Hey guys! This post is actually more of a record of my observations. A little while ago, I managed a trip to the Hillside Animal Hospital for an observation day. What struck me about the vets wasn't just how amazingly knowledgeable they were, but how easily they performed each and every diagnosis and operation.
In my imagination, there were always lots of sterile, beeping machines and shiny metal trinkets hooked up to the animals being diagnosed, similar to my (probably mistaken) impression of humans getting checked out. In reality, whatever dog or cat was brought in was taken to a small room with the owners and the doctor doing the examination and checked out there. It usually is very simple, but depends on the case.
In one case, a pet rat with an abscess on her face right under the eye was taken in, examined, and put into surgery a few hours after. I don't think this was the first time the patient came in, but her surgery seemed relatively simple. The abscess was removed--literally cut off--and the wound sewn up, and that was all. Of course, there were the standard hygiene procedures, and she was given antibiotics and a neck guard to wear so she wouldn't reopen the wound, but it was a quick procedure overall.
Another patient that came in was an aging Golden Retriever who had some sort of blood clot or dark spots on his side; he was put under monitored anesthesia, and the dark spots were removed and the wounds sewn up. I was told that this purebred had several other severe problems with his legs and bones.
I also bore witness to multiple teeth related surgeries, and some teeth cleanings (teeth problems appear to be very common), but I was surprised at the ease the veterinarians performed with. I suppose it comes with experience, but it was really awe-inspiring.
~S
P.s. One of the vets told me that vets go through very extensive training (even more so than human doctors?) to know both human diseases and animal diseases. Wow! :o
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