What vital roles do veterinarians play in our community's health?

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.

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. The skills required for being a vet are numerous, as you not only have to have the skills to complete 2 difficult university degrees, but also have the people skills to talk to owners. You also have to have skills to think on your feet, be resourceful, be good at both working alone and as a team, be good with handling animals and also be good with understanding money and be good at running a business. Along with this you also have to be kind, compassionate, patient and caring. It is a very difficult career, but a very rewarding one. In order to become a vet you first need to finish high-school, and then do an undergraduate degree taking specific courses (the list of courses you can get from the vet school in your province), and then you have to apply to vet school which is competitive. In order to get into vet school, you have to not only get good grades in university, you also sometimes need to write the MCAT (depending on the school) which is a test that doctors write to get into medical school, and you also need to have experience with animals, both small companion animals and large animals (sheep, cows, etc.). Once you get into vet school, you have to complete that degree, and then write a board exam called the NAVLE. A veterinary career is full of oppourtunities and is incredibly variable, allowing one to pursue many different types of jobs. Also, you can specialize after vet school if you want to work specifically in one area, such as surgery, or medicine. Best of luck with your project! I recommend contacting the vet school in your province to get more specific information about requirements.

Hello! Sounds like you're interested in pursuing this career choice :-) I am happy to answer some questions for you, but we're limited in the length of our answer in the "free" forum here, so if you'd like a more thorough answer please request a consultation and I'm happy to go into more detail! There are many different types of veterinarians and different careers that can be pursued. I work in a busy small animal practice, and a typical day involves either surgery or seeing appointments. Either way, it's a busy job - lots of juggling scheduled appointments, "add-on" (urgent care style) appointments, drop off hospitalized animals, and phone calls, and LOTS of paperwork as everything needs to be thoroughly documented in the animal's medical record. What makes this job most interesting is the variety, as we see all conditions and never know what the day has in store! You might spend a morning suturing a laceration, managing an emergency, counseling an owner on training a new puppy, or talking through behavioral concerns. I initially decided to become a veterinarian when I was a small child due to my love of animals, then solidified the decision as an adult when I realized how much I enjoy the problem-solving aspect of medicine. The best moment of being a vet is when I am caring for a sick animal and I get to see the first tangible signs that it's feeling better. For example, when a sick animal who hasn't eaten in days suddenly shows enthusiasm about food. That's a good feeling! The worst moments are navigating the difficult decisions about juggling care and money concerns - vets all wish we could provide the best possible care for all of our patients, but unfortunately good care costs money, and this is a limitation that many owners have. If we could treat everyone for free we would! But it's just not possible to do so and remain in business. Good communication is absolutely essential to being a good vet. Ultimately the decisions about care need to be made by the owners, and they need to understand what you're recommending and why, as well as understand anything necessary regarding follow-up care. A common challenging situation is when we are booked with appointments, and then an emergency comes in that absolutely requires our immediate time and attention. Patients need to be triaged and emergencies need to take priority, but we also want to respect people who have appointment times and don't want to keep them waiting - so again this job requires a lot of juggling! The most important thing to focus on in high school is taking lots of advanced classes and doing what you can to excel. Particularly focus on math and science, but all aspects of education are important at the high school level. Get as much experience with animals as you can, as vet schools will want to know that you are aware of what you're getting into wiht vet school! Shadow a vet if you can, work in a boarding kennel, etc. Good luck! Again, if you want additional information you are absolutely welcome to request a consultation!

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.

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 Mhabelle! I will be glad to answer your questions :-) 1. I have wanted to be a vet since I was a child. I have always loved animals, and knew from the time I was little that I wanted to look after them. 2. Yes, I have two dogs (a Basset Hound and a Chow Chow), and four cats. 3. The best thing about being a vet is being able to help make sick animals healthy again. 4. If you get a pet, you have to be prepared to pay for their veterinary care. Pets needs regular care, just like humans, and should be vaccinated, treated for fleas, intestinal worms, and heartworms. Pets need to be looked after, and when they are sick, they have to see a vet.