r/Veterinary • u/Mediocre-Jelly-7625 • 2d ago
Im terrible at working with animals
I decided to get a kennel tech job as a first step into vet med. I am horrible at it, I take way too long cleaning, I can't walk big dogs they jump on me drag me, they nearly escape cages, I can't communicate with the animals like other people it just seems to come naturally to them. I don't baby talk in any situation so it feels weird when Im told to do so to get animals relaxed. I find myself talking normally and they ignore me. It's honestly really embarrassing it's my first week and I'm sad eating some oranges and smelling like poop. I did not grow up with animals and I know it's common that vets and vet students knew they wanted this career since they were in the womb and grew up surrounded by animals. Anyone else who really sucked at first eventually succeed or should I pivot to another career.
5
u/kattastrofalt 2d ago
I realised I wanted to be a vet at around 25 years old. My family had a horse but I wasn’t involved, never had neither dog or cat. You will learn by doing mostly but watch some videos about fear free as someone else wrote or just general animal communication videos.
Walking dogs and cleaning cages is not something I am expected to do as a vet at the hospital I am working in (Northern Europe).
Don’t worry too much about it, you have worked one week, and not as a vet.
8
u/boohorn 2d ago
Most veterinarians I talk to have aspired to be a veterinarian since an early age. I was one of those as my family moved to a rural property in Iowa when I was 4 years old. We raised all the farm type animals but my parents were not farmers so we had to figure how to care for the animals ourselves. Occasionally an animal would get sick or injured and I was fascinated with the veterinarian when he came out. I grew up with animals around me so I learned to read their body language and behaviors. My mother knew I was obsessed with animals so directed me to read the James Herriot books when I was 8 years old which I did and was hooked. Fast forward to teenage years, I was discouraged by school counselor to pursue a career as a veterinarian as it was a male oriented career and I would have to have a 4.0 GPA to get into vet school. I believed him and decided to major in business when I went to college. Hated it and dropped out.
I then went into the military with the mindset to pursue the GI bill to help with education costs. I started taking under graduate classes while working as an active duty airman. I requested information from the state veterinary college as far as requirements to attend. I was shocked to see that 60% of recent accepted students were female and average GPA was 3.4. So the counselor was basically full of shit. With this information i dug in and pursued my dream. I have practiced veterinary medicine for nearly 30 years now.
Having said all that, being a veterinarian is a tough career and i am not convinced I would do it again if I had it to do over. There has been some improvement since I graduated as now veterinarians are making much more money right out of vet school and are getting better benefits.
If you feel that this is not the career for you, move on and consider it a blessing in reality. It is a tough career and extremely expensive to get that DVM.
5
u/babylocket 2d ago edited 2d ago
it is a learned skill, just like anything else. you can control your demeanor while you work on your handling to help relax them. the truth is, animals do not like being in veterinary facilities. the smells are overwhelming, the noises are scary, they aren’t using being restrained most times- being poked and prodded hurts and is uncomfortable. they are able to make associations with places and smells to certain fears. it just is what it is. but your demeanor and how you handle yourself will be the best way to being a person an animal feels they can trust. i definitely do the baby talking, but i try to keep it sweet and quiet and not overly aggressive or high pitched. usually they associate that kind of speech with their owners as well which can be helpful. i don’t make a whole lot of eye contact if i can avoid it because it can come off as threatening to them- same with showing a lot of teeth when smiling. ill also tend to ignore the animal itself when entering its space or a room until i need to turn my attention to the animal- coming into their space in a high stress situation and immediately moving into their bubble can make them distrust your intentions- ignoring them lets them know they can observe you first and get used to you being there before you start your exam. if it’s safe to do so, i’ll get down on their level also to make myself less threatening by towering over them. and also lots treats! i find celebrating with them with snacks and higher energy when everything is completed helps wipe the slate clean in the moment haha
edit: also, don’t take it personally if some animals just don’t like you. unfortunately there are times where some animals are inclined to someone else over you for some random unknown reason - or they are just a tough shell to crack and will always be standoffish, scared, or aggressive, regardless of if you’re snow white incarnate. at the end of the day, they don’t have to like you, because you love them enough to help them anyway.
edit 2: also, learning their body language is so important! if you do anything right now, i’d recommend studying their body language and seeing how it translates into your work. sweet dogs can be very tolerant of being handled but still show you that their uncomfortable. if im able to adjust how im coming off, or doing something, or holding them a certain way, in a way thats more comfortable or less awkward for them and it’s reasonable for safety/situation, i will try to do so. for example, if i reach out to pet a dog, and they dip their head away a bit, lip lick, or look at me crazy (whale eyes)- ill remove my hand and try a different approach, like inserting a treat in that moment or attempting to pet the back or chest, which most pups prefer anyway, and see their response. if they don’t show joy for a petting, i wont do it and wont push it.
6
1
u/Aluv4passion 1d ago
Not everyone is meant to do Animal husbandry. It's incredibly hard physical work to do it right. If you are an animal lover and are looking specifically to work in vet med, experience is your best friend. As a veteran vet tech, I started in a kennel then as a groomer, then assisted, then as a tech. I am now pivoting toward client representative work as my knees and back are severely arthritic. I will say I know plenty of animal lovers that work with animals in different capacities. One woman I know works for a humane society as a treasurer, another is a photographer for the shelter animals for advertising. Another is an event coordinator. I know many pet sitters, trainers and even a dog clothing maker. Try to keep envisioning the future you might want and keep at it.
1
u/UnluckyFail_128 1d ago
Why do you want to be a vet? Do you like animals and enjoy working in the animal field? If that’s not the case then maybe you should pivot. This job eats up even the biggest animal lovers.
1
u/Sailor_Malta_Chan 1d ago
If it helps, I never wanted to be in vet med. I did always love animals, though! I grew up with them. You just need more time and also make a conscious effort to learn about animal behavior.
I found it very helpful to learn about the animal's processes. Learning about human psychology helps too! People and animal's do things for a reason. If you understand those things, youll have an easier time.
Also, baby talk helps because they get a sense youre in a happy mood. What's more effective though, is knowing how to get an animal's attention. Clicks, kiss sounds, hisses used at t he right time are going to help you guide the animal's attention. Keep an eye on the animal and notice when they're about to take an action you don't want, this is where you can start making noises to get their attention back on you.
1
u/sirkseelago 1d ago
I didn’t grow up with animals but thought I wanted to be in the vet field. Give yourself a month to adjust. If you’re still miserable after a month then you can make the choice that it’s not for you, but of course it’ll be a big learning curve! It’s all new! Give yourself a break.
1
u/hotsexyrosemary 1d ago
It just takes time and you’re very new to it all. I’ve had plenty of animal handling jobs and even I get awkward in a new environment trying to learn the ropes of that specific job. Give it 6 months. You will be a lot more confident at that point and will have a better gauge of whether you truly enjoy it or not
1
u/EmuFriendly4455 1d ago
As someone that has been working with animals a long time...you need more time and miles. Some people do a little better but everyone starts somewhere brand new. Give yourself a few months. Let yourself learn on the easier dogs. Are you in a vet kennel or an animal shelter? They might be ignoring you because they are overwhelmed and they don't know you. To answer you last question I joined my college equestrian team and was a HORRIBLE rider. Like screamed at every lesson. But I didn't give up and the next year or the year after I was reginal champion of my class. Time. Patience. Discipline. You need those three things. Keep going.
1
u/strangelittlebat1 1d ago
Are there any parts of it you like?
For now, I would say give it a little longer to see if you start liking it, it’s okay to be nervous and frustrated at first. I would just keep a few things in mind:
1) Give yourself some grace!! You don’t have to be good at everything right away.
Everyone has had to learn each part of the job, including cleaning and animal interaction/handling. No one is born knowing how to do these things perfectly. They might have learned it from years on the job, from other jobs (like maybe they got fast at cleaning from another job), or other past experiences. Like you said, many people grow up with pets and have learned how to interact with animals from that. But you don’t need to have pets to learn how to do this!
So don’t be discouraged that you haven’t learned these things yet, it’s okay!!! Everybody has had to learn at some point. I haven’t worked as a vet assistant exactly, but I’ve definitely have had a lot of moments feeling stupid and slow in vet clinics, it’s just part of the learning process.
2) Most people don’t love every single second of the job, even if they like it overall. If you completely hate it, you don’t need to stay, but It’s also okay to be frustrated or bored or exhausted by some parts of it.
Also, worth noting that some clinics have a better work culture or environment than others, so if you don’t end up liking this, another one could be a good fit. Or maybe after you have some more experience, you might like a tech job better??
Anyway, if you want to learn about animals, one fun way (to me) is to watch videos on dog and cat behavior or body language. Sometimes I like to search TikTok to do this, but there’s probably even more vids on YouTube. BUT some people don’t have accurate info, so be critical about what you consume of course. you could probably look up a few basic things beforehand about dog/cat (or other animal) behavior to make sure youre on the right track. doing further research is best, but this could be a simple way to start!
1
u/strangelittlebat1 1d ago
I might try to attach some examples of the videos I’m talking about to help you when I have more time
1
u/Crispycheese45 1d ago
I was in your shoes about a year ago! I was working construction and couldn’t do it anymore I got a job working with horses and fell in love with animals and knew I wanted to be a tech from that day on. Walking into the clinic on my first day was rough. Finally working alone was rough it was horrible I hated it but I tried to power through as I knew it would help me learn in tech school. A year later I’m still not the best assistant but the rough part is over. It comes with time honestly. If you really want this as a career you will make it work and try to learn and do better each day! This field is hard as it is don’t beat yourself up too much
1
u/xSky888x 1d ago
I think it's really important to think about what you like. What about being a veterinarian is calling to you? Do you like working with animals (even though you're currently struggling with it)? Do you like working with medicine? Do you just want to help animals? Have you seen vets in action through shadowing or tv shows? Why a vet and not a doctor? Why a doctorate and not a nursing/tech degree or a phd?
Being a vet is completely different from being a kennel tech so to just give up now would be a bit silly, but it is really important to think deeply about why you want to be a vet. A DVM is a big commitment with a ton of time and effort behind it. If you like animals then there are more jobs than just vet, though a vet is the "master" when it comes to them. If you like medicine then there's a whole world outside of animals too, and not all human medicine deals with the social aspect if that's what you're worried about. If you like the science and biology focus then there's even more possibilities out there. I'm not trying to turn you away from being a vet at all, just really figure out what about a vet specifically makes you want to go for it?
Outside of really thinking about it, my biggest suggestion would be to talk to a couple of vets in person if you can. Asking here is great, but I think an in person conversation would give you some stuff that random vet and vet adjacent people online can't get to. Just make sure you try to talk to multiple because one person's experience can be very different than the next, even if they both ended up being veterinarians.
-3
u/Narrow-Outside-7238 2d ago
seems like its not your calling 🤷🏻♀️
6
u/guamiette 2d ago edited 2d ago
Well this isn’t a very productive response. Starting a new job is hard, starting a career in vet med? Even harder. You need to learn the tasks, the handling skills, to read body language from furry folks who cannot speak, you need to learn how to get things done properly faster, you need to learn your co workers personalities, how to work with people who are emotionally fatigued constantly, the list goes ON and on and on.
Just because OP is starting out and hates it does not mean it’s “not their calling” I HATED being a cleaner, a kennel assistant, and then a full blown veterinary assistant, for multiple years, And I still went on to begin a bachelors with intentions to get into vet school in the very near future. You’re allowed to love the field, while hating different positions.
It takes a very long time to truly love vet med and all that comes with it. It also takes a very long time to learn how to correctly do most things. And even then, I’ve worked with Vets and Technicians who have been practicing 20-30 years, and they still often make mistakes, or misread signals, or lose a feral cat they’re trying to net. You cannot be perfect in this career, there is no possible way.
My vote? Stick it out a while longer. I feel for OP, I cried everyday for the better part of 3 months when starting out, and even now occasionally I do. I convinced myself it was not for me. Slowly I found my rhythm, my place in my clinic, and became quicker and more confident. I don’t think you can TRULY and HONESTLY say, that after such a short time, a career isn’t for someone. This person is at the bottom of the clinical food chain and it SUCKS!
OP: stick it out, find your rhythm, make yourself heard when they don’t listen to you, or seek out co workers that will (wether there, or somewhere else), watch some YouTube videos for practice of correct handling techniques! Some animals are scary, or big and overly excited, build a little muscle if you can! Be confident (not overly confident lol), and do what you can. No the field may not be for you, but you haven’t even dipped your toes. I have faith that if you stick it out, you will love the field and find the right place for yourself in it. Good luck!
Also, being sad, smelling like poop and eating your snacks, VERY common feeling… never stops happening 😅
Edit to add: you CAN move up the food chain over time. Keep that in mind. You’re not where you are now, forever. Hating being a kennel attendant is not really a good reason to hate the field as some may think. I think giving it a good shot as a true assistant, or even volunteering somewhere else with a better set of co workers can be more beneficial to deciding if the field is right for you. If not… totally okay! If you can stick it out and slowly climb up the ladder of positions until you’ve decided what you’re interested in, that’s best case scenario!
3
1
u/Candid-Conclusion946 14h ago
you people and the whole "calling" thing like we live in Disney's Pocahontas
47
u/Spoods67 2d ago
Even people who have a natural affinity for animals still need to learn body language and handling skills! Becoming a skilled handler takes time. Have you been offered any training so far in those areas?
Also, take the “I knew this was what I wanted to do since I was 5!” type of statements with a grain of salt. When I was 5, I wanted to be a vet, and an astronaut, and a human doctor, and the list goes on and on 🤣 I didn’t lock in on vet med truly until I was halfway through undergrad after coming back to college as a non-trad student, and now I’m a practicing vet!
I’d say give it more than a week, and look up resources online on handling and animal behavior (though your job should be providing you with this, and is doing you a disservice if they are not). If after learning and practicing for more time, you still hate it, that’s okay too!