Dr. Chris Bern
21 Years Experience
Cartersville, GA
Male, 49
I have been a practicing veterinarian since 1997, but have been in and around the profession since 1984. I am a general practitioner and see most pet species, from dogs and cats to parrots and snakes. In my job I do everything from routine vaccinations to complex surgeries and difficult medical cases. Becoming a vet takes hard work and dedication but can be very rewarding.
Rapid-fire questions, so rapid-fire answers!
In the US it takes a total of 7-8 years. Undergraduate college is 3-4 years and vet school is 4 years.
Lots of Biology classes! In vet school you have a pretty set curriculum with a few optional courses. Each vet school has slightly different entry requirements, but you'll end up needing lots of Biology, Chemistry, and Math.
I work around 45 hours per week.
I love getting to instruct clients and staff, imparting new knowledge and seeing them really understand it and apply it.
Benefits depend on the employer. I have health insurance, paid time off, a budget for continuing education, and similar basic benefits. But this can vary greatly.
Family time depends on the week! Mostly I do, though I can't always predict when I'll be home in the evening. Last-minute cases or a busy day can make me very late.
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This isn't as simple of a situation as you might think. My first question would be "Why did the dog attack?" Most attacks happen because of a specific trigger or triggers, even if the people involved may not realize it. For example, let's say that a dog attacks a child. The first response most people would have would likely be "Euthanize this dangerous animal." But would that be the same thought if it turned out that the child had been throwing rocks at the dog? Or if the child had been picking up the dog's puppies? Suddenly the "attack" becomes a situation of having been provoked or acting protective. In these cases we can't really blame the dog and I don't think it should be euthanized.
I see aggressive dogs pretty much every day. Sometimes they're aggressive towards us but are fine at home. Sometimes they get aggressive at home in specific situations. Outside of these instances the dog acts normally. Yes, it may attack again, but only if put in the same conditions. We have some patients that are what we call "cage aggressive". When they're in a cage they are very defensive, feeling threatened, and if approached will bite. But once out of the cage they act more normal and can be handled.
Now there truly are psychotic dogs who have a problem in their brain and can attack unprovoked. I've known several of these, and they can be truly dangerous. I've euthanized pets over the years due to extreme, uncontrolled aggression, though always as a last resort.
I don't disagree with laws requiring euthanizing dangerous, aggressive animals. But I think that they need to be carefully worded to not make it automatic with an attack. I think that a healthy dose of "it depends" needs to be used in each situation, and someone knowledgeable in pet behavior needs to be consulted before such a permanent decision is made.
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Unfortunately it sounds like your kitty has several serious conditions, which together make for difficult treatment. Subcutaneous fluids are normally one of the best treatments for end-stage renal disease. However, I can't give advice on this case as to whether or not the treatment is safe without much more information. I'd want to actually see the radiographs and other blood tests besides what you have reported, and also the results of a physical exam. Even then I couldn't give accurate advice without personally having seen your cat. You really need to talk to your own vet about this, as they know your cat's complete condition better than I.
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"Oh, you're a vet? Well my dog......" Variations on this theme are typically what I get when people find out I'm a vet. They share an anecdote about their pet, talk about a health problem, list all of their pets, or start to ask me for my opinion or advice on an issue. When I first graduated from vet school I would proudly wear jewelry or clothing proclaiming my new profession. But it quickly got old when the cashier at the grocery store or a random person in line would try and get some free advice. Over the years I've gotten more used to it and have realized that people are just very passionate about their pets. Which is a good thing! But at the same time when I'm off work I don't want to think about it much and want to try and detach myself from my job so I can think about othe rthings. To avoid some of these situations I don't make a big deal about my job in my private life and don't ask people to refer to me as "doctor".
The second question is a really good one and I've been trying to wrack my brain thinking of some specific questions. Unfortunately, I can't! I answer the same questions and discuss the same situations multiple times every day so I've gotten used to repetition. When someone asks me a question it may be the 10,000th time I've answered it (LITERALLY!), but to them it's the first time they've asked it, so they deserve to get a good answer no matter how tired I am of it. But I really don't get too tired of it because to me client education is VERY important, and when I answer those repetitious questions I'm helping the client take better care of their pets.
It's not quite a question, but one of my biggest pet peeves is people who don't listen to their voice mail message. Sometimes I'll call a client to let them know their pet is ready to be picked up and will record a brief message with a summary of what we did. Almost every day I'll get someone call back and say "Yeah, I got a call from you guys? No, I didn't listen to the message." That gets old VERY fast, and to me it seems such a simple thing to listen to the message before you return a call.
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Sommelier
Do you occasionally get a little turned off by wine snobbery?
Antiques Dealer
What's the most profit you've ever made from a single item?
Hospice Nurse
How did you feel with the passing of your first patient?
Communication skills! This is likely the top skill that will help every veterinarian. I've seen some vets with incredible medical and surgical skill who have rather sorry people skills and have a hard time developing clientele. Being comfortable talking to people and having a good ability to connect with them is going to be the single most useful non-medical skill. A great communicator can handle a cranky client when a case goes bad. A poor communicator will have a hard time keeping a client happy when everything goes well.
Emotional resiliency is another useful skill. As a vet you go through some incredible highs and lows throughout a day. You lose patients you've grown attached to. You have clients get mad at you when you've done everything correctly. You get overwhelmed with the number of cases you have to see in the course of a day. You get staff that can be difficult. All of that can combine to make it really tough to maintain a positive outlook and handle the stresses of the job. Someone with a steady emotional outlook or who has good coping mechanisms is going to be more successful at getting through those challenges.
A good head for business is also extremely helpful. Even if you don't own the clinic, having a good understanding of charges and how to keep the doors open will keep you from giving everything away and potentially sending the practice into bankruptcy. Knowing how the charges are figured and what goes into them will also help you feel less guilty when charging a client, as you know that the prices really are reasonable for the service.
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We have similar malpractice insurance, but it costs FAR less than our human colleagues. What an average human physician pays for in a month would cover a vet for a year. Thankfully I've never had a malpractice claim filed against me, and hopefully never will.
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Ask them to show you statistical and scientific proof. And I'm not talking about a blog, opinion piece, or a naturopath who is against all traditional medicine. Ask them for peer-reviewed journal articles which have been scientifically proven to support their belief.
I'll help you out here....they won't find that evidence.
Are there risks to vaccinations and preventative medications? Sure. But ask them for something that carries no risks at all....such things don't exist. With modern medicines we have decidedly saved lives and prevented diseases in countless numbers. Ask anyone whose dog has died of parvo virus if they would have preferred to have had the puppy vaccinated. Ask anyone who has had to spend hundreds of dollars on heartworm treatment if they would have rather purchased preventative.
Vaccines to NOT cause cancer and do NOT increase the likelihood of autoimmune diseases. These claims have been studied and found to be false. Monthly heartworm and flea preventatives are safe and effective for the vast majority of pets (when used appropriately) and have saved millions of pets from serious disease.
If these people continue to question you, direct them to my blog (avetsguidetolife.blogspot.com) and I'd be happy to have a discussion with them.
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