Reprinted with permission from Smart Flow Sheet. Let's face it, not every veterinary professional has the same attitude towards their career or outlook on life. We can be the most hypocritical and judgmental people to our clients and family. Here are the top 10 sins of our profession. 1. Not Owning a Pet This one is very hard to swallow. I mean, who in our profession doesn't own an animal? I find it weird if someone just owns one, but to own none is just mind-blowing. The weird thing is I know a few of these types. Oh, the horror! 2. Not Getting Excited for Puppies and Kitties It doesn't matter if all I see are puppies and kitties all day (which, like never happens) I get all excited and googly eyed. Baby animals are awesome! To those who don't, I will never understand. 3. Not Brushing Our Own Pets' Teeth Guilty as charged. I've done hundreds of dental cleanings and preached to clients (and family) about the importance of brushing daily. I'll tell you right now that I can't remember the last time I attempted to brush any one of my five pets' teeth. I feel like I've let a lot of people down. 4. Using Dr. Google We scoff at those who take their advice from the internet, but yet when it is 11 p.m. and your dog is puking/limping/coughing, we go running for the computer. We need the reassurance everything will be OK until morning and take pride knowing we at least picked reputable websites to get our information from. 5. Buying from a Breeder We spend our days encouraging/demanding people to get their pets spayed/neutered. We stare in disgust at breaking news stories of puppy mills and we glare at pet stores in the mall. Then we are the first ones to jump on the opportunity to own that cardiac mess of a purebred Boxer or that perfectly tiny purebred Yorkie. What is wrong with us? 6. Buying Low-Quality Pet Food We're only human. No matter what we've been taught about grocery store dog/cat food, it is hard to resist buying that treat. The labels are enticing with their pictures of Thanksgiving Day spreads or overly satiated obese felines. We give that extra little treat to our beloved pets and definitely don't tell others we did so. 7. Bad Fashion There's definitely a fashion trend in the veterinary world and it is not a good one. The tendency for vets and techs alike to use our profession as an excuse for bad fashion sense is just unreasonable. I mean have you ever wandered around a veterinary conference and just looked at people? And don't get me started on wearing scrubs 24/7 — that can't be all you own. 8. Veterinary Snobs How many times must we say it! No veterinary team member is superior to the next. No veterinary background is better than the other. The truth is, there are wonderful and super intelligent people in all aspects of veterinary medicine. Emergency doesn't automatically make you smarter and a technician status doesn't make you superior to the receptionist. 9. Judgment Judging other staff members on how they react to difficult situations: Some people cry, some people don't. We are all just trying to get by! 10. Feeding Cooked Bones! My father-in-law insisted we go to the grocery store and ask the butcher if they had any extra soup bones. I felt like this was something that would've been normal in 1945, but it happened to me just last year. And of course, I didn't say no. Whether we don't follow our own advice, have an attitude problem or judge others, veterinary professionals are not immune to the cardinal sins of our profession. Are you willing to confess your veterinary sins? Let us know in the comments.
