Should I still be a vet if I hate cleaning up after the animals?

[Hawky22]

hi everybody. I'm a upcoming junior in college and I'm interested in becoming a vet. Currently, I am trying to get all the courses i need for pre-req and in addition is volunteering at a local animal clinic. I have already spent one summer there and this is my second summer. Everybody there are nice, I have learn a lot of little things and even get to watch the surgeries performed most of the times. I know how lucky I am since I have read many threads saying how hard it is to get experiences with animals. Not to mention it's close to my house and I can save on transportation fee. Well, I guess the problem is pretty obvious in the title, the work can be pretty exhausting, a lot of tedious tasks, sweeping, mopping, cleaning cages, etc but mostly I hate cleaning up after animals ... I never owned a dog and is a bit of a neat freak so sometimes I feel really gross about it. 🤢Often when I come home, I feel like I can't do this anymore but in the end I always go the next day. I love animals and I know that in order to get to the top you have to start from the bottom 🙁 Does anybody have the same feeling as I do? I don't see any similar threads so maybe this doesn't affect other as much. Any advice or suggestion will be appreciated. Already I feel like a baby whining about this stuff since every job has its **** (lol, pun). I guess sometimes I just feel like giving up. Thanks guys! My apologies for ranting.

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[Minnerbelle]

Just FYI even as a vet, you will likely continue to pick up after animals... even if that's not your primary job.

 

[devyn]

As you continue getting vet/animal experience before applying to vet school you will need to clean up after animals. Then when you get into vet school and through your years in vet school, you will be cleaning up after animals - even in clinicals where yes, you will be getting hands on veterinary experience to learn skills to become a veterinarian, you will still be required to clean up after your cases. You will still be assigned a lot of grunt work. Not only that, but in vet school you are required to work with large animals as well which tend to create a lot of ****e (cattle, sheep, pigs) - not the cleanest animals all the time and you will often be knee deep in it or have your arm fully up a cow's arse doing a rectal exam. Then as a vet you are not all the sudden off the hook from dealing with gross crap, you will still be required to clean up after your patients. Sure a lot of the times that will fall on the technicians or lower staff, but tbh in the vet clinic often the entire staff pitches in to clean up. And when you are treating animals as a vet or vet student there are times that you will get their bodily fluids on you - they might ****e on you or vomit all over you. During surgery things can go wrong and blood can get all over you. It is just a normal part of the job. Is it clean, no, but I would rather be covered in animal ****e than human ****e.

If you really cannot stand cleaning up after animals then it would not be the job for you and it is ok to admit that. There are many people who love animals, but are not cut out to be a vet. There are many other jobs you can do to help animals that do not entail being knee deep in ****e.

 

[that redhead]

It sounds like you're kennel staff, where cleaning is one of the biggest responsibilities. As you ascend the ranks (gosh that sounds silly...) you'll probably have less cleaning to do. While devyn and minner make great points (especially re: fourth year and large animals), I've found that many small animal general practitioners do very little cleaning on a daily basis. You're a lot more likely to get urinated/defecated/vomited/etc on than have to go clean pee out of a kennel in the back.

The thing about cleaning is, no one really likes it. It's a way to show your dedication to the field and more importantly to your coworkers. If it's something you can deal with for a few more months, I say stick it out. If it's bothering you to the point of neurosis, yeah, I'd look elsewhere.

 

[Coquette22]

The thing about cleaning is, no one really likes it. It's a way to show your dedication to the field and more importantly to your coworkers. If it's something you can deal with for a few more months, I say stick it out. If it's bothering you to the point of neurosis, yeah, I'd look elsewhere.

Going to echo this. You say you hate it, but you still go every day. No one likes it (okay, I'm sure in the realm of human experience, someone likes it, but very few). Only you can decide if it's really a dealbreaker, in other words, do you hate this enough that any pros to the job would be completely outweighed by your hatred of bodily fluids.

 

[DVMDream]

I'm a little less worried about the not liking cleaning. I mean nobody really enjoys cleaning. But you do it because it is something that has to be done.

I am more worried about the potential attitude/mindset I could see in the future from the OP. I don't like the "I am the vet, therefore I don't clean" mentality. Or the, "I have done my scut work, now it is your turn". I have worked with quite a few vets that will clean up pee, poop, vomit, whatever. If it is busy enough and you are the person available to clean it up, then you do it. "Rank/job title" should have no bearing on it. There is nothing more frustrating as a tech when you are running around like a chicken with your head cut off and the vet yells at you to go clean up the back cage with poop as they walk back into their office and browse through facebook. I can just see this happening in this situation. Simply because the OP hates cleaning so much.

Also the "gross" feeling will probably get worse when you have to deal with cows, pigs, sheep, etc. Having your arm inside a cow's ass up to your shoulder while standing ankle deep in cow manure is gross. Only you can decide if you can deal with the "gross" factor of the job.

 

[Bracco Pointer]

The question is less "do you like it"... because no one "likes" cleaning up after animals. But you have to ask yourself, if you were alone at a clinic and one of the patients messed in their kennel... Would you clean it up even with no one else there to see you do it?

 

[twelvetigers]

I cleaned out a cage today. I may very well clean another one tomorrow.

I also wipe dog butts on occasion. Diarrhea, long fur, yanno.

 

[vetin2015]

If your interest in medicine and compassion for animals outweighs the disgust you feel cleaning up after them, then I wouldn't give up on your dream just yet. And your disgust may fade some with more exposure. I have OCD dealing with contamination issues, but I still love what I do most days being on clinics. Admittedly, it takes a lot of will power at times to hide how I truly feel about certain things (ie: palpating cows, administering enemas, cleaning up after hemorrhagic diarrhea), but it's ultimately worth it to me. Also admittedly, my career interests are in a more "hands-off" field of vet med, but that has to do with more than just my OCD germ issues.

 

[WillowLeaf]

1) Use gloves.

2) If you're cleaning up something that you really don't want to feel (bloody, mucus-y diarrhea, or unusually slimy vomit), take a little paper tray, cut it in half, and use it to scoop and dump into a trash bag. One of the few things that triggers my gag reflex is gross textures so I use that trick sometimes.

3) Have a sense of humor and laugh when something extremely disgusting happens (unless you're in front of a client and their dog is sick, then laughing could be bad obviously). Having a good attitude rather than thinking "ew" the whole time can help you not be grossed out.

4) Expect to continue dealing with dog poop and doing gross things for the rest of your career. If you're really not okay with animal poop/vomit/pee/anal glands/whatever else, you're the only one who can decide whether the rest of the job is worth it. DVMD has good advice - your coworkers will not appreciate it if you refuse to deal with gross stuff once you have a DVM. And even though you're not doing the cleaning work, you'd still have to deal with infected anal glands, dogs pooping during surgery, rectal exams, enemas, the lovely smell of foreign body removal from intestines, digging through vomit to see if the dog successfully vomited up all the toxic pills that it ingested... you get the idea.

 

[Panderson]

You get used to it. I used to gag over hair balls and vomit but you desensitize to whatever it is about it that grosses you out.

Position at your practice does not matter. No is one safe in a vet clinic. You will not only find body fluids in patient cages, but will eventually get them on you. Try purulent blood from an infected testicle streaming in the during air during a neuter and it soaking your scrubs. Or anal glands that FINALLY express, but the fluid lands on your face. Also, how would you feel about fecal exams, swabbing the rectum, inducing vomit, expressing anal sacs, etc.? if you cant be bit, scratched, dirty, or nasty, bottom line, this profession is not for you.

 

[LetItSnow]

Yeah. Well. Hm.

I totally agree with DVMD on the "nobody wants a vet who won't clean up" thing. If there's a mess and you have time, you should clean it up. But that said ... if you're cleaning up animal crap all the time as a vet, your practice isn't utilizing your time well. You have a specific set of skills that the clinic charges a lot of money for people to have access to. If you have the free time to be cleaning up crap all the time, you aren't making money that you could be and your practice isn't staffed correctly, because that task should be primarily performed by a kennel assistant or someone similar.

I mean ... you need to be happy and willing to pitch in when you have time and when someone else who normally would do it doesn't have time. But in the ideal world, the vet isn't performing that task as much because they're generating revenue with their specific skill set. In MY ideal world, a technician (in the certified vet tech sense) isn't doing it either, because they also have a very specific set of revenue-generating skills.

 

[Minnerbelle]

Clearly a vet shouldn't be picking up poo/pee all the time. But there are certainly instances where just any open hand is needed to avert a nasty crisis and you just happen to be the only convenient person around. Saying, "nope, not my probs" and allowing the patient to get disgusting only for the 'lowly staff' to deal with later is a really horrible attitude to have. I've met multiple vets like that out there, and based on the OP, I was getting some of that vibe.

 

[bunnity]

Yeah. Well. Hm.

I totally agree with DVMD on the "nobody wants a vet who won't clean up" thing. If there's a mess and you have time, you should clean it up. But that said ... if you're cleaning up animal crap all the time as a vet, your practice isn't utilizing your time well. You have a specific set of skills that the clinic charges a lot of money for people to have access to. If you have the free time to be cleaning up crap all the time, you aren't making money that you could be and your practice isn't staffed correctly, because that task should be primarily performed by a kennel assistant or someone similar.

I mean ... you need to be happy and willing to pitch in when you have time and when someone else who normally would do it doesn't have time. But in the ideal world, the vet isn't performing that task as much because they're generating revenue with their specific skill set. In MY ideal world, a technician (in the certified vet tech sense) isn't doing it either, because they also have a very specific set of revenue-generating skills.

I think the ideal situation is a clinic that is structured where people are working on tasks according to their level of expertise (ie doctor diagnosing, CVT giving meds and drawing blood, kennel tech feeding/cleaning/walking), combined with a group of people who are flexible and humble enough to pick up a poop once in a while regardless of their job title. Which I think is what you're saying. It is one thing to be the person closest to the poop accident in the middle of a busy floor. On the other hand, I worked in a clinic where the techs spent an hour every morning helping clean the boarding kennel. That is just not great management to be paying someone $12-$15 an hour to clean poop.

To the OP, it doesn't sound to me like a humility thing but more of a major aversion thing. I have serious issues with human vomit (I don't even like the way the words look on the page) and it is probably enough to keep me out of human medicine. When I worked in the human medical field, the anxiety about it had a pretty serious impact on my quality of life by the end of my job in the human hospital (I quit to move away to vet school). I would say that if this seems like more of an anxiety / phobia issue it could be worth talking to a counselor about; it could help with your decision and also help if that type of thing is impacting other areas of your life.

 

[DVMDream]

Clearly a vet shouldn't be picking up poo/pee all the time. But there are certainly instances where just any open hand is needed to avert a nasty crisis and you just happen to be the only convenient person around. Saying, "nope, not my probs" and allowing the patient to get disgusting only for the 'lowly staff' to deal with later is a really horrible attitude to have. I've met multiple vets like that out there, and based on the OP, I was getting some of that vibe.

Yeah, this is what I meant. I would not expect a vet to be cleaning up after animals all the time, obviously that isn't an efficient use of their time. Just when they happen to be the only ones around at that moment to do so. There is nothing worse than the vet that sees something that needs to be picked up and leaving it for the people "whose job it is" or going to find someone who is busy and telling them to clean it up, then walking away to browse the internet or play around on the computer or whatever. That was the feeling I was getting from the OP.

 

[Hawky22]

It sounds like you're kennel staff, where cleaning is one of the biggest responsibilities. As you ascend the ranks (gosh that sounds silly...) you'll probably have less cleaning to do. While devyn and minner make great points (especially re: fourth year and large animals), I've found that many small animal general practitioners do very little cleaning on a daily basis. You're a lot more likely to get urinated/defecated/vomited/etc on than have to go clean pee out of a kennel in the back.

The thing about cleaning is, no one really likes it. It's a way to show your dedication to the field and more importantly to your coworkers. If it's something you can deal with for a few more months, I say stick it out. If it's bothering you to the point of neurosis, yeah, I'd look elsewhere.

thanks, I was wondering if there's any more encouraging viewpoint out there. Yes, I am aware that being a vet still put me in situations where it can get dirty real quick but I do expect that cleaning will not be my primary duty. If it is busy in the clinic and extra hands are needed, then cleaning up after some animal waste is acceptable for me. You will be surprised to hear that in the clinic I worked for, vets rarely help clean up, mostly they call us volunteers into the room and sweep and mop up whatever mess there is. Even when a dog defecated in front of them and a towel is nearby,they tell the nearest volunteer to handle it. I suspect devyn and minner will not like them very much. lol. Either way, I am happy for the warnings I'm getting about future "grossness." Hopefully, as a vet, my skill is put to different uses rather than cleaning, although like I say, occasional assistance with the kennel will not kill me.

Back to why I reply, I want to thank you for saying that about cleaning up. It's true, no body like cleaning, and the fact they manage through it show their dedication. I guess it's up to me to see if it is worth it and how much I can handle it. If not, I should look elsewhere then.

 

[Hawky22]

Going to echo this. You say you hate it, but you still go every day. No one likes it (okay, I'm sure in the realm of human experience, someone likes it, but very few). Only you can decide if it's really a dealbreaker, in other words, do you hate this enough that any pros to the job would be completely outweighed by your hatred of bodily fluids.

Thanks! I agree. Only I can decide if it is worth it. Good luck to u as well!

 

[Hawky22]

I cleaned out a cage today. I may very well clean another one tomorrow.

I also wipe dog butts on occasion. Diarrhea, long fur, yanno.

How nice. I will be cleaning one in a few hours t00, I suspect.

 

[Hawky22]

1) Use gloves.

2) If you're cleaning up something that you really don't want to feel (bloody, mucus-y diarrhea, or unusually slimy vomit), take a little paper tray, cut it in half, and use it to scoop and dump into a trash bag. One of the few things that triggers my gag reflex is gross textures so I use that trick sometimes.

3) Have a sense of humor and laugh when something extremely disgusting happens (unless you're in front of a client and their dog is sick, then laughing could be bad obviously). Having a good attitude rather than thinking "ew" the whole time can help you not be grossed out.

4) Expect to continue dealing with dog poop and doing gross things for the rest of your career. If you're really not okay with animal poop/vomit/pee/anal glands/whatever else, you're the only one who can decide whether the rest of the job is worth it. DVMD has good advice - your coworkers will not appreciate it if you refuse to deal with gross stuff once you have a DVM. And even though you're not doing the cleaning work, you'd still have to deal with infected anal glands, dogs pooping during surgery, rectal exams, enemas, the lovely smell of foreign body removal from intestines, digging through vomit to see if the dog successfully vomited up all the toxic pills that it ingested... you get the idea.

A sense of humor and a good attitude toward "ew" stuffs. Alright, I'll try that. And is that shane from l word?

 

[Hawky22]

If your interest in medicine and compassion for animals outweighs the disgust you feel cleaning up after them, then I wouldn't give up on your dream just yet. And your disgust may fade some with more exposure. I have OCD dealing with contamination issues, but I still love what I do most days being on clinics. Admittedly, it takes a lot of will power at times to hide how I truly feel about certain things (ie: palpating cows, administering enemas, cleaning up after hemorrhagic diarrhea), but it's ultimately worth it to me. Also admittedly, my career interests are in a more "hands-off" field of vet med, but that has to do with more than just my OCD germ issues.

Thank you! And omg, I am also diagnosed with OCD. I haven't even consider that it might be a major factor since I believe it is normal for people to be disgusted by animals feces. And I do love working with animals. Please tell me more about how you deal with it and what field of vet med you are currently work in. Perhaps, I can do the same and it will be easier for me to handle. Thank you so much. And I should talk to my counselor as another fellow had mentioned.

 

[pp9]

No one gets particularly excited to clean up vomit, feces, or blood. Vomit is usually the one that makes me gag (I'm sensitive to people vomit too), but it has to be done. I am also a germaphobe (it's been getting much better as I get older. I was actually afraid to leave the house as a kid). It's perfectly acceptable to not want to get covered in crap and other bodily excretions.

However, like mentioned, you WILL encounter this probably daily. You, as a vet, will be brought sick animals to 'heal.' It's part of the territory. Personally, I would rather scrub diarrhea off a dog than a person in a hospital...

It is okl. let the cleaning-work for your assistants 🙂

As for this...not the best mindset to have as an potential employer.

 

[WillowLeaf]

A sense of humor and a good attitude toward "ew" stuffs. Alright, I'll try that. And is that shane from l word?

Yep it's shane. 😀

That's good that you're willing to do occasional gross stuff as a vet. I bet it would be a good idea to ask your counselor about it and see if it's related to the OCD, especially before giving up on becoming a vet. I have family with OCD and germ phobias, and I know there are some things therapists can try to help. Good luck figuring it out!