"Tails" from the Veterinarian!

There seem to be several people who work as Vet Techs (such as myself) or another type of employ at Veterinary offices. I think it would be interesting to share some insights and tales from our experiences as employees in animal health care (this can include foster people, rescue or any other type of person involved in animal health).

I'm still fairly new to working in a veterinary hospital and it has really been an eye opener! I am learning a lot and getting used to all the hospital lingo! Since I'm still very new and haven't had previous hospital experience, I'm starting out very slowly and only assisting the vet and the other techs with different activities. I am the primary dog bather though, and am good at that! :D LOL I saw the biggest puppy that I've ever seen in my entire life here at the hospital! He came in for a bath, so I was the lucky gal to give this hippo a bath! It was an 8 month old 155 pound baby Neopoliton Mastiff!! :eek: Talk about a big baby! LOL

Since I come from the computer industry, I just had to get my hands on the computers at work, and I made a nice website for our hospital. You can see it at the Gilroy Veterinary Hospital website. By request of my vet, I am going to add a section about interesting surgeries and patient updates. I'll have to put a warning on that part though, because I have taken some pretty graphic pictures. I haven't put that link up yet, but will let you all know when I do just in case you're interested.
I'll tell you about the "cottage cheese and gravy" cat in another post, but first, let's get this thread going? What has been your experience in Pet health care? :)
**hugs**

Does anyone have any interesting stories or insights to share?
:confused:

155 lb?!?!?! :eek::eek::eek:

He's weighs more than me! :eek:

WOW! :eek:

Sounds like you're having a great experience! Tell us more!

I've had thoughts of becomming a vet tech. I would like to hear thoughts from people about the job, what schooling and training is required, etc. I'd love to hear more stories! :)

Love the website!!! Really, really excellent!!! :D

*faxing in resume*

But seriously, do Dr. Harrigan and/or Dr. Martinez have pre-vet students as interns? I've had very poor luck in trying to secure an internship so far. If you could ask them if they do ever take interns under their wing (I know it's a lot of extra work for a vet!) then I would seriously fax in my resume!

I especially liked the first aid section! I'm hoping to become a Red Cross Instructor for their new-ish "Pet First Aid Training" program. I'm already working on becoming an instructor for their babysitting classes. I chose to do the babysitting class first as they have a very high demand for instructors and not enough trained to teach the class.

Hmmmm...I will share one of the most shocking experiences I had while working at the Hawaiian Humane Society.

I worked at the incoming department of the humane society so I got to see everything--- both the good and the bad.... wild birds, a wallaby (cutest thing), fighting dogs, sick cats, hit-by-car DOA dogs, newborn kittens and also the friendly and healthy animals that would be put up for adoption.

One day we had a man come in with a kitty in a covered box, he explained that she was very old and sick and his mother had asked him to bring her to us to be put out of her misery. We always transfer the kitties to our own carriers before we take them to the holding area or the euthanasia area. So we uncovered the box and saw what appeared to be a very old and lethargic beautiful tabby cat with white. Next my boss carefully transferred the poor thing to our carrier. It was horrible to watch because she was obviously very uncomfortable. When we had pulled her entire body out of the box we noticed a HUGE, UGLY WOUND on her side. It was very deep, roundish in shape and probably about 4 inches in diameter! The wound was emanating a horrible rotten smell and I could make out white maggots wiggling throughout it! This was not a new injury, it had obviously been festering for some time. Now let me explain that at our humane society we are expected to treat "customers" with the utmost respect. While this is often the very last thing some of these horrible people deserve it is done for the logical reason that we want people to feel comfortable bringing their animals to us. We know that turning in their animals to us far better than the alternatives like shooting them or dumping them off somewhere to fend for themselves. So for a moment Dallas (my boss) and I are just in complete shock but we eventually regain our composure and Dallas takes the kitty immediately to the euthanasia area. We treat this man like any other customer until he is out the door and no other customers are in the incoming area. Then we rip him to shreds with all the obvious remarks.... "Why the hell didn't they do something about that wound earlier?" and "I've never seen maggots on a live animal in my life!" etc....etc..... :(

It was horrible to see that but I am glad that Miss Kitty's suffering was ended as humanely as possible. May she RIP.

Awesome thread!! :)

I don't see the "yucky" stuff as much, but I sure do if I have to talk to a doctor while they're in surgery. :eek: Not the best part of my job, but it is very interesting.

I've seen declaws, anal glad removals, spay/neuters, euthanasias, foxtail removal (which is a HUGE thing at our vet...I'd never even thought about something like that hurting an animal so much!) and other wierd/strange things I've never even heard about.

The worst part is when people have to put their beloved animals to sleep. I can't imagine how hard it is to have to do that and try to keep your composure in front of strangers. Poor, poor people. :(

The BEST part is seeing all the animals. I love my job because of that. I get to get head bumpies, slobbery doggy kisses and lots of lovins from all the patients and I love it.

A story? :) This dog came in over a week ago for a removal of some benign growth on his back leg. That dog has been in EVERY OTHER DAY to restitch his wound because he keeps undoing it!! He's torn through his e-collar each time and even ate his way through the spikes the doctor put in on Tuesday. Yep...they were in again today!!! Silly dog!

Oh Geez, I have TOO many to count! I can tell you about Ewok though. He was my rescued bottle baby that someone brought into work when he was two weeks old. I have had him ever since.



We have had lions, tigers, a serval, a racoon, and other exotics in our hospital, since Dr. Barrett used to be the head vet at Wildlife Safari and has worked with many different exotic and wild animal species. :)


My first job I saw a lot of nasty things at work. I was 18 then and it was my first vet assistant job. Now I do tech work, although I started out cleaning kennels. I am trying to finish school to become a vet, although I think I am changing my mind and may become a Zoologist instead so that I can work with big cats.


I too have taken some grose pics at work. I was lucky enough to help with Ewok's surgery, as well as Mystic and Houdini's. I do however get a little queezy working on my own pets.


A few months ago I got to do my first necropsy on a dead chinchilla. We didn't find anything wrong besides little fatty pustules on his intestines and stomach, but everything else was fine. No cancer or anything so we were clueless as to why he passed away.

There was a dog in not too long ago who had been hit by a car. The dog was very old. We did an x ray and he had a broken back, nothing we could do for him, especially since he was 13 yrs old. To our surpirse when we took the x ray we also found that he had about 30 bladder stones which were absolutely HUGE! They were the biggest I and the vet's had ever seen. I have no idea how this dog was able to urinate.


When I was working at Garden Grove Pet Hospital we had a puppy come in who ate 50 pounds (and I am serious!) of rubber bands. We did surgery on him and the next week he was in to remove a nail he had eaten. Ok maybe it wasn't 50 pounds but it sure was a LOT!

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Originally posted by NoahsMommy
Awesome thread!! :)



The worst part is when people have to put their beloved animals to sleep. I can't imagine how hard it is to have to do that and try to keep your composure in front of strangers. Poor, poor people.
:(

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Well after doing it so many times it's something you just get used to. You just try your hardest to not burst into tears.

A few months ago a lady came in with a small white dog, it might have been either a poddle or a Bichon, I am not sure. Our vet's do not arrive at the office until 8 am, but we open at 7:30 for early morning drop offs. I felt so bad for this lady. We put her in a room and the dog was vomiting everywhere. She was praying outloud to GOD begging him to save her dog. It was so sad. She was crying so heavily. Finally the vets took the dog in the back and the lady went home. During an x ray the dog died on the table. She called at lunch and I was the one who had to answer the phone.........I hate that. The vet informed me that I was to tell her she was being worked on and that she should come down. We did not want to tell her that her dog died over the phone because if you saw this lady you would know you had to tell her in person because she was so distraught.

We were actually a little scared to tell her because we thought she may commit suicide, seriously. The dog was a present from her husband, who had passed away a few years ago and was the only memento of her husband she had. The dog meant everything to her.

When I went to lunch the lady showed up. They took her in the back surgery room to tell her the news and she started balling. I have never heard anyone cry as hard as I did this women. I couldn't help but cry too, as much as I tried not to. It was one of the saddest things I have ever witnessed in my whole life. :(

Thanks for the compliments on the website, Kater! :) I'm still adding content, but I just wanted to get a base site up. I'm glad you liked the first aid section. I'm going to add some text to other emergencies in that section. I can't believe what happened with that poor cat! I don't think I could have been nice to that person. I know that must have been hard for you. We had some rich b**ch of a lady drive up to the shelter when I was volunteering there about a month ago, in her BMW to drop off her cat. She said that she wanted us to euthanize it. The reason? It was peeing on her precious carpets. Hmmm...So nice of her to find the reason. This poor cat was so overweight and could barely fit in the cage it was brought in. It probably had diabetes from being overweight, or simply it was peeing on the carpet to tell her that he was too fat. Otherwise it looked fine. I was so mad. People are so stupid sometimes. :(

Yes, our vets actually have several unregistered techs working for them. Actually, the really neat thing about where I work is that Dr. Martinez is really into teaching us stuff. He is the one that hired me on the spot when I brought my cat Sergei in for his shots in May. I had been laid off as a result of the "dot bomb" and I was just making small talk with the vet when I was in the exam room and I said something about volunteering for FOSMAS (Friends of San Martin Animal Shelter) since I was laid off. He looked at me and said, "Do you want a job?" LOL Now that's not something you get every day! I told him that I don't have any licenses or anything, and he said it was ok. I started work the next day! Since I don't have a medical background, all the lingo like "get me some 4 op monocryl" has been pretty odd to get used to, but I'm learning. In fact, our main "vet tech" is going through a class right now to get her license. Another girl that I really like is also currently taking a class to get her certification for being an Assistant. If I decide to stay on long term, I will probably do the same thing. I'll gain the experience on the job, then take the classes and the tests to get the license. It's funny, because basically we have undergone a complete staff change, so everyone is still getting situated and finding their niche.

The first day I was on the job, I almost passed out! :o They were doing a search for an embedded foxtail in a paw of a lab and for some reason it just made me queasy. I got really hot and started to sweat. I must have been pale as a sheet! I sat down and had a drink of pop. The vet said not to worry about it, because it happens when you're first around this stuff. I am slowly getting used to the gore of the surgery rooms.
Kelly, I know what you mean about not really expecting things like foxtails to be so frequent. It is at our hospital too! I think foxtail surgeries have been some of the most popular surgeries along with hematomas. Even my little Priya had a foxtail in her ear when I adopted her, so it was removed when she was spayed at the shelter! Gosh! I really need to watch out for those things!
I really felt out of place at first, because it is quite definitely a drastic change from the computer industry. At least I'm still getting some computer action by doing the website, so that makes me happy. I feel honoured when Dr. Martinez tells clients to take a look at the website, because he likes it as a resource.

I know what you all mean about the poor people who come in to have their animals put down. I am such a sap, and I cry at everything, so it's really hard for me to keep from crying when our clients are in such misery. I usually rub their arms or pat their backs, poor things! Great stories everyone! Keep em coming! :)

Karen! You have done a great job with the website! I'll be anxious to watch it develop!

I was especially glad to see that you have Pet of the Day listed in the links!!! :)

I would be so happy to see any of you as the vet tech in our vet's office! Knowing your love for all animals, I know you are each a blessing for those patients and their human parents. :)

Speaking of foxtails, wow those things sure can be dangerous. There was a rotty puppy in not too long ago that had one in her eye. Poor girl! We knew something was bugging her but it took us over an hour to find the foxtail. He eye was so swollen. We had to keep putting dye in her eye and then using one of those long qtips to push around the area of her eye. We had to dig so deep but finally we found it.


Kater, I have seen several maggots on dogs and cats, mostly stray cats that come in.


One of the worst smelliest things though is working on dogs with intestinal cancer. When we put Morgan down they had just finished operating on her to see what was wrong. When they opened her her intestines were so bad. We decided to euthanize her while she was still under anesthesia. It was the worst experience because her insides were literally rotting away, and after she passed she vomited up a bunch of her liquid intestines and it was the most horrible smell on earth. It is not the last picture you want to hold in your mind of your beloved dog.

Geez now you got me on a roll! I could go on for hours lol! :p


One of the things I hate the most are when the puppies come in to get their dewclaws and tails docked. :( They cry so bad, poor things. They always knumb the tail but they NEVER knumb the feet and these puppies are just wide awake while someone cuts off their toes. :mad: :(

Unfortunately these are the things I have to deal with when you are in this profession. People always say they will get over it and never knew it happens etc etc etc, but I don't care. Wouldn't it hurt you if someone cut your toe off? I can't believe the way some people think. Of course at our clinic we also do declaws as well, but we don't do ear cropping I don't think.


The funnest things for me are the neuters. Dr. Barrington was telling me once that the older vet used to let his techs do the neuters without teaching them the right way, and that he lost a lot of cats to bleeding to death because of it. This is also the vet who did "botched" declaws and the cats had to come in to get re-declawed. :rolleyes:

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Originally posted by Logan
Karen! You have done a great job with the website! I'll be anxious to watch it develop!

I was especially glad to see that you have Pet of the Day listed in the links!!! :)
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:o
Thanks Logan! You know I just couldn't resist adding Pet of the Day on our Cool Links page! It was a must! :D

What a great idea for a thread Karen! I think the following is so touching.

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Originally posted by luckies4me
The vet informed me that I was to tell her she was being worked on and that she should come down. We did not want to tell her that her dog died over the phone because if you saw this lady you would know you had to tell her in person because she was so distraught.

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What a thoughtful vet to spare the woman this grief for a little while. I can't imagine having to drive to the vet's after hearing that news. He was very wise and compassionate. I am sure the ride home for her was incredibly sad though. I remember driving home after having my Peaches (toy poodle at the RB) put to sleep. I was all alone and certainly shouldn't have been on the road operating a car. :(

Karen, first of all, congratulations on the Web Site. I have bookmarked it so I can go back to it later. What a great job you have done (but isn't that just like you?).

I am so impressed that your vets were so careful of the woman's feelings over the loss of her beloved dog. Believe me, just that kind of thoughtfulness can make such a difference. It is so hard to lose a pet when you have such a strong bond with them.

I sure wish you continued success, it sounds as though you have found two great vets to work with and that they appreciate all of your efforts.

Hugs to you, Karen

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Originally posted by gini


I am so impressed that your vets were so careful of the woman's feelings over the loss of her beloved dog. Believe me, just that kind of thoughtfulness can make such a difference. It is so hard to lose a pet when you have such a strong bond with them.

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That was me. ;) It's hard when you are the one answering the phone and having to lie about the animal, but it was in her best interest. That dog meant everything to her. I mean she was praying out loud to christ asking him to save her dog. It was truly one of the saddest things I had ever seen. :(