Veterinary medicine is challenging, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t moments of levity. — Animals are funny. There’s no way around it. If you doubt that sentiment I urge you to check out the internet sometime. The myriad of videos and posts about funny pets is almost overwhelming! So, by default, veterinary medicine is often quite funny. Now, I can’t lie and say that…

Pets have the unique ability to wipe away negative feelings and replace them with warmth and happiness. — Raindrops fall heavily against the freshly cleaned pane of my windshield. The drops quickly merge to become streaks and then to rivers as they race their way out of my view. I grip my steering wheel a little tighter, already the white is showing across my knuckles. “What a fucking…

Insight from the other side of the exam room door. — A gentle knock on the door served as the first indicator that our veterinarian was on their way. Whether we’d been waiting for a couple of minutes or a dozen, it didn’t matter. This knock, interrupting the silence in the room, meant that our worries were about to be addressed…

What is histopathology and why does your veterinarian recommend it for your pet? — If you’ve ever taken your pet in to have a mass removed, or a biopsy collected you may have heard the word histopathology. What does it mean? Literally, from its Greek roots, it means ‘tissue disease.’ But it’s really a bit more complex than that. Histopathology refers to the microscopic…

Is this a boon or a bane to a medical professional? — I go into every surgery or procedure that I do knowing that I am the best veterinarian available to do it. I have ultimate confidence. A colleague of mine once told me almost this exact statement when I was feeling down about a procedure. I’m not sure that it helped…

A haunting call for help punctuates the night. — The rustling trees tell of the coming fall. Their dried branches squeak and scream against one another with the wind whistling through. Beams of sunlight from the setting sun highlight the skeletal shadows of the shedding trees. The warm-colored leaves meander with the current to their final resting place below. …

Is Veterinary medicine ready for a mid-level practitioner? — Picture for a moment, a world in which veterinary medicine takes a step closer to human medicine. Instead of calling your vet’s office and being set up for vaccines with your veterinarian, you are instead set up with a veterinary nurse practitioner — or VNP let’s say. With burnout in…

An untold perspective on the end — Sunlight streams through the front window and reflects from my water dish onto the wall behind me. My shadow is outlined in stark contrast against the bright white walls. I hear the rattle of food as it pours into my bowl, and I watch the shadow of my mom as…

A heart-warming lesson from cold-blooded friends — In case you’re unfamiliar with them, Bearded Dragons can be extraordinary pets. They are friendly, generally amenable to handling, and have relatively few husbandry requirements when compared to the more tropical species of reptiles and amphibians. They are often labeled as a good beginner pet for people that are looking…