Day in the Life of your Vet

It’s 8am and Dr Charlotte, Vet Director at one of our Animates Vetcare clinics in Wellington, enters the clinic fresh from a brisk walk with an upbeat song, to start the day right. “I look forward to coming to work, it still excites me.” No two days are the same in a veterinary clinic.

After reading up about the patients she is to see that day, Dr Charlotte and the veterinary nursing team plan out the day and start setting up for the surgeries they will be doing.

The first patient of the day arrives. Kuma is a 3-year-old dog who has been referred from a nearby clinic. She has been off her food for a week and occasionally vomits, so x-rays are required to see what is going on inside her tummy. Kuma is admitted into the hospital where the caring vet nurses settle her in.

Dr Charlotte has a couple more appointments to see, before heading ‘out the back’ mid-morning. The vets alternate days of consulting or surgery, so while Dr Charlotte is out the back working through the list of patients to attend to, two other veterinarians continue to see a variety of patients.

First up is an ultrasound on a dog, to check the internal organs. Thankfully all is looking clear. Next on the list is a cat neuter and microchip which goes smoothly, with the cat back up and eating again in no time. During this time a cat is admitted into the hospital for a blood test which will give the vet more information on what could be causing the cat’s illness. A dog also comes back for intravenous fluids and treatment. The day is turning into a juggle!

Next up is x-rays of Kuma, to see if surgery is required to remove an intestinal blockage. Thankfully, nothing obvious is seen on the x-rays, however Kuma will continue to be closely monitored. 

After all the patients are checked, notes updated and owners contacted it is time for lunch, before jumping into the afternoon consults until 5.30pm.

At the end of the day the team make sure to check on each other, discuss any cases and owners are contacted to make sure each patient is home or transferred to overnight care. “We have an awesome team who are really good at supporting each other. We try to discuss or process concerns at the end of each day, so we can leave knowing we have done our best.”

Heading home, exhausted, but in a good mood, Dr Charlotte remembers the good cases of the day, tries to fit in some exercise, and listens to upbeat music. Who knows what tomorrow will bring.