Very disgusting day yesterday

[frostback]

large animal vet is exactly what my 14 year old daughter is working towards we know the road os tough but she has had a love for it since she was 7

I always joked with my daughter that she had to become a vet so I could get free service, but MY dreams were dashed when she was watching me doctor a cow with a lump on her jaw from some cheat grass. When I cut it with a scaple and puss oozed all over me and she got a whiff of it she walked away gagging, I knew the vet deal was done. Frostie

 

[simtal]

I too wanted to be a vet for a long time. Read all the James Herriot books, thought to myself thats what I'm gonna be.  Then reality set in. Didn't have the grades, and really didn't give two hoots about anything other cattle. Furthermore, the choice between 100k in debt or making money during grad school was a no brainer. I tip my hat to those who do it though. World needs more good vets. Just not for me.

 

[aggiegal]

People who can not do the prerequisit work for vet school will not survive the rigors of vet school

People who struggle mightly in vet school often do not pass the boards

The education for veterinary students is much broader (and therefore often less in depth) than that for medical students -  veterinary students are expected to be able to practice right out of school; most states require a minimum of an internship after medical school to get a license; most physicians have a residency on top of the internship

Vet school is extremely hard and time consuming for most people - the breadth of knowledge required is mind boggling

Some people spend more money on their dogs, some don't. Some people with elite bulls spend huge amounts on these bulls

Some schools (Iowa, MSU probably others) are starting to actively recruit ANS students with a farm animal background /interest while they are in undergrad

The average starting salary for food animal vets is comparable to other species - the big deal is the average $100,000 debt vet students have

Maybe he got too much xylazine, maybe he didn't - did you post him? Did he bleed to death? die from blaot because he wasn't kept sternal?

Just because you didn't get the results you wanted doesn't mean it was the vets fault - doesn't mean it wasn't - every time you anesthetize anything there is risk, every time you do surgery there is risk - sometimes it is nobody's fault - it just is

sorry about your calf

I know in Texas there is a program in place that encourages recent grads to work in rural communities /large animal practices.  They will do a loan forgivness type deal  where each year you work in there, they forgive one year of your student loans.  It is modeled very much like the program in place for teachers working in shortage areas/subjects.  I think it's a great way to encourage the younger generation to continue working with large animals.  Not to mention, your getting a salary plus getting rid of a year's worth of student loans!

 

[mashowcattle]

I had a local buyer for the cryptorchid steer that I had posted on here about.  Called the closest large animal vet around that mostly does horse stuff but has on the occasion came through for us to come anesthetise him and castrate him.  Unfortunately the testicle was nowhere to be found so he was just going to have to be someones dinner next year.  But then the real icing on the cake happened, the calf died!!  In hindsight, and after googling dosage on xylazine in cattle I would say he got about twice the dose he should have had and then chased it with ketamine. 

When my 11 year old went out of the barn crying I almost felt sorry for the vet, I could tell he felt like a heel but geez!!!  If you say you can do something for a client, AT LEAST MAKE SURE YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING!!!!

Days like this that make you want to sell every stinking cow you own. 

i know how you feel! i have my steer that has won all year long! and i took him to the vet about a month and a half ago because he acted like he was having a hard time urinating well come to find out he had bladder stones so we rushed him to the University of Florida Animal hospital and they took him and ran some tests and ultrasounded him and just gave him some meds and kept a watch on him to see if he would flush it all out himself well come 3 days later that wasnt working! and he swelled up real big at his belly wich ment there was urine in his blood stream so they did emergency surgery to where they went in and made an insition under his rectom and put a catheder in and ran it out the back to where he peed like a heifer and he was doing good there for a while still pee'ing like a heifer but they said it would heal from the inside out and he would go back to pee'ing normal well after about 6 more weeks nothing changed but the insition kept getting smaller and smaller! so we took him back to the University yesterday and they just told us there is nothing they could do that he would never heal properly to just butcher him well needless to say we lost a ton of money and a great calf and didnt even get to make it to his terminal show!... talk about disgusted!

 

[aj]

Shazam...some needs to teach you a lesson about real lfe sometime.  Hummm water belly how unusual.