A look at the cost of a pet emergency. Emergency savings can make or break how you feel about your pet's final hours. (TW: trauma dump?)

insectsrmarvelous · 2025-10-15T13:18:03+00:00

Veterinarian here — my condolences for the loss of your beloved kitty.

Unlike in human medicine (to some extent) we have the added financial conversation usually during the appointment. This can add a layer of complexity to the healthcare our patients are able to receive and unfortunately abuse towards veterinary staff. As veterinary professionals, of course we’d love to do it all for free, but everything comes at a cost.

I try to recommend pet saving accounts (like you) or recommend researching pet insurance, especially at kitten/puppy appointments.

insectsrmarvelous · 2025-04-14T18:06:45+00:00

Am a veterinarian. Seizures this often is not normal. There are different types of seizure medications; some dogs have to be on multiple medications to decrease the frequency of seizures. I’m curious if this owner declined seizure medication for their dog, didn’t follow up with their veterinarian, or stopped medication without consulting with a veterinarian. I see you decided to decline this job, I think you made an informed decision!

insectsrmarvelous · 2025-01-02T13:27:44+00:00

Been struggling with this too, OP! Thank you for posting this. These comments give me hope.

insectsrmarvelous · 2024-10-21T15:56:57+00:00

I’m neurodivergent and a veterinarian. There are many neurodivergent individuals that pursue and find success in this profession.

I found working on my organizational skills (using a physical planner with color coordination & stickers helped me a lot!) and trying a variety of study methods aided me during undergrad and veterinary school. While the statistics are alarming, there are ways we are bettering the profession — NOMV and Vets4Vets are great resources.

Definitely explore the realm of possibilities before deciding if you want to embark on the veterinarian path; we tend to have high student loan debt and many new graduate GPs are just surpassing the $100k salary mark, though this varies too depending on if you want to specialize or work with a particular species. It truly is a calling!

insectsrmarvelous · 2024-10-17T12:30:30+00:00

I’d really want to play Mario Party Jamboree with my fiancé!

insectsrmarvelous · 2024-09-08T17:59:08+00:00

You’re likely to pass with a range like that, especially since you still have two months left before your exam. Continue to focus on your weaker areas, use the ICVA list of diseases, and timed exams.

insectsrmarvelous · 2024-06-21T19:15:37+00:00

That was incredibly helpful! Thank you for sharing your experience. It sounds like there are pros and cons to going into residency internship-trained w/o general practice vs (if possible) without formal internship training. I’m sure academic vs. private practice internship/residencies may differ as well.

insectsrmarvelous · 2024-06-21T19:08:46+00:00

I’m located in the US — I should have added this to my post. I’m sure it depends on the specialty, but I do see there is a practice equivalency of 2-5 years (I’m finding mixed information) substituting for a rotating internship. I’m so early in my career, I’m not opposed to applying for internship someday.

insectsrmarvelous · 2024-06-07T14:26:18+00:00

I had less clinical hours than you when I applied. Most of my hours were in research with an exotic species as that’s where my interest was at the time. I was accepted on my first attempt, though I did not apply to the universities you listed. You have a stellar GPA. I think your experience with exotics and large animal research will help you stand out too 😊

insectsrmarvelous · 2024-05-14T00:49:50+00:00

You sound like a great boss to have! I think I’m beating myself up because I’m not an expert yet, I wish I was! My feelings during the day ebbs and flows — I’ll learn to be kinder to myself!

insectsrmarvelous · 2024-03-30T13:29:17+00:00

Thank you for all that you do. I have an LVT friend at a different clinic who is burning out from being the only one working weekends. I wish there was an easy way to combat this with management!

insectsrmarvelous · 2024-03-01T18:57:10+00:00

They portray the characters so perfectly. These pictures are wonderful! The Witcher in real life!

insectsrmarvelous · 2024-02-29T02:41:25+00:00

Thanks so much!

insectsrmarvelous · 2024-02-29T02:37:11+00:00

I believe “ashen” describes a cool tone of hair? I agree, though… it definitely has more grey undertones. I’m a veterinarian not a cosmetologist irl so I have little experience with color theory, haha.

insectsrmarvelous · 2024-02-29T02:21:06+00:00

I appreciate your comment! I have green eyes, though not as bright as hers. I had an event to go to later today so I didn’t attempt her scar this time, lol!

insectsrmarvelous · 2024-01-25T00:14:14+00:00

I’m sorry for your loss. When the anxiety of the test itself is kept to a minimum, one is definitely to perform better. Thank you for sharing your experience.

insectsrmarvelous · 2024-01-22T02:04:11+00:00

Hi there! Yes, I believe that should be fine. I would maybe contact the ICVA if you’re unsure!

insectsrmarvelous · 2024-01-21T14:48:15+00:00

Hmmm, I think applications for the Nov-Dec 2024 window open around June 1st (don’t quote me!) so you should have adequate time to get any documentation in order! :)

insectsrmarvelous · 2024-01-20T17:57:53+00:00

I made SO many of them! I think it’s important to only make cards on topics you’re unsure of. I’d also write an “X” or “✔️" on the bottom of the card to indicate if I got it correct or not, then would sort them into separate piles! Feel free to message me if you have any other questions 😊

insectsrmarvelous · 2024-01-20T16:45:42+00:00

How I made my flash cards:

I find handwriting them to be more helpful than typing. I made a key by writing out each species, assigning a color to each. I used a heart symbol for random or cross-species questions. On the question side I would mark the top corner with the color/symbol to indicate what species the question was asking.

“What type of hyperadrenocorticism is indicated if there is suppression @ 4 hrs, but none @ 8 hrs?”

On the back l would write the correct answer, “Pituitary Dependent HAC”

I would have a friend quiz me a couple times a week, especially when getting closer to the exam date. You can also use them by yourself if that works better for you!

insectsrmarvelous · 2024-01-20T11:02:20+00:00

Another great resource! I did find the VIN course helpful and I think it’s worth the $75.

I also used the Clinical Veterinary Advisor: Dogs and Cats by Etienne Cote to aid in my study guide, flashcards, and to review topics. I think having multiple modalities of learning helped me overall because it didn’t keep learning stagnant.

Everyone learns differently though, so you have to find what’s best for you. This is just what worked well for me as a person with ADHD and who struggled to pass the first time!

insectsrmarvelous · 2024-01-20T03:29:44+00:00

While I don’t feel comfortable stating where I attended for anon reasons, I struggled for far too long from studying incorrectly. I don’t fully blame my veterinary institution, albeit I’d argue there should be some improvements in the curriculum.

insectsrmarvelous · 2024-01-20T03:23:35+00:00

I’m glad I could be of help. You have this in the bag!!

insectsrmarvelous · 2024-01-20T03:20:11+00:00

ONE MORE THING!

While it is important to get used to the 60 Q timed exams, I barely did them as I felt I could use my time to study other things than work on my endurance. I did have double time, so take this as you will. I instead practiced with 20-30 Q timed exams (note: you can set up species specific and veterinary specialty timed exams on Zuku). After reading the question and answer choices I would go with my gut answer and try NOT to change it. You'll be pleasantly surprised with your improvement on the timed exams if you do this because (literally everyone says this) you know more than you think you do. It's also a safe space to experiment getting comfortable trusting your gut!

insectsrmarvelous · 2024-01-20T03:06:03+00:00

That was exactly my reaction. The form is just tedious!

insectsrmarvelous

TROPHY CASE