So, you read about all my whining and complaining in the last blog. Being a vet is TOUGH. Understanding that you can treat an animal without having the exact diagnosis and without choosing the same treatment as any other vet (there will never be full consensus on treatments for any disease, ever) takes a long time of feeling like a failure, staying up nights worrying that you didn’t treat something right, wondering if you should have gone with the high dose, short therapy or the lower dose long therapy. Are you causing antibiotic resistance? If you don’t send an antibiotic home, will the owners hate you? Will you get a bad review because, even though you spent hours researching and worrying, the animal didn’t get better, or another vet threw you under the bus? So, why even try? Why enter this field?
Because it’s FREAKING AMAZING!! That’s why!
Reasons it’s FA (freaking amazing): The animals, obviously. Granted, you LOVE animals, but must accept that they hate you. You must just understand that you’re doing it for your love for them, and not to win their love (though I handily try with multiple treats and a slow approach). It’s much like being a mom or a religious leader. You care for and are responsible for others, but they might not like what you have to say or do. Occasionally you get the adorable puppy/kitten, but sometimes you have to deal with the jack-wad pet. If you are companion animal, most of your patients will be middle to older aged animals with skin, ear, endocrine issues. If you are large animal, most will be reproductive, preventative health, and emergency. Most of the animals are happy with you anyway, especially if you keep pushing the treats.
The SCIENCE – if you love science and seeing things work like you read about, you will love vet med. It doesn’t always work out, but when it does, it feels MAGICAL – and it works out most of the time. You get a rush of dopamine (this is not proven, just theorized) when you hear back from a patient you’d been working on and hear that they’re SO much better! Even when it’s just an older dog with probable arthritis and the owner didn’t think it was pain but was willing to do a trial of pain meds. They call back and go on and on about how much like a puppy their old Bella has become. It makes my insides smile.
You can FIX things! Sometimes this feeling is amazing! Female intact dog walks in, sick as, well, a dog, you find it’s a pyometra (uterus is huge and full of pus). The dog looks like death, but with a 30 minute surgery (spay), the dog is back to almost 100% overnight! Laceration repair can be tedious, but is like creating a work of art. Indoor/outdoor cat comes in with a swelling and a fever – cat bite abscess – super rewarding to drain the abscess and the cat is back to normal by the next day. There’s nothing like the feeling “hey, your animal has this problem, but don’t worry, I’ll fix it!” The feeling only gets super frustrating when the owner chooses not to treat for one reason or another (finances, chronic issues that require multiple rechecks, long-term medication). Then, this leaves you totally frustrated – “but I can fix it…”
Learning all the time. You may think this sounds tedious and awful, but it’s not. Again, learning something new that you can immediately apply to a case, whether it’s researching for a current case and finding an actual answer or going to continuing education conferences and learning a new fabulous (and low cost) new treatment regimen, actually gives you a rush. As a vet you are (or should be) CONSTANTLY learning, researching, RE-learning and it’s actually fun. There are always new things to learn and ways to check your pride and try a different methods and while you’ll find yourself frustrated in the moment, and may take awhile to institute the change, you’ll be elated when it all falls into place. Because – science.
The clients! (okay, there are some sour lemons, but with the current demand for vets and long waiting list to get an appointment, we have the luxury to “rehome” clients who are naughty) Are you a people pleaser? Do you get a physical giddy sensation when you make someone happy? Vet med *can be* for YOU! For the most part, clients are extremely polite, understanding, and grateful for what you do. I think it helped my client communication skills to be a large animal vet for awhile. When you’re stuck standing over a newly gelded colt, waiting for him to get up, you learn how to chat with people and not feel awkward. Depending on the client’s attitude toward me (the more positive, they more they get), I will go to all sorts of lengths to make sure they and their animal are getting free samples, internet sources, brochures, under the table treatments (slip in a free nail trim), etc. If a client is cold and dismissive, they will get what they ask for and that is it.
Then there’s the not so obvious perks to being a vet; Comradery – Everyone in the vet world is stressed and many take it out with a twisted sense of humor. When you find the right clinic, it’s like getting together with your friends every day – joking, griping together, getting excited over gross things, inappropriate humor. Everyone working in your field (or at least the vast majority) love animals and share the common goal to help people and their animals. I’m sure there are others, but how many other work places do you have where everyone in the company has the same interest? Want to talk about your cat’s cute way she chirps to you? So does your co-worker!
Something for everyone. You like working with your hands? Large animal is perfect for you, prefer indoors with more meticulous skill? Surgery is for you! Like both? Do both!! Don’t like working with your hands? Medicine. Pathology. Teaching. Like people? General or referral practice. Don’t like people? Pathology, lab animal medicine. Want to practice medicine everyday, great! Don’t? Government work! Like people, but only your kind, and not general public? Become a drug representative, traveling to clinics telling them about all the new products coming out! Want to work all day everyday, and be on call – don’t worry, there’s plenty for you! Only want to work 3 days a week? Pick up relief shifts! Night owl? Work emergency overnight shifts. ***These examples are all highly generalized, and I’m 100% sure vets working in all of these fields will have something to say, but my point is there’s a job out there for anyone with a Veterinary degree, don’t just envision working at a clinic***
Do you miss working for Dr. Pol ?
HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY
Dr Emily, this retired RN and mom of four humans and five kitties gets what you are saying. Well said. Keep up the great work. Wish you could be doc to my furbabies. Love and Happy Thanksgiving for you and your family❤️😻
Happy Thanksgiving!
thanks for taking care of our furends .
Great post, as always. Best to you, Tony, and the kids. 🙂
You are a special breed. Don’t kid yourself over it. You are special to take on the things normal ppl can’t. Mad respect and admiration to you. A cut above.
Awesome post. I love hearing about the good, bad, pretty, and the ugly. You do amazing work, thank you for what you do.
#NOMV
Dr Emily
Thank you for sharing your world on national tv for all to see. Even as a plastic surgeon I get your comradery statement. You sound happy and fulfilled and there is nothing sweeter. You deserve it. Your talent shows and will only get better as you move along in your career. Seems like you found the joy in the daily grind…the zen. My kids and I have learned so much watching your work. Thank you. #thanksgiving
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻❤️❤️❤️❤️
Gotta love our veterinarians! You all rock.
I love hearing about your job and your family. Your job is fascinating and I love that you throw in a little humor. Keep the stories coming!
Your patients are very blessed to have you as their vet, Emily. Thanks for sharing!
Love the blogs and the pictures! Even though I miss seeing you on TV, I am glad that you and Tony and your kids are happy. Never forget that you are an amazing person!
Your details may be specific to your profession but you land on a real foundation for life. Find your mental “happy spot”. Educate yourself to do what has to be done, and do it. Let your happiness be your reward and other respect is just a bonus.
With your attitude you will succeed in any/all professions. God has blessed you for what you do. Your work, dedication are rewarded daily by everything around you.
Love your blog! Miss you on DR Pol. However, lots of reruns here in Florida and you appear a lot. Even on some episodes when you had already left. LOL Have a great Thanksgiving!
Love you guys.
Keep the blogs coming ….👍❤️🍷🇺🇸
You certainly are lucky to have found a profession that you love and find fulfilling and personally rewarding. Thanks for the insight into vet medicine and it’s many related fields. You probably have a few young readers considering the various vet fields going hmmm maybe….
Happy Thanksgiving!!
TV made you well known. If it wasn’t for Michigan no one would know who you are. Every choice you made, from job offers to the number of children you have was your choice. Your constant complaining about your life is neither inspiring nor tear-worthy.
I’ve always loved your determination and never give up attitude. I do miss seeing you and your husband working together. This is the first time I saw your writings. This was a great read please keep them coming
This essay makes me happy because you seem to be totally recovered from your depression situation which I have been in and out of for decades. Your other essays were worry some say Vets had a high suicide percentage and you were being effected by work. After people cursing me out for bringing them back to life because they crossed over to the other side I stopped being sad not saving someone but losing young kids still crush me decades later. However I kinda wonder if the animals I had to put down are going to be there mad at me on the other side?
Emily your an actress who missed your calling. You’re not Scarlet O’Hara but you are a funny scarlet who perhaps never existed. The Dr. Pol reruns which features you, are, no doubt have viewers asking for your reruns. The producers of the show should have made your life easier than it was with those weekend hours that you put in. Your personality towers over the rest of the veterinarians on the show. The replacements that are there now a good vets, However it’s a TV show that requires personalities. Dr. Pol is one and you were the other. There’s just so many hands up a Cows ass the audience would want to see. However, you’ve reached audiences with two hands and pull them into the show🤗
Dr. Emily.? You are My Favorite Dr. Pol Vet! So Caring to All your Furbaby Patients🥰🐶🐈
Happy Thanksgiving from Canada… i always pre-record Dr. Pol and yesterday i was watching the one where you were pregnant with your second baby, and you were sent out to do a roll and stitch, which have always been fascinating to me.. well every aspect of the show intrigues me, and i especially love abscesses .. what a rush.. lol… anyways truly enjoy your posts. keep them coming…take care of your beautiful family.
I think it’s the same in any field or career – there are difficult, stressful days/times and rewarding and fulfilling days too. If you enjoy what you do it’s worth the stress , whether you are a vet, a teacher, a nurse, or really any other profession.
On a different note, it’s amazing to me how many people, even years later, still really only connect you to the Dr. Pol show. I mean I binge watch that show and love it still and you were a big part of that so I get it. It’s just interesting how attached we get to the people on TV! The Dr. Pol show is so loved by so many people so we feel like we know the vets on the show, even though we only know a small amount.
We had a horse pass away despite the best efforts of our vet. We did NOT hold it against him or his skills. Like human medicine – there is no perfect cure or perfect diagnosis. If you accept that this world is flawed and imperfect then you can better realize that any medical personnel is working with what they’ve been given and are doing their best. I am certain there is a rare exception but thankfully we have never seen that with the vets we have had. Be blessed and thank you for what you do.
Emily, When I was younger and newly married, my kitten was injured. I called the vet and luckily, he was right down the street. I knew what happened to my kitty. Some people don’t actually know how their fur baby gets injured. This vet was very nice and kind. I really appreciated that. They fixed her up and gave me some medicines. She was better in a couple of days. But every time now, when I have to take one of my beautiful babies to the vet, I think of the sampler he had on his wall! It said, “A vet is the best doctor in the world. They can’t ask what is wrong, he or she just has to know.” And it’s true in some cases. I will remember this for the rest of my life. And I am so grateful for every vet who I’ve ever had the pleasure of doing business with. There aren’t that many of them. I honestly respect every one of them for their hard work and figuring out what is really wrong with our pets. Thank you, Emily for taking such good care of people’s pets and even when you’ve had to stay up with all night. Your kindness and compassion too! Bless you Dr. Emily Thomas and your Husband and Kids too! Take care, and keep being that great vet that we all admire so much!! You are awesome!!