Post #193

Being a veterinarian is like playing different musical instruments to create one beautiful symphony. Your day might start with treating a dog that hasn't eaten for days, leaving it dehydrated and weak. You must take a history from the client, asking what the dog usually eats and other details that will aid your diagnosis. The dog may be friendly or aggressive—unfortunately, cooperative pet handling is not yet common in our country. After establishing the best treatment protocol for the dog, you then move on to a herd of sheep showing respiratory signs. The owner may not tell you the truth about having tried medication at home, or he might try to tell you what to prescribe as if he were the veterinarian. You have to be smart enough to earn his trust, convincing him to believe in you while also asking for the specific details he is worried about. You take vitals and form a tentative diagnosis by considering the season, the topography of the farmer's village, and other aspects that could have caused the disease, all of which help you rule out your differential diagnoses. While you are doing this, an older woman waits for you to treat her one and only cow—the animal that determines her livelihood, acting as her pension. You have to understand each and every species and know the best treatment protocol for the diseases you encounter. I always wonder at how beautiful and difficult this work is simultaneously. When I follow my mentors in our hospital as they treat all these different animals, it feels as though they know how to play the piano and the guitar, and can also sit in the drummer's chair when needed. I am constantly amazed by the work of veterinarians and feel proud to be part of this amazing profession. Being an externship student has given me the opportunity to see what the life of a general practitioner in veterinary medicine truly looks like, and for that, I am very glad. It's Yared, your እጩ የእንስሳት ሐኪም! @campus_Voice_2016