An excerpt from: Lucky Dog: How Being A Veterinarian Saved My Life by: Dr. Sarah Boston As veterinarians, one of the options that we are able to provide is humane euthanasia. I believe this is the ultimate freedom — the freedom to die without pain. In humans, we resist when death is imminent, suffering is great, and there… Read More
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Cause and Effect: The Problem With Blame
Human beings are very intelligent, but we can also be stubborn as mules. One of the hardest things we face is not jumping to conclusions in the face of certain events, and even trained scientists find they have to struggle against their own biases to rely on logic when examining cause and effect. With the… Read More
Sometimes It’s Better Not to Know – Keeping Disease A Mystery
I am a veterinarian. This means, among other things, I am primarily a scientist and a compassionate caregiver. The scientist in me always needs to know. I need to know all I can about my patients so I can diagnose them and make treatment options. I recommend blood tests, x-rays, ultrasounds, and aspirating every lump… Read More
#ILookLikeASurgeon and the culture of judging female doctors
By: Kathryn A. Hughes MD “A good surgeon has the eye of an eagle, the heart of a lion, and the hand of a woman…”– 15th Century English Proverb #ILookLikeASurgeon, a new hashtag on Twitter and the movement it inspired, has resonated deeply with me. I look like a Surgeon. There is… Read More
The End of “Suck It Up”?
These are crazy times, both in general (beyond scope of this blog) and in veterinary medicine (will try to focus on this). Veterinary medicine has changed drastically in the past 20 years and I feel like I am in a good position to observe these changes because I’m an in-betweeny when it comes to my… Read More
Coping With Vet Shaming
One of the hardest things about being a doctor is constantly being told you are wrong. Our clients tell us that Dr. Google, the breeder or their mother says so. Our colleagues debate online as to whether allowing clients to decline presurgical bloodwork makes you a bad doctor. If you do shelter or spay/neuter clinic… Read More