Sorry the posts have been slow.. spring and summer is so busy that it's hard to take a shower sometimes let alone post to the blog. It's been mostly enjoyable as most of the things we see this time of year are routine. It's nice to see horses happy, healthy, and not in distress once in a while!
I recently saw an emergency that was a pretty common laceration; a horse reared in the trailer and hit its head, cutting it open. Usually these are ugly (there's not a whole lot between skin and skull and when people see bone they FREAK OUT). Even if you can see bone, it's really not that big of deal.
At any rate, this horse was bleeding and his head was ripped open. I called the next few appointments to reschedule so that I could go see this appointment-- mostly to subdue the overly panicked people. I was an hour away and on my way. However, the people needed to call me 3 times to ask where I was. SERIOUSLY?! I just rearranged my whole day. Would you like me to time travel too?
Long story short, I got there, fixed the horse, it was fine. Rah rah rah.
Days have been too long...
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
MD vs. DVM
Ha! On ABC news this morning they did a story about an MD who "couldn't believe" animals get the same diseases as humans. She even wrote a book about her shocking conclusions (Zoobiquity); that animals get diabetes, heart disease and even cancer. Whoa! Shocking stuff! The story was closed by her telling the camera "Yea! And vets don't even get to TALK to their patients, so they really have to OBSERVE." Did she not know what vets do everyday?
Sorry to all the MDs out there, but this lady made you look like total idiots. I know it's not all of you, but man, that was embarrassing!
Sorry to all the MDs out there, but this lady made you look like total idiots. I know it's not all of you, but man, that was embarrassing!
Friday, May 18, 2012
Kind of Psychic
Ok so my premonition was about 80% right. The foal I was talking about was born at 10:45pm on Wednesday night and the entire labor was as easy as they come. (Yahoo!) Everything was so easy that they didn't even have to call me one time. The baby was a big, chestnut with a big white blaze, but it was a colt. Dangit! That's the only part I got wrong! Oh well...I'm very happy it all went well for them. They are super excited too! I should have taken a picture!! Perhaps a picture will be soon to come.
Oh, also someone told me to "Kiss my ass!" today because I wouldn't treat his foundered horse for free. I was also told I don't love animals. This guy was so ridiculous that it was actually hard not to laugh, but still... seriously? He called me Wednesday and proclaimed his horse was foundered and he had no money to treat it-- couldn't even afford the $48 farm call. I tried to advise him the best I could over the phone and told him that I'd call him Friday (today) to see how everything is going. At 10:30am this morning he called my cell phone while I was in an appointment and left a nasty message saying, "You said you would call today, and you HAVE NOT!". Well, being as it was only 10:30am, I fully intended on calling him when I wasn't in an appointment. However, after that message, I thought I'd probably drag it out to the end of the day. By noon he left another irritating message, so I called him back so I wouldn't be continuously harassed throughout the rest of the day. Then he told me again he had no money and his horse wasn't getting better (founder is a fairly intensive, long, drawn out, expensive and chronic disease. I didn't think it would fully resolve in 48 hours.) I explained to him what the fees were and why they were in place, then he exclaimed "Horse shit!". Of course that escalated to the "You don't love animals, blah blah blah".
People. If I have to pay for your animal's medical care by giving my services for free, than I obviously "love animals" way more than you. Idiot.
Oh, also someone told me to "Kiss my ass!" today because I wouldn't treat his foundered horse for free. I was also told I don't love animals. This guy was so ridiculous that it was actually hard not to laugh, but still... seriously? He called me Wednesday and proclaimed his horse was foundered and he had no money to treat it-- couldn't even afford the $48 farm call. I tried to advise him the best I could over the phone and told him that I'd call him Friday (today) to see how everything is going. At 10:30am this morning he called my cell phone while I was in an appointment and left a nasty message saying, "You said you would call today, and you HAVE NOT!". Well, being as it was only 10:30am, I fully intended on calling him when I wasn't in an appointment. However, after that message, I thought I'd probably drag it out to the end of the day. By noon he left another irritating message, so I called him back so I wouldn't be continuously harassed throughout the rest of the day. Then he told me again he had no money and his horse wasn't getting better (founder is a fairly intensive, long, drawn out, expensive and chronic disease. I didn't think it would fully resolve in 48 hours.) I explained to him what the fees were and why they were in place, then he exclaimed "Horse shit!". Of course that escalated to the "You don't love animals, blah blah blah".
People. If I have to pay for your animal's medical care by giving my services for free, than I obviously "love animals" way more than you. Idiot.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Indentured Servant
Like every good veterinarian blogger, I have to spend at least one blog post on student loans. I try not to complain about them excessively, because I did sign on the dotted line for them. I chose to go to vet school and finance my education with student loans.
HOWEVER...my vet school tuition per year was $25,000 (a little less at the beginning, and little more at the end since tuition just soared every year I was in school). My total loans owed came out to be $131,000. Tuition alone cost me $100,000. The remaining $31,000 was a combination of accrued interest and money I had to take out to pay rent, electric, eat, etc. I worked quite a bit in vet school. Sometimes working 2 or 3 jobs at once just so I wouldn't have to take more loans out to live on. This means that between four years, I lived off of $7750 per YEAR plus whatever I could scrape together by working. At any rate, vet school wasn't living the high life, and the neither is the life now.
My student loan payment every month is $970 (one third of my monthly paycheck)...for the next 25 years. This means I will pay off my student loans by age 51. Currently I feel like an indentured servant just working to pay my loans and not much else. I am unable to save significantly for large items like a house, retirement, or anything else. I also get no health insurance from my job nor any retirement savings plan, because, as a small business, they can't afford to provide either. My salary is average for a new vet. Unfortunately, salaries for seasoned vets aren't much higher, and I don't have large raises to look forward to.
Even though helping animals is fun and rewarding job to have, I honestly have to say that my resentment for the profession stews every day because of my student loans. The profession as it is now is unsustainable. How can we sell large debt amounts and servitude to people looking to get into the profession?? I'm lucky. I have a husband that works and brings a decent paycheck. He got a four year degree and has minimal student loans (less than $3000). He makes almost double my salary. I often feel like he supports me while I "play" in a hobby that just barely pays for itself. My financial contribution to my household is minimal; and, honestly, I'm embarrassed. I'm embarrassed that I am a smart person and was kind of tricked into following my passion even though it put me and my family into nearly unpayable debt, and set back many of our financial goals by years and decades.
My boss always tells me, "Don't be resentful of the job and profession because you overpaid for your education." I try to not have ill feelings towards it, but some days it really gets to me, and it stings really bad.
My second choice to vet school was to go to medical school to become an orthopedic surgeon. While perusing jobs, I came across an ad for such a position. The base salary was $450,000 per year. Passion for animals only goes so far, and while it's a nice thought, it doesn't pay the bills. If I was making a $450,000 salary, I feel that I could probably do more to help animals than just being a veterinarian. Sighhhh...
Off to start an insanely long day!
HOWEVER...my vet school tuition per year was $25,000 (a little less at the beginning, and little more at the end since tuition just soared every year I was in school). My total loans owed came out to be $131,000. Tuition alone cost me $100,000. The remaining $31,000 was a combination of accrued interest and money I had to take out to pay rent, electric, eat, etc. I worked quite a bit in vet school. Sometimes working 2 or 3 jobs at once just so I wouldn't have to take more loans out to live on. This means that between four years, I lived off of $7750 per YEAR plus whatever I could scrape together by working. At any rate, vet school wasn't living the high life, and the neither is the life now.
My student loan payment every month is $970 (one third of my monthly paycheck)...for the next 25 years. This means I will pay off my student loans by age 51. Currently I feel like an indentured servant just working to pay my loans and not much else. I am unable to save significantly for large items like a house, retirement, or anything else. I also get no health insurance from my job nor any retirement savings plan, because, as a small business, they can't afford to provide either. My salary is average for a new vet. Unfortunately, salaries for seasoned vets aren't much higher, and I don't have large raises to look forward to.
Even though helping animals is fun and rewarding job to have, I honestly have to say that my resentment for the profession stews every day because of my student loans. The profession as it is now is unsustainable. How can we sell large debt amounts and servitude to people looking to get into the profession?? I'm lucky. I have a husband that works and brings a decent paycheck. He got a four year degree and has minimal student loans (less than $3000). He makes almost double my salary. I often feel like he supports me while I "play" in a hobby that just barely pays for itself. My financial contribution to my household is minimal; and, honestly, I'm embarrassed. I'm embarrassed that I am a smart person and was kind of tricked into following my passion even though it put me and my family into nearly unpayable debt, and set back many of our financial goals by years and decades.
My boss always tells me, "Don't be resentful of the job and profession because you overpaid for your education." I try to not have ill feelings towards it, but some days it really gets to me, and it stings really bad.
My second choice to vet school was to go to medical school to become an orthopedic surgeon. While perusing jobs, I came across an ad for such a position. The base salary was $450,000 per year. Passion for animals only goes so far, and while it's a nice thought, it doesn't pay the bills. If I was making a $450,000 salary, I feel that I could probably do more to help animals than just being a veterinarian. Sighhhh...
Off to start an insanely long day!
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Hugs!
Today an older middle aged couple BOTH hugged me after I handed them the bill and they paid. Did I save their horse from a bad colic? Nope! Did I birth them a live foal? Put their old faithful horse to sleep? No and no. Although these are usually the type of appointments I get hugs for, these hugs were freebies. All I did was vaccinate their 8 horses.
I think 6 months ago, this would have creeped me out. But now I'm usually rushed, hot, and frustrated with a pinch of resentment-- so these hugs were well appreciated by me. It's just nice to feel like someone cares about me instead of always having to care about everyone else and their horses 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Two hugs from some nice hippies really do make a good day.
I think 6 months ago, this would have creeped me out. But now I'm usually rushed, hot, and frustrated with a pinch of resentment-- so these hugs were well appreciated by me. It's just nice to feel like someone cares about me instead of always having to care about everyone else and their horses 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Two hugs from some nice hippies really do make a good day.
Friday, May 4, 2012
Foreshadowing
I have the sweetest client who has a mare that is due to foal anytime. It is her most favorite mare who she has shown successfully and absolutely ADORES. This is the mare's first foal and the owner's first foal, so as expected, they are very excited and very nervous. They are even having a party for the foal later this month!
The foal's official due date was yesterday (May 3). Obviously, I am pretty nervous for this delivery too, because if anything goes wrong, it will be a catastrophic disaster off the Richter scale for this client. So I'm REALLY hoping all goes well, the foal pops out, stands up, drinks, and goes on about it's life normally.
This post is just to simply record that two nights ago I had a dream that the foal was a sorrel filly with a big white blaze. It came out without any problems, and it was a big happy, and easy event.
Dear God, I hope I can see into the future and this isn't my subconscious jinxing me...
The foal's official due date was yesterday (May 3). Obviously, I am pretty nervous for this delivery too, because if anything goes wrong, it will be a catastrophic disaster off the Richter scale for this client. So I'm REALLY hoping all goes well, the foal pops out, stands up, drinks, and goes on about it's life normally.
This post is just to simply record that two nights ago I had a dream that the foal was a sorrel filly with a big white blaze. It came out without any problems, and it was a big happy, and easy event.
Dear God, I hope I can see into the future and this isn't my subconscious jinxing me...
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Good Days
So our practice recently started sending out a newsletter quarterly for funsies. I wasn't sure the response we would get, but it's been really wonderful! I am surprised. Turns out all those marketing people know what they're talking about...who would've thought!
This week has been beautiful weather and ridiculously smooth. Every client I've seen has been wonderful, on time, horses have been well behaved. Ahh! So nice to have a week like this every once in a while. It's a good reminder why I chose to do this.
There is no doubt that I'm looking forward to the weekend though! I'm on call, but oh well. Hoping for the best and rolling with the punches.
This week has been beautiful weather and ridiculously smooth. Every client I've seen has been wonderful, on time, horses have been well behaved. Ahh! So nice to have a week like this every once in a while. It's a good reminder why I chose to do this.
There is no doubt that I'm looking forward to the weekend though! I'm on call, but oh well. Hoping for the best and rolling with the punches.
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