I'm a Vet ask me anything

[Tropicana1]

Love my job - go ahead, ask me anything!

Great thread OP.
What's your favourite dog?
How often do you get bitten? I am a dentist working predominantly with children and get bitten 2-3 weekly ( Not maliciously, they forget my fingers are there 😂).

My daughter would like to be a vet. Would you recommend it? Is it family friendly? Say 10 years PQ as a partner would you have decent profit share?

Is a 12 year old cat vomiting fur balls basically every second day or so now cause for concern? (Appointment is booked).

Also, said cat gets incredibly stressed and very angry at the vets and it’s worse each visit. Growls throughout check up, won’t stay on the scales or the table without restraint, gets scratchy. I get a bit embarrassed. Are you sick of people saying, “they’re lovely at home, really!”? (There’s a danger warning on my cat’s notes, right?)!

Cheery my cat had a dental last week. £150 for the dental and £60ish for 4 extractions. But when I signed the form the amount they estimated was higher.

@FromDespairToHere no you won't have scarred her for life! I have been guilty of crying a few times in euthanasia's but I try not to as often as I can because it's not about me! Euthanasia's are really sad, and the thing that gets me the most is usually seeing the pain and sadness of the owners on losing the pet, so then hearing that your sadness stemmed from losing your mother probably just made your vet feel for you even more - we try to remain professional and composed but sometimes those true emotions do spill over! Your vet might also have recently lost someone close to them and you saying that may have brought up emotions for them too, but you should always feel free to express your emotions when you're saying goodbye to your pet - that's your moment not ours

@AutumnCrow getting a top opening box can help, or standing a front opening box on its base and picking them up under the armpits to pop them in bum first to deposit them in the box before they know what's going on can work! If not there are some (off license) anti anxiety meds to give at home before putting them in the basket that can help.

I’m curious about your statement that kibble is the only suitable food for a cat. I was always under the impression that cats require the high protein and moisture found in wet food. Has the science changed? Many thanks!

My cat has always had a heart murmur (classed as somewhere between a 2 and a 3) but it disappeared a year ago. Is that normal? He is now 12 and has seen numerous different vets several times a year throughout his life who always agreed about his heart murmur.

What would you advise to help an arthritic cat?

We've just bathed and aspirated (when it popped naturally after a few days of bathing) a cyst on my dog (it was foul- do not look up dog cysts!)

It's got quite a hole that's scabbed over. we're looking for signs of infection but he seems much better thankfully. Do you think he'll need antibiotics?

@Mrsmorton I did worry that I was going to get a lot of "vet bashing" responses but so far I'm on an ok level of genuine interest I think!
Ah I so wish we could buy the drugs as cheap as the online pharmacies can

Our vet had to put three much loved pets to sleep in one day this week (one of them being ours) and he said he thinks if he ever starts to find it easy he’ll know it’s time to find a different job.

I would like to bring something for him and the nurses to say thanks for all your help and care, what would you like as a thank you gift from a customer? Chocolates? Cake?

How do you feel about veterinary waiting rooms?

It always seems counter productive to me to ask dogs, cats and small furries to wait together in a small, enclosed environments when they already feel stressed and unwell!

Our vets are actually very good and let us wait outside until we are called in, then we use their back door to enter the consultation room (reactive dog here ).

Do you think there is a better way?

@mimibunz sorry Sunday afternoon moment! I meant more a commercial balanced diet - wet is fine, biscuits often help reduce dental disease to a degree and can encourage drinking which can help water intake for cats with idiopathic cystitis etc but wet is definitely suitable

I recently lost my 8 year old female mixed breed DSH cat, in otherwise good health, to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with an atypical presentation. There was diminished circulation in the hind legs but no full saddle thrombus. The blood work showed she was in partial renal shutdown with poor liver function and the ultrasound clearly showed the enlarged heart with "smoke" in the chamber.

How common is this at this age and is it congenital?. We still have one of her litter mates at home (a male). How concerned should we be about him and is there anything we can or should do prophylactically for him?

Thanks, by the way, for starting this thread and for taking care of the animals. Our vet was wonderful throughout the process.

evilharpy have a quiet word with one of the receptionists - they'll be able to tip you off as to who likes what

@Cheerybigbottom that is a bit more than the cost of a cat dental at my practice but prices do vary heavily dependent on region and what they offer - it's not outside what I've seen people charge. If you're unhappy then you could always ask other practices for quotes

Tropicana when they did the dental they put her under then rang me to explain about the extractions required. Is that normal procedure? Do people ever say 'no don't bother'?

How much do vets typically earn straight after uni, and how does that increase with experience?

@Tropicana1

Thank you, I have though of asking other practices for quotes but I've never had cause to do this before and don't really consider medical care to be something I needed to shop around for.

We are just surprised at the leap in price for everything once a cat reaches 8+ then 11+.

He's never even had a tooth removed before now in his other cleans. I do hope he'll enjoy his fresh chompers.

Thanks again.

@RedSheep73 always, as long as I can remember I've wanted to do it! It helps to know from a young age as it can help with taking the right subjects, getting the grades and the work experience. It's hard work and not for everyone, vets have on average a suicide rate of 4x the national average, there's a high rate of burnout due to long and unsociable hours, stress etc, and a large number of vets leaving at around 3-5 years qualified to do other jobs. I love it and wouldn't do anything else, but it certainly isn't for everyone!

@UncleMatthewsEntrenchingTool The comment to red sheep above is for you too. With regards to money, don't get into it for that, it's not well paid comparative to similar jobs. Starting salary anywhere from 25-30k with slow increases as experience is gained. Partnership opportunities are fewer due to increases in corporate practice but certainly getting a partnership is the way to go to get a higher salary!

In regards to the recent Equine flu outbreak and some competition venues and organisations are now asking for vaccinations within the last 6 month's. Do you think this will become the new norm?
Also, if you have a bitch that you do not intend to breed from, is it advised to spay? And if so, does it cause behavioural changes such as humping etc?

Im a RVN and im mid thirties. Lately I've been thinking about my future and wondering if I could still do the job when im in my 60s what with all the heavy lifting and restraining.
Whats the oldest nurse you have worked with and would you employ an older nurse? Perhaps I should retrain.

Sorry all - going to have to take a pause and walk the dog and cook dinner but will be back to reply tonight or tomorrow! :)

Have you ever had a dog that's had a stroke? Have they got better? How long did it take?