Everyone has heard all the rumors about veterinary school and the efforts, obstacles, and struggles Pre-Vet and Vet students go through to reach their goals. As a Pre-Vet student, there are certain expectations I have to achieve which include a minimum 3.8 GPA, years of experience with pets, paid experience if possible, some surgery experience, and wildlife handling experience. These expectations are high and virtually impossible; however, these are not the real struggles of becoming a vet.
In my opinion, every Pre-Vet student should volunteer or intern at an animal shelter. In our Pre-Vet experience, we should spend time learning every aspect of animal care, especially the non-profit experience. I was lucky enough to become an intern with a non-profit animal shelter in the area of my college. The day I found out was one of the happiest days of my life. I started as a volunteer and loved every aspect of volunteering and enriching the animal's lives, so becoming an intern was a great achievement. Here, I learned how to be a Kennel Technician, how to care for the animals' everyday needs, and how to give vaccines. I also learned one of the hardest lessons a future vet has to learn. Life is unfair and death is inevitable. Here's the real lesson one has to learn to become a vet.
I have three very tragic stories about my time as an intern and I want to tell you how this will only help me in the future. Through this article, I hope to spread the message of adoption and commemorate a few animals that have sincerely affected my life.
My first lesson. After a long day of interning, I was really tired and missed dinner at the cafeteria. So, I was forced to go buy my food at the closest WaWa. So instead of leaving the back way like the rest of the staff, I left through the front and wow, was I in for a surprise. There, tied to the door that none of the staff would pass until morning, was a pitbull. I could hardly believe what was happening. Here was this poor dog outside freezing in the middle of a hurricane. At this point, all the doors were locked and I could not get back in. I moved towards him and risked getting hurt to try and keep him warm. Luckily, I had the shelter manager's phone number and she was still inside. I called her and she came outside and we brought the poor dog inside into the warmth. This little survivor was later named Joaquin after the hurricane he lived through. That night I called my mom and cried until my head ached and my eyes were sore. I could not understand how someone could care so little about Joaquin's life. And here's where my first lesson lies. My mom told me that not everyone cares as much as I do. To some, a dog is simply a possession when to me, a dog is my companion for life. My mom saw this as a chance for me to grow. See, if I want to work in a shelter environment (which is one of my top choices), then I need to grow a thicker skin. I cannot let the cruelty of others bother me because I cannot stop that. What I can do is help the animals and that's what I plan to do.
Lesson two. In a shelter environment, it is easy for viruses and diseases to spread between pets. It comes from sharing kennels, volunteers handling different pets, and through the air itself. Unfortunately, there is a deadly disease in cats that once caught is deadly. In our shelter, we had an epidemic of this disease and we lost a few kittens to it. During this outbreak, I was asked to help thoroughly clean the cat kennels to prevent the spread of the disease. However, we were too late. I noticed that one kitten in a group of three was acting strangely. I got one of my superiors and we brought the three kittens out of the cat room. I watched the kittens as my superior talked to our kennel manager. These kittens were put down within the next couple of hours. I was set to leave about an hour before they were to leave us. So, I had to say goodbye to three dying kittens that day. This is how I learned about death. I know as a vet, I am going to have many cases where I cannot save an animal and I will have to assist them in going from this life to the other. This is where I will struggle probably for the rest of my life. That day and those kittens still make me cry to this day. Their deaths were tragic, but they did teach me that we should never let an animal suffer. As much as I never want to put an animal to sleep, it ultimately saves many animals from a lot of pain and suffering.
Lesson three. Here's the part where I should tell you that I did not intern at a no-kill shelter. Euthanasia was a common practice at my shelter and was something I just had to get used to. At this point in the year, we had three pitbulls with us who we were having a hard time finding families for. Oswald, Scooter, and Paisley were not mean dogs. They were the sweetest dogs that I have ever met. Crazy with energy, but filled with nothing but love for us. I came into the shelter on one of my easy days and I walked into one of my worst nightmares. I was told that Paisley, Oswald, and Scooter were taken out for interviews with families and had "bitten" children. Scooter had already been put down, but Paisley and Oswald were set for the weekend. The staff told me I could bring whatever kind of food I wanted to for them on their last day. I was absolutely devastated. I asked about how this could have happened and was told that the kids got into their faces and they reacted. Side note: your kid is not ready for a pet if they cannot learn the boundaries needed to be set when living and handling any animal. Either way, it really was not the dog's fault. That day I went out and probably spent about $50 dollars on slim jims, donuts, icecream, and ham for these two cuties. I was all set to spend their last day with them and I did. They had never been happier. Lesson three, I think, is the most important because it combines one and two together. People are simply cruel to animals. Oswald, Scooter, and Paisley were put down not because of what they did, but because people who did not value their lives demanded that they were put down. And here is the perfect example of euthanasia and how I will never want to do it, but I will probably never have a say.
To this day, these stories leave me in tears. I'm actually crying as I type. However, they are stories that I will never forget. Incidents like this happen to teach me how to emotionally unattached to my future job. A good vet needs to be able to keep his or her cool in emergencies or in sad situations. I will never forget these animals. I have many photos of all the different animals I helped and the ones that taught me something. I regularly look at a photo of Oswald with a holiday shirt that has a giant stuffed Santa riding on his back. I look back and I laugh and remember that what I will do in the future will hopefully prevent more tragedies like Oswald, Paisley, Scooter, Joaquin, and three little kittens.
