I work in a vets AMA

[Howdoipickaname]

Have seen quite a few of these posts and have found them quite fun to read, so as it says AMA about working in a vets. Have been a lurker up until now and this is my first post. 😊

How much training to you get in say dog nutrition? I use dog food comparison websites and there is quite a difference between what is recommended at our vet (eg royal canin) and what is recommended there. And do vets get any incentives to stock certain foods ?
thanks so much. We’ve had such nice vets for ddog.

Lovely to see a vet nurse taking about their career on Mumsnet. I love and highly rate the nurses I work with OP 🥰

Da has announced out of the blue that she would like to go into vet science! The trouble is, she's only doing one science (biology), and the other two A levels are really non sciencey at all - although academically stretching. Does she have any chance?

Dd that should be

l find it sad that veterinary nursing is still so misunderstood by people, I really hope in the coming years we get more recognition but I think professionally it’s heading the right way. I hope the vet world is being kind to you lately. X

Not a question but, I wanted to be a vet nurse but after my work experience I couldn't cope with it. The sick animals and the ones in pain. I found it difficult as the animals look to you to help and they don't understand. So, I became a human nurse instead.

We get basic training when we do our nursing qualification but many nurses opt to undertake further nutrition qualifications, and do further courses, (we have to do a certain amount of CPD each year to stay on the register and to practice) so you will find that some nurses are very clued up and others not so much, I’ll be honest I’m in the not so much camp! It’s not a huge passion of mine so I would refer to a colleague if I felt out of my depth of unsure. I believe there are incentives for food and staff members but I’ve never worked anywhere where the staff actually bother to claim any prizes or have an interest in trying to win, we just want To get through the day and find time for a toilet break in between lol! But I can assure you that food stocked in vets such a royal canin are of a higher quality than pet shop/ supermarket brands. We sell them as they are good and high quality and not to con people or make a profit :)

Thanks for this AMA

I keep seeing post on social media that are along the lines of that if you are not there when your pet is PTS, then you are the worse owner ever, and that your pet panics and looks for you. From experience, my dog panics when I take her to the vets for anything. I can not be there for everything. I felt bad enough dropping her off for her dental.
I wanted to be there for a small pet that was PTS, but was told I was not allowed due to health & safety.
Anyway, how do you feel about those posts that try to guilt trip pet owners?

There is a vet who has commented further up who may be able to advise better as I am a nurse so a different route of education but I do know vet school places are highly competitive. I’d advise your DD speaks to the universities and clarifies the entry requirements and if she’s able to, call round local vets to try and get some work exp in.

I am considering a move into paediatric nursing in the future. How do you find your job? It would be a big jump but I’d hope some of the skills would be transferable!

I did an I’m a vet nurse AMA about 3 years ago and didn’t get a single post on it, so this one’s is going much better!

Thank you!

Thanks we did the kindest thing for him but it was so hard. We still have our other 2 cats but he was by far the most affectionate of the 3 (lol and best behaved). x

Ah yes I know the exact post, I have seen it many times myself. You know your pet better than anyone else and I think most owners would approach it sensibly. Those posts really do upset me as I have never judged anyone who doesn’t want to be there, if you aren’t there I promise we are all giving your beloved pet lots of hugs, treats and words of encouragement. Never feel guilty!

Hello fellow VN! I didn’t expect so much interaction tbh, I’m pleasantly surprised!

I would imagine you have highly transferable skills especially in paeds where a completely different tact is needed. It's certainly a challenging time to move into the NHS. I have been a nurse for 19 years and the changes are immense. Very technical now, with us taking on more clinical tasks and HCA'S doing more of our role.
A lot of nurses are animal lovers apparently, I guess it's all caring.

Do you work in the U.K.? I have literally never worked in a vets with coffins and I’ve been in practice for over 20 years. Both first opinion and referral

Yes I’m in the south east. Have worked in teaching hospitals and first op- both have coffins, when I say coffin I mean a cardboard box… but a nice looking box none the less.

Do you judge owners if their pets are overweight?

Yes I’m in the south east. Have worked in teaching hospitals and first op- both have coffins, when I say coffin I mean a cardboard box… but a nice looking box none the less.

Never judge no, it’s so easy to have an overweight pet. I let my own cat get too chunky at one point. But we will always tell a client if their pet is and give them advise on how to promote healthy weight loss.

I appreciate the honesty and wish there was a rule no incentives to promote certain foods . As many that I see at vets look ‘scientific’ but their ingredients are really not helpful and ddog will not touch any of the poultry ‘meal’ /wheat-heavy foods I see at our local vet.
www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk/#q=royal%20canin
(sorry to raise the only negative I can think of but I do find it unhelpful / ironic as food such a basis of good health and would love more consciousness of this and therefore no potential bias in what is recommended ).

i would love DD to train as a vet nurse and do what you do and much admire it. I don’t know if she’d get high enough grades but she’d love to .

In every practice I’ve ever worked in they go in a plastic bag. Never seen a box in my life! You have Great Dane/Newfoundland sized boxes? How does that even work storage wise? How would you lift that in to the freezer and back out again?

When I was last at my vet's to pick up worm and flea treatment, there was a sign on the door asking clients to let the vet know if their pet is raw fed. Why would this be? I was worried about getting a lecture, but now I'm worried there is some specific concern they'd be looking for.

You are to be commended for considering going into human nursing but please remember not to fit those cone things around the neck on post-op patients.