Profound satisfaction of relieving discomfort

Many people tell me that they dreamt of being a vet when they were young. I feel incredibly blessed that for me that dream came true.

Looking back, I wonder how it all started.

Even back in primary school I recall being the goto person whenever anyone got a splinter.

I had good eyes, a steady hand, and the patience to spend time trying to find the correct angle to extract the splinter from, whilst causing the minimum pain. I positively enjoyed the puzzle of when to dig, when to squeeze and when to get a grip and pull.

And the satisfaction of relieving the discomfort was profound.

I have come across veterinary professionals who just adore a nice ripe abscess. And others who find anything to do with the eyes fascinate them.

I really appreciate being in a profession where my particular skills and interests are in use. It is a real bonus in life to be paid to do a job that you also really love.

My skills were particularly tested one day when I saw a rescue dog called Wendy.

She comes in for a regular pain relief injection every month, and it has really turned her life around.

However, ten minutes after the injection we got a call from her owner to say that he was coming straight back in because she had started limping badly.

I was devastated to think that maybe I had somehow caused that limp, but we quickly established that she was bleeding from a minor injury to her pad. I checked it carefully, found nothing to worry us, and felt sure she would heal quickly once we had disinfected it.

However, she was still limping a few days later.

It was only then that I could just glimpse something twinkling in the tiny wound. With all my skills, and her remarkable patience I gently persuaded a thin shard of glass about 8mm long out of her flesh.

How she concealed this from me the first time I cannot know, but I’m sure she was really grateful to have it out!