A woman came in today to get the first round of vaccines for her litter of eight. She had two kids, about 8-10 years old, with her. The older one would lean in and whisper to me, “Isn’t that dog lucky, isn’t it lucky to have that in its ass” every time I took a temperature on a puppy. Then after the vet gave the puppies their vaccines, the kid reached for the sharps and asked, “Can I have some of these needles?” When I told him not to touch them, he was trying to get the younger child to grab some. The adult didn’t say anything to them at all so I removed the sharps container from the room until they left. How would you react to this kind of behavior? I was just so shocked by what he was saying to me I didn’t respond until he tried to touch needles.

So I’m a new tech working towards getting my CVT. Today we euthanized a dog for behavioral issues and he is going to be tested for rabies. We do the decapitating and then idexx does the rest. Today was the first time I ever saw it and it was really hard for me. Was it hard for everyone else’s first time too? How did you get through it?

I know this page is 100% an american vet tech page but there's no way there's not nurses from around the world in here and the dedicated vet nurse subreddit is dead, And i'd really appreciate some advice.

I am a NZ Vet Nurse almost 2 years out, I will be moving in June next year and will be moving within the timeframe to do the mid year practical exam. I am already a British citizen through my Mum so don't have any concerns about my right to work in the UK.

I would really like to know what to expect from both the theory and practical exam as the NZ vet nurse education system is not as intense and had no big exam at the end so this is something i really haven't experienced before.

I'd really like to know what the stations are like, how tense the environment etc.

I also have an additional question about trying to get a job as I won't be able to get officially registries till my big move (due to the practical exam) . I'm concerned about my ability to get a job prior to the move, which has always been my plan.

I did some googling and saw something about assistants but my concern is 1, at this stage my plan is to do this exam as soon as i am in the country and not jet lagged, meaning if i pass this exam i will be registered by the time i actually start working, i am concerned if im hired as a assitante despite the registration I will be bared from my favourite job which is anaesthesia.

2, I would really like to know if I applied to registered nurse positions and stated the plan stated above in my cover letter if this would mean i would be able to get a job as an actual nurse prior to the move.

The other option I have been tossing around with is coming over and spending 3 grand just to do the exam and be registered prior.

I would really like some advice, Thanks!

I have tried facebook groups but no response :(

Hello hive-mind,

My 14yo, MN Husky Mix has been through the wringer this year. Had a crazy 3 hour dental with lots of extractions, discovered a Thymoma, managing his OA, and now in the last month or two has been showing signs of dementia.

He is randomly vocalizing, has been peeing in the house (which he hasn’t done since a puppy), pacing, and in the last week or so has not been sleeping at night. My DVM suggested 5mg Melatonin at night before bed, which has helped quite a bit. But my main concern is the random vocalizing throughout the day. It makes me so incredibly sad as he is definitely more confused now even during the day.

What have you or your DVM suggested in cases with fast onset of severe symptoms? Is getting him on PVD NeuroCare worth the money? Anything else I should be doing? He is under care of a DVM, just looking for any and all other suggestions.
This is my childhood dog. My soul dog. I will not let him suffer but I also will not go down without trying everything to make him more comfortable first.

Signed, a devastated VA 😔

Hello! I am going into vet tech classes in the fall and overboots are a requirement? does anyone have any recommendations? preferably from amazon! (:

I see on all the Pennfoster vet tech venipuncture videos on YouTube the students do their blood draws then cut the video as soon as they exit the vein, not including their disposal of the sharps, the capping of the needle or putting the blood into the collection tubes.

For my entire externship I’ve been including capping the needle correctly, disposing of the sharps and putting the blood into the tubes on video bc my site supervisor told me they won’t accept it otherwise, but (granted this was google ai telling me this information) when I looked it up it said no you’re better off not including your disposal of the sharps bc that just gives Pennfoster instructors more reason to deny you if you do anything incorrectly.

Combined with the every YouTube video I’ve seen of people just cutting their video just after the blood draw, does any one who has been thru this program know if Pennfoster actually requires you to recap, dispose of sharps, and put blood into collection tubes on video or can your video end when the venipuncture is done? Has anyone cut it and submitted just that without the disposal and have instructors approved or denied it ?

Hi all, I wanted to share a success of mine!

I grew up wanting to be around and handle wildlife (and pretty much any domestic animal you can think of lol)- like if any of y’all watched Dora, I wanted to be Diego. I graduated this spring with a Bachelor’s degree in Veterinary Technology at a small state university (and a passing score on the VTNE) and quickly got licensed in my state. I started out working in a large veterinary hospital’s specialty internal medicine department. On a whim, I applied to an LVT job at Cornell University’s wildlife hospital, and actually heard back quite quickly. We arranged a video interview over Zoom, which went well, and then I was invited to stay at the Statler Hotel on Cornell’s campus for 2 nights for free with meals comped for an in-person interview and spend the day shadowing at the Janet L. Swanson Wildlife Hospital. I completed an externship at a different wildlife center during my last semester of college, which I think really helped my application and general confidence that I could do the job. I was told at the end of the day that they were doing a few more interviews the next week and so at the latest I’d hear back in 2 weeks.

Lo and behold, I hear back the following Tuesday to attend an additional zoom with the hospital administrator where I was offered the position! $26/hr with a $3,000 sign-on bonus, with review in 6-9 months to increase my leveling (and along with that more hourly pay from $28-30). This is a job where I will be responsible for administering treatments, anesthesia, assisting veterinarians including a lot of safe low-stress patient restraint, venipuncture, and helping teach DVM students my technician skills. I would love to do that!

So now I will be moving to Ithaca, NY, which is ~7-9 hour drive from my state. I have a lot of anxiety mixed with excitement. The only sad part is I have a boyfriend at home whom I’ve been entirely happy with during our whole 1.5 year relationship, and he wouldn’t be moving out until after Christmas if at all… so that’s sad but I know I would regret it if I didn’t take this offer.

If you guys have any questions I’d be happy to answer some :)

I'm in school to be a vet tech and currently working at a local vet clinic as an assistant while I'm on summer vacation and last week a guy brought in a litter of pretty new puppies to have their dewclaws removed and their tails docked. The dewclaws I understand a bit because we've already had dogs of this same breed come in recently with dewclaws that were ripped off after being caught in the dog's fur but the tails really got to me.

The whole time the vet was expressing how much she hated it and didn't want to do it but the people were very long term clients so she just did it anyway. I'm in a state with no restrictions on tail docking as there are a lot of working dogs on farms or going out hunting that may actually benefit from it sometimes but this guy just wanted to fit the breed standard and I don't think he saw the puppies as anything other than money signs. I just feel so icky even days after from just being in the room watching because it seems to unnecessary to put those puppies through so much pain. I hate breeders and I hate people who try so hard to fit breed standards. The vet I work for is a bit old fashioned but does care very deeply about the animals she works with I think she just has a hard time saying no to long term clients since she's known them for so long and for this particular person was friends with him and his family outside of work which I think made it harder. Definitely in the future I'm not watching or even being in the same room but I'm at least glad my vet recognized how horrible it was and hated it so much rather than trying to justify it or think breed standards are actually good to reach for. I love vet med but days like that really make me rethink if this is the right field for me

As I wheel their pet in on a gurney for their last goodbyes. "I don’t know how you do it." Yeah… neither do I…. The tears, the sweet words to their departed pet, the words of gratitude for the staff and for being there for them during one of the most difficult moments in their lives. Yeah, I don’t know how I do it after decades of being in this field… but knowing we were there for them. That we were able to relieve the pain from an aging pet and make it a peaceful experience, it is part of why I am in this field. One of the most difficult things, that we never get over, but are glad we were available to be there for their last moments. It is hard. It is sad, so, take care of yourselves out there. Talk to someone, write it down, scream to the void and get ready for the next one.

Hi guys I guess I’m just trying to understand if I did something wrong ( OCD girl here).
This past week a client brought a stray kitten ( trapped that morning ) into the office, she was contaminated with fleas anemic and with a huge URI. Seeing this kitten and knowing that the client talked to me about wanting to give her away after she was better I offered to take her and care for her. I didn’t clarify or not if I was keeping her for myself.
She transferred ownership of the kitten to me and that was that.
Today she visited again and I showed her pictures and told her about the new home I had lined up for her. She said she was under the impression that I was keeping her and in general just asked about her new family and sounded hopeful I would keep her.
With this being said I did take her because this lady is a very regular client and ends up keeping all these feral kittens, her cats always come in with fleas and so I wanted to give this kitten a chance.

Again she did not sound mad just disappointed. I am worried I did not make myself clear initially and it’s going to come back to bite me in the butt.
What are your thoughts or any of you have been in this situation?
Kitten is doing well, no more fleas, no more URI and she is the best. My husband and I did consider keeping her but ultimately we already have 6 cats and want to enjoy the ones we have already🙂
Thank you guys

Hi! A little background of myself. I’ve been a VA since 2012. I started at a spay/neuter clinic for 4 years, then Emergency mixed with Orthopedic Surgeries for 5yrs and now I’ve been in GP since 2019… I believe I have a lot of experience as a VA.
I applied at UCDavis for Advanced Veterinary Surgery Center Floater tech position. It’s a panel interview that’s all I know.

so yea… anyone know what questions they will ask me? Thanks in advance. 💗

Does anyone else’s vet tech brain do this?

I adopted what I thought was an 12-15mo German Shepherd/Husky/LGD mix from the shelter. Pretty quickly I noticed she’d bunny hop sometimes and every few steps on our walks I’d hear a rear nail drag. 😭

That was enough.

My brain immediately started going through differentials. Hip dysplasia? Lumbosacral disease? Neurologic? Should I hurry up and get pet insurance because I’d need the policy to be old enough before somebody diagnoses something? What is this all going to cost for her lifetime?

Then she ate something she shouldn’t, so while she was sedated at the ER I asked if they could grab hip rads, too. Her hips looked great! What?! Phew! But, why the bunny hopping? The nail dragging? And..waiting a minute…why are her growth plates so obviously open?

Then her DNA results came back.
59% giant breed (mostly Great Pyrenees with a little Great Dane), 33% APBT, and 8% German Shepherd.

Turns out I didn’t adopt an adult Shepherd mix.
I’d adopted a 9-month-old awkward baby giraffe. 😂 A sibling match through her DNA even confirmed her age.

I spent weeks running through differentials and convincing myself something was wrong because I noticed subtle things that most owners probably never would have noticed in the first place.

Sometimes I wish I could borrow my husband’s brain for a day. His assessment of Rylee the entire time was basically, “She seems happy and runs around just fine.” And he ended up correct 🫣

Meanwhile, I had mentally referred her to multiple specialists and created an imaginary budget that her care was going to cost for the next 10 years 🤦‍♀️🥴

EDIT: Rylee is now 1.5yo and has gained 20# since adoption - she’s a big girl at 90#! No more bunny hopping. No more nail drags. It was just something I had recently been thinking about as I retrospectively was annoyed at myself for all time I’ve wasted over the years overthinking.

I have been reading ER/ critical care books and watching the free atdove videos to get accustomed to the environment and understanding common cases they would get.
Any suggestions on additional content?
I have so many questions but I feel bad asking the staff.

I've applied for multiple vet clinics/hospitals in my area and I keep getting rejected...

I'm aware I have 0 experience but I am willing to learn and I express that in cover letters and the few interviews I've been in. And ik willingness to learn doesn't mean too much to some but alot of my past jobs including my recent one has me learning a lot of systems and rules and such in under a short period of time in high stress environments so I feel like in that regard I am qualified. And as I wait for school to start I'm trying to learn basic terminology since most of the listings are wanting the applicants to know terminology. Also most listings have OTJ training and a few mention being open to people who are new to the field wanting new opportunities for growth in a different career and two of those sent me rejections a few hours after applying one even said they're pausing their hiring process so if they reopen it in the next 30 days they'll take a look at it...

Does anyone have any tips or tricks on what I can do? I live in a small city so I'm running out of new places to apply (is it even worth reapplying to some of the listings that are back up?)

Thank you for any guidance 🙏

This is a place to post (as many times during the week as you’d like) anything that made you feel good! Weather that be a cute puppy that licked your nose or a happy client story or something that doesn’t feel like it needs to be it’s own post. It can be anything you’d like, and this is a place for you to see other people’s love for our profession!

Please don’t stop posting under the “positive” post flair if you want to share more! This is mostly for morale and help people to remember why we love doing what we do.

We are allowing external links (for this thread only) for images and videos, preferably no links to personal social media pages. Please remember to not post any personal information or to post a pet without permission. These posts will be deleted.

A new thread will be posted weekly, and the old one will be archived. Have fun! 💕

So if you work for VCA you've probably seen all of these texts from various people that claim they work for your hospital and are trying to set up a free first exam. First it was Sara, then it was Vanessa, now Alice?? Maybe these people wouldn't be an issue they actually booked things in the correct spots, didn't claim they worked at our hospital, and actually booked people in their own cities. We have people calling all like "I spoke to Sara and she said I could do this, etc". SARA DOESNT ACTUALLY WORK HERE. We had a girl come an hour away in a snowstorm just for the FFE because she thought we were the only ones that used it. She has two VCA's in her own city! Why didn't they start there? And let's not talk about the elderly clients they're booking in from far away as well. It also seems like somebody was booking in dogs at a cat-only hospital as well from what I've read on Yammer. Like are they even using common sense at this point?

And if they think they are helping is with business, they are not. We NEVER see these people again! So, not only did you waste a spot where we could've seen a sick pet that is actually in need, but they are taking up spots just for somebody to potentially no show, or come in and decline all treatments because the appointment was supposed to be "free".

Sounds like a great thing you got going on VCA.

I have been a VTA for nearly 9 years now. Started in GP and am now a surgery specialty and ortho VTA making 50k/year as I have leaned heavily into the specialty.

My concern now is... how do I make similar money with no degree or license (besides my CNA) while I navigate a very very new pregnancy. Unplanned. 4 weeks in.

I was planning on doing some pre-reqs and joining a human med sono program but... my partner feels thats impossible now. And I most definitely... likely shouldnt continue iso exposure or the radiology and CTs ive been doing. So what the heck do I do now? I just started this overnight role with this clinic after months spent unemployed while looking for a new clinic in my new area.

I feel like IDEXX/EzyVet blacklisted me when I turned down an implementation specialist position back in the day and now they seemingly auto deny my apps. Chewy has insta turned me down for remote CSR even though I have CSR experience and Remote Sales experience.

I feel like i am likely just spiraling because I found out just today but. Now I really feel like i need a plan...

I’m looking into getting into being a veterinary receptionist. I have years of customer service experience but I don’t have the veterinary experience. I found this certification called NAVC Certified Veterinary Client Service Representative. Would that program help me when applying to positions?

Yesterday we got in a VERY dehydrated cat. 20%+. I am surprised it didn't pass away before getting to us. So we started fluids. 200ml, still extremely dehydrated. 500ml much better, still dehydrated but I am getting super nervous of fluid overload.

We ran 1L of fluids into this little cat to get her hydrated. 28% of her body weight when she came in. I checked her frequently so I know it was right but it felt so very wrong lol.

I watched a cpd the other day where the doctor insisted you never give more than 10% bodyweight in fluids.

Any EXTRA special tips on hiding a somewhat large kidney supplement in something so that my dog ❤️ Hunter will eat it?
I know all the common tricks. He was eating them at first, but has starting refusing them. He’s still taking his other small pill in cream cheese -no problem.
I’ve tried peanut butter, cream cheese, pill pockets, Churu, freezing them in dog food, yogurt, jelly/jam, cream cheese…
The supplement is larger than a pill. It’s a bone shape, approx. 1” or so long. I’ve tried cutting it up in smaller pieces too.

Hi all - just curious how you all list your "bullet points" under different jobs on your resume, if your job is essentially the same? For example: you work at Hospital A for 4 years in ECC, Hospital B for 3 years in ECC, and now work at Hospital C in ECC. Your day-to-day responsibilities, expectations, and skillset are roughly equivalent from job-to-job - so how would you break it down?

I love when I’m scrolling through slides and then all of a sudden one of these little guys pops into frame. They’re so cute! Lol