Dr. Chris Bern
21 Years Experience
Cartersville, GA
Male, 49
I have been a practicing veterinarian since 1997, but have been in and around the profession since 1984. I am a general practitioner and see most pet species, from dogs and cats to parrots and snakes. In my job I do everything from routine vaccinations to complex surgeries and difficult medical cases. Becoming a vet takes hard work and dedication but can be very rewarding.
More often than people may think and certainly more often than I'd like. Theoretically we should be able to figure out almost anything. Many of the times we "can't figure it out" it's actually because the client can't afford further diagnostic testing in a complicated case, or simply doesn't want to pursue the issue for one reason or another. Even if we don't have a specific answer, with knowledge, experience, and diagnostic tests we can usually narrow it down to our top 2 or 3 possibilities.
I've absolutely had cases where the pet is obviously sick, but every test I run comes out normal, leaving me scratching my head. In those situations we either make our best guess or refer the patient to a specialist for further work-up. And sometimes I believe our patients get better in spite of us rather than because of us.
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First, let me say that I haven't worked with horses since around 1996 while I was in vet school, so my equine medicine is quite rusty.
That being said, this does sound reasonable. Tetanus shots are very important as horses are highly susceptible to this disease (interestingly, dogs and cats are NOT and therefore don't need tetanus vaccination). Barbed wire can cause some nasty wounds, depending on how badly the horse was caught on it. Sometimes it may need cleaning, stitching, and antibiotics. In more severe cases it may require some reconstructive surgery, regular bandage changes with topical medications, and so on. So part of how it is treated depends on how severe the wound is.
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Let me first burst your bubble and say that NOTHING in veterinary medicine has a salary competitive with the human medical field. Whatever you make in my field will have a salary 2-3 times higher for a comparative position in human medicine.
Currently there really isn't a demand for veterinary ultrasound techs, at least as far as I know. Most of the time the vet does the ultrasound themselves, even specialists. It's very uncommon for the tech to do the exam and then pass the results on to the vet for interpretation. So if you're going to get extensive training in sonography it will probably be wasted in the veterinary profession unless you're a vet yourself.
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Spaying and neutering a cat is typically done between 4 and 6 months old, though many shelters perform this surgery at young as 8 weeks old. Each vet has their own typical comfort level regarding the age at which they will "fix" a pet.
Puberty and the associated hormonal surges happen around 7-9 months old in dogs and cats. When an male cat who isn't neutered hits that point they may start to urinate ("spray") to mark their territory. However, there can be other behavioral and medical reasons why a cat may urinate outside of the litter box, so if you're concerned talk to your vet.
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Talk to your vet more about this case, as I'd have to have the full case work-up to give any reasonable advice. I'm also careful about giving specific advice via the internet, as I don't have a proper relationship with the pet to be truly informed. A couple of things come to mind, though. First, make sure that she has been getting NOTHING other than her food for that time period. And I mean absolutely, positively, NOTHING. No treats, no sneaking another pet's food, no eating scraps out of the sink, and so on. If there is a true food allergy you should see results in about 10-12 weeks on that food. But if there is ANY deviation at all during that time it could activate the allergy.
Second, she may need to see a dermatology specialist. This is not uncommon as skin and allergy cases can be difficult and frustrating. Talk to your vet about this option.
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I was 9 years old when I first realized that I wanted to be a vet. I already loved animals and science, and it was a natural progression.
Becoming a vet was definitely different from my expectations! I had worked in the field for about 13 years prior to graduating so I thought I had a good idea. The longer I practiced the more I realized that there were politics, communication issues, managing staff, and many other concerns that I had never considered. I also didn't realize that the job could be so mentally draining because of the stress of trying to figure out complicated cases. And then there are the very long days sometimes without a lunch break. No matter what I thought I knew, actually being a vet was different.
I'm a small animal general practitioner. That means that I'm a jack of all trades, master of none. Most of my patients are dogs and cats, but almost every day I'll see an "exotic" pet, such as a tortise, rat, cockatiel, etc. I have special interests in behavior and soft tissue surgery, but I'm not specialized in those areas.
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First of all, you get to work with animals, which may people enjoy. You also help strengthen the bond between animals and people, help heal the sick and injured, and relieve suffering. The salary isn't bad, though is not as high as most people think.
The downsides is the rather frightening debt-to-income ratio, which is reaching a true crisis. You also work long, often hard hours. And it's frequently disgusting with daily doses of urine, feces, pus, and blood.
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