[chamakits]

When I was young, the first profession I said I wanted to be was a Vet. I was obsessed with it. I loved all animals, but dogs the most. Still do.

Over the years of having my own pets at some point I realized I would be dealing with animals in their worst condition. Sick, injured, and suffering. I knew I would be bonding with animals I would rarely see and maybe even be responsible for putting them to sleep when the time came. I knew I definitely did not want to be a vet.

I know a few vets, and I know they have that same love for animals. I don’t know how they do it.

[ryandrake]

> When I was young, the first profession I said I wanted to be was a Vet. I was obsessed with it. I loved all animals, but dogs the most.

Same with my 10 year old. We had a nice "what do you want to be when you grow up" conversation in the car the other day and of course she decided she'd be a veterinarian because she loves animals. I don't want to be Mr. Negative Dad or discourage anything, but we had a "let's think about that for a minute" talk and she figured out the unpleasant side of the idea pretty quickly.

[warner25]

I have four young girls who all talk about wanting to be veterinarians when they grow up. They're young enough that I don't put much stock in that yet. I already had some sense that being a veterinarian has a lot of downsides, but reading this thread is really making me hope that they change their own minds in a few years. Like you said, I don't want to be the one to discourage them.

[snapetom]

You're also often dealing with people at their worst. I know of two vet clinics in my area have had to put up signs warning that they will not tolerate abuse and berating at their staff, obvious signs of intoxication, etc. How many businesses have to do this?

One of the first things my wife was told in vet school was, "Most of you are here because you want to deal with animals and not people. In reality, if you are not good with dealing with people, you are not going to make it in this field."