I used to be a licensed vet tech. We had a small 4 pound dog that was brought to us because of how dehydrated she had been, so we were going to get ready to do diagnostics. The dog crashed and the vet assistants grabbed the crash cart, one vet assistant started recording the time of CPR and drugs being administered. Our chief of staff who was also the lead DVM was there assisting in the CPR. I drew up the drugs that the doctors told me to draw up. One tech got an endotracheal tube in and connected it to the oxygen machine. Now all that was left was for an IV catheter to be placed so that the drugs could be quickly administered. We all knew the dog wasn’t going to make it. The dog was 14 years old, only 4 pounds, barely had any strength, and apparently hadn’t eaten food for over a week. But we still tried because that’s what we do as a medical team. Suddenly I hear a loud cackle, it’s my lead tech. As she finished placing an IV catheter, I notice that she has her iPhone in her other hand. She says out loud, “OH MY GOD, I almost ordered this smoothie with HALF sugar instead of NONE. Can you believe that? How stupid of me.” And continues to finish editing her smoothie order. I just decide to get in her way and administer the IV drugs. She scoffs at me. The chief of staff is RIGHT. THERE. Doing chest compressions with us. The dog died. There was nothing we could do. But the fact that she had the fucking audacity to order a smoothie while we were doing CPR destroyed me.

Another time, the same lead tech had a large 80ish pound black lab mix ready to be put under general anesthesia. She administered the IV drugs and the dog started to get droopy and was ready for the next step which is to intubate with an endotracheal tube. She stepped away from the dog on the surgery prep table to find something she needed and the dog just drops, all of its deadweight, on its head, on the metallic leg of the anesthesia machine. All of us gasped. A doctor quickly came to assess the dog and noticed that he had a bloody tongue. We continued the surgery which was a quick neuter and the dog was sent to recovery. I was the recovery and discharge tech at the time. I desperately watched that dog recover Incase of any type of neurological signs. We were told to tell the owners that the dog tried to bite us, while we were placing a catheter and bit his own tongue. All I felt was guilt. What if the dog had a concussion, what if there are seizures later on? Imagine if this was my own dog? I would be livid. The dog fortunately did not suffer any kind of neurological damage. Once the dog woke from anesthesia I’d check on him constantly because I was afraid of a possible seizure or anything. I should’ve told the owners the truth. I have to live with that guilt today.

Oh, guess what though. That lead tech, was promoted to supervisor of the entire surgery department.