r/Veterinary

Other than looking like the start of a really bad joke...

When you hand owners back their pets after being cremated (in their urn/scatter tube and such) what do you put their urn in to hand to the owner? Just the urn itself, plastic bag, gift bag, box, etc?

Looking for a general feel of what people do

Hello everyone! I wanted to share my situation and see how other people’s contracts are structured, especially regarding production pay.

I used to do relief work because I needed the flexibility since I travel frequently. One of the hospitals I worked relief for offered me a part-time position. I initially said no, but the owners kept insisting until I eventually agreed. They knew from the beginning that I travel often and said they were completely fine with it. They also told me the contract would benefit both of us because I would still have flexibility while also having more “stability.”

I was offered a base salary, and my contract explicitly states:
“Employer agrees to pay Employee twenty percent (20%) of Veterinarian Production (defined herein) on all fees collected above the base salary for veterinary services.”

Before signing, I specifically asked them to explain how the compensation worked, and they basically repeated the same thing: 20% on all fees collected above my base salary.
The production bonus is supposed to be paid quarterly. During the first quarter, I was away for one month. I was supposed to receive my payment on April 30th, but after not hearing anything, I casually asked about it a week later. That’s when they told me I wouldn’t be receiving any bonus because I “didn’t generate enough revenue.”

The issue is that they calculated my production as ProSal, even though the contract never specifically states that it’s a ProSal structure. Because I was away for one of the three months, I obviously didn’t hit the target under that model. But according to the wording in the contract, I understood it as a straightforward base salary plus 20% of collected revenue above that amount.

For context, I still generated about 3.5x my base salary during the quarter.

The main dispute is that the contract never mentions ProSal or a production threshold calculated that way. It literally says 20% on fees collected above base salary.
I already had a lawyer review the contract before signing, and I’ve spoken with him again now. He agrees that based on the wording, I’m owed that money. We’re likely heading toward a legal dispute, but before that, I’d really like to hear other veterinarians’ experiences.

For those of you on ProSal, how is production wording written in your contracts? Does it specifically mention negative accrual, adjusted production targets, or ProSal calculations?
Also, does anyone here have a contract that is simply base salary plus a straight production percentage above that amount, without ProSal adjustments?

Thank you in advance to anyone that is willing to read this long message and provide some advice, opinion, etc.

Been vaping for almost a decade. Trying to quit/wean down now before vet school. It’s been about 2-3 months and I’m going insane. Gone from 50mg/ml vapes all the way down to 6mg/ml juice + 3mg zyn pouches. My mental health and cravings are worse today than they were a few weeks/month ago. All I can think about is nicotine and the more concentrated vapes. Constantly. I’m sleeping for hours on end when off and completely unproductive. Literally dreaming of geekbars. I’m so depressed and on edge 24/7!

How bad is it if I don’t quit now? Will I have an opportunity in vet school to quit, like a summer break or something like that? How terrible is it if I just wait until after vet school to quit… I don’t want to start school at a disadvantage with my mental health due to nicotine withdrawal, but am I an addict just making excuses right now?!? Of course I am!

Please tell me your thoughts and experiences.

Hello! I have been working in veterinary medicine as a vet assistant for over a year now. I really do enjoy my job and the practice that I work for. There was another vet assistant with more experience under her belt who started around the same time as me. In the beginning she offered me helpful advice and we have hung out a few times outside of work. I am someone who likes to keep my work and personal life separate so I have only really considered this an “in work friendship”. I have noticed within the past couple of months that something has switched in her. The snarky comments are constant and she tends to get snippy quick. I know she does not want to work but that doesn’t mean that she should make everyone else’s time working difficult. She always catches me off guard with the attitude and comments and I would really like to call her out respectfully myself before bringing my concerns to management. I have witnessed the same behaviors towards other coworkers, specifically newer to vet med or in situations where a learning curve is required. In such a high stress work environment I worry that when I finally decide to speak up to her that I will respond emotionally rather than with reason. Any advice on how to deal with a coworker like this? What is a respectful way to set boundaries with her while honestly making her feel stupid for her behavior?

I just wanted to get a few different opinions on this issue and see if I'm being difficult or my clinic manager is being somewhat uncompromising. I'm a fairly recent grad (2024) and have only been working since Sept 2024. I do not like surgery. At all. I do spays, neuters, lumpectomies. I've done a few dentals (although I'm not experienced/good at them) and an enucleation. Doing surgeries makes me highly anxious but I still do them because I know it's part of the job. Having said that I'm not someone who's really willing to watch a surgery on YouTube a couple times and then try it myself. I will do my research on a new surgery but then I want another vet scrubbed in with me while I'm doing this surgery to walk me through it/catch if I'm making any mistakes etc. I have a cystotomy booked under me on Thursday which I've never done or seen before and I requested that either another vet takes over surgery for the day or a vet scrubs in with me (or even just stands in the room the whole time I do surgery). My clinic manager said this wasn't possible as the other vets need to be doing appointments and we can't have 2 vets doing a single surgery. I know that vet med is very much a learn on the job profession and that many vets will do a new procedure with nothing but an open textbook to guide them but I'm guessing these are probably pretty confident surgeons and I don't feel capable of that and I worry about making mistakes and harming the patient. Am I being unreasonable?

Update: Clinic manager spoke with my boss and my boss agreed to come in and help me with surgery. So I'm still nervous and doing a bunch of research but at least I'll have help!

Im a vet student and work as a vet assistant, whenever I’ve had to stand for long periods during procedures I find it nearly impossible and find it hard to not feel like I’m going to pass out. I’m decently active and in good shape but I always seem to struggle. Any advice? I’ve heard compression socks help but I don’t want this to be something that affects me long term. Thanks!

So I just finished my 5th and final year of vet school from the UK, but I'm feeling uncertain in regards to bitch spays. i have done over 8 cat castrates, 4-5 dog castrates and 4 cat spays (only 2 unassisted) as a vet student. My concern is that I have never done, assisted or even seen a bitch spay (I know it's crazy), considering I have assisted in splenectomies, laparoscopies & mandibulectomies etc. I wanted to see if there's any other person in the same boat as me. I'm worried this will impact my confidence as this is a routine nature and part of a smallies vet world

Hi everyone! I’m currently in school to be a veterinary technician but I had the opportunity for a working veterinary assistant job pop up! I interviewed last week and got a call back the same day to do the working interview. Next Tuesday and Wednesday I will be doing a working interview. Are there any tips and tricks that I should know? I read to wear scrubs so I will go out to get some later this week/weekend. I’m just nervous and really wanting to get the job as it will really help me get my foot in the door. Thank you all for your time if you do reply to this!!

i’ve been hearing a lot of people talk about how the wages aren’t too great but i thought vets got paid pretty decently? obviously they should get paid more for what they do and i know it ranges by state (im in NY). i’ve been committed to school for about 3 years now and i can’t see myself doing anything else but im having doubts that going through school and becoming a dvm wont be worth it now. can anyone give me their experience on this? or any knowledge on how sustainable being a vet would be for the average lifestyle in new york?

Hi! I’m currently in my final year of Veterinary Medicine in Brazil, and honestly I’ve been feeling very lost about my future career path.

I have experience in veterinary hospitals and clinics since my first year, but I’ve realized the traditional clinical routine is definitely not for me long-term. I really value flexibility, better mental health (truly, i am going insane), and the possibility of having a hybrid or remote career someday.

I’m very interested in areas like public health, One Health, epidemiology, wildlife conservation, environmental health, scientific communication, and research-related work — but I’m struggling to understand how people actually transition into those fields after vet school.

I currently live in a small town in southern Brazil, but I definitely plan to move, possibly even to another country in the future, so I’m very open to different paths and experiences.

For people who left clinical practice (fully or partially):

• What career paths worked for you?
• What skills helped you transition?
• Did you do freelance or side jobs while transitioning careers or complementing your income?
• Are there realistic hybrid/remote opportunities for veterinarians?
• Is there any field you wish you had specialized in earlier?

Any advice would honestly mean a lot right now. Please someone give me a light! Thanks ❤️R

Hi, I’m a vet highschool student (it’s a thing in my country but that’s not important rn). We are doing an intership at a vet clinic for 2 weeks and I feel like I’m embarrassing myself so much. I’m really bad with communication and picking up on cues and I feel like it makes the intership really embarrassing. I never speak unless I’m spoken to because I’m too shy and whenever they tell me to do something I feel like I’m doing it wrong and too slow. Or I feel like I’m just bothering the vets and nurses all the time that I amm there and it just makes me so anxious. I do lots of mistakes since I don’t have any experience outside of this in practical stuff and I feel so bad. I really enjoy learning and watching the doctors but I can’t shake off the feeling I’m just bothering them and that I’m really dumb for not knowing stuff. I just want someone who relates to this so I know I’m not alone…

Trying to keep background short as it's a rinse and repeat of so many. Bad mental health issues basically my entire life. Got very bad and stayed bad after my kids were born. Right before covid I found a job at a corporate clinic. Fast forward to now - during the time I've worked I TANKED. I've been on meds and in therapy for a long time, but I was in such a bad mental state that something hit me wrong and on my lunch break I attempted suicide. A week in a psych unit, PHP/IOP and a long leave later I was back at work. Recently I was basically told that vet med isn't for me, and I need to find something else. I took another Leave to try to sort things out but since I'm where I'm at in recovery it was a crap shoot. I've been out of work for 2 weeks with zero pay now because they don't want to pay STD for someone who can work.

I am applying daily, have tried multiple job sites, tweaked my resume. I can't not work - but will never be scheduled for full time hours again pretty much.

My question- I am pretty darn sure I qualify for unemployment due to not being scheduled full hours. I'm literally working 10 this week instead of my usual 35-40. But I also am afraid that if I do that it will push them over and just have them fire me. Which right now I'm open to that idea. But I HAVE to have insurance for the multiple medications and psych visits and therapy visits. Anyone gone this direction and what was the outcome. I love my Dr's and trust then with my animals and want them to continue to see them.

Something that really sparks a fire in me is the idea of "specializing" in a field like biodefense/bioterrorism. Only problem is I have no idea where to start.

I plan on starting doing my undergrad in the very near future. I never thought I would have the opportunity in my life to be able to pursue an advanced degree but I've found myself in a place now where that's possible. I've been in vet med for five years now as a technician and I definitely see the doctor side being more of my calling in this field. I work ECC. I love it. I absolutely would start with clinical practice. My ultimate goal would be to specialize in the previously mentioned fields.

I want to gear my education towards that goal. I don't know exactly where to start. Is there an undergrad degree I should go for before heading to vet school like a ba in biochemistry? Are there other things I should do to guide myself towards that route. Any guidance is appreciated!

First ever Reddit post, but I’m desperate.

I’m at the end of my Junior year of high school, heading into my Senior year, and I have been pursuing a relatively simple, “learning the basics” animal science program through my school. I have been so adamant to become a veterinarian until I recently hit a wall.
For my Senior year, I was faced with a thick packet talking about an internship role I’d be doing instead of a proper class, to earn a CVA I. Finally, for once, I let myself simmer over my decision to be a veterinarian and went online to see what it was all about before I went on to apply for internships and work within a clinic.

I was shocked, admittedly, and it was probably naive of me to think so positive. I was aware how nasty the veterinary field could be, especially with the widely discussed suicide rate. But so many people are discouraging others from the profession and the rational part of me completely understands why for the most part.
I want to work with animals, and I love animal science, but I’m aware that there’s a largely diverse field when it comes to the subject.

So, I need a no bullshit opinion, and I mean it. Give it to me as straightforward as you can. Is pursuing a career to become a veterinarian really worth it?

Hey!
I don’t really know how to start this but I’m kinda going through a crisis rn. I’m applying to vet school but I’m really burnt out and I’m starting to maybe consider that vet med isn’t for me. I’ve been in this for 4 years. I have devoted everything (oh and I mean everything) to going to vet school but I mean is it even worth it?
My old best friend just got her dental hygienist and gets paid 100k a year to brush teeth. Literally. In vet med rn as a vet assistant I have been everything from pharmacy tech to nurse to budget manager to plumber to dental hygienist to x ray tech to phlebotomist to optometrist to medical records to bedside care… the list goes on. and on. And I get paid basically minimum wage ($19 an hour). I work hard. Very hard. But what comes the line where I’m getting myself in a profession where I am just working for free? On top of that am I getting myself in a career where I’m sacrificing my physical health, time w family, flexibility, financial freedom etc for what? The animals I help are very meaningful to me and it’s why I’ve stayed in it for four years but there’s SO many problems w the system. How am I supposed to as a vet justify being a corporation’s b*tch limiting discussions w owners to 15 minutes getting product out the door as fast as possible to meet quotas? How am I supposed to justify being a LITERAL DOCTOR FOR MULTIPLE SPECIES getting paid the same as some dummy clicking a button on an MRI machine for ppl and telling them to stay still? How as a literal multi species doctor can I justify getting paid the same as a dental hygienist?!? Someone who brushes your teeth… I can’t help but acknowledge this glaring reality…

On top of that I’m financially stressed rn. Badly. To put gas in my car rn that’s an entire 10 hour shift. Gone. Out the window. I’m $1000 in credit card debt. (I know I’m in college it’s normal to be broke…) but still… I’m begging my parents for basic groceries…

TBH if I don’t get into vet school this cycle I literally financially cannot stay as a vet assistant forever. It’s a dead end job. What I go get my vet tech to get paid $2 more an hour?!? Yippee. Still as a vet tech make maybe $23 an hour… if I don’t get in this cycle i hate to say it but I need to move careers… I’m an adult now I can’t stay in a job w no room for advancement or growth perpetually year after year applying over and over again…

But I can’t help but feel like I’m giving up on them. My patients. My dedication to the field… everything.

I’m studying ecology and graduating w my undergraduate degree in that at the end of the summer (IK stupid degree that has no jobs available- also contributes to my stress of no plan B if vet school doesn’t work) and so rn I’m doing everything I can to make that degree hire-able? I’m pursuing a geospatial information certification (5 more classes) and trying to get a bunch of OSHA certifications too. (To start breaking into environmental roles essentially). I’m on scholarship to school and have two years of eligibility left. (I drop the last year if I get accepted this cycle). So on top of that cert I’m gonna try my best to get a degree in molecular cellular and developmental biology (I only need to take 8 more classes). This is if I hate GIS then it’s another pivot out of vet med to something I guess?

Or do I sell out be another vet med burnout story and take a 12 month advanced RN course to become a nurse. Boom 100k. Course to become a damn dental hygienist? Lemme tell u if I can take a tooth out of a dog I can take a tooth out a human be fr. Go become a CT person and click a button and reign in the dough? Idk have a family, kids I can see, animals of my own?

Not to say human RN etc roles are easy to do but when you are EVERY human healthcare role at once for every species ever getting paid 75% less it hurts… I’m sure I could work way less hard and get paid triple what I do in this field as it is now.

Vets please am I crazy?!? How do you all deal with it?!? Ppl say vets burn out bc of euthanasia but tbh I’m burning out bc this is literally just working for free and I’m financially struggling despite having the scope of like every human healthcare profession?!? There’s no advancement and honestly the field lacks so much respect.

Idk what to do… I’m still applying this cycle and in this next year that i wait for decisions to come out I got a lot of big adult life choices to make. As idealistic as vet school committees want me to be…only being a vet assistant is not real. I can’t survive and be an adult off the money of vet assisting year after year application cycle after application cycle.

Does this make sense? Idk any advice helps. I do love the field I really really do. But I don’t want my bleeding heart to get in the correct financial choice. And I’m not a punching bag. I’m not community toilet paper. My skillset should not be used for free.

I appreciate any guidance. Thank you.

At my practice, we routinely perform exotic pet euthanasias. I’ve had a few clients pry about the final injection (when we take them back and use the ultrasound for intracardiac injection). I’ve explained to clients that unfortunately because they don’t have accessible veins like dogs and cats, the final injection goes intracardiac but it’s painless and peaceful and the patient is unconscious during this time. One of my good reviews from a client that was left came from a family letting go of their beloved hamster with a large tumor/cancer, who I also explained this process to because they asked about the final injection.

A new coworker of mine was asking questions about the process, and I explained sometimes if they ask questions about it, I’ll explain this process. My manager walked up during this conversation and was like “No, we don’t explain this to them. We tell them we have to use the ultrasound. We don’t tell them we are going to stab their pet in the heart.”

I’ve never had a bad experience explaining this process to clients and I believe in full transparency as if I were the client. Yes, it would be difficult to hear, but it’s informed consent. I don’t explain it to every client routinely, but sometimes they do ask why they cannot be present for the final injection.

Thoughts? Is it unethical to not mention it in conversation as a form of informed consent? Should I just explain we use the ultrasound? What does your practice do? Any advice appreciated.

Has anyone tried this service? if so how was it? i'm a new grad experiencing burn out, anxiety, feeling lost and unsure what to do with my degree. not sure if I should reach out to them. my vet school experience wasn't ideal and this combined with struggling to pass the navle have made my confidence go lower than it ever has been. I am really struggling and regretting my degree but at the same time I feel almost embarrassed to reach out for support

I’m a woman starting vet school in the fall as the standard 22 year old right after undergrad. I’ve just been so focused on my academic and professional life and evidently it’s paid off - i’ve gotten into multiple schools and scholarships and feel that the work I do is super rewarding. But it was the latter half of my undergrad where I felt like my personal life is just… lacking. I saved money by living in my hometown with my parents during undergrad, and having lived in the same city my whole life, I sometimes feel like it’s become so small. I’ve tried dating and much to my dismay, sometimes it feels like my luck is bad and I just can’t crack the “code”. I find that so many people that I personally have gone out with find my academic goals too daunting, or don’t want something long-term, or just don’t feel the “spark they’re looking for”. I’ve actually had people break up with me just because I’ve felt down after euthanasias at the clinic I work at and I was “too emotional about it” for them to handle. Meanwhile I see many of my classmates getting ready to graduate and find a job and move in with their partner. Even most of the other members of the incoming vet med class have long term relationships heading into vet school.

I’m going to vet school away from home, but it scares me to think about maybe how much my personal life is going to fall behind sometimes. I’ve always had big goals - maybe to get a PhD and keep working on the research side or to do a residency and find a rewarding field of vet med to specialize in, but regardless continuing to learn and grow my career is passionate for me. But at the end of all that, I feel like I’ll be missing feeling fulfilled in my personal life and all of a sudden, I’ll be 30 and finally accomplish those career goals… but I won’t have a partner or a family to share all of that with. And with vet med being extremely female dominated, I don’t know how I’d meet that person through my education or career, or if I’ll even have the time to try to meet them elsewhere.

I guess I just wanted to hear the perspectives and experiences of people who are students/are in the field already so I’m not totally in my head about this. Thank you 😊

TLDR: medicine and surgery costs what it does for a reason and if you give a client an inch, they will take a mile. Your time, emotional, and mental energy is worth a pretty penny; charge for it.

My experience today radicalized (and probably jaded me). I am about one year into practice and consider myself to be a generous doctor. I’ve always been willing to cut corners where I can on pricing to help clients and patients and have generally walked away feeling good about these interactions.

Then I had this case. A new client senior dog came in with a giant hind limb SQ mass, thought to be a STS based on FNA by a previous clinic. One of my assistants, who is very good at her job but also human, mis-quoted a surgery price by about $500. When I came in with an exact line item estimate with the surgery, anesthesia package, and specific drugs, the owner became very angry. I tried to explain that no estimate is “final” until a physical is performed and written up by a doctor. She argued that that should have been made clear by the assistant. My assistant says she did say this so it turned into a she-said/she-said argument that nobody was going to win.

The owner had a very small budget, and I felt bad, so I tweaked the survey in very odd ways to become a debulking surgery with a dental cleaning (because anesthesia was cheaper this way) to get closer to their $1500 budget (this included a biopsy). They agreed to the estimate.

Oh my GOD this has been nothing but a pain in my ass since. They didn’t fast the dog before surgery so we had to reschedule it. There was a communication breakdown on our end so they wanted MORE DISCOUNTS. Mind you, this surgery was already half the price it should have been. I did put my foot down and deny further discounts. We do the surgery today and it goes fine… until the dog’s leg BLOWS UP and gets really swollen. So now I’m having to manage post-op complications for an owner who couldn’t even afford the initial surgery to begin with. Meanwhile (while I’m freaking out and talking to multiple veterinary surgeons to figure out best next steps) the owner’s girlfriend calls demanding to speak to me about the dog’s leg and why surgery was initially postponed. She gets pissy when I say I can’t talk to her right that second and that the actual owner can give her this information because I’ve already conveyed everything I know. They both end up yelling at my receptionist saying we’re being ridiculous. Could I have sat down and talked to the girlfriend? Yeah, but at this point I was stressed out and she was being rude to my staff so she got put in timeout.

So the dog went home with a MRJ bandage to be rechecked on Saturday and I guess I’m just doing free bandage changes until it gets sorted because they can’t afford anything else and I won’t be able to sleep at night. I don’t always believe “if you can’t afford the vet you can’t afford the pet” but I never should have agreed to this surgery. All it has done is stressed me out and put me in really uncomfortable positions to accommodate while not being a doormat.

Update: I contacted the owner as well as her friend today to get an update on the dog and to also discuss their behavior toward my CSR yesterday. What I got for my troubles was being accused of discrimination and having no empathy ✌🏻 people are trash

Update 2: These people done FAFO’d and have been fired after expressing continued frustration, claiming they have legal right to take their SQ mass to a lab (how they were going to find a lab I have no idea), and saying they had received poor service at our hospital. I said “I think at this time it’s best we part ways. We will not be seeing your pet for any future visits”. We are not sending the biohazard home with them as they will find out tomorrow when my manger calls. Sucks that I won’t get to do any post-op care, but they have been heinously difficult and I’m never doing a STS removal again anyway 🫡