“I think the biggest misconception from those who don't work in the field is that they think we just play with animals all day, but not that I would come home from work covered in blood and urine. It's not all sunshine and rainbows, the compassion fatigue is challenging.
Especially on those nights where clients either aren't strong enough, or just don't care, and don't want to be present for the passing of their animals. In which case, it’s my job to step in and comfort their animal while they take their last breath. That's the darker side to it all that no one sees.” -Ashley, Veterinary Assistant
Does any part of Ashley's quote surprise you? You aren't alone. Veterinary assistants and veterinary technicians do it all, and they aren't given much-deserved credit because clients assume that “the doctor is the only one who does the work," because that’s what is seen.
Much like a nurse in the human medical field, they do all the prep work before the doctor sees the patient. We all see that vet assistants and techs take the patient’s temperature, get a background on the patient, and find out the reason for their visit, but there is so much more that happens behind the scenes.
You might be happily surprised by what happens behind closed doors.
Animals are cared for by vet assistants and techs like they are their own.
They work long hours, double shifts, overnights, their off days, and take on shifts at the last minute because they love what they do.
Sometimes they go hungry when they end up missing their entire break because there were too many appointments that day, or a stat/emergency was called.
They run from patient to patient because they can have over 30 patients to care for at once.
They also act as a pharmacist, calculating prescriptions, drawing up and giving injections, and drawing blood.
They might even work with acupuncture, physical rehabilitation, and hydrotherapy.
They get drooled on, urinated on, bled on, thrown up on, and pooped on. They bathe your animal when he has chronic diarrhea and decides to roll around in it… or eat it.
They get sprayed when an animal decides to mark their territory (scent glands are gross), and I'll bet you didn’t know they had to express anal glands at one point.
They offer to stay 3 hours past the end of their shift so that they can hold that 10-pound tumor while the doctor continues surgery.
They see dead animals, help those dying, and sometimes can’t save your pet no matter how hard they try.
Of course, they also may have to deal with bagging bodies and witnessing rabies testing, which I absolutely will not get into.
Words from veterinary technicians and assistants
I asked some veterinary assistants and technicians if they’re unappreciated by clients, and here’s what they gave me:
“I feel like we’re unappreciated. When the veterinarian [doctor] gets annoyed with ‘doing euthanasias,' they don’t realize we do ten times more than they do. We are helping more than one doctor. It’s as hard on us as it is the doctor. Clients always send veterinarians the ‘thank you’ cards and never think it’s just as hard for the tech. Clients don’t realize we are the ones to first stabilize and see your pets. We never get credit for the emotions we deal with every day.” -Heather, Veterinary Technician
“Clients always think the doctor does everything, but they never take the time to thank the technicians. It just sucks. People complain that we restrain their animals too hard and they try to step in, which stresses the animal out more. Or they complain when we give their animal a shot and the animal screams, so they think we’re doing it wrong. Clients don’t understand we’re doing what we have been trained to do.” -Anonymous, Veterinary Technician
“A lot of people don't realize when they are at a 24-hour emergency veterinary hospital, it works the same way as a human emergency room. If your dog is dying, yes, we will see them first. If he has a little lump, yes, you may have to wait a while because another family is putting their dog down due to a stat that turned out to be something life threatening. I get all the time, ‘Excuse me, I have my own appointment soon, I need to be seen now.’” -Chelsea, Clinic Coordinator/Veterinary Assistant
Veterinary Assistants and Veterinary Technicians are all beautifully gifted and strong people.
If you think the doctor is the only one caring for your pet when you’re at the vet office or hospital, you’re mistaken. It’s about time that Vet Assistants and Techs get the praise they deserve.
