Disturbing pic of cat on forums website

[happylabs]

I did find the picture disturbing until Karen gave the explanation. It's a weird picture and I don't understand how that is at a vet's office. Certainly doesn't look it to me, but I don't agree with this statement much either. A teenager, being supervised by a professional vet is perfectly capable of cleaning up the area of a cat. NOT the surgical part, but the perparation part, yes. I have a friend, whom for his SAE project for our FFA program volunteers at a Vet's office and cleans cages, walks dogs, etc. But he has helped prepare animals for surgery, doing easy things like this boy is doing, the vet was not only supervising but helping him in the process. I myself don't see how age matters here, being a Vet(or to get in vet school) you need experience and this is perfect experience for that.

Sorry but I regard the medical/surgical care of my pets as important as if it were a human relative. I am checking with my vet to see if minors are allowed to assist in surgical prep.

[aTailOf2Kitties]

You all are totally overreacting. It's a cat tied down for surgery prep. The vet I used to work at used the exact same setup. A small room with a surgical table, anesthesia machine and surgery lights. The animal was tied down at 4 corners to keep it from rolling around as the doctor performed surgery. So don't say it can't be a vet, because I saw it every day. The whole room got sterilized every morning and the table cleaned before each surgery. Cats were given an injection in their holding cage, intubated (this place may be using a mask instead), tied to the table, shaved, vaccummed, scrubbed, covered in a sterile drape, operated on, and placed in an adjoining room to recover.

Please keep in mind that not every town has a huge million-dollar surgery suite with rows and rows of tables. Small-town, independant vet clinics look just like that pic more often than not.

As far as the kid goes.... geez it's a Dustbuster. It's not like they turned him loose with a scalpel and a bottle of Ketamine Somebody stop him before he gets the gauze and Nolvasan scrub!

[happylabs]

I don't understand the purpose of the picture being taken and I also don't understand why the person got an award. I just don't get it...

[Lady's Human]

I fail to see the issue with having a minor help with surgical prep.

It's a good way to learn.

[RICHARD]

Surgery preps can be alarming to look at, whether for animals or us humans.

LOL, after years of working in human ORs I saw plenty of Wardrobe Malfunctions. They are alarming-especially when you see a rather large area of skin that has been 'denuded'.

My only concern about the DustBuester is the exhaust and what stuff gets blown up into the air-The HVAC systems in ORs have heavy duty air scrubbers to take out any gunk in the air!

I didn't see the pic and won't......

[Twisterdog]

Well, I stand corrected ... I had no idea that some vets let NINE YEAR OLD children assist with surgery, not wear sterile operating room scrubs, etc. Sure am glad MY vet does not operate like this one!

I agree with happylabs ... when my pets go to the vet for surgery, I expect the same professional, sterile, careful treatment as I would for a human relative.

[aTailOf2Kitties]

Well, I stand corrected ... I had no idea that some vets let NINE YEAR OLD children assist with surgery, not wear sterile operating room scrubs, etc. Sure am glad MY vet does not operate like this one!

are you sure? Have you ever sat in on a surgery?

He's not assisting with surgery. It's just prep. If your teenage kid puts gas in your car while you remain in the driver's seat, would you consider that as "assisting" your drive home?

[Alysser]

I am checking with my vet to see if minors are allowed to assist in surgical prep.

Why wouldn't they be? If they are being supervised I don't understand the harm in it. No one said anything about immaturity, I know but it all goes back to that. This is like saying I, A 16 year old, shouldn't be allowed to volunteer at my local shelter. I have gotten this from so many adults who don't trust me. I've been a volunteer there for 6 months now and this lady who thinks she knows it all, and who has been a volunteer a grand total of 2 months, always comes up to me and asks me if I'm a volunteer. She asked me the last time I was there why I was walking a large dog? BECAUSE I CAN HANDLE IT. I can handle animals perfectly fine, I'm not going to drop one, hurt one, or do something stupid and immature with it. This may come as a surprise to some of you but being an adult doesn't make you an automatic professional in Veterinary Science. If this is something I am interested in doing, why shouldn't I be allowed to gain experience along with my college degree in it? Why not start young? I'm sorry I just don't understand the mentality of not trusting younger people to be able to do things like this.

You can call me rude or whatever you like and you can say you only feel this way because you are a minor. No, that's not true either. Things like this just annoy me. The only two people who have EVER trusted me full on 100% with animals/pets is my Agriscience Teacher and my parents. They have never worried about animals in my hands. I'm not going to deliberatly hurt an animal, never ever ever ever would I ever do that.

[Twisterdog]

are you sure? Have you ever sat in on a surgery?

He's not assisting with surgery. It's just prep. If your teenage kid puts gas in your car while you remain in the driver's seat, would you consider that as "assisting" your drive home?

Actually, yes, I have, several times. Well, not the entire surgery, my queasy stomach couldn't stand it all. My vet is a good friend of mine, and one of his vet techs is one of my oldest and dearest friends. So, yes, I am absolutely sure.

And can YOU be sure it's "just prep". The article said the kid has been assisting for four years - you SURE he's been content to do nothing but run the dust buster for four years?

He is thirteen NOW, so he started this when he was NINE, not a teenager. If my nine year old accidently put diesel in my car instead of gasoline, because he is a NINE year old CHILD ... I'd consider that my stupidity in trusting a child to do an adult's job, frankly.

Alysser, there is a BIG difference in a sixteen year old volunteering to walk dogs at a shelter and a nine year old prepping an animal for surgery, IMO. Completely apples and oranges. Should that not go without saying?

I'm just saying I wouldn't want a nine year old child prepping my mother or son for surgery. Would any of you? But it's ok for our pets?