Vet.

Chaga · Kiwi Wannabe

Vet.

Susan · Tickle me, Elmo! I'm Roger Moore's Stunt Double!

Wow, that's quite a prospective career change.

Can you support yourself financially throughout the five year's training?
Do you care about the welfare of animals enough?
Would you be prepared for long hours, little sleep, little cash and SMELLS?
Would the eventual pay once you're qualified give you the lifestyle you'd like?

If so, go for it!

Chaga · Kiwi Wannabe

quote:
Originally posted by: Susan
"Wow, that's quite a prospective career change. Can you support yourself financially throughout the five year's training?Do you care about the welfare of animals enough?Would you be prepared for long hours, little sleep, little cash and SMELLS?Would the eventual pay once you're qualified give you the lifestyle you'd like? If so, go for it! "

1-) Yes (I guess so)

2-) I don't only care, I love them.

3-) Already used to that

4-) I don't (really) care. But I am sure that I'll be much better off than now at least.

5-) There is no 5

6-) I am really getting sick and tired of all the hours spent in front of a PC, I am not enjoying life in the U.A.E (need something greener), and I feel like going back to college again (I miss it ). Hungary seems like a good choice pricewise, and it's part of the EC now.

7-) Initial plan is to eventually end up in Africa working in some animal reserve, or joining a volunteer group that travels around the world.

I found another Uni. not too far from you guys

http://www.bristol.ac.uk/prospectus/undergraduate/2005/sections/MVSF/VESC/dept_intro

Am still weighing all the pros and cons of the issue, but I have to do something about it.

ddvmor · **I am the Jammie King!**

The important thing to ask yourself is... Whilst taking the course, will you have:

a) more time to peruse the Jammi Dodger Bored Board on account of being a student and therefore having nothing better to do; or

b) less time to persuse the Jammie Dodger Bpred Board on account of your hand being stuck up a cow's backside?

I say go for it. A change is as good as a rest and all that stuff. If it's something you want to do and you have nothjing stopping you... do it.

Plus... if you come to Bristol, Stead can have another Roadie for his gigs!

Susan · Tickle me, Elmo! I'm Roger Moore's Stunt Double!

quote:
Originally posted by: Chaga
"I found another Uni. not too far from you guys "

Not too far? I can smell that place when the winds blowing in the right direction! It's only about 10 minutes drive away.

They're pretty well respected over here too, one of the best in the country, so I've heard.

I say do it!

-- Edited by Susan at 22:02, 2005-04-17

Chaga · Kiwi Wannabe

quote:
Originally posted by: Susan
" Not too far? I can smell that place when the winds blowing in the right direction!

Good or bad smell?

ddvmor · **I am the Jammie King!**

Cow's bums, Chaga. You do the math.

Chaga · Kiwi Wannabe

quote:
Originally posted by: ddvmor
"Cow's bums, Chaga. You do the math."

That's what I was afraid of...

ddvmor · **I am the Jammie King!**

Take a good look.

Susan · Tickle me, Elmo! I'm Roger Moore's Stunt Double!

Shame we can't do a scratch 'n' sniff for you Charles.

Chaga · Kiwi Wannabe

quote:
Originally posted by: ddvmor
" Take a good look. "

I see a camera with a big white X (and some white text too)

ddvmor · **I am the Jammie King!**

Hmm. I see a cow's arse.

Susan · Tickle me, Elmo! I'm Roger Moore's Stunt Double!

And I'm not even in the office today!

Chaga · Kiwi Wannabe

Susan · Tickle me, Elmo! I'm Roger Moore's Stunt Double!

Is that you when you were young?

Chaga · Kiwi Wannabe

quote:
Originally posted by: Susan
" Is that you when you were young?"

That was when I was "calf" my age now.

Susan · Tickle me, Elmo! I'm Roger Moore's Stunt Double!

ddvmor · **I am the Jammie King!**

It's an adora-bull picture, dude.

Susan · Tickle me, Elmo! I'm Roger Moore's Stunt Double!

Oh, pull the udder one.

-- Edited by Susan at 09:41, 2005-04-18

ddvmor · **I am the Jammie King!**

I don't think it's our Charlie at all. I suspect it may be cow-nterfeit.

Susan · Tickle me, Elmo! I'm Roger Moore's Stunt Double!

If it is, it's very good. He deserves a pat on the head.

ddvmor · **I am the Jammie King!**

Time to mooove on, I think.

Chaga · Kiwi Wannabe

Last one before moooving

What's a cow's favorite moosical note?
Beef-flat

ddvmor · **I am the Jammie King!**

The cow-puns were definitely a mis-steak.

sha76jam · Cpt Acorn Short of An Oaktree

OK, some of my reasons for being an ex-vet-wannabe:

1. You will be woken from your deepest sleep to go out into the freezing cold & stick your hand up a cow's arse. (& yes, Africa can be cold at night too!)

2. Competition for the exciting jobs is fierce, while you wait you'll probably be getting bored silly with the routine of innoculations, neutering & the occassional farm visit (trust me, they'll get dull faster than you expect, after a couple of weeks work experience this really was one of my main reasons).

3. There were more, but my mind keeps returning to point 1, not being the kind of person who's good when suddenly woken.

4. Ooohhhh, ethical dilema: a person comes to you with a healthy puppy, wanting it to be put down, they refuse to allow it to be rehomed, if you say no you know they'll only go to another vet, or worse, what do you do? (Sadly giving the owner a lethal injection is not legal in many places!)

5. Owners who won't admit their pet is overweight.

6. Owners who insist on keeping their pet alive by any means possible when it would be so much kinder to have it put down.

7. See point 1!

If none of those put you off then talk to vets and if at all possible see if you can go & shadow them sometime. I guess there's possibly not that many vets in UAE (at least compared to the UK)? Sure you can strike up e-mail contact, maybe with vets on projects similar to where you want to end up. Other than that you may have to spend some holiday volunteering at vets/vet hospitals/animal shelters/farms... you may well find the uni want evidence of this.

Chaga · Kiwi Wannabe

Hi Shar,

First of all thank you for the lengthy (descriptive) reply.

Waking up in the middle of the night is not such a big deal for me when knowing that a poor animal might be suffering. *But it'll bug me if it was of the likes "My dog is barking in the middle of the night!! what should I do?"

As for competition, in Lebanon unfortunately (fortunately for me if I do it) there are not so many vets, and only a couple of clinics. Whenever I had emergencies with one of my cats, I had to wait till morning (since no vet is on duty 24/24) to take my suffering cat. If I won't be working in Lebanon, I'll definitely be travelling around the world offering my services (the vet ones) for food and shelter.

Now for the ethical dilemna. I know that I could never put down any animal, even if it was terminally ill. Would you do the same for humans? I am for euthansia as long as the patient requests it, so when a puppy or a kitty requests it from me, it'll be the only time I'd do it. And if an owner asks for it,I will personally recommend him to someone else.

In Lebanon, you can actually give the owner a lethal injection

And to convince an owner that his pet is overweight, I'll definitely have to work on something .

Thanks again for the input. (what did you end up studying just to see if I ever change my mind later on, what awaits me )

sha76jam · Cpt Acorn Short of An Oaktree

Ooh, you're going to have to toughen up a little I'm afraid! Sometime you will have to put animals down. Even in the UK if a farm animal is ill it's not always economically viable to treat them, harsh, but a fact of life. You can't take out veterinary insurance on cows unfortunately! What're the alternatives? The cow dies naturally, but slowly & painfully (possibly infecting the rest of the herd with something) or the farmer brankrupts himself trying to save an animal which he will possibly no longer be able to use for milk or meat. And don't forget, with farm animals you may at times be legally required to destroy them for public health reasons if you make certain diagnoses.

I would always have a pet put down if it was no longer possible to give them a good quality of life (ie without pain & undue stress), it's still not an easy decision to make (& yes, it is one I've had to make before) & it's always the last option, but there's no way I'd go to a vet who would refuse to do it when the time came. When you're starting out you're going to have to go with whatever the practice policy is or end up getting sacked, should you decide to quit the travelling & set up on your own you will lose custom if you won't put animals down full stop.

I get the feeling that there's no way you're going to believe this right now, but if you do go on to be a vet you'll find there are times when you're actually glad to be able to put an animal down & to end its suffering.

And to finish another lengthy reply! I studied geology, loved it, but wanted out of education for a bit, if I can ever afford it I'm planning to go back to do masters/phd & make a career of it (though with my bank balance it's a bit of a pipe dream at the moment).