

Many vet clinics are paying off their X ray machines for decades, because we simply can't charge as much as a human X ray exam would cost - no client would pay for it. Yet, we have to pay for the same machines, maintenance, upkeep, etc....

Please, We're already giving you a huge effing discount, stop complaining. I'm in pathology - the hospital usually covers the cost of necropsy under teaching, but the average animal necropsy costs $50 (dog or cat) to $100 (large horse or cow) dollars. That covers the full necropsy AND histology on half a dozen to a dozen organs. A human autopsy costs THOUSANDS. (end rant).

Whew! Done

OP, if you haven't already, stop by the pre-vet forum. They're nice over there, and I'm always hanging around.

Since you're a pathology resident, I have a question concerning reimbursement for you. When our dog had a suspicious tumor, we took a biopsy and the vet sent it off to Auburn's pathology service to have it read. We never received a bill from pathology at the University; the vet just billed us for the biopsy and pathology fee.

Does a university's pathology service run off of reimbursement sent in from vets or do you have animal owners (who do not come to the university) pay?

 

[skipsbarryimage]

WhtsThFrequency-I have actually been lurking around the pre-vet and vet forums for a few days, I'll probably avoid posting there for a while though, as this section seems more appropriate for me as far as participating in discussion 😛

 

[hrandani]

Hey thanks for writing all that out.

Given the list of symptoms, I can see why it's easier for a doctor to assume someone is claiming to have symptoms because it's hard to objectively prove any of those, and they're fairly nonspecific. I'd like to work hard to understand the more grey area pathologies like Lyme Disease, migraines, and fibromyalgia. I think it's sad that people have genuine illnesses and they cannot get treatment, so they have to resort to woowoo therapies.

It's hard because it takes a lot of study and exposure to recognize these sorts of ailments and it doesn't sound like therapies are very effective. What was taught in my medical school about lyme disease was very simplistic, and if I hadn't had neighbors who had gotten lyme disease back home I would have just assumed lyme disease always presents with a rash, arthritis, and bell's palsy and is cured after 2 weeks of doxy.

Oh well, one more reason to not ever go into the woods.

 

[skipsbarryimage]

I absolutely hope you don't need them. I just know of students that tried to put in place an accommodation AFTER they needed it and some of the teachers thought they were insincere, or the process took longer than they thought and didn't cover the episode they went through. With the symptoms you might show you might want check into - increased test time (if you are having a little difficulty concentrating), taking the test a few days after the fact if you woke up and had symptoms the day of or before the test, a set time to hand in assignments late if needed, and immunity from grade reduction if class has a limit on missed classes to name a few.
Of course you wouldn't want to have to use them because even though it will help you not fall to far behind there are still some negative effects of not going to class etc.
Good

Knowing me I probably would have gotten sick again and had no idea what to do! Thank you from saving me from that! 👍

Hey thanks for writing all that out.

Given the list of symptoms, I can see why it's easier for a doctor to assume someone is claiming to have symptoms because it's hard to objectively prove any of those, and they're fairly nonspecific. I'd like to work hard to understand the more grey area pathologies like Lyme Disease, migraines, and fibromyalgia. I think it's sad that people have genuine illnesses and they cannot get treatment, so they have to resort to woowoo therapies.

It's hard because it takes a lot of study and exposure to recognize these sorts of ailments and it doesn't sound like therapies are very effective. What was taught in my medical school about lyme disease was very simplistic, and if I hadn't had neighbors who had gotten lyme disease back home I would have just assumed lyme disease always presents with a rash, arthritis, and bell's palsy and is cured after 2 weeks of doxy.

Oh well, one more reason to not ever go into the woods.

You should deffinetly work with those "misunderstood" diseases, lots of people *cough, cough me cough* would be very greatful! 😍😛😀

And sometimes doxy doesn't even work. It made me sick. It's a shame they don't go in depth about it more. One of the reasons it took so long to diagnose me was because my joint pain did not appear for quite some time. And when we asked for the LD test the doctor went "Well people in this area don't GET lyme disease, you don't have joint pain either" 😡 Really? People in WI or MN or <insert state name here> don't GET LD? Interesting....

yes, and don't sleep in the barn, or go get your horse from the pasture, or take your dog on a walk, or go camping, etc. 😛

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

Since you're a pathology resident, I have a question concerning reimbursement for you. When our dog had a suspicious tumor, we took a biopsy and the vet sent it off to Auburn's pathology service to have it read. We never received a bill from pathology at the University; the vet just billed us for the biopsy and pathology fee.

Does a university's pathology service run off of reimbursement sent in from vets or do you have animal owners (who do not come to the university) pay?

I don't know as much as to the finances of it, to be honest. As far as I know, we usually do not bill the client directly when it is an outside case (I work at a large vet school referral hospital).

 

[demh23]

Doctor Two tested for everything she could think of, everything was normal, told us to go to a specialist (gastroenterologist), they ran many tests as well, couldn't find anything. Told me I needed to see a therapist and that I was just an "attractive young girl looking for attention".

Tell me, was there a D.O. at the end of Doctor Two's name?

 

[Journey2become]

Tell me, was there a D.O. at the end of Doctor Two's name?

What clues made you think that Doctor Two is a D.O.? Was it that she ran all the test she could think of, the fact that she is a female, that the test came back normal, or that she referred to a specialist?

 

[skipsbarryimage]

I do not believe she had a D.O. after her name, why?

 

[Journey2become]

I do not believe she had a D.O. after her name, why?

What I believe demh was implying is that D.O. are not as competent as M.D.s.
I suppose that they thought that "doctor two" was the one that said you were looking for attention...from what I got the Gastroenterologist was the one that said that - but it's irrelevant wither they were D.O. or M.D.

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

Now LD is commonly seen with co-infections, which cause way more symptoms than pure LD, commonly the co-infections consist of babesiosis, bartonella, and "Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever".

I got RMSF off a tick from a dog in surgery ward in vet school. It was classic. 5 days after finding tick - fever, rash, muscle pain, etc

Most excruciatingly painful ordeal of my life. Systemic vasculitis is NOT fun. It literally felt like my entire body was on fire.

I had to be carried into the student health center were I demanded doxy. Twelve hours after taking the first one, I was fine. I heart doxy.

 

[Doxorubicin]

Man, if Lyme disease wasn't hard enough to diagnose in the US, imagine doing it where I work where the disease only occurs in migrant workers (usually people working in the US illegally), that come back to Mexico for X or Y reason.

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

The same could be said of an American doctor seeing a patient with Chagas disease pop up in the door someday in their office.

Ironically, here in southern Texas, we always have Chagas on our differential list when a dog comes in with heart problems, along with all of the usual suspicions. I went to school in the Southeast, and it was all "Yeah, this is Chagas, don't worry, you'll probably never see it". Same with pythiosis. The Gulf region of TX is a dirty, dirty area