Happy (Late) World Veterinary Day!

Got to work this morning at a general practice I work at once a month and got surprised with a gift for World Veterinary Day! 

World Veterinary Day was on April 27th. This day every year reminds me of how grateful I am that I stumbled into this profession. A profession that allows for humans and animals to be together in this world side by side. I have some of the coolest colleagues in the world and am so PROUD to be part of this distinguished group of people. Here are some highlights of what the collective veterinary community does but there is SO much more:

• Keep our food safe via food inspection and USDA regulations
• Prevent zoonotic diseases (disease shared by humans and animals) from spreading 
• Stop emerging diseases with work through the CDC and one health
• Maintain wildlife safety and regulation through fish and game departments and wildlife research
• Keep our animals in our zoos, aquariums, and sanctuaries healthy so that we can enjoy the wonders of being close to exotic and wild animals
• Research for human medicine and food science via laboratory animal safety and regulation
• Help establish state and veterinary laws for animal welfare
• Provide care to our stray animal population
• Provide care for low income households with pets
• Provide in home hospice care for our aging companions
• We are anesthesiologists, surgeons, pharmacists, ophthalmologists, reproductive specialists, pain managers, dentists, pediatricians, cardiologists, neurologists, internal medicine doctors, behaviorists, and so much more!

This list is just the tip of the veterinary iceberg! WE do so much more that I could be writing for days about all the AMAZING things veterinarians do for this world. This includes the small animal general practitioner that deworms our pups and kittens so our children do not share parasites with their pets, vaccinates for preventing disease outbreaks, and relieves suffering all on a daily basis.  This profession does not toot their own horns enough, nor do we get thanked enough for all we do to keep the world going. World veterinary day is the time to stop and reflect how we could not survive without veterinarians looking out for all the animals in our world! 

Not many people can stop and honestly say that they have found their calling. I have found mine...albeit by accident. 

I did not grow up wanting to be a veterinarian. I actually started my undergraduate college career in an architecture school and quickly realized that was not for me. I then dabbled with the idea of becoming a pediatrician. 

During this time I had adopted a cattle dog from the shelter, Martha. She was a scared sweet girl that was covered in ticks, had Lyme disease, and diarrhea from giardia. Needless to say I was at the veterinarian a LOT. I had no money as a young college student and the vet was so kind and worked her hardest to inform me of what I could do for my new companion to get her healthy,

At this time I was also in a serious relationship. The father of my partner had sat me down and expressed his concern over me going to medical school to become a pediatrician. He thought that my relationship with his son would not last through medical school. He suggested I become a veterinarian. All the time I had spent at the vet with Martha had me thinking a similar thought. Playing with puppies and kittens sounds like fun-I was so naïve! This is not at all what I do now-it is what I wish I did somedays but most days I do cooler things.

Anyway, that relationship (marriage) failed during veterinary school-something I find hilariously ironic now. But it was not because of vet school it was because of my ex-husband's abusive tendencies and mental health problems. More on this another time.

I jumped all in and got a job as a receptionist at an overnight veterinary hospital; then as an assistant/technician at a general practice while working my way through college. I quickly fell in love with the small animal side of veterinary medicine. It was not until vet school that I found out just how much the collective we as a society depend on veterinarians to keep us safe, healthy, and connected to the natural world around us.

Regardless of how I ended up here amongst this field of super heroes, I am so grateful my life journey brought me here. I have witnessed true love between animals and humans, true generosity, kindness, and even miracles in my time since starting in this field. Thank you to all the veterinarians, vet techs, professors, food inspectors, customer service representatives, researchers, hospital managers, and so many others that make this profession one of the best in the world. I am grateful for you and for what I get to do everyday I put on my scrubs. Happy (Late) World Veterinary Day!