Ask a Veterinarian anything

116 Questions

Last Answer on January 14, 2019

What is your favorite part of being a veterinarian?

Asked by Mary almost 8 years ago

It's probably getting to develop relationships with families and their pets over the years. I have had some clients for going on 9 years now, and it's wonderful that I can know their pets without looking up any records.

523 Votes

Is it true that in vet school, you learn to work with all types of animals?

Asked by Mary almost 8 years ago

Definitely! While most vets end up directing their efforts into one group of species (such as dogs and cats, farm animals, etc.), our basic education includes at least a little in every kind of animal used in pets or food production.

517 Votes

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What are the biggest challenges of being a veterinarian?

Asked by Mary almost 8 years ago

It's very hard emotionally. We see death, injury, and illness on a daily basis. Often the health and life of a patient is entirely in our hands, and that's a huge weight on our shoulders. If we make the wrong decision in diagnosis or treatment it can literally mean the difference between life and death. You WILL make mistakes, no matter how good you are, and that's hard to realize and handle.

505 Votes

What is your favorite thing about being a vet

Asked by Marjorie over 7 years ago

Building bonds with clients and getting to take care of their pets year after year. I love most of my long-term clients and the ways we learn to interact with each other. That bond is awesome and something you don't always get. As far as actual tasks, I love any kind of soft tissue surgery. But that's something not every vet can say and some dread surgery.

501 Votes

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Our indoor cat yelps every night at the same exact time between 11:00 pm - 11:30 pm
for about 5-10 minutes What in the world is the cat trying to tell us?

Asked by Doug over 7 years ago

Hard to say without talking to you in more detail in person. He (she?) could be asking for food, trying to find you, wanting to be let out, or just about anything else. Cats only meow to humans and not each other, so he's vocalizing just to you.

501 Votes

What is the hardest animal you ever worked on?

Asked by Marjorie over 7 years ago

Turtles! They're not hard to handle, but there are a lot of other problems. It's extremely difficult to give them anything orally since they don't want to open their mouths unless biting you or eating, and the way their upper beak overhangs the lower one you can't force it open. It's impossible to hear their heart and lungs through their shell, which limits your exam. You can also feel only small parts of their body so you miss a lot of palpation that you can easily do on any other animal. I find them my most challenging patients.

494 Votes