[One of my favourite most accurate memes ever.]
“You’re just in it for the money!” A sentence I’ve heard more than a few times in my career. The fact of the matter is that while there may be a very few people who are, the vast majority of veterinary professionals (especially vet techs because let’s face it: absolutely no one is getting rich off our salary) are in it for your pet…and it hurts when clients can’t or won’t see that.
[Manning the Vaccination Station on a spay/neuter trip with CAAT! This anesthetized little pup was just spayed and sleeping off the last of her drugs, not even feeling the quick pokes of her DAP and rabies vaccines. I feel very lucky to be a part of reducing preventable diseases in small communities!]
In the last part of our vaccine series, we’ll discuss the final four important myths and concerns surrounding vaccination. Read on to learn the truth about ‘vaccine overload’, toxins in vaccines, adverse reactions to vaccines, and whether or not vets recommend vaccines just for the money (spoiler: no!). Feel free to catch up on Part One, Part Two, Part Three, and Part Four of the series and be sure to join me next week for a return to creative nonfiction!
[This lil kitten really wants to make sure he does his research before getting vaccinated (and not just because he hates needles!). But does he know the difference between vaccine fact and vaccine myth? Do you?]
Vaccine myths and misconceptions are running rampant in this age of easily accessed but poorly researched information. This week and next we’ll be discussing the top 8 most common myths I hear in the veterinary clinic (and which have some truth behind them!). Missed the previous posts in this series? Check out Part One for an overview of vaccines and why I care so much about them, Part Two for a quick dive into the immune system and how it works to protect us with the help of vaccines, and Part Three for exactly which vaccines we recommend for dogs and cats (and why!).
[A fridge full of vaccines! Do you know what all of these shiny vials protect against?]
It’s time for another installment of Rose Loves Vaccines! In this post, we’ll talk about the core vaccines recommended for dogs and cats and the illnesses they protect against. You’ll learn how they’re spread, symptoms, treatment, and their importance to your pet’s health! Missed the previous posts? Check out Part One for a basic vaccine overview and Part Two for some real talk about the immune system!
[Antibodies and antigens and lymphocytes, oh my! What exactly do these microscopic medical marvels have to do with vaccines?. Imagine courtesy of the Encyclopaedia Britannica.]
In the second part of our series on vaccines, I’ll be giving a brief overview of how the immune system works and how vaccines help train it to fight disease! Keep in mind that this information has been simplified somewhat for easier understanding (on both my part and yours, I’m certainly no immunologist!); the immune system is a wildly complex and intense part of any living being! But as primers go, this should help further your understanding 🙂 Missed the first part of this series? Check out Part One for a basic vaccine overview.
[Vaccination is vital not just for the health of our pets, but for our own health as well. Image courtesy of the WHO.]
Vaccination is a topic near and dear to my heart. I am a rabid (no pun intended) proponent of vaccination and particularly enjoy educating my clients on its importance. This letter is the first in a series which will hopefully shed some light on the myths, facts, and importance of routine vaccination not only for your pet’s health but also the health of all those around them.
[A classic veterinary Christmas shot — ‘Santa’ was my veterinarian coworker-slash-roommate and the patient resisting the snuggles is ‘Pollywobbles’, a kitten I fostered while she recovered from a hypoxic brain injury. Turns out that getting a partially deaf and blind kitten to look at the camera is really hard.]
Christmas is fast approaching and with it comes the season of emergencies. After volunteering to take call for the week of Christmas and New Years this year, I found myself contemplating what the holiday season means in vet medicine and what I want clients to know — both to protect themselves and their pets, and to help them help us.
[No one, least of all the pet, likes the Cone of Shame. But it’s necessary…and up to you to make sure your pet keeps it on]
A common conversational topic among any group of veterinary personnel in any setting – work, conferences, even dinner – is clients. It makes sense. Although our work is nominally all about the animals it’s nearly impossible to have an animal without a client attached. A huge part of my job as a technician is interacting with clients in a variety of circumstances, good and bad. I take an initial history when you come in for an exam, discuss estimates for care, review medications and some test results, discuss homecare, and generally act as a resource and go-between for you and your veterinarian. I understand that our experiences together are not always easy; we see you during the panicked and stressful times of emergency, during financial hardship, family troubles, and at the end of your beloved pet’s life no matter when that time comes. I will never judge your sadness, your anxiety, your frustration. My job is to advocate for your pet. But with that said, there is one thing that comes up again and again in discussions, one thing that I hope all clients can keep in the back of their minds as they interact with their local vet services…