Idiopathic Issues

Deciding to pursue an internship is a big decision and one that veterinary students are probably in the middle of debating about right at this very moment. Applications for the Veterinary Internship and Residency Matching Program open on October 15th. If your school is like my school then there is a lot of pressure to apply. It’s a difficult decision for several reasons, you are most likely significantly in debt, sick and tired of being a student, and ready to go out and practice medicine! Theys don’t pay well and it is another year of being the lowest man on the totem pole. However, Theys do at least pay a small sum of money and the experience that you gain is invaluable.

The first year of practice is hard for most veterinarians. The transition from student to being the brain in charge of life or death situations is difficult. It’s a different level of stress and responsibility. The skills and habits that you learn in that first year are critical to your future level of practice.

By Bradford P Smith, DVM, DACVIM, Professor Emeritus

My dog has CANCER. The thoracic radiographs are so extremely obvious I can’t even give myself a second of denial. I try not to cry but the tears come anyway ,steadily streaming down my cheeks. My sweet dog, my poor sweet dog. I knew there was something very wrong. A lab that refuses breakfast? You might as well just start filling out the cremation paperwork now. But this is my dog, my 9 year yellow lab and I love her and I don’t want her to die. My mind is racing while my heart is breaking. My friends hug me and say that they are sorry. It’s clear that relaying this news is just as hard to give as it is to receive. I’ve always hated having friends for clients because it is SO much harder to give them bad news, but now that I’m on the other end, it is comforting to hear the devastating diagnosis from those that I trust, who I know care as much about me as they do about my dog. We all cry together.

I went home after that appointment and started texting my veterinary friends and coworkers. I sent a picture of the radiographs and a “what would you do if this was your dog?” I really thought that I would be more professional when my dog became ill. Unfortunately, I was just like any other owner, I lost it. I cried for an entire day. I cried so hard that my face hurt and my eyes were so puffy that I could barely see. I tried calling my best friend but all she could hear was my sobbing. It wasn’t just that I was sad that my dog was sick, the weight of having to decide how she was going to die overwhelmed me. Being a veterinarian and having the knowledge of what was ahead mixed with the emotional baggage of being the owner was a new kind of stress that I wasn’t ready for.

I got to see Dr. Little speak at the AVMA conference and she really is passionate about ticks.  It's awesome to see a veterinarian completely enamored in his or her specialty, even if I think ticks are disgusting. 

It's important to know the different tick species in your area and the various diseases that they carry.  Owners will definitely bring in tick specimens when they find them and it will be up to you to identify them on the spot.

Lyme disease is an increasingly prevalent tick-borne disease. It is difficult to definitvely diagnose as most of our affordable testing options only measure exposure. Treatment, vaccination and long-term testing regimens are controversial. If you ever want to see a heated debate amongst veterinarians, go to a continuing education talk on Lyme disease. It can get pretty brutal. Both of my dogs have been exposed to Lyme. I waited to treat them until they showed symptoms of fever, lameness and lethargy. Luckily they responded well to therapy.  

It's true that the majority of cases are found in the northeastern region of the United States but