Dr. Holly Dutton, Medical Director at the Tampa and Clearwater locations of VEG ER for Pets–a national enterprise that specializes in providing around-the-clock emergency and critical care services for pets—flips the script on my mention of the countless guests who work with animals in some capacity, grew up wanting to be a veterinarian, but for one reason or another, their plans changed.
Dutton–clearly not only a veterinarian, but overseeing two emergency vet hospitals–explains that she did not grow up with those aspirations, only becoming interested in traveling the veterinary path as an undergrad pursuing human medicine, particularly research projects involving animals.
Now, Dutton says she has been practicing for 11 years, absolutely loves the work of being an emergency vet, and perhaps not coincidentally, feels “it’s a calling.” She outlines some of what she loves most about her day-to-day VEG ER life…and what she doesn’t love so much.
We discuss some of the traits that help distinguish VEG ER as emergency vet hospitals go; some are structural—like the open floor plan, providing the animals and humans an unobstructed view across all sections of the hospital—and some are philosophical.
For example, when you first call a VEG ER location, you can immediately speak with a veterinarian—any time of day or night…When you bring your animal in, you can opt to stay with that pet every step of the way …you can hold your pet during treatment (Dutton said they’ll even teach an owner how to do a blood draw on their pet, if interested)…These and other measures—like sometimes sitting on the floor in the hospital, and inviting the pet and owner to do so, too—are designed to reduce the stress of the ER experience, for animal and human alike.
Noting the blazing temperatures outside, and that Summer reportedly yields an increase in pet ER visits, I ask Dutton about the most common afflictions associated with Summer, after she establishes the fundamental causal factors are the season’s elevated heat and humidity. She offers some precautions pet parents can take to reduce the prospects of such Summer setbacks.
While fielding a large handful of listener calls and emails, we touched on various other topics, from the number of VEG ER locations nationwide (100+), to the firm’s blood bank, to the wide array of animals VEG ER is prepared to treat, including sugar gliders, iguanas, and, yes, hedgehogs.
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