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How to survive insomnia
Insomnia can be incredibly frustrating – image ©iStock.com/YinYang

It’s examination time and vet students across the UK are frantically trying to fill their heads with long, complicated words they can’t even hope to spell.

With exams comes stress (which can manifest in many different ways), but as a professional bad-sleeper I wanted to share some advice on surviving an old adversary of mine: insomnia.

Loosely, insomnia means “poor sleep” and could mean anything from having trouble dropping off to waking repeatedly throughout the night.

If you see a doctor complaining of chronic sleep deprivation, they’ll give you a lovely printout describing “the science of sleep” and some advice along the lines of:
- Don’t drink caffeine after midday.
- Switch entirely to decaffeinated tea/coffee.
- Get up and do something if you haven’t fallen asleep within a certain amount of time.
- Read in bed.
- DON’T read in bed.
- Don’t look at a TV or laptop screen for at least half an hour before sleeping.
- Make sure the room isn’t too hot.
- Take a relaxing bath before bed.
- Use your bedroom only for sleep.
- Don’t eat too much or little before trying to sleep.
- Do some exercise throughout the day (but be careful with timing – the gym “high” after a workout can sometimes keep you up too).
- Do eye exercises to tire your eyes.
- Try breathing exercises to aid relaxation.
- Try natural remedies.
- Try writing down your thoughts.
- Sleep wearing earplugs.
- Try to clear your mind with meditation.
…and probably many more.

Having battled insomnia for the best part of 10 years, I have tried all of the above with varying degrees of success. With that in mind, here are some of my personal findings.

For me, cutting down on caffeine is completely out of the question, especially at exam time. I drink a lot of tea and my body is used to it; I will often have a tea just before bed and sleep just “fine” (for me, that is). That said, I have tried cutting down and switching to decaf, but it doesn’t make a difference and, quite frankly, tastes foul.

At exam time, I tend to switch to a combination of coffee, Pro Plus and energy drinks in order to say awake following a bad night of sleep. But the main point is to know your limitations – don’t take two Pro Plus at 8pm if you’re not used to caffeine and then expect to be able to sleep straight away at 11.

My main problem is that I overthink things, and once I have thoughts racing through a brain that can’t switch off, I’m in for a night of no sleep. However, I’m much better at managing my sleep now than I was a few years ago, and I think the main reason for this is that I aim for less sleep.

While there are a multitude of studies that claim “X amount of hours is the optimum”, I’ve found I sleep more fully the less hours I get. If I stay up until 1 or 2am and completely crash, the sleep I do get is generally of a much better quality – and it’s far better than trying to go to bed at 10pm and only achieving three hours of sleep because I’m simply not tired enough.

For me, quality of sleep is more important than quantity. I know some people swear by nine hours sleep, but for me, five or six is about normal, so find your personal optimum and work with it – don’t try and force yourself to comply with an “official” optimum recommended by some study or other.

But what about those killer nights when sleep will just not come?

Bach’s Rescue Remedy can work wonders for some people suffering from insomnia. Image courtesy The Italian Voice, via Flickr [CC BY-2.0]
When I first experienced bad sleep, I used to write down my thoughts, no matter how nonsensical or ridiculous they might appear should anyone ever read them. This helped a lot as a way of channeling them and “emptying” my brain a bit.

More recently, I’ve been using the natural Rescue Remedy. I wouldn’t say its an absolute quick fix for everyone, but it does work wonders for some people. My partner has always slept soundly but recently suffered a bout of stress-related insomnia. After a few drops of Rescue he was out like a light every night!

If you’ve had a bad night’s sleep, the worst possible thing you can do is sleep in in the morning or nap during the day.

Tempting as it may be, the quicker you kick your body back into a normal sleep pattern, the better. It’s far better to force yourself to stay awake than nap in the afternoon and find yourself wide awake the next night too.

I often go through a few weeks of “normal” sleep and then have a few nights when I get about an hour at most. But if I force myself to stay awake during the day, after three or four horrendous nights, my body/brain crashes and restarts itself into it’s normal rhythm. You’ll be surprised how well you can function on less sleep than usual.

Doctors will only prescribe sleeping tablets if you’ve tried absolutely everything else, but even then I’m sceptical – I’ve tried them before and they simply don’t work for me, so if it does come to this, don’t expect miracles.

Insomnia can be incredibly frustrating and often upsetting for those not used to it – and often, for those who just have the odd bad night, something from the list of recommendations given by a doctor may work.

My final bit of advice would be that, when insomnia does strike, try not to get frustrated – you’ll only go round in circles and get yourself even more wound up. Just hold on to the fact that your brain has to rest at some point, and sleep will come, even if not as sufficiently as you’d like for a few days.
May 15, 2015
The value of a vet degree

Image ©iStock.com/Akabei

With the general election fast approaching, there’s been a big push to encourage 18 to 25-year-olds to vote, since a huge proportion of us didn’t last time.

I’m not well versed in the intricacies of politics, but general consensus among young people after the last election was disappointment with regards to the tripling of university tuition fees.

This time round, the topic seems to have been swept under the carpet a bit, with Labour promising to reduce them again (but not quite as low as they used to be) and UKIP promising to abolish them for degrees in certain fields. But little has been mentioned on the matter by the other parties.

What does it matter to us anyway? We’re already at uni, with our fees fixed from our enrolment date. So perhaps it doesn’t, and perhaps the young voters, already in further education, should prioritise other issues when musing over the various policies.

But students, often skint (especially at this time of year, with eight days until Student Finance comes in – not that I’m counting), like to know they’re getting their money’s worth. Instead of standing in a supermarket, deliberating whether its okay to spend an extra quid on branded cereal, maybe we should think about what we’re paying for in the long term.

Whether we’re paying nothing (the Scottish), £3,000 (friends in my school year were the final students to have these fees), £9,000 (most undergraduates now) or even more as postgraduates, is it worth it?

You could discuss the philosophy of investing in your future, and whether spending so much on education will be worth it for a fulfilling career, higher wages or being able to achieve the dream of being a vet, but what about the face value? Per year, term or even day, what do we get for our money? A lot. That’s what.

Vet students get 9am to 5pm, five-days-a-week contact time with lecturers who are leaders in their respective fields

Some of us may be paying a staggering total of £45,000 for tuition alone, but what is that paying for? Almost 9am to 5pm, five days a week, contact time – and not just with anyone. Many of our lecturers are leaders in their respective fields; extremely experienced clinicians with more letters after their names than the alphabet itself. Plus practicals – labs, dissections, animal handling/examination and clinical skills sessions.

Without putting a price on practical sessions, it already sounds like we’re getting a fair bit for our cash, especially when you compare our course to a non-science degree, such as English or history. These often comprise just a few hours’ teaching a week, and yet can cost the same as the veterinary degree.

Involvement in the organisation of Association of Veterinary Students Congress earlier this year opened my eyes to the cost of basic equipment for practical sessions, such as needles and syringes.

One particularly costly element was paying for the actor for a communication skills section of one of the practicals. The veterinary school employs these actors for teaching purposes because they contribute to a more realistic scenario than just practising communication with our classmates.

As such, when we had a revision practical, with boxes of syringes, catheters, blood tubes, fluid therapy giving sets and fluid bags left out for us to practise as much as we needed, I couldn’t help but feel that the veterinary degree is one of the best value for money.

April 30, 2015
Corporate feminisation

In a previous blog, I alluded to the feminisation of the profession. Here, I speak very carefully to avoid confusion of this with feminism.

I’m not going to preach equal rights or pick holes in generalisations, but the facts are unavoidable: feminisation of the profession is happening and we need to find the best way to embrace this.

57% of practising vets in the UK are women[1.Source: http://vetfutures.org.uk/resource/vet-futures-literature-review/], and this balance looks set to tip even further in the female direction. However, I don’t feel this accurately reflects the male presence in veterinary education, which is significantly lower.

Less than a quarter of students embarking on their veterinary degree in 2012 were male and – upon discussion with other students – it is evident that some schools are worse than others.

So why is the gender imbalance significantly worse in education than in veterinary practice?

It has been shown that men are likely to stay in the profession for longer than women, with more women than men opting for part-time work, so the suggestion that males are being put off the degree because it is seen as a less “manly” career choice seems a bit absurd to me – especially as sexism is still extremely prevalent, despite the female shift.

In one of my interviews for veterinary school, it was suggested the reason males are declining in veterinary education is simply because females are outperforming them academically and so they just aren’t achieving the grades needed to make the offer for a place at vet school.

Image ©iStock.com/DSGpro

You can speculate as much as you want to try and discover the reasons why, but feminisation is happening and the profession is changing as a result. Corporate chains of veterinary practices are increasing in number, bringing with them rock bottom prices that individual James Herriot-esque practices can’t compete with. But is the attraction of part-time work and “normal” working hours that the corporates offer more attractive, especially to vets (particularly female, but also male) with children?

I think many of the fairytale illusions that some of us entered the veterinary world with are long gone. The profession is changing rapidly, and must continue to do so in order to accommodate for things like feminisation and increasing graduate numbers.

While corporate practices may be a short term aid, and potentially offer a better work-life balance, I don’t think they are the ultimate answer.

April 15, 2015
Crash prevention

Image ©iStock.com/mevans

Following the devastating news of the Germanwings crash last week, the co-pilot’s torn-up sick note and the early implication of mental health issues (later suspected to instead be eyesight-related), I witnessed a shocking flare-up of defence regarding mental health on social media.

My gut reaction was of absolute disgust. Whether said sick note referred to mental illness or not, the co-pilot was not 100% mentally sound, otherwise he would not have deliberately crashed an aeroplane into the Alps, killing 149 innocent people.

An article I read describing the rescue efforts to retain the pieces of the bodies (explosion on impact meant there were no bodies intact) was particularly distressing. And yet people preached online, directly referring to the plane crash, that people with clinical depression should be able to hold such jobs. I’m not advocating denying sufferers of severe mental health problems the right to work – but perhaps not in a job that could result in this sort of sickening situation. Can we have some context please?

While a vet may not have it in his or her power to destroy innocent lives to such an extent as pilots, how does this translate? Vets have access to dangerous drugs that could have drastic consequences if used wrongly due to mental instability, and perhaps provide a more accessible option of suicide than the non-medical general public. They also carry responsibility during surgery or other procedures with the potential to act inappropriately with implications on the lives of animals in their care.

Image ©iStock.com/gong hangxu

You wouldn’t necessarily get on a plane if you were told the pilot had severe clinical depression, so would you leave your dog requiring general anaesthesia with a vet who is?

I think where the confusion has occurred is that word that gets thrown around too easily regarding mental health: “stigma”.

There is a certain stigma regarding mental health, but instead of ranting about discrimination due to mental health, a step forward would be acceptance.

One of the major factors in suicide within the veterinary profession is vets themselves not admitting they need help. In order to prevent professionals (in any sector) slipping through the net and putting on a brave face with unexpected devastating consequences, we need them to accept that they are unwell or stressed in order to take a step towards gaining help to get back on track.

To do this in a veterinary context, we need to remove the fear of being prevented from practising. The words “fitness to practice”, even within vet school, send a ripple of fear through one’s skin. I’m aware of students who have deliberately concealed medical conditions from the faculty through fear of being thrown out. I can only imagine this is carried through to qualified vets, frightened of “being struck off”.

It shouldn’t be that way.

The profession as a whole needs to work towards distinguishing clearly between taking a break from practice to get yourself better and being irreversibly banned from practising as a vet. We need to make it “okay” for vets to admit they need help to have any hope of reducing suicide, among other consequences of mental ill-health, within the profession.

April 1, 2015
Big decisions

“Options we can select include further practice in food producing animals, equine and small animals, as well as many ‘niche’ areas such as pigs, poultry and fish” – image ©iStock.com/Pickledjo

At the end of this month (March), my year group has to submit their choices for final year selectives.

Over the coming week we will have a number of presentations on the different options to help us decide – which will no doubt cause further confusion.

For a number of us, fear has ensued. Others (perhaps the older or postgraduate students) feel excitement as the light at the end of the tunnel seems one step closer. But for everyone, the initial introductory presentation served as a reminder that the “real world” is not that far away.

As with most things in vet school, people hear different things and rumours based on half-truths spread like wildfire. Lecturers and mentors contradict each other, with some advising you to pick options you think you’ll enjoy regardless of future career choice, while others claim you must pick specific options if you have any hope of becoming a particular type of surgeon or clinician.

The options we can select are in addition to the core final year rotations that everyone must undertake, and cover a number of areas. These include further practice in food producing animals, equine and small animals, as well as many “niche” areas such as pigs, poultry and fish.

And along with many of the selective options comes the attractive opportunity for travel.

Following the introduction to the selectives, the question “what do you want to do?” (swiftly altered to “what do want to do when you graduate?”) was thrown about, ultimately making many of us consider for the 1,000th time what we actually want to do after vet school.

During work experience, I changed my mind from farm practice to definitely-not-farm-practice, to definitely-not-only-small-animal to something involving orthopaedic surgery. However, during vet school, the idea of farm and equine has grown on me – although I understand the likelihood of finding mixed work encompassing mainly equine and farm is fairly small.

While working on a stud yard last summer, I think I changed my mind daily about equine work depending on the vet-client interactions and whether I think I could tolerate horse owners day in, day out.

Even now, the more EMS I do, the more I feel I need more experience in different areas to make an informed choice about the direction of my career.

I also do not see myself in clinical practice in the UK for a great deal of time, and instead want to work abroad and ultimately switch path to marketing and publishing. If only you could map out your life that finely and it all work out to plan…

The only thing I know for certain is that I will change my mind at least another 10 times before graduation.

March 2, 2015
My first job – hopes and expectations

They are key to the future of the profession, but what are the next generation of veterinary surgeons looking for from their first job?

To find out, The Veterinary Business Journal headed up to SPVS’ “Your First Job” graduate seminar in Lancaster.

   FACTFILE

NAME: Zara Chowdhury

AGE: 22

COLLEGE: RVC

FIRST SALARY EXPECTATION: £25,000 a year

MY FIRST JOB: “I want to move into mixed practice where I will get the experience I want, but also the day-one support I need.

“There are lots of fears of course, and that is natural. Apart from the various clinical concerns, I am not looking forward to the financial side of things, pricing things up wrong and things like that.

“We have not done any business extramural studies. We have had a few business lectures, but it is something I would have liked more of – particularly earlier on in my course, so it would be good to get some kind of induction in the business side of things.”

WORK/LIFE BALANCE: “This is important to me, but I know I have to be flexible to get on.”

WHAT DID YOU GET FROM THIS EVENT? “It has helped a lot to see the various options laid out in such an accessible way.”

   FACTFILE

NAME: Fiona Laurie

AGE: 21

COLLEGE: University of Glasgow

FIRST SALARY EXPECTATION: £20,000 a year

MY FIRST JOB: “I grew up on a farm, so I have always wanted to move into mixed practice.

“Hopefully that job will provide broad experience on the clinical side, but it will be very important to me to see that I will be supported in the right way.

“Coming from a farming background, I have grown up knowing the importance of getting it right from a business perspective, but I would like to be shown the protocols and the pricing structures and have the computer systems all explained to me properly.”

WORK/LIFE BALANCE: “If the rota was really bad I would look elsewhere, as having balance is important to this generation, but we are all coming into this job with our eyes open and I am not scared of hard work.”

WHAT DID YOU GET FROM THIS EVENT? “Free wine and a lot of ideas about the diversity of career options open to those getting a veterinary degree.”

   FACTFILE

NAME: Alexander Kilgore

AGE: 27

COLLEGE: RVC

FIRST SALARY EXPECTATION: US$60,000 to US$70,000 (£35,000 to £41,000) a year

MY FIRST JOB: “I want to move straight into first opinion, small animal practice back in the United States, where the money is better.

“Ideally, in a supportive environment with a mentor to help me grow and develop as a vet and as a business professional.

“For me, there isn’t enough emphasis on the business management side of things, but I think there is more that students could do to make themselves more business-savvy.”

WORK/LIFE BALANCE: “This is a big deal, I have no problem doing out-of-hours, but I certainly don’t want to be working on a crappy rota for crappy pay.”

WHAT DID YOU GET FROM THIS EVENT? “It has shown me there are plenty of other career options in this field – particularly in industry and the military.”

   FACTFILE

NAME: Alice Griffiths

AGE: 25

COLLEGE: University of Cambridge

FIRST SALARY EXPECTATION: £25,000 a year

MY FIRST JOB: “Will be working with small animals for a boss sympathetic to the fact I still have a lot of learning to do. I want some responsibility, but at the same time I will want guidance when needed.

“We have had a few talks about the financial side at university, so I feel I know what will be expected in that direction, but some sort of written guidelines on the business side of things would be great.”

WORK/LIFE BALANCE: “The more hours asked of me, the more important it would be for me to get some flexibility in those hours – I still need to have a life.”

WHAT DID YOU GET FROM THIS EVENT? “It’s a great chance to meet my peers from other universities and to pick up some really good ideas from the speakers here. I am just surprised by how few people decided to come.”

February 23, 2015
The Doctor debate

Yes or no? Image ©iStock.com/benstevens

One of the big discussion topics within the veterinary profession at the moment is the RCVS consultation on UK-qualified vets adopting the courtesy title of “Doctor”, or “Dr”.

Given that the consultation closed on February 16, I may seem a bit late to add my two pennies’ worth, but I didn’t really know how I felt on the matter and wanted to assess the justifications before assuming a position on one side of the fence or the other.

Reasons for and against

There are valid arguments for both sides – and while those against the use of “Doctor” invariably shout louder with their opinions, there is an undeniable majority (at least across the veterinary student body) in favour of the change. In fact, a poll on the Association of Veterinary Students’ (AVS) Facebook page found 97% of respondents were in favour of adopting the title.

The suggestion is that use of the title would bring vets parity with doctors and dentists in the UK, and also with veterinarians in the US, Australia, New Zealand and parts of Europe. It has also been suggested the change would see an increased respect for vets and help highlight the level of training required (which is of similar length and breadth of doctors and dentists).

Post by The Association of Veterinary Students [AVS] (UK & Ireland).

Those against the idea argue that human surgeons do not style themselves "Doctor" (due to a historical quirk that differentiates them from physicians) and so, as veterinary surgeons, we already are on a level playing field with our human counterparts. However, as those less surgically minded are quick to point out, vets are not just surgeons; we are GPs, radiographers, anaesthetists, midwives etc, and so our skill set expands beyond those constrained by this historical quirk. Additionally, in the US, vets are termed "veterinarians" rather than "veterinary surgeons", which makes this historical quirk inapplicable if the argument is simply down to semantics. Instead of achieving parity and clarity, some claim it would actually cause more confusion as vets are neither medical doctors or PhD holders (unless they have indeed spent another few gruelling years at university), although the relevance of this in a clinical situation is questionable – are clients or farmers really going to be too fussed about whether you have a PhD if you’re calling yourself "Doctor"? They’re probably more interested in whether or not you can heal their dog or calve a cow. To this end, giving vets the option to use the title may cause further confusion as not all veterinary professionals will necessarily take it up. So should we have this option, or should we stick firmly to an "all or nothing" approach to ultimately achieve true coherence and unity?
A matter of trust
I feel the reasoning with regards to increasing respect for vets and highlighting their level of training is weak – most people outwith the veterinary field actually think we undergo more training than we do (how many times have you been asked if you train for seven years?), and I don't believe respect comes from having a couple of extra letters before your name. Respect must be earned through demonstration of skill and – perhaps more relevantly – client trust. It is this aspect of trust I believe to be the most important justification against the use of the title, and perhaps the one that might just tip the balance for me to fall into the "against" crowd. [caption id="attachment_4659" align="alignright" width="300"] Rather than trying to force respect, would we not be better off preserving the relationship and earning respect through trust? Image ©iStock.com/JackF[/caption] It is said the client-vet relationship is often far better than the patient-doctor relationship, with vets often getting to know their regular clients as well as the animals they bring in. Many clients see their vets as friends and so trust their judgement and take heed of their advice (how many times do you hear the question "what would you do if this were your dog?” ?). Rather than developing trust towards a friend, adopting the title "Doctor" may actually form a barrier (however unintentionally), causing an immediate distance between professional and customer due to subtleties such as the client feeling less inclined to be on first name terms with the vet. This would be the cost of the "respect" the title holds. Rather than trying to force this respect, would we not be better off preserving the relationship and earning respect through trust? My gut reaction to the suggestion was yes, of course I’d call myself "Doctor" given the choice – but I began to think a bit more carefully when the strong opposing statements had a substantial backbone to them. And then, on a very personal level, I remembered that I am "blessed" with a unisex name and, as such, always sign emails with a definitive MISS in front of it. For an entirely un-veterinary related reason, I might consider keeping the Miss/Ms just to avoid turning up at an interview to a confused look before the employer realises their mistaken assumption (yes, this happens more times than you would think). Alternatively, in an increasingly female-dominated profession where males may still be considered (however wrongly) to be superior, those two letters in front of my name may cause sufficient confusion to gain an interview I may otherwise have been denied based on gender... but that’s an entirely different debate.

February 17, 2015
Represent, support, engage!

The AVS committee poses for an official photograph at the association’s annual ball.

The AVS (Association of Veterinary Students) Congress marks one year since my involvement with the association began.

Last year, in Nottingham, I stood up at the AGM and gave a hustings speech. Before long, I found myself elected the editor of JAVS (the Journal of the Association of Veterinary Students), which is sent out to students in all of the nine veterinary schools. More importantly, this meant I had joined the AVS committee, which has allowed me to gain an insight to the workings of veterinary education and the profession as a whole.

The first full AVS meeting I attended at BVA headquarters in London was a bit overwhelming, but I soon realised how much capacity AVS has to reach out to students and implement changes in order to maximise the veterinary student experience.

Since then, in addition to the annual congress and the infamous AVS sports weekend, the committee has accomplished many things, with just a few outlined below.

The policy sub-committee announced the AVS Workforce Policy, which outlines the concerns over the impact of rising numbers of veterinary schools for the future of the profession. This has been viewed more than 2,000 times on the website and, ultimately, impacted on a national policy.

The marketing sub-committee has been extremely successful this year too, especially with the new website and push on the committee’s part with social media, which has encouraged members to engage with AVS more than ever before.

The equine rescue practical from AVS Congress 2015, held in Glasgow.

A direct example of this is the RCVS consultation on the use of the courtesy title of “Dr” – while members of the BVA MSG (members services group) committee were indifferent or against the proposal, the AVS junior vice president, who was present at the meeting, was able to respond with evidence of the student opinion.

AVS posted about the consultation on the website, Facebook and Twitter. The initial post was seen by more than 22,000 people, 1,719 of which followed the link to the RCVS website. AVS then carried out a quick poll, in which 290 people voted, and 281 of these were pro using the title. Hence, there was an overwhelmingly positive reaction to the consultation and the use of social media has widened the ability for AVS to engage with their members and accurately represent the veterinary student body.

Another example is BVA’s stun before slaughter campaign, which AVS was involved in the initiation of when the reality of non-stun slaughter came into the public eye last March (following the ban of slaughter without stunning in Denmark).

The stun before slaughter e-petition gained an immense amount of support, and has just passed the 100,000 signatures mark – the target required in order for the subject to be considered for parliamentary debate. AVS has been supporting and promoting the e-petition online and, as a result, many of those signatures have come from veterinary students.

Our MSG (members services group) sub-committee has produced a preclinical EMS guide for first year students, which advises many things including what to expect on different types of placement and how to find placements. Having been produced and written by students, it is hoped that the guide will be relatable and useful to help support freshers embarking on EMS for the first time.

AWF (Animal Welfare Foundation), the BVA’s charity, has been hosting talks and debates in each of the universities throughout the year, allowing students to engage with hot animal welfare topics.

Student welfare is also integral to the role of the welfare sub-committee. Just discussing different methods of promoting student welfare and support allows the AVS representatives to share ideas and take those back to their respective schools. As a result, Glasgow has followed in the footsteps of Liverpool and recently set up its own network of peer supporters within the vet school, who have had intensive training to allow them to be proficient in their roles.

In one year, we have achieved so much, and yet there is so much potential for long term aims too, such as the production of an AVS app, consultations on EMS provision and involvement in the Vet Futures project run jointly by the BVA and RCVS.

The AVS marketing sub-committee came up with a “tagline” for AVS: represent, support, engage – and after reviewing all we have done over the last year, you can see this accurately and concisely sums up what AVS stands for.

Since I stood up and shakily gave my plea to become an editor, not only have I made great friends across all of the vet schools, but I have also felt part of a community that has the ability to really stand up and make a difference for our students; and I have not regretted it for one second.

January 30, 2015
What makes a good vet?

Vets aren’t superheroes… or are they?
Original image ©iStock.com/VasjaKoman

As a student on placement, I’m often in awe of the vets I’m working with. The ability to take a history, examine an animal, run through differentials and come up with a diagnosis or action plan within 10 minutes – all while listening to an owner commenting on the weather or traffic – seems superhuman.

This may seem an exaggeration (after all, vets aren’t superheroes), but when considered like that, it is pretty impressive.

While seemingly intangible at the moment, I know the ability to do this with such ease comes with practice – and clearly some presentations are far more complex than that.

However, while I find this impressive, others have a different opinion…

A family friend recently commented on their own vets, claiming they would avoid seeing the partners if possible because – in their opinion – they see an animal for five minutes and see it as a money making exercise, whereas the younger vets spend a bit more time with the clients.

Obviously I can’t comment on the vet/client rapport, which may have a huge influence on this opinion, but I can’t help but think that a younger, newly qualified vet would spend more time during consultations purely due to experience, or lack thereof.

It has become evident recently that the profession has an image problem and we must try to change that for the better. But what do the public consider as a “good vet”? Apparently the opinion differs depending which side of the table you’re on.

This is just one example, but in general, do clients want the vet to spend more time with their animal? They probably do – but, at the same time, they don’t want to be kept waiting and they want to be able to get an appointment. There has to be a balance between the three.

As for cost, I’ve seen some vets charge meticulously, whereas others would try and keep prices as low as possible to please customers. In the clients’ eyes, the cheaper the better. But a vet practice has to function. It’s no good offering neutering for £10 because the practice would be bankrupt within a week.

“The most highly qualified and experienced surgeon in the practice might not be the best at client communication,” claims Jordan.

Surgical skills and experience are perhaps something that the client will never fully appreciate. For a start, the vet seen in the consultation room may not be the same one who performed the operation, particularly if it’s something fairly routine. Also, the most highly qualified and experienced surgeon in the practice might not be the best at client communication.

A vet can have such a diverse set of skills and knowledge that it is difficult to pinpoint which of these defines a “good vet”. Many vets have certain areas of expertise and will be better than others in certain situations, but not all.

The key to time and money is striking the balance between what the client desires and what is realistic.

Communication, however, doesn’t need to be compromised and can be the difference that alters the client’s opinion. For example, the manner in which an examination is conducted and the attitude of the vet during a 10-minute consult could leave the client feeling rushed, whereas a different vet with a different approach could leave the client with a far more positive impression.

Client opinion is important, but at the end of the day, the welfare of the animal in front of you is your priority, whether or not the client values you highly.

While the profession as a whole should take heed of what clients want, the customer is not necessarily always right, and at the end of the day, it is the welfare of the animal in front of you that should be paramount.

January 15, 2015
Helping the hounds of the homeless
Image ©iStock.com/artefy

The homeless come with a certain stigma – particularly those with pets at their side.

Should we be concerned for the welfare of those animals, whose owners cannot afford to feed themselves so surely cannot adequately care for a companion?

Of course we should.

However, instead of claiming these pets should be removed from their owners, Ruby Shorrock (a fourth year vet student at the University of Glasgow) took a different approach.

Being homeless can be extremely isolating and lonely. For some of these people, their dog is their only companion, and can often be the only thing keeping them going. A dog can also provide a connection to home, and so the reluctance to give them up is understandable.

Despite this, many shelters refuse to accommodate dogs and so the help available can become increasingly restricted for homeless dog owners.

In light of this, Ruby founded Trusty Paws, a non-profit organisation that hosts free clinics and provides preventative care for hounds belonging to the homeless. The clinics involve a free health check (a clinical examination performed by veterinary students, supervised by a qualified vet), microchipping, flea and worming treatment and vaccinations. Dog food packages and other supplies such as leads and dog coats are also given out at the clinics.

Trusty Paws: a vaccination clinic for dogs belonging to the homeless, run by fourth year vet students at the University of Glasgow.

There have been three Trusty Paws clinics in Glasgow so far, with several grateful clients being able to benefit from the supplies donated and the services provided by the students. Everyone involved is delighted with how the clinics have been received.

Plans for 2015 include registering as a formal charity and organising public fundraisers. The Trusty Paws team also intends to tackle the problem of local shelters and hostels not allowing dogs.

Trusty Paws relies entirely on donations and sponsorship and the response to requests for both has been exceptional. The concept has really taken off and looks to gain popularity and success in the future.

The work of Trusty Paws is a fantastic way of not only actively ensuring quality care for homeless pets, but also raising awareness within the community to tackle public perception. If these misconceptions can be eliminated, others will be willing to accept that pets are a huge part of the lives of homeless people too and, perhaps, be encouraged to help the situation instead of avoiding eye contact with that person sitting in a doorway on a rainy evening.
- For more information, or to donate, visit the Trusty Paws Facebook page or follow @Trusty_Paws on Twitter.
December 30, 2014