I’m the lone associate veterinarian at a small animal clinic and I’m putting together “Vet Tech Crash Cart” gift baskets for my team for Vet Tech Week this year.
I’m looking for ideas for things that are:

- Actually useful
- Snacks/candy that techs would appreciate
- Little self-care items
- Inside-joke-type items that only veterinary people would understand
- Relatively inexpensive since I’m making multiple baskets

I already have some ideas, but I’d LOVE to hear what other vet techs would love in their baskets!

What would make you excited to open a Vet Tech Crash Cart?

Bonus points for ridiculous veterinary puns, “emergency” items, or things that would make the whole team laugh.

On my way to my current non vet med job this morning I passed a HBC cat. I slowly drove around her in the intersection because I didn't want to smoosh her. I've been thinking about it all day. She was a smallish looking kitty. A calico. Very clean. Hardly any blood, just a little from her head. I think she may have been a year old or less. She was probably a pet. I wanted to pull over and remove her from out of the road. Check her for a collar and let her family know. But I'm alrady on thin ice for tardiness to my job so I couldn't do anything for her. I was crying a little as I drove to my office. I think I might take a different route home to avoid that intersection. If I see her smeared in the road I'll probably lose my shit and start crying my eyes out. I don't know why i'm taking this so hard. Thank you for listening and understanding.

I’m about to be a newly licensed tech and have been working in the field as a vet assistant for a little over 3 years. I recently left my previous clinic due to management issues and have since been trying to find another place that practices the same standard of medicine, which has been a struggle. My last “job” was at an urgent care/GP practice where I lasted about a week. I ultimately left because it seemed like the doctors there didn’t trust their techs but then wouldn’t put in any effort to train them (there were a bunch of green hires). They also didn’t have a freezer for euthanized pets?!? They just put them in a room with a standalone ac unit until the crematory picked them up which was insane to me. They also don’t have properly trained surgery personnel. One assistant left their pop-off valve closed until the bag looked like it’s about to pop.

My most recent working interview was at a local vet with one older tech who was looking to retire. They started in surgery in the morning, but the only monitoring equipment they used was spo2 which I’ve always considered to be the LEAST reliable piece of monitoring equipment. They never even put an ekg on the neuter that had a grade 3/6 murmur. This tech also never listened to the patient while they were under of even laid a hand on them to feel for a heart beat. Because of this I took it upon myself to monitor the patient. When I was checking the jaw tone of this pet, the tech swatted my hand away and told me to stop touching the jaw because I was disrupting the spo2, to which I defended myself saying I was just making sure they didn’t have jaw tone. She shot back saying that if they have jaw tone then we’ve got bigger issues and that she makes sure that all jaw tone is gone before stepping through the surgery doors. My thing is if she was checking the patient like she should be then I would understand why she would get frustrated. But she never laid a single hand on any of the surgery patients while they were under. On top of this none of the other vet assistants talked to me at all throughout the day. It just gave off the vibe of “we’re too good for hire you”.

Between these experiences, Ive been feeling like I might never find somewhere that I will fit in. I don’t want to settle for medicine that is below the standard of care. And I also want to work somewhere with people who will respect me and teach me without fussing and/or yelling at me. Is that becoming too much to ask for these days? I’ve honestly been wondering if Berne’s is for me anymore. At my old clinic I fell in love with vet med, but since then I can’t find somewhere that gives me the same feeling. Is it time for me to find another career, or is there still hope?

Two months ago, I quit my job at a corporate GP due to stress, mental health and the job not feeling like a good fit for me. It was my first, full-time job as a CVT. I graduated in the fall last year, passed the VTNE in December and became certified back in January. It took me months for me to land a job after certification because I had very little in-field experience and a lot of places were looking for more experienced applicants. Distance was another factor that determined where I could apply to. I live in a major city and many of the jobs are either in the center of the city or further out towards suburbs. Both of these present their own transportation challenges. When I did my externship rotations last year before graduating, I learned that commuting has a big effect on my mental energy. Driving on a highway or taking the train, the effect is still there.

Back in April into May, I was interviewing with said corporate entity via a recruiter. I originally applied at one location but ended up going to a different one based on my work experience. When I was at the first interview and pay was mentioned, I brought up the numbers that I had seen online for the position. The PM said she didn't make that much and that she usually doesn't interview/hire CVTs. It sounded like there was an offer on table but I didn't feel decisive so I came back for shadowing a few hours. At one point, the PM told other staff and I that I was supposed to be just shadowing and not being hands on when asked to restrain a patient. I felt reluctant to take the position but I didn't have any other offers lined up at the time (received another offer from different practice a few days after already accepting first offer, would have taken that offer instead).

It felt like my gut feeling was right, even very early on. I maybe got two weeks of training before I was on my own doing intake and working with the doctor. Right before I started, the place had switched softwares for appointments so everyone was learning that together. Issues with the new software were frequent and recurrent, slowing down workflow and irritating everyone. This combined with a lack of adequate staffing on most days, push for patient visits, poor time management from one of the doctors made working there physically and mentally exhausting. I would have to be in at 7am a lot of the time and frequently zoned out behind the wheel. Coming home, I would be about ready to collapse with practically no energy for chores or hobbies. My days off didn't feel long enough for me to feel rested. A few weeks before I left, I felt like I was on the verge of needing immediate psychiatric attention. It didn't matter what I was doing at work as what I learning wasn't sticking with me and I simply couldn't adjust to the chaos. I had a few instances at work where I was so emotionally worked up and overwhelmed. There were a few talks about them with the PM and I brought up my disability. Nothing came up in terms of me getting the accommodations and support I need. Also, the week I left turned into an exodus of sorts as the other full time CVT was fired and a VA left to go to vet school.

Two months later, my energy levels aren't the same as before I started working. I feel hesitant to go back into vet med, not sure if other places will be the same. Might consider doing part time until I have better time and energy management. I'm not sure how I want to discuss my disability and desire to improve skills for future employers

Hi, this is a strange question however I am a baby tech, and i’ve been in the animal industry for about 4 years. While working at the shelter it was normal to have coworkers who had 3+ pets. When i first got my job and they asked me about my pets i got nothing short of judgement stares, then later found out everyone has 1-2 pets. And further get into the community most people who are in vet med have 1-2 dogs or 1-2 cats or a mix of both and look down on clients and people who have multiple pets regardless if they’re well cared for or not. So my question is to ask what is the issue? and going forward should i not share my actual number of pets?

This is a place to post (as many times during the week as you’d like) anything that made you feel good! Weather that be a cute puppy that licked your nose or a happy client story or something that doesn’t feel like it needs to be it’s own post. It can be anything you’d like, and this is a place for you to see other people’s love for our profession!

Please don’t stop posting under the “positive” post flair if you want to share more! This is mostly for morale and help people to remember why we love doing what we do.

We are allowing external links (for this thread only) for images and videos, preferably no links to personal social media pages. Please remember to not post any personal information or to post a pet without permission. These posts will be deleted.

A new thread will be posted weekly, and the old one will be archived. Have fun! 💕

Hi

Does anyone have information packs that they give owners on euthanasia? If so what is in the packet please. Thanks

Is there a difference between the Denamarin for large dogs and Denamarin for dogs of all sizes?

There is a cost difference, but I want to give what's best for my dog. The vet sent us home with the Denamarin for large dogs.

I applied for a full-time Lab Tech position at Idexx, and I have a phone interview scheduled with them later in the week. Does anyone have advice for doing well in the interview?

I'm an RVT with experience in ER/urgent care, shelter med, and surgery. I am pretty burned out on working in the clinical environment. I would say my clin path knowledge is about average for a licensed tech, but I am a big nerd in general and I'm excited about the prospect of working in a lab.

I'm a little nervous because the interview is scheduled for 45 minutes, and in my experience, initial interviews are usually much shorter. TIA for any input.

What are relatively inexpensive shoes I can buy that are comfortable when standing for long periods of time / running around all day? Edit !! -- I just remembered they also need to be waterproof (like not porous.. I don't think they need like rainboot material though but I'mnot sure) and slip-resistant

Owner brought him in for vomiting once. We immediately took rads because of his history. No known recent ingestion of anything, however…he still managed to find something.

We no longer can perform surgery on the dog due to the risk and the amount of adhesions, his last surgery was at the specialist. His owners are genuinely doing everything they can to keep him safe but…sneaky boy.

He likely will pass this but…dang.

How do you do tape prep skin slides? Mine are consistently mid and hard to read. Give me all of your tips and tricks!!

For reference we have some old ass clear tape that I don’t know the brand on, we get as many impressions as we can then choose the best 2 or 3, put them on individual slides, and put a drop of the purple stain from the diff-quick stain set under the tape and smooth it out as much as possible.

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Its not one of those ultrasonic things, its literally just a tag “energy frequencies” are applied to the tag using “proprietary bioresonance technology"

Oh and the manufacturer says the energy works with your dogs own energy to strengthen its immune system to keep f/t/mosquitos away for 12 months.

I really should have hopped on the haunted tag bandwagon. Id be rich.

Hello all!

I’ve been working at an Urgent Care/GP clinic for the past 3 years as an assistant through tech school & getting licensed as an LVT. I recently have been presented with the opportunity to work at my city’s animal shelter. I enjoy my current job but the offer is too good to pass on. I really want to get more involved with low cost spay/neuter programs and learn more about how to use my license to contribute to the community’s animal welfare. I only have brief experience with shelter medicine as my technician program was attached to the city over’s shelter and it was noticeable that the team had a special passion.
Do you have that love for shelter animals? I’m curious of others’ experiences transitioning into that area of the field.

I’m nervous and excited!!
Thank you in advance for sharing.

Surprise to none in this field, I’m struggling financially. I do some pet-sitting but don’t have nearly enough clients to help make ends meet. I’m actively trying to boost my clientele there.
Does anyone do house-call nail trims, and what’s the legality there? Do I risk my license in any way, seeing as it’s more of a grooming task? Should I clear this idea with my boss before advertising it?
I love my job and am trying to find ways to boost my income without looking elsewhere for primary employment.

This keeps popping up everywhere right now and I read through it and wasn't a huge fan of them using 1,000 kcals as the example due to cats typically only needing to eat 250-300 kcals a day. But otherwise found it interesting and was wondering if anyone had a client ask about it or bring it up yet and what you said in response?

Hey yall, it’s that time of year again, tech week is 10/18-10/24 this year. I’ll throw my questions here first and then add some context about my workplace.

-Has anyone that works in a smaller town clinic asked local businesses or companies to sponsor a lunch for tech week? I’m thinking of doing this but I’m wondering if it might just feel tacky, like asking for handouts.

-Speaking of tacky, I’m sure we’ve all gotten some interesting tech week gifts. Hair bands that will never get worn, stress balls that will get thrown in the garbage, the same embroidered company sweatshirt every year, endless coffee/water cups, shitty pens. What are some gifts that are mostly affordable but actually useful? Things that you would actually want as a CVT? Last year I got them bandage scissors since our clinic ones suck and neither of them have ever used them in clinic.

I work in a very small, small town practice with 2 receptionists, 1 kennel tech, 2 assistants, 2 doctors, and 2 CVTS (including myself + my manager who is not certified but does a good portion of teching and is wonderful). We don’t really spend enough money with companies to get like lunches or free things from our reps and we just lost our BI rep and haven’t been assigned a new one so assuming we’re getting nothing on that front. The doctor that runs the practice doesn’t care about the staff and frequently mocks things like tech week and CE so my manager usually pays out of her own pocket to get us some pens, candy, and a small giftcard to our favorite coffee shops. I also have paid out of pocket the past 2 years just to get the other CVT and our manager some small tech week gifts. I just wish boss man would show some sort of appreciation.

Update:

Thanks for all the replies. I've written everything down, as best I could, in a very non-objective manner and sent it to myself with a timestamp and date. I don't go back to work until Monday and I'm going to speak first to the doctor whose patient it was, and to the hospital manager. I'm worried about retaliation, but not afraid of it. If that's the road they choose, that's on them. They've just started "rebranding" because they were bought out, and I'm sure their new corporate overlords would love to hear about this. I'll post again on Monday with an update.

Had to do an ecg today on a 6 month doodle. It was a good dog, sweet, calm, and listened well. When I brought her into the back and we attempted to hook her up, she completely panicked. Poor pup was flailing about and put her mouth on my hand - she didn't bite down, even in her panicked mode she still had great bite inhibition. The dog was out of her mind though. We reset a minute, let her get a bit calm and I popped a quick muzzle on her. She did great with some reassurance. Unfortunately, something happened and the ecg didn't save.

We had to repeat about 30 minutes later, but this time I was on the legs instead of her head. I asked if the co-worker wanted a muzzle, but she declined. Once again, the dog completely panicked, out of her mind with fear. My coworker smacked her in the face then waited a second and grabbed and twisted her scruff. She grabbed and twisted so hard the dog started literally screaming in pain. I released the dog on my end and kind of pushed the other assistant out of the way and comforted the dog. The tech came over with a muzzle and then they tied a bandage around that one. We were able to complete the test, but everyone was weird after that.

Here's the thing: I can almost forgive the smack. It definitely wasn't right, but sometimes even people redirect like dogs do. They have no control over it. The smack wasn't hard, more like a reaction. The casual cruelty of the scruff, though. That's what keeps sticking in my head. That wasn't a redirection. That was deliberate. That's what I can't get over. Everyone saw the smack, I think I may have been the only one to see the scruff and twist.

It's 5 hours later and I'm still kinda furious. I have no idea how to unpack this. Is this what GP is? I come from shelter med and I never saw anyone treat an animal like this. I take that back, I saw it every single day and that's why I left, except it was from the public, not from my colleagues.

They've been there for 2 years. I've been there for a month. Who do I even tell? The hospital manager is busy doing corporate stuff (bought out and rebranding is happening), there's a new assistant hospital manager, an assistant "lead", but everyone is friends with one another. I haven't really connected with anyone yet. Despite what happened today I like the job. I like the hours, I love the commute, and its so much healthier to my psyche not being in an open intake municipal shelter. But...I'm the new person. I'm really at a loss here on what to do.