sketches of a bipolar girl: Adventures of a Vet Tech

I was just laying here on my bed, thinking about how much my body aches today. I kind of feel ashamed because I haven't earned it. I didn't work out or anything, I just ache. It might be my new medication. I hope it's not, otherwise I may have to try something new. I know what a hard working body feels like. You try and convince a 150 lb Rottweiler to lay down for a chest x-ray or getting a cat out of a carrier when he's pissed off at the world. That's hard and can be quite dangerous work. Most people think that being a vet tech means you play with cats and dogs all day. Nothing could be further from the truth. A vet tech is an animal nurse. We just don't get the pay or recognition. Most vet techs have to have a second job to make ends meet. They work 10 to 12 hour days regularly. The biggest thing is they must work with owners who haven't a clue what is going on with their pet. Vet techs aren't like human nurses who can find out history and symptoms from the patient or EMT. Vet techs hear things like "he ate 2 days ago". Veterinarians and tech have no idea what's going to walk in the door. The cost could be a $45 office visit or a $400 dental cleaning. I've done a lot of cleanings. It astounds me the condition of the teeth I've seen. They do have toothpaste for pets you know. The reason it cost so much? Anesthesia. In order to clean Rover's teeth, I have to do pre-op bloodwork, any necessary x-rays, knock him out, monitor his condition while asleep. All this in a specific amount of time to get the cleaning, polishing and scaling. If something has to be removed, I have to get the vet. People should appreciate their vets and vet techs. They are part of your family's medical team too. This concludes my public service announcement. Scroll on!