A day in life of a veterinary technician: fur, feathers, scales, and, sure, sometimes drool—they're all a part of the vet tech's job

Career World, April-May, 2005

A fluffy black-and-white cat greets patients and visitors at the Chippens Hill Veterinary Hospital in Bristol, Conn. The cat lives at the hospital, as do two other cats, a pair of cockatiels, a milk snake, a bearded dragon (a type of lizard), and a three-and-a-half-foot-long, 7-pound green iguana.

Chippens Hill is a warm, welcoming place for animals to live, to be cared for, to heal, and, yes, sometimes to die.

In the hospital's examination room, Danielle Pratt is reassuring a nervous patient whose anxiety is causing long strings of drool to fall from her mouth. Pratt, 32, is a veterinary technician at Chippens Hill. The patient, Clara, is a big cuddly-looking long-haired white cat who is too overweight--and reportedly too lazy--to clean herself properly. She is in the animal hospital today to have her matted fur shaved and to get her yearly rabies shot. She is not happy about this prospect, so Pratt speaks to her in reassuring tones. Clara will be sedated throughout the procedure--both for her safety and for Pratt's safety. Shaving an angry, anxious cat is a nearly impossible task. Clara continues to drool in dreaded anticipation.

A voice from the next room calls out, "Danielle! Your patient is upside down and drowning!" Pratt investigates and finds that Turtle, a small tortoise in her care, is upside down in his container. Pratt rights him and explains that Turtle arrived at the hospital full of parasites and not eating. "He still won't eat on his own," she says. "Turtles can take a while to get better. We're trying to give him a chance." For now, she feeds Turtle through a feeding tube.

The animal hospital is busy, and Pratt will be working hard all day long. This day's appointment schedule includes neutering a young cat, examining a boa constrictor that's not eating, and trimming a chinchilla's teeth. Pratt will assist with the surgical procedures and perform several procedures herself, including drawing blood from each patient. "The only time you're sitting is at lunch," she says. "This is not a lazy person's job."

For now, though, Pratt's attention is on Clara, who is meowing in protest as she is poured out of her carrier and placed on the examination table. Before carrying her to the scale, Pratt wraps the cat in a towel, one of the many self-protective measures a vet tech must take every day. So far, Pratt has been lucky and hasn't been injured by an animal. "I've been scratched beyond belief," she says. "I've never been bitten. But I will be."

In addition to safety concerns, there's a lot of physical labor involved in lifting, transporting, and holding the animals, some of which might be scared and liable to lash out. The physical aspect of a vet tech's job has its benefits, though. "I've built up some serious muscles," Pratt notes.

CAT WRANGLING

Once Clara is back on the exam table, Pratt holds her down while veterinarian Nicola Melliar-Smith checks the cat's ears and listens to her heart. Pratt presses Clara's nose gently to stop her nervous purring. "You can't hear the heartbeat when they purr," Pratt explains.

Melliar-Smith must administer preanesthesia to Clara to calm her down before she is sedated completely. The doctor is having a hard time finding a vein through all of the fluffy white fur, and the cat is losing patience fast. Finally the doctor finds a vein in a leg and gives Clara a shot. Meanwhile, Pratt speaks to Clara in soothing tones. "Don't get mad now," Pratt says. "The hard part is over."

"Eow," Clara grumbles.

Cat wrangling didn't come naturally to Pratt, whose only pet growing up was a hamster. In fact, Pratt is allergic to dogs and cats and takes allergy shots in order to work. She learned to approach, handle, and interact with animals from the doctors and other techs and through daily experience. "In some cases, you just have to be quicker than [the animals] are."

The staff received a crash course in owl care when someone brought in an injured screech owl found by the road. People often bring in sick or injured wildlife--the staff has treated chipmunks, frogs, hawks, rats, and a blue heron, among others. The little screech owl had a broken wing that needed to be amputated. Under the staff's care, the owl, whom they named George, healed and now enjoys a new life as an educational owl at a nearby nature center.

Although on-the-job training is a big part of becoming a skilled vet tech, formal training is required. Pratt has a four-year degree in veterinary technology; it's also possible to earn a two-year degree in the field. The curriculum combines science and medical technology coursework with clinical experience.

EVERYDAY RESPONSIBILITIES

Clara is put back in her cage to mellow out. Pratt collects a stool sample from the cat to check for parasites.

Vet techs must be attentive to detail. Each drug used is carefully logged so that every staff member knows what medication each animal has received and doesn't mistakenly administer a second dose or something that might interact badly with a medication already given.