What are the pros and cons of being an animal cruelty investigator?

1) Best part of the job is helping make an animal feel better after the owner has lost hope. 2) This job can be very stressful at times. You have to deal with emergencies, well visits, different species, and pet owners who are understandably emotional. You have to know how to do surgery and deal with potential complications. You have to deal with stressful situations like euthanasias. Student loans for veterinary school are extremely high and most veterinary salaries are too low to pay off loans quickly or at all. 3) Dogs 4) I don't enjoy my job when there is a very sick animal and the owners are unable to pursue treatment. 5) I've worked with a few very good veterinarians that inspired me to become a veterinarian 6) Some days are tough but I've never wanted to totally quit 7) Being unable to pay off loans and only being able to live paycheck to paycheck was not expected 8) I dislike the stress associated with owners financial concerns and the stress of surgery. 9) A good veterinarian should be a good communicator and compassionate. They will need to be a hard worker 10) A veterinarian should work to educate the community on the importance of pet health care and risks to the general population. They should take care of companion and food animals to prevent animal disease and the possibility of human disease.

I'd be happy to answer your questions! What I like most about my job is helping sick animals. I work primarily for a home euthanasia service, and while it seems sad that I put animals to sleep, I find it very rewarding to help ease their pain and suffering. What I dislike most is seeing abused animals. It really hurts to see them in terrible conditions. I also love working with horses, and do that as a relief job (meaning I fill in as needed). I would say they are the most interesting work with as a vet. Each animal has their own difficulties with treating them, so I couldn't honestly pick one that is easier or harder. They all present their own difficulties when working with them. I think what makes me a good vet is my compassion and love for animals. The most difficult situation I've faced so far is putting to sleep an extremely aggressive and sick old cat that I couldn't even touch without her trying to bite and scratch me. I had a vet student along with me seeing what I did, and luckily I had her to help catch this cat and hold her so I could give sedation. It took a very long time to catch her, and I had many deep scratches at the end of it! The biggest challenge of being a vet is having a balanced personal and work life. Being a vet is not a 9-5 job, it's long hours and on call, and that makes it hard to have time with family and friends. It's very important, however, to make sure you do have time to yourself and with your family.

I can try to help you, but I will not be giving you my last name or the organization I work for to keep my privacy. I've had people try to track me down outside the site, so I do not want to give too much identifying information. 1. Dr. Melanie 2. Home euthanasia service and locum vet (filling in at vet clinics as needed) 3. With the home euthanasia service, I provide both hospice and euthanasia services. I basically go to people's homes and put their animals to sleep. Our organization only does this for old and sick pets, and having this done in the home is a great comfort to both the owners and their pets. With my locum work, I typically do surgery. I cover for vets who are sick or on holiday, and I perform routine surgeries such as spays and neuters on cats and dogs. 4. The home euthanasia service is as needed and an appointment can last anywhere from 20 minutes to a few hours. It depends on the owner and how long they want me there, there is no set time. The cost of this varies on the type of pet and the weight of the pet, as well as if they want their pet cremated and returned to them. A consultation with me for this service is $100NZ, and my fee is included in the pricing of our services. As for the locum, as I said, I work as needed and can work up to 8-9 hours a day. I get paid $45NZ an hour for this. 5. Veterinary degree is required. 6. Working in a vet clinic is required to get into vet school. Prospective students should have many hours of experience in a vet clinic so they can start to have an understanding of what the job of a vet entails. 7. In my jobs, there isn't really a chance for advancement but because I cover an area solo, I basically am at the top of the business with the home euthanasia service. 8. I am a doctor. 9. I'm not sure what you mean by work experience. I enjoy my jobs, I love both surgery and the home euthanasia. I feel like with the home euthanasia that I'm giving sick animals a gift of letting them go peacefully and without further pain. I hope this helps!

Hi and thanks for your request. The salary and the promotion steps would vary a lot depending on the type of work you are doing (clinical versus public health vs research). The passion for biology and animals and medicine gave me inspiration for choosing this profession. Personal hardest animals are horses. It is quite easy to get a job but that would depend were you work and what type of job you want to do. Passion for animals and learning and perseverance are important in this profession and they are what you have to keep in mind (unwritten rules). I have learned that failure is an important part of this profession and has to be taken with a positive attitude.

I am a veterinarian and I would be glad to answer your questions! 1. Yes, the job is worth it to me. I love what I do, and in veterinary medicine, there are many different career paths. I was a small animal vet, but I've since moved into an industry job focusing on food safety and animal welfare. It's not where I thought I would end up working, but I absolutely love it. 2. Ha ha yes, you will always run into pets that will bite in this job! 3. I recommend picking a college that has a pre-veterinary program. That way, it ensures you take the courses you need in order to be eligible for vet school. I went to Purdue University, so I highly recommend that :-) 4. Yes, I do love my job. I have a great work/life balance, my particular sector of the industry is very low stress, and and I find the work interesting. Sometimes I do miss the hands on aspect of working with small animals, but my job is really awesome. 5. I personally wouldn't pick a different career. I hope this helps!

Hello Nicholas and thank you for your questions. Every person is different. Certainly the more procedures you preform, the more used to things you become but for some people, the sights and smells may always bother them. Most veterinarians deal with a lot of stress. It's not all puppies and kittens. This is a highly rewarding career but it is absolutely a tough career. Also remember that there are many types of veterinary practices and many types of personalities. You have to find what is best for you. Some of us work on call but that can compromise your quality of life. My advice to you would be to work in a clinic for a few years before making the decision. Make sure you realize the stress levels, time commitment and quality of life compromising that can affect veterinarians. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Hi, I am a vet and I'd be glad to answer your questions! The average a vet makes varies by area and clinics, and the type of animal you work with (i.e. large animal, small animal, equine), but the average starting salary can be around $70k. I've always wanted to be a veterinarian, even since I can remember. It's the only job I've wanted to do since I was a child. I work with small animals and horses. I attended Purdue University for my undergraduate degrees, but i went to Massey University in New Zealand for veterinary school. It's accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association, and I got to move to the most beautiful country in the world :-) It took me a long time to get where I am, as I didn't get into vet school right away. I went and got a master's degree before going back to vet school. If you get into vet school right out of college, it will take at least eight years total (four in college and four in vet school) before you are a qualified vet. I'm not sure what you mean by any other achievements in this career, sorry. You need to be aware that being a vet isn't a 9-5 job. It's very long hours, there is a high amount of debt from vet school, and the pay relatively isn't great for the amount of debt. I do love working with animals, but sometimes working with owners carries its own difficulties. It's also hard to lose a patient, and seeing cases of animal abuse are especially difficult. You really have to have a passion for animals for this job, but also understand it's not easy. The road to get here is very hard and the job itself is very hard, but it can be rewarding. If you want a true idea of what it's like to be a vet, I would volunteer at a vet's clinic to get that experience. I hope this helps!