Tag Archives: veterinarian

world observations

Things Vet Techs Don’t Like Vol. 8

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Okay… Really? Just Really? Will this list stop? I doubt it. I thought this would be a quick venting mechanism and great practice writing. NOPE It’s my life now apparently. Let’s get the ball rolling…

Chook

Running Around Like A Chicken With My Head Cut Off

Veterinary medicine is a fast paced occupation. More often than not you are multitasking and running from place to place to assist your coworkers or the doctor in some way, all the while you are trying to aid your clients as well. We understand that. We’re prepared for that. We LOVE THAT! or else we wouldn’t be here. BUUUUUUUTTTTTT!!!!! If you’re the ONE client that comes in and decides you don’t want to tell us every thing you want up front, and would rather us drag your dog back and forth a million times then refer to the picture below please,

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Don’t have an exam, go to the lobby, Then ask for a nail trim causing us to take your dog to the back and do it. Then ask for anal gland expression once that’s done, and then ask for an ear cleaning after that. You are burning bridges here quickly. Your tech on the case does in fact have MANY other things to do, and if you would have mentioned that upfront instead of hiding it like government secrets it all would have been done before your appointment ended…. Jeez.

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Invasion of Personal Space

The fact that I have to post this infuriates me. Why do you feel that it is socially acceptable to invade mine or my doctor’s personal space. This isn’t a crowded night club, or a social mixer, it’s a Veterinary clinic. So when you decide that we must feel your breath, that isn’t always fresh, on our faces we feel… inclined to be enraged. Pissed even, and grossed the hell out. The vet and the tech should leave the room feeling like they helped you, not like they were forced into a threesome with some creep. It’s simple, DON’T TOUCH ME, DON’T BREATH ON ME, DON’T ASSIST ME WITH RESTRAINT UNLESS I REQUEST IT, DON’T TOUCH MY VETERINARIAN, DON’T PAT HIM/HER, DON’T WHISPER TO US IN HUSHED TONES AND GET ODDLY CLOSE TO US, AND LASTLY, BACK THE HELL UP!!!!

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W.A.C.K.

I guess you want to know what that stands for. Well don’t worry, Mr. Poetic Ice will tell you. W.A.C.K. stands for Weird Ass Crazy Kids. Some humans are blessed with kids. Some humans are blessed to not have them, and then there are those inept jackasses that have given birth to these Weird Ass Crazy Kids that spend their young lives following Satan’s word and spreading chaos and destruction. These demons don’t know how to control their voice levels, don’t sit down, touch EVERYTHING, attempt to pet the animal during examinations and vaccinations, ask 100,675 questions, and possibly color on your chairs in the exam room all before they leave. Some would say that’s just part of being a kid, but I don’t recall worshiping the Dark Lord in my youth. We aren’t really mad at the kids, it’s the parents that act like nothing is going on. Did you not see little Michael destroy a bag of dog treats? What about Susie that keeps slapping the cat? Okay, fine, I’ll pray for you since you’re already a prisoner in your own home to little Hitler.

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LIARS

I seriously wish your pants would catch on fire, or your nose would mutate and grow into some sick mass tumor on you face. Why would you feel compelled to lie on anyone about your pet!? Whether its simple lies of omission when the tech is asking questions and you don’t mention something, but you’ll tell the doctor. Or it’s full on you lying saying we did something to harm or endanger your pet intentionally, it doesn’t matter. Why the fuck would you lie on us or to us? Our job is to help you and your pet and you would go out of your way to lie on us? Is this some sick cry for attention? A need for drama? Whatever your reasoning is, we don’t appreciate it. We hate it. If it wasn’t so ungodly we’d hate you, but we’re not like that. We’re Veterinary professionals, and we’ll use logic, and science to combat your lies. We know the truth, and we stand by it, you won’t make us falter or bend to your will.

 

Well that’s my two cents for right now, thanks for reading thus far. Do you have something that irks you in the Vet world? Let me know

Poetic Ice

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Things Vet Techs Don’t Like Vol. 6

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It’s the Christmas season guys and gals, so happy holidays first and foremost. Now that the holiday cheer is out of the way, let’s address the apparent month long psychosis that has affected the people in our current society. No I’m not about to go on a political/cultural/racial rant. I’ll stay grounded in the Veterinary world. A world full of mixed nuts.

1.  THERE IS NO WAY IN HELL YOU ARE MUZZLING MY DOG, AND CHOKING HIM TO DEATH!!!!

Okay, do you guys see the picture above. Take a long look at it. Have that image internalized yet? That is what a vet tech sees when there is an extremely aggressive dog in the examination room that doesn’t want to be there.  I call it the death lunge, either you move out of the way or it’s game over. As veterinary professionals we understand the aggressive pet. It’s probably fear aggression. That’s fine. we can take things slow and if necessary a muzzle will need to be used. In extreme cases chemical restraint becomes an option. It’s for the protection of everyone in the room so we can all go home happy and in one piece. When we pull out muzzles because Jack the Ripper has decided to rend our flesh from bone, don’t go ape shit crazy on us because of your dog’s behavior. Either your dog is untrained or has fear issues. either way it wants to kill and we want to live. Yelling at us saying that we are choking or suffocating your dog is just fucking stupid. I’m sorry but you took me there. It’s fucking dumb. Proper restraint does not choke your dog, and a muzzle doesn’t suffocate. DOGS BREATH THROUGH THEIR NOSES LIKE WE DO!!!!! Get the heck outta here with that foolishness! This one notion alone drives Techs insane!

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2. Hey Doc, I Need A Refill, I Know I Said I Didn’t Yesterday, But I Do Today. Right Now Actually. No I’m out completely…. for real…..

So, I know I went to public school. It may not have been ivy league status, but my preschool teacher taught me this magical thing called counting. It was a skill that I have used EVERY SINGLE DAY FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE. Apparently this skill is a lost art for many of the clients of veterinary clinics. When your pet is on chronic medication you are in the vet office often for monitoring and or refills. Well if you come for a routine monitoring visit and the Vet Tech and DOCTOR ask you do you need a refill of said medication, we are honestly asking you this. This is no trick or game we are trying to play. We figure you know the inventory of medications in your home and know when you need more. I guess we are wrong to think this. If you say that “I have plenty of medication, I don’t need anymore right now doctor” we believe this fact. We’re not the ones medicating your pet you are. Why should we not believe you. So when you call us less than 24 hours later and say you need a refill of said medication and you need it ASAP because if Fluffy doesn’t get it they break out in hives and become a lycanthrope by midnight, we become confused and pissed off. YOU KNEW YOU NEEDED MEDICATION YESTERDAY!!! If you’re in the building we can fill the script, if you call it in most likely there is a policy in place such as give the doctor 24 hours to fill it because the doctor has actual work to do such as see patients, save lives, run a damn hospital, etc. Now you’re irate on the phone and complaining about service when we tried to service your ass yesterday! Well you wait on your damn medication that we will fill, and pray your werewolf doesn’t take too many lives in the process.

(Lycanthrope=Werewolf for people who don’t want to use Google lol)

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3. Secret Keepers

These are the clients who act like they have something to hide when they make there appointment. They schedule Red for vaccines and get off the phone with a maniacal laugh to themselves. They start rubbing their hands together and in a deep menacing voice proclaim, “I’ll also bring fluffy and Sam along for annuals, and anal glands muahahahahahahahaha!” Or At least that’s what I imagine. All we as veterinary professionals ask is that when you make an appointment, make it for all that you require. It doesn’t hurt our feelings to work. It pisses us off when you add multiple things at the last friggin minute. If you show up for a dental cleaning, don’t add a billion mini mass removals that you are only getting for aesthetic purposes! You know not the wrath of a vet professional scorned, but that is the quickest way to earn it.

Now that’s all, enjoy your holiday, go have fun, and for the love of all that is only keep your pets out of the emergency clinic!

Happy holidays

Poetic ice

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The Pet Doctor for Best Veterinarian of the Grand Strand!!!

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http://wmbf.cityvoter.com/best/veterinarians/pets/myrtle-beach

It’s voting time again! Please do me an amazing favor and head to the link posted above to vote for my favorite veterinary clinic, The Pet Doctor which is located in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. This time they are in the running for Best Veterinarian of the Grand Strand. I think they deserve to win, they are an awesome group of people who put in an amazing amount of work to take care of peoples pets. They deserve to win! Help them clench first prize! Voting is going on now through January 4th, Every vote matters!!

Thank you very much,

Poetic Ice

 

be sure to visit their website, http://www.thepetdoctormb.com and learn more about the team

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world observations

Things Vet Techs Don’t Like Vol. 5

 

This is your local vet tech after a day fool of WTF

This is your local vet tech after a day full of WTF

You see this wolf above… yeah that’s what your vet tech feels like on the inside after some of the foolish things we encounter daily.

1. Could you groom my pet please? Don’t pay the vomiting, diarrhea, random bleeding etc, any mind.

This by far really makes me blood thirsty. When a client is concerned about a few mats on the fur, or nails being too long when their pet is in dire unrelated stress. If your pet is examined and you are told about various masses felt, wounds, and/or their dehydration we aren’t going to be concerned with fluffy’s aesthetics. A nail trim and bath aren’t going to fix said pets tumor growing on their side!

The clock says it all

The clock says it all

2. I’m late for my appointment, but I damn well better be next in line to see the doctor!

Okay first of all… just who the hell do you think you are to show up late and demand immediate service? If you show up late for your pets appointment you need to realize that other appointments were scheduled and since they were here on time they will be seen ahead of you. Just because you have a card saying your appointment was for 9:30am doesn’t mean you get seen first. That becomes null and void once you show up at 10:15am. Please believe being rude about the fact that YOU were late and haven’t been seen doesn’t help you much either. To top it all off when the pet is a straight up hell beast it just makes a vet tech pretty much say fuck it…….

 

EVIL Incarnate

EVIL Incarnate

3. CUTTING PILLS!!!!!!!!

This is in no way shape or form the clients fault. This isn’t the techs fault, and this isn’t the doctors fault. It is just a way of life. A way that everyone in this business hates. WE ALL HATE CUTTING PILLS INTO 1/2 AND GOD FORBID 1/4ths for a patient. If the pills are scored then great. If they aren’t and they are coated it is a little harder. If they are already infinitesimal then you have to cut them they will 9 times out of 10 decided to shatter into oblivion so you now have to adjust your inventory to reflect loss of said pill. Pill dust every where!!!!! Oh and if you have extremely large hands, (or just hands bigger than a toddlers!) you will have a time just positioning the little bugger on a pill cutter in the first place. Now instead of a half a few pills are 2/3 of the dosage…. I hate pill cutters. I hate cutting pills…. I blame chemist and pharmacist for this. (Even though it’s not their fault either I guess.)

Hey fellow members of the veterinary community, what bugs you? comment below.

If you missed my other TVTDL post then check them out please!

Volume 1

https://poeticice.com/2014/09/17/things-vet-techs-dont-like/

volume 2

https://poeticice.com/2014/09/23/things-vet-techs-dont-like-round-2/

volume 3

https://poeticice.com/2014/11/08/things-vet-techs-dont-like-vol-3/

Volume 4

https://poeticice.com/2014/11/10/things-vet-techs-dont-like-4/

 

 

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Vote for The Pet Doctor

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It’s time for the Herald Reader’s Choice Awards here in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina again guys and gals. Our Veterinary Clinic, The Pet Doctor LLC, has been entered again and we would love your support this year. During the entire month of November you can cast your votes for the best things in Myrtle Beach. As far as Veterinary clinics ours is the best! The best part is, you could win $150.00 just for casting your vote! sounds like a sweet deal to me. So come on, help us out by casting your vote this year!

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The Pet Doctor LLC’s Mascot, Dr. Daisy

Head to www.myhorrynews.com and click on the voting button and vote for us (The Pet Doctor) as your favorite.

You could win $150.00 just for casting your ballot! Thanks for your support!!!

http://myhorrynews.secondstreetapp.com/l/Myrtle-Beach-Herald-Readers-Choice-Awards-2015

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Things Vet Techs Don’t Like 4

So by now you aren’t surprised that I have more to say. What can I say? The world keeps spinning, and flinging new kinds of WTF moments at Vet Techs daily.

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My Dog Doesn’t Bite, She May Scratch You With Her Teeth Though
This is a great source of WTF for me. The hell do you mean he doesn’t bite, but he will scratch you with her teeth? If it’s able to scratch me with said teeth it must be an attempt to bite that was narrowly dodged. If your pet is quarantined for biting by DHEC and you are in the clinic for your mandatory rabies shot then YES we are muzzling Baron Von Cujo no matter how much You say your growing mass of furry fury isn’t going to bite.

Oh I forgot To Mention 2 Days Ago My Dog Ate (Insert Foreign Object Here)
This one hurts as well as angers. As a tech it’s your job to be the Watson to your doctor’s Sherlock. You gather evidence to solve the crime or in this case save the pet. If your suspect omits a crucial piece of information you can’t do your job effectively or quick enough and may lose said pet. It hurts so bad when you know a pet could be saved from the agony of a perforated bowel and/or Death if you would have just told us every little detail during the investigation/exam. Even if you think its trivial it could save your pet’s life. Don’t lose them if you don’t have too. Common sense and speaking up goes a long way in veterinary medicine.

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Breeders, enough said
I could just say Breeders and every vet tech in existence would have a million stories of why they don’t like them. First off they see their pets as income tools and not the family members they are. Second when you do come into the clinic with your ELEVEN lab puppies all of them seem to be walking fuzzy galleries of intestinal parasites and/or Parvo candidates. You are overpopulating an overpopulated world with pets when you should encourage adoption. You buy feed store vaccines and claim your pets a vaccinated, but your clients have NO way if really knowing if they are or not. And last but not least you volunteer medical info, whether it be right or wrong in such a way that the client will take your word as the word of God over ours as if we’re the serpent in the Garden. You make work twice as hard for us.

… No. No witty comment. That’s my two cents and i’m done.

poetic ice

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Things Vet Techs Don’t Like Vol. 3

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This is becoming more true each day

It’s time for the third round of Things Vet Techs Don’t Like. at this point I’m sure this list will never end, and I now accept it as therapy. That and wine…

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Insert theme of Cops Here

Calling The Cops
Working in this field you encounter so many different types of people. One of the worse types of people are the ones that skip out on the bill. That one prick you encounter that just decides “I’m not paying my bill because…” They will have some bogus reason that suggest that you are an agent of Satan after money and not an employee of a business collecting payment for services rendered. They’ll make a scene, confusing and/or causing that awkward feeling to spread like a wildfire across the lobby and then leave in a hurried huff. Now you must call the cops because they just stole your services and/or products. In South Carolina, that’s petty Larceny and punishable by a $500 fine and 30 days in jail. Once the cop shows up on your doorstep as an armed bill collector the client usual comes groveling back with payment in hand.

I Don’t Know How Long He’s Been Like This…
That phrase is the most annoying Frickin thing to hear. It’s like saying I’ve been ignorant to the neglect of my animal, but that’s cool. No, no it’s not cool. Coming into any clinic with a pet that has an embedded anything is an instant red flag. Every veterinary professional you see henceforth is a raging bull only concerned with helping your pet, and contemplating calling animal control. We don’t, just don’t understand how something gets embedded without you noticing. How do you not pet or observe your animal enough to see a collar is getting too damn tight? This just infuriates me.

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We're all in the medical field right?

I’m A Doctor/Dentist/Optometrists, Allow Me To Treat You Like Shit
This one affects all in the building, not just the Vet Techs. Every veterinary professional has encountered this. It seems that when other medical professionals need veterinary services they just view us as a group of people playing dress up with puppies and kittens. We must not have any kind of real education and don’t understand the science behind medicine. Other medical professionals more often than not come in and act superior to is and try to act like our degrees and education mean nothing next to there’s. They often try to engage in intellectual sparring and get mad that we can actually jeep up with them. Often they try to tell you how they would treat a problem or what the problem actually is, and once you diagnose the issue and go over treatment they always have something to say. Sweet God this is annoying and infuriating, and makes us borderline violent. What happened to common courtesy, it’s usually these clients that give us the most hell during our work day. They should be the ones that are the most understanding. Nope they’d rather make sure you know you aren’t a Medical Doctor, Dentist, or Optometrist. So we have to remind them that you aren’t a Veterinarian, that’s why you came here. Respect our position and well respect yours.

That’s just a few more for the never ending rage inducing list. Do you have any to add? I’m going to go to sleep before I lose it. That’s just my two cents.

Poetic Ice

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Things Vet Techs Don’t Like Round 2

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So last week I posted Things Vet Techs Don’t Like and hopefully enlightened the world a bit about the the daily aggravation that comes along beside the daily satisfactions Veterinay Professionals have. It was a short list, and definately not the end. Behold!

My Dog Has A Tiny Boo Boo, KILL IT!
The worst thing to see on your schedule for the day next to inventory day is the word EUTHANASIA. The only thing worse than that is when you see, pet has sprained leg, or a tiny cut, maybe even a mass to be examined, and you go triage the room and the owner jumps right to Euthanasia. WHY ARE YOU THINKING LETS KILL IT FOR GETTING A FIXABLE PROBLEM? Now I’m in no way shape or form saying EUTHANASIA is wrong, I’m saying it’s wrong when your dog can have years left with you if you’re willing to work with them and fix their minor issue. If the pet has malignant tumors throughout their thoracic cavity then I understand, but your dog with a superficial mass that can be removed with no problem that isn’t malignant… give me and the pet a break jeez…

Umm, My Appointment was for 3:30, its 3:32 Why Haven’t I Been Seen?
This particular breed of nonsense has been a plague of every Veterinary clinic at some point. Its apparently genetically coded into about a third of your client population to have no patience whatsoever once they cross the threshold of the animal hospital. Operative word being Hospital. This insinuates that it is a place where medical procedures take place, a medical office, a doctor’s office. Much like a family medical doctors office, where one will experience wait times, sometimes one Helluva wait time. One big difference, OUR PATIENTS CAN’T TELL US WHATS WRONG! This often leads to a battery of tests and detective questions until we solve the problem, SO one may have a wait time if their doctor is doing good medicine and trying to help another patient. You what that kind of diligent work done. So does every one else. Stop complaining about it as soon as a few minutes go by Will ya? Disclaimer for all vet hospitals everywhere: we do not own, ever conceived, or plan to produce a one time instantaneous godlike miracle injection that solves the broad spectrum of animal ailments. Stop acting like we have one and being surprised we don’t

What Do You Mean The Vet Is A Human Being That Requires food?
This client baffles me. Truly does. Evey single job that offers full time employment also offers lunch breaks. Whether it’s service industry, retail, medical, anything that is legal you get a lunch break. HUMANS NEED FOOD. So as per human requirement for life Veterinarians take lunch breaks. Some hospitals even close down for the lunch hours. Some are just opened for over the counter sales. That should be something quite easy to understand since we are human. Yet, some clients come in at these times and demand to be seen by the doctor because little Fluffy has been having diarrhea for 7 days. But today at lunch it’s imperative they be seen. Then they get extremely upset that your human doctor is out obtaining sustenance. For shame on the good doctor for the need to eat and function normally.

I Need A Refill Of (Blank) Right Now! Fetch It
I love this client. They come in when it’s at their leisure and randomly request their medication for their pet be refilled. Most clinics have a Refill policy, you most likely need to call in advance. When this client is told this for the millionth time they instantly grow upset and say they were never told this. It doesn’t help their case now that they are being rude about it, and you have a posted sign about this policy. Now they are passed saying you want their pet to die, and we are evil, yet it’s their own personal responsibility to follow policy. Sigh… life is just peachy when you have clients who don’t see how they are at fault.

That’s just my 2 cents on the fantastic world of Vet Techs. …
Poetic Ice

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Vote For Orangie!!!

I hope that link above works because I would like you all to head over to The Pet Doctor’s Facebook page and vote for this sweet kitten named Orangie White. He is a cat with a few medical problems such as Mega colon and he has a few neurologic issues that make it very hard for him to get around at times, but that doesn’t stop him from being awesome! He’s entered into a cutest pet contest at the Pet Doctor and he needs votes. I implore you to head over to their Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Pet-Doctor/171502329542247) and vote for him by liking his picture, and go to their website http://thepetdoctormb.com/blog/ and vote for him there as well here ->http://www.thepetdoctormb.com/place_your_vote.php

 

He is an awesome cat and he deserves to win!

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What’s your Super Power

I wrote this a while back, a poem based on my passion for my profession

Superpower

I wake, rise and put on scrubs/
Clock in, set up, and clean out grooming tubs/
We say hi and start to check in/
And now this emotional war can begin/
We wear the hats of receptionist, technician, and doctor/
We work hard, fight emotions and try not to falter/
We take on the love of so many pets/
Then we deal with the public who fuss and fret/
We teach the masses on animal health/
We take the insults of those flaunting wealth/
We fight back the urge to show our wrath/
To those clients who truly psychopaths/
We watch or puppies and kitties grow/
We parade them around and revel in the show/
But we go to war in the battle for their health/
With no armor earning new scars on our self/
Pet, client, tech, doctor, receptionist all earn so much pain/
All for the pets greater gain/
For the many battles won there is a loss/
One’s so great there are tears everywhere from tech to boss/
People think it’s all fun and games/
No one ever thinks of our emotional cuts and pains/
Veterinay medicine is our profession/
Making sure you loved one is healthy is our obsession/
Not everyday is easy is our confession/
But no one has a stronger heart than the ones in our possession/
We never really clock out, we work all hours/
We work in veterinary medicine, what’s your super power?

-poetic ice

Tell me what you think

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