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Veterinary life

In Veterinary life By VIN Foundation

You’re a What? What’s a Pathologist?

by Rebekah Gunn-Christie, DVM, DACVP

A lady at my gym asked me what I do for a living. “I’m a veterinary pathologist,” I said and then paused, smiling, as I waited for the inevitable furrowing of brows and subsequent barrage of questions about my line of work. “You’re a…what?” she asked, her voice trailing off at the unexpected constellation of words I had concocted. “I’m a veterinary pathologist,” I repeated, more slowly. “I evaluate and interpret pathology specimens.” The brows relaxed, slightly, but I could tell she was still perplexed. I volunteered a slightly longer explanation: “I went to veterinary school, and then I completed a residency in pathology. Now I look at cytology cases (sometimes called needle biopsies) for a diagnostic lab.” “Oh,” she said, understanding more but still not enough to really know how I play a role in keeping pets healthy.

In Veterinary life By VIN Foundation

Like Fish, Your Vet Never Leaves School

by Christy Corp-Minamiji, DVM

I’m sitting at a computer at a conference for fish people.

No, it isn’t Aqua Man and his court (though how cool would that be??). This is the annual conference of the International Association of Aquatic Animal Medicine. Yep, an entire educational gathering dedicated to veterinarians and other folks whose patients have fins and flippers.

In Veterinary life By VIN Foundation

Nothing Is Routine

by Christy Corp-Minamiji, DVM

“At first it’s all ‘oooh’ and ‘ahhh.’ Then comes the running and the screaming.” I’m paraphrasing one of my favorite lines from the second Jurassic Park movie.

This is how I feel about the word “routine.”

In Veterinary life By VIN Foundation

This All Happened Before Lunch

by Mary Newell, DVM

Wednesdays are groom days. So in addition to the usual chaos of surgeries, drop offs and appointments, we have grooming clients to deal with as well. In the midst of the noise and phone calls this morning, we get a call from an RV dealer in Houston. The man on the phone tells the technician that they have a client there with a dog whose head is stuck in a vent in his RV; can we get the dog out? In my head I’m picturing a small Jack Russell-type dog with his head stuck through the AC floor vent and I tell the tech, sure, no problem. We can get the dog out. Tell him to head this way.

In Veterinary life By VIN Foundation

After Almost Thirty Years In Practice, I Still See Things I Have Never Seen Before

by Carol Hillhouse, DVM

After almost thirty years in practice, I still see things I have never seen before.

In Veterinary life By VIN Foundation

What If I Do Nothing

by Teri Ann Oursler, DVM

A month ago my sister wanted to know if her Jack Russell Terrier could be sick because he was drinking and peeing all the time. I told her he needed to go to the vet; he could have a simple urinary tract infection or he could have more going on. Inside my head, I was screaming “diabetes” as polyuria/polydipsia (drinks a lot and pees a lot), or PU/PD as medical types call it, is a hallmark for diabetes mellitus in dogs, cats, and people. In dogs, diabetes mellitus rarely responds to dietary changes – unlike some people and some cats – and almost always requires twice daily insulin injections to control the disease.

In Veterinary life By VIN Foundation

The Boneyard – Failing Better

by Christy Corp-Minamiji, DVM

“Goldie doesn’t look right. She’s standing sort of funny.”

It’s odd how a couple of seemingly benign sentences can bring back remembered chills nearly 20 years after the fact.

In Veterinary life By VIN Foundation

I Don’t Know

by Christy Corp-Minamiji, DVM

It’s just a three-word sentence, but uttering those words can make you feel like one of the 300 Spartans about to face the thousands of invading Persians at the battle of Thermopylae or like the guy who lets the winning World Cup goal by. For a medical practitioner, saying “I don’t know” sometimes feels like the ultimate declaration of defeat. After all, the doctor is supposed to have all the answers, right?

In Veterinary life By VIN Foundation

The Veterinarian-Client Bond

by Christy Corp-Minamiji, DVM

The phrase “human-animal bond” gets a lot of currency in veterinary medicine as does the acronym-worthy but mouthful-of-marbles-sounding “Veterinary-Client-Patient Relationship.” Yet we almost never hear about the most critical bond and the one that most impacts the success of any veterinary care. The veterinarian-client bond — yeah, I just left out the patient. Sorry about that, but I’m going to ask Frisky over there to step out of the room for a while.