Vet Times

Tag: Pain Management

  • Are new grads avoiding OOH?

    Are new grads avoiding OOH?

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    With the increasing popularity of outsourcing out-of-hours care to specific emergency centres, today’s new graduates have a very real option to never have to work OOH. While it is often insinuated it would be a good learning experience to at least do some OOH during your veterinary career, many new grads are opting for the…

  • The ‘many paws’ depriving our pets

    The ‘many paws’ depriving our pets

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    I’ve recently been to a writing group I sometimes go to, because, well, I suppose I am a writer. I’ve never written that before, but I do get paid to write, so I suppose I’m a “professional”, and I do write and get published quite a lot. Now I’m meant to do some stuff with…

  • Abusive clients

    Abusive clients

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    I’ve read some of the reports of vets suffering abuse from clients and it’s upset me on many fronts. First is the misuse of the term “abuse”, but that’s something I’ll leave for another blog. My main issue today is that, as veterinary practices, we have it within our control to resolve many of the…

  • Breeding hate of caesareans

    Breeding hate of caesareans

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    They should be joyful operations – from a distressed, painful dog in a potentially life-threatening situation, to a fixed one, in less than an hour, with none of that unsatisfying mucking about with blood gasses or puzzling over blood results. The surgery itself is relatively simple and rather fun. To top it off, you (ideally)…

  • Innovative thinking

    Innovative thinking

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    As you may have seen, I have won a little award. Obviously, with my writing here, I should be the Nobel Laureate for Literature, but I think that’s in the bag for for next time. This award was for innovation. It came as a bit of a surprise, as I’ve been “innovating” for so long…

  • On killing

    On killing

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    “It must be the hardest part of your job.” In my early career I would nod solemnly, sigh, and say “yes, it is,” while I thought about the myriad other things about my job I was finding harder than euthanasia: challenging ongoing clinical cases out-of-hours work the stress of responsibility the fear I was blundering…

  • Where is your Eden?

    Where is your Eden?

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    August is a time coined by the newspapers as “silly season” – everyone is on holiday and quality news is thin on the ground. This means unusual news stories that might not otherwise get coverage come to the fore. It’s not been that way in the animal world. There were so many things going on…

  • Arguments

    Arguments

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    I am not a naturally confrontational person – I am British, slightly shy and not especially self-confident, which means I am effectively Arthur Dent (except I prefer coffee to tea). I am generally pretty popular with clients, though it makes my humility gland twinge to admit it, and I used to joke this was because…

  • Accountability and responsibility: which causes more fear?

    Accountability and responsibility: which causes more fear?

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    It’s very daunting standing in your first consult as a real, qualified vet – even if it is “just a vaccine”, which invariably turns into “actually, this has happened“, or “now you mention it“, and so on. But why is it we have that constant feeling of being on edge – more so than a…

  • Reflection rebranded

    Reflection rebranded

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    Reflection. Yep, it’s the R word again. Now, don’t turn off, because I’m actually thinking we need a rebrand. Bear with me. As an idea, reflection seems to cause a whole heap of negativity in people. But, when you think about it, isn’t it just a process of reviewing new information and applying it to…