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Category: Opinion

  • Being powerful during a crisis, pt 2

    Being powerful during a crisis, pt 2

    2: Coaching yourself up.

    If you have access to a coach – someone who fights in your corner and backs you up during the tough times – that can be very powerful.

    However, not everyone is in a position to have that – and certainly in unprecedented times like now, it is more important to know how to coach yourself through troubling times.

    Questions

    A great way to coach yourself is by asking powerful questions. You may have hit a roadblock, been disappointed, or feel overwhelmed or down – take a moment and ask yourself:

    • What can I do right now?
    • What would the best version of me do?
    • Is this a good use of my time?
    • Does this serve me right now?
    • What advice would I give a friend in this situation?

    Then, write it out – on paper or a whiteboard, or into the notes on your mobile phone. Get it out of your head and work through it, step by step.

    Often by unpicking our fears or worries, they lose control over us very quickly and will make room for solutions to emerge.

  • What about vets on the front line?

    What about vets on the front line?

    Our profession is generally pretty good at pulling together in the face of adversity.

    I’ve always loved the community feel of being able to go to CPD events, and usually know someone, or have connections with someone, who is there.

    I love being able to send a message to my uni friends at any time of day or night – be that for clinical advice, moral support or reassurance on something entirely non-vet related – and get a reply. Failing that, you can often seek an answer or support from one of the vet Facebook groups on numerous topics.

    In light of COVID-19, the veterinary world has rallied together… to a point.

    One for all, and all for…

    Those who have been furloughed are finding a wealth of free online CPD available to fill their time and keep connected clinically. Not only are there webinars, but there’s a plethora of online workouts or discussion groups to actively engage in.

    That all sounds lovely, but what about those of us who are still working? What support is there for the minimal staff left in clinics who (despite all these figures on turnover being down) are battling ridiculous increases in workload?

    Less is… less

    There’s less staff in most clinics, to varying degrees, but I have heard horror stories about severely restricted numbers and even certain groups furloughing everyone but vets.

    Whatever business decision may lie behind that, these clinics must be in chaos. Vets, who are already stretched trying to do their “normal” jobs (it is currently far from normal), are also running their own bloods, cleaning, answering phones, chasing and taking payments, sorting insurance claims and ordering stock, among other things.

    These tasks may be alien to some of us, and trying to navigate previously undiscovered depths of the practice management system at the end of an exhausting shift adds unnecessary stress.

    We love our nurses and receptionists as it is, but those who are currently deprived of them will be unearthing a a gargantuan respect for them in the future.

    Crisis consulting

    Consulting in this environment makes you realise how much multitasking we would ordinarily do. Currently, my consults look like this:

    • Owner arrives and calls reception.
    • I try to work out which car he or she is in, then take a brief history from 2m away.
    • Take the animal into the practice.
    • Find a nurse to assist with the handling.
    • Examine the animal.
    • Telephone the owner from the practice or go back outside to discuss with him or her from a safe distance, before returning to the animal to give treatment.
    • Give the animal back to the owner.
    • Dispense medication, then ask the owner to call reception again to pay…

    This takes a lot longer than normal consults, so working to offer the same number of appointment slots is both relentless and draining.

    Lies and abuse

    Everyone is used to certain number of disgruntled clients, but the barrage of abuse those on reception are receiving from clients is unprecedented.

    It would seem many members of the public are not getting the “stay at home” message and are furious when we explain a nail clip is not an emergency. As a result, we are now seeing clients exaggerating, or just plain lying, in order to be seen.

    A choice example last week was a dog booked for a potential euthanasia, but turned out to be a weight clinic. We then had to stifle our disbelief and anger at these time wasters before moving on to the next client, who has desperately tried to hold off from having to make the difficult decision to say goodbye to their dearest pet under these circumstances – and yet we can only offer words of comfort from a distance and inject from the end of a drip line, which really doesn’t seem enough.

    Unfortunately, the COVID clearout seems to be worse than the annual Christmas clearout, and these scenarios are not isolated, but heartbreakingly frequent.

    Lost in translation

    And what support do we get? We get the RCVS and BVA back-pedalling on their original statement, to then shirk responsibility and leave it “up to individual practices” to interpret the “guidance” how they wish.

    After the clarity of the original stance on vaccinations, this ambiguous follow up was very disappointing. The truth is many vets feel that corporates and business owners will take this as a green light to return to business as usual, while firmly claiming that it is most definitely not business as usual.

    I can agree with that – the way we are working is certainly not the usual, but if we are now to do vaccines and neutering again, what exactly are we missing? Stable med checks, done via telephone rather than in person?

    Taking the high or low road?

    We get colleagues taking the moral high ground, questioning our commitment to the oath we took on graduation to put animal heath and welfare above all else. Just because I don’t think vaccinations are currently a priority, it doesn’t mean I don’t care about my patients anymore – human health has to come first.

    We get corporates issuing yet more paperwork to encourage us to document risk assessments – while seemingly offsetting the responsibility to us – so that if their business gets sued for denying to provide care or (God forbid) agreeing to see an animal that results in transmission of COVID-19 between owner/vet, it was the vet or receptionist who took the phone call’s fault for making that decision.

    Aside from this, the phones are ringing off the hook and vets are running around like blue-arsed flies, so practically, where are we going to find the time to fill in these bloody forms?

    Horseplay

    Before any of that, the request to risk assess mild ailments is fundamentally flawed when we are being told to go out and do horse boosters.

    While equine vaccinations and other routine work that is now being pushed again, because equine turnover is the most severely affected of all veterinary sectors, we are told to maintain safe social distancing at all times.

    With equine vets reported to be one of the most dangerous occupations, is it sensible to expect us to administer vaccines with no one holding the horse? In some, if not most, cases, that will probably be okay. But with owners consistently lying to us to be given an “emergency” appointment, how long before an owner lies about his or her severely needle/vet-shy horse and one of us pays the price?

    Heading for burnout

    I don’t pretend to understand the intricacies of business management, but you cannot flog a dead horse. Many vets who have barely had time to inhale lunch are working different and longer shifts just to cope with the “emergencies” – and yet you’re asking us to do more?

    It’s incredulous that the veterinary sector seems to think itself superior to all the other thousands of businesses up and down the country that are struggling or facing collapse. By continuing to pile the pressure on to staff with increasing risk of burnout, you might preserve some income, but you’ll be lucky to have any vets left by the end of this.

    Is anybody listening?

    We are angry that the higher-ups in the profession are treating us this way. We feel guilty for being jealous of, or feeling antipathy towards, our furloughed colleagues. We are emotionally drained. We feel guilty because this can only be a fraction of how front-line NHS staff must be feeling – and above all, we are exhausted.

    In a profession with an already poor record for mental health and suicide, we are now even more stretched, under even more pressure from all angles – and no one seems to be listening.

  • Being powerful during a crisis, pt 1

    Being powerful during a crisis, pt 1

    We are facing unprecedented challenges right now, requiring us to rethink our “normal” way of being. Existing plans, policies and protocols are being overhauled and scrapped, which can easily bring about feelings of uncertainty and fear.

    We all have a choice right now – it all comes down to whether you go with the flow or stand up to be a powerful agent for change and help inspire those around you.

    Here, I want to share the performance and leadership strategies I have used to help navigate the changing landscape of this pandemic. These five fundamental, timeless strategies can help guide us to take the right actions for the good of our teams, ourselves, our patients and the wider community.

    1: The power of choice

    This is the first step in regaining personal power over your situation. It is not easy; however, while you cannot change the situation, you always have a choice in how you react, or the emotion or story you assign to it.

    If you can dig deep and channel the energy you’re using on the chaos and panic – and reframe it into resolve and clarity about the positive steps to take, and what you can control – this could make all the difference, to you and those around you.

    Keep calm…

    The first step is just pausing and halting the spiral – essentially learning how to calm your mind.

    I use a series of deep breaths to recentre and bring a sense of calm to my thoughts. In a time like this, we all need to channel more calmness and courage, and halt panic and fear.

    The truth is that the more stressed you are, the less smart and focused your thought patterns are – and this can have a ripple effect to your team, family and friends, and the community.

    If your demeanour is assured and calm, you’ll reassure others to stay calm and help them make smarter decisions.

    …and channel your focus

    Secondly, it is important where you choose to channel your focus – as self-help guru Tony Robbins says: “Where focus goes, energy flows.”

    If you are checking in on the news and the media every 10 minutes, and focusing solely on the negative, then that is where your focus will be. However, if you choose to focus on something else – such as learning a new skill, supporting your team, helping the community or developing solutions in your vet clinic around infection control – that is where your energy will go, leading to much more positive results.

    When you look ahead, don’t look at the whole mountain in front of you – that can seem insurmountable. Break it down into smaller and smaller chunks, and look at what is possible in this moment.

    Taking just one right step forward – making a telephone call, researching an idea, enrolling on a course, offering support – will give you momentum and courage to take that second step, and get you back in control.

  • Remaining positive and proactive

    Remaining positive and proactive

    I’m sure everyone feels as though life gets on top of them from time to time, and vet students – all students, in fact – are no exception.

    I think it’s fair to say that I, among many of my friends on the vet course, have often wished for everything to just slow down… to hit pause on life for just a little while and for the world to simply stop.

    Never, however, did I, or anyone else, think it could or would happen quite like this.

    Place of positivity

    I’m talking of course about what everyone else is talking about, COVID-19 – and I know that’s enough to turn a lot of readers away, considering the virus has already consumed so many areas of day-to-day life.

    However, while I completely relate to this sentiment, I wanted to use this platform to speak from a place of positivity and proactivity and to remind anyone who does care to read on that we are all in this together.

    We will be okay, the world will start spinning again – and, if you happen to be a vet student who has stumbled upon more spare time than you could shake a stick at, here are a few thoughts on how to spend it (ahem… alongside revision, of course).

    Student support

    While it’s utterly undeniable that everyone is being affected by the current crisis, I think it’s also important to speak from the student perspective.

    Masters courses and non-graduating years of professional degrees aside, the class of 2020 is experiencing an end to university life that is entirely unique and, equally, heart breaking.

    I think it’s important that those with a few more years until they reach the light at the end of the tunnel really appreciate this and support friends in their final year.

    Planning graduation celebration events a few months after the fact gives everyone something to look forward to and remind everyone whose train is currently pulling into the station that, while they thought they still had several exciting and unforgettable stops left, it doesn’t make what they’ve already accomplished any less real or worthy of pride.

    Hand(y) advice

    This next idea may sound a little obvious, but every little thing goes a long way, and as a girl who found free revision in every public toilet and restaurant in the lead up to her exams I can tell you, you can never be told too often how to wash your hands.

    washing
    Image by thisispatrice from Pixabay

    If you are a vet student at any stage of your career, you already have more medical knowledge than the average person. I put it to you that it is your responsibility to sing it from the rooftops, tell it to anyone who will listen, and then some…

    To the old, young or sceptical around you, remind them just why they have to wash their hands and show them how to. Remind them why social distancing is needed when all you want to do when you’re bored, lonely or scared is come together. Remind them how much good they are doing and how such tiny actions that seem completely insignificant can reach, affect, and save so, so, so many lives.

    Capacity for kindness

    Now for the good will part – and this doesn’t just apply to vet students, but I thought I’d stick it in here anyway for dedicated readers who have made it this far.

    I may be paraphrasing politicians (while also being slightly cheesy, yet sincere) when I say, at the end of this, when it’s all said and done, it would be incredible not to look back at the COVID-19 pandemic not only as a crisis, but as a reminder of the capability of our society for demonstrating kindness and compassion.

    Reach out

    If you yourself are healthy and capable, why not reach out to your local community to see where you can make a difference and make someone’s journey through these uncertain times a little easier.

    Volunteering to fetch food for elderly relatives or neighbours, or even just being a friendly voice at the end of the phone to combat the loneliness of isolation, are amazing personal efforts to be proud of – and keeping busy might just keep you sane as well.

  • Commonly held beliefs that don’t do us any good, pt 5

    Commonly held beliefs that don’t do us any good, pt 5

    Belief #5: Being a vet defines who you are

    “Oh, you’re a vet?!”

    Two things are happening in the head of the person you’ve just met:

    1. They’re thinking of a question to ask you – about their horse, their granny’s cat or their friend’s aunt’s designer cockadoodlepoopywhip.
    2. They’ve just labelled you. With that label comes a list of expectations they associate with the word “vet”. Animal lover, smart, trustworthy (or perhaps money-hungry!). Things they’ve learned to associate with “veterinarian” through past experience and the commonly held beliefs of society.

    The human brain likes to use labels to make sense of the world. We create shortcuts to avoid having to analyse from scratch the thousands of things we encounter every day. That would take much too long and waste valuable brainpower.

    We all do it – we apply labels to things; to other people, but also to ourselves.

    Self-labelling?

    What do you associate with the label of “veterinarian”? What expectations do you burden that word with?

    • Caring. Scientist. Healer.
    • Successful, or wasted potential?
    • Cow-doc, horse vet, surgeon, or jack of all trades?
    • A white coat and stethoscope?
    • Hard-working, stoic, short on money?
    • Unglamorous, self-sacrificing, pillar of the community?
    • Not quite a doctor? Better than a doctor?
    • Sixty-hour work weeks? Job over everything else?

    Most of us will identify strongly with at least some of these traits, but when we identify with our labels they can start to define us. We accept what the label says as the only truth and feel the need to live up to those expectations.

    So we work those 60-hour weeks, sacrifice our other passions and relationships, accept low salaries, and blindly follow the well-trodden paths – because “that’s just what vets do”.

    You are not a label

    The reality is that, while you can do any or all of those things, you ultimately are none of them. You are not your label. A label that defines you will limit your thinking.

    The happiest vets I know do not identify as being “a vet”. They are people with passion and curiosity, who happen to have the skills and training to diagnose and treat sick animals.

    “Veterinarian” is something they do, but it is not who they are. They spend time and energy on other interests, they’re involved with their communities and families, they pursue hobbies and often have multiple career interests – and when a problem arises in the “vet” part of their lives, it’s never an all-consuming problem because “vet” is not an all-consuming part of their lives. If you took it away from them, they’d still be them.

    Acceptable associations

    If we are going to associate anything with the label of “vet”, let it be this:

    It means you’re not stupid – that you have the capacity for grit, and an ability to work hard and practise at least some degree of self-discipline…

    It represents potential. What will you do with yours?

  • Commonly held beliefs that don’t do us any good, pt 4

    Commonly held beliefs that don’t do us any good, pt 4

    Belief #4: A career in veterinary science doesn’t pay well

    Compared to many other professions, veterinary science is not what you would call a high performer on the salary front. Depending on who you ask, vet wages fall somewhere between that of a plumber and a hat rack. But is this always true?

    Here’s a little secret: a lot of wealthy vets are out there. We’re talking fancy sports cars and boats, holiday houses in top-notch locations and early retirement.

    Many of these stories of above-average financial success contain healthy doses of good timing and luck, but I can tell you what none of them have in them: someone plugging away in a salaried position for 20 years, complaining about the fact they don’t get paid enough.

    So, what is the secret to going from wage slave to financially successful vet? Here are a few things that seem to be common trends among financially satisfied vets.

    Attitude

    They’re not embarrassed to expect to make a good income from their profession, and to actively pursue it.

    Many of the loudest complainers about low wages are also the first to accuse others of unethical behaviour, gouging and exploitation. Many vets probably err too far towards the side of the ethical. But I have seen time and time again it is possible to strike a sustainable balance.

    Adding value

    Vets who fall on the right side of the income bell curve never just do what is expected of them. They find ways to add value wherever they are – whether it’s as an employee in their workplace, or to their communities.

    It’s very simple: if you want to earn more, find a way to generate more.

    Note that “more” does not have to simply mean “more dollars”. You can add huge value to a business in ways that don’t directly equate to an immediate increased dollar income. It’s not all about billing more.

    Business ownership

    It is entirely possible, and likely mostly overlooked as an option, to create a profitable niche for yourself within an employed position. Having said that, most of the high-earning vets I know are business owners or partners.

    Maybe it’s a personality thing. Or perhaps it’s the increased feelings of autonomy, of being in charge of your own destiny, and the incentive of “work more, earn more” that causes business owners to invest more time and energy into work, which usually equates to higher earnings.

    Either way, owning your own business certainly seems to be the most common path towards more moolah.

    Hard work

    Our wealthy vets put in the work. We mentioned luck before, but even the luckiest ones put themselves in a position where they were ready to be the receiver of any good fortune by generous amounts of sacrifice and elbow grease.

    The good news is that, in most cases, these hard workers are also the ones who eventually end up with more free time after those initial periods of increased effort.

    Taking risks and extending themselves

    My favourite story that illustrates a willingness to take risks came from one of the MiniVetGuide Vet Vault podcast guests, who started his first practice when he was in his 20s with AUS$40,000 (£20,000) borrowed from his gran. It was pretty much everything she owned. No pressure, right?

    It’s that kind of measured risk-taking that paves the way to financial security. While the rest of us stick to our risk-free salaried positions where we haggle about pennies and sulk about how bad the pay is, the risk-takers are making decisions that could irrevocably alter their financial futures.

    Diversification

    It’s the eggs-in-one-basket theory: our fiscal achievers usually have many eggs in multiple baskets. They seldom depend on their income solely from their primary vocation.

    Some side gigs are hobbies that have the potential to generate income, while others have become a primary source of income. Whatever they are, it’s clear these vets do not live with blinkers, and are not scared to venture outside their traditional roles as “vet”.

    What’s great about our profession is that it can provide a stable, predictable and flexible income stream that allows you to keep your head above water while you dip your toes into the streams adjacent to the familiar clinical practice pond.

    So, what’s it going to be? Accept the conventional wisdom, do your work and grumble about your pay, or pull your head out and look for opportunities?

    The money is there for the making, but it’s not going to come looking for you.

  • Goals versus systems

    Goals versus systems

    Knowing what you want in life is a blessing, but getting there can often be a complicated journey.

    We strive to be the best versions of ourselves – and part of that process is setting and achieving our goals; we think of a successful outcome, then work backwards to develop the milestones we need to reach these goals.

    For many, the process of goal setting is effective, but for some it can be disheartening or even disempowering. But why?

    Fear of failure

    For some, goals can be too painful to set as we often don’t achieve them. A prime example is the New Year’s resolution – how many times have you set a resolution or goal and not achieved it?

    So, what can happen is that whenever you assess your progress compared to your goals, you may find you haven’t achieved them. Essentially, this can spiral into feeling like you’re in a constant state of failure.

    Old habits die hard

    Let’s say you, in fact, do achieve your goal. Often what happens is that you return to your prior mindset – and you find yourself back where you started.

    An example could be where you’ve achieved a weight-loss goal, but then fall back into hold habits and put it back on and end up back at square one. Too much emphasis on the goal itself can lead to either not achieving it or reaching your goal and falling back to where you started.

    This is where systems come into play…

    The road to success

    Systems are like processes or habits that we set up to help us achieve our goals. The power of systems is that they focus on the process and strategy, rather than the goal itself. When you master your system, you feel accomplished.

    With this mentality, more often than not, the more you roll out your system/strategy, the more likely you are to achieve success. The more successful and positive you feel – and the more consistently you practise your system – essentially paves the path to reaching your goals sooner.

    To infinity… and beyond!

    If that isn’t motivation enough, the other additional bonus with focusing on your system or process is that it enables you to evaluate and fine-tune your strategy on a daily basis. This enables to you further increase your chances of success.

    Finally, after you have achieved your goal, the systems, habits or processes you put in place will actually continue to help you push beyond your initial goal and allow you to reach higher levels.

    Systems in action

    Let’s put this into a scenario: you set a weight-loss goal of 10kg. You start with the system of exercising 4 days a week for 30 minutes per day. You also decide to eat healthy five days a week.

    If that doesn’t work, then simply adjust your system: you can, for example, change the amount or type of exercise, or change your diet – you create a system, evaluate it, adjust it, roll it out and repeat. Once you start to see the progress you want, you just focus on doing it on a daily, or more consistent, basis.

    Essentially, you’ll develop an achievable system, be consistent, evaluate progress and achieve your goals. One step at a time.

    Ask yourself:

    • What is a goal you have not been able to achieve?
    • What is a system you could start with to help you get there?
    • When do you want to evaluate?
    • What could you do to adjust your system?
  • Always learning

    Always learning

    Following the recent plea to the UK Government by the British Veterinary Association, I’ve seen several articles over the past month all addressing the welfare and ethical issues concerning the sale of rabbits by themselves.

    I’ll be honest, reading these articles has filled me with a mild sense of guilt as I myself had a single rabbit as my very first pet.

    What we consider normal

    I think rabbits are quite a common choice for first time pet owners as they give the impression of a very low-maintenance option when compared with a cat or a dog.

    However, the general public are sometimes under a misapprehension about what is normal for our pets, especially the small ones. The smaller the animal and the more different from ourselves, the harder it becomes to judge its behaviour and whether its needs are being met.

    That is why, for generations, people have been housing their goldfish in bowls and rabbits by themselves. In the same way all fish need a filter, a heat source and environmental stimulation, rabbits need companionship – just like us.

    The norm

    It makes perfect sense when you think about it: rabbits in the wild are social creatures that live in large colonies to help with rearing young and watching for predators. Primates are the same in that regard; our closest relatives enjoy the perks of group living. Both apes and humans have been seen to suffer from prolonged isolation – it makes us nervous, depressed and can have negative impacts on our health.

    Sadly, rabbit research has been a little thin on the ground until recent years, and nobody realised their loved and cherished fluffy friend was lonely or in any way deprived.

    Domesticated rabbits have been commonplace in the UK for a long while, although they were originally kept more for food than companionship. While this trend has changed dramatically, the way in which we house our rabbits has not.

    The blame game

    I loved the rabbit I had as a six-year-old – coming home to Flopsy (do forgive me for my lack of originality) was one of the favourite parts of my day. Neither I nor my parents knew any better than to keep him by himself, or indeed to feed him carrots like they were going out of fashion.

    Much like my six-year-old self, an alarming amount of the general public have no idea that carrots for rabbits are like chocolate for us. For such a small animal they are surprisingly high in sugars and since rabbits wouldn’t naturally eat root vegetables as part of their diet and like any good thing, eating too many can impact their health in the long run.

    With all of this in mind:

    • Who is to blame for all these common misunderstandings? Is it, in fact, the cartoon rabbit franchise with their carrot munching propaganda?
    • Is it the owner’s responsibility to research their animal before they bring it home, or is the role of the seller to ensure the buyer is making an informed purchase?
    • Does the vet have a duty to triple check the animal management of every pet they see – and is this truly feasible in an average 15-minute consult alongside the routine check-up and actual reason for the appointment?

    Collective responsibility

    When it comes to understanding our pets, I believe we’ve still got a long way to go – and I don’t think its fair to blame any one person or authority for misconceptions, myths or a general lack of education regarding animal husbandry.

    It’s probably best to say it’s down to everyone to do their bit towards making sure every animal is as content and cared for as legitimately as possible. Owners should certainly do their own research when it comes to pet ownership, but it is also the responsibility of every veterinary practitioner to be a willing source for this research.

    The pool of information we have on pet care is ever changing and expanding which can hopefully only mean good things for our furry friends.

  • Commonly held beliefs that don’t do us any good, pt 3

    Commonly held beliefs that don’t do us any good, pt 3

    Belief #3: Vet science is much harder than other jobs

    You’ve heard those conversations where vets pontificate about the injustice of their lot in life and their poor career choices.

    We love to share stories about old acquaintances who are invariably less talented and not nearly as smart as us (we’re vets after all – the cream of the intellectual cream), yet have magical careers where they do almost nothing all day, get paid squillions and have three-month holidays every year that they spend frolicking on their yachts; while we express anal glands for 27 hours a day and get paid less than the pot plants in the reception area at the dentist’s office…

    Interesting job

    Well, have you ever listened to a group of people from other professions complain about their jobs – especially when they’ve had a few drinks? The bitching!

    When was the last time you asked someone about the details of his or her job? About what they do on a day-to-day basis; about the politics, paperwork and bureaucracy – all the dirty nitty-gritty?

    But I bet many people have asked you about your job, because guess what – it’s interesting! People love hearing about we do, while poor Kevin from accounts probably never even has the chance to complain about his job because no one ever asks…

    Some individuals genuinely appear to have shimmering careers that they truly seem to love, but to me, the vast majority of other people’s jobs seem to fall somewhere on a spectrum between soul-crushing boredom and high stakes ulcer-causing, relationship-busting stress.

    Think about the positives

    Yes, our job has some very real challenges, but so does any career. What we tend to ignore are all the great things about a career in veterinary science – variety, autonomy, never-ending opportunities for continued learning and acquisition of new skills, the potential for leadership positions or business ownership…

    We can travel with our degree. We can work full-time, part-time or night time. We can choose to be generalists or push ourselves into challenging specialisms, or take a left turn into a completely different pathway, such as teaching, industry or government. We get to do a job that people swoon over on the media.

    Living the dream

    Do you have any idea how many people would give anything to have a veterinary degree? To have the privilege of actually getting paid to work with animals? True, they probably don’t fully understand what it actually involves to work with animals, but the reality is we get to do the thing many of us dreamed of doing as youngsters. How many other careers can put all of that on their CV?

    I’m all for striving to improve the profession and making it an even better career to be in, but sometimes we need to see the gift we have under our noses. Yes, sometimes it’s hard being a vet – sometimes work is hard. But this is not a unique feature of our profession.

    However, if your career really isn’t going the way you want it to, maybe it’s time to re-evaluate how you’ve used your veterinary degree so far, rather than the fact you chose to have one to begin with.

    “But the pay is so bad”, I hear you say. We’ll talk about that next time…

  • Commonly held beliefs that don’t do us any good, pt 2

    Commonly held beliefs that don’t do us any good, pt 2

    Belief #2: if you can’t afford to care for an animal then you shouldn’t have one

    You, young doctor or nurse – living in your privileged society of excess, with your years of study, working in an industry that exists largely to minimise animal suffering – have certain expectations of what “taking care of an animal” looks like.

    Of course, we should always strive to do the best we can for any animal in our care, but we need to learn to put judgement aside when an owner’s abilities don’t stretch to meet our expectations.

    Saying “if you can’t afford to care for a pet then you shouldn’t be allowed to own one” is a subjective and biased opinion.

    What defines an appropriate level of “caring for your animal” is based to a large degree on your background, prior experiences with animals and financial circumstances.

    Where is the line?

    Let’s agree that if someone takes an animal in your care, it is his or her responsibility to meet its basic needs – make sure it doesn’t starve, freeze or cook to death; don’t cause it unnecessary suffering through wilful abuse or neglect; and satisfy at least some basic emotional needs of connection, and freedom from fear and pain.

    Beyond that, where is the line?

    You could argue provision for core vaccinations should make the cut into what constitutes basic levels of care, but I can assure you many unvaccinated animals around the world live very happy lives.

    I’ve seen many colleagues spit venom about “careless owners” who “don’t deserve to own an animal” when a dog presents with a pyometra, so should we make neutering a minimum requirement of pet ownership?

    Should every pet owner have the means to pay for at least full bloods and an ultrasound? What about major life-saving surgery? An MRI? Chemotherapy? Specialist referral?

    If a line in the sand does exist, then it’s poorly defined – and, like the line between beach and ocean, it’s a line that will shift with every wave, tide, and storm.

    Collision course

    So, how does this belief hold you back?

    If you subscribe to this way of thinking, you’ll be on a constant collision course with a large part of the population. It’s a mindset that will set you up for daily antagonistic interactions with the people who present their animals to you, instead of creating those all-important relationships that were mentioned in part one.

    None of this will benefit your patients, your clients, or yourself. To put it simply: you’ll only make yourself resentful and miserable.

    Burden of care

    Where things do become complicated is when individuals expect a high level of veterinary care without being willing to pay for it.

    When the burden of care – and blame for lack of provision of its gold standard – are shifted solely on to the shoulders of the veterinary community, the relationship starts falling apart.

    This, of course, is rubbish – and should be treated as such.

    It’s a problem that vets who have the capacity to provide high levels of care will grapple with, and can be the topic of many more blogs.

    For the purpose of this post, let’s just say we should always aim to help – to the best of our abilities, and with a consistent level of caring and lack of judgement – any person who presents their animal into our care, despite their individual expectations and capacity of what constitutes a good level of care.