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Why does my dog need blood work?

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A typical hour in the life of a “Veterinary Assistant” based on my own experience: Mrs. Smith brings her 5 year old dog, Bugsy, to the clinic because she’s been vomiting for the past two days (Bugsy, not Mrs. Smith.) I show them into an exam room, take a history, and wait for the veterinarian to come in. I hold Bugsy and tell her what a good girl she is as the vet examines her. The vet builds a diagnostic plan, which includes blood work and xrays, and leaves the room to get an estimate together. As the Veterinary Assistant, it’s my job to show Mrs. Smith the estimate and have her sign it to indicate that she understands her financial responsibility. Unfortunately, I really have no freaking clue why the dog needs a “Complete Blood Count” so all I can do is pretend to know what I’m talking about and hope that Mrs. Smith doesn’t ask too many questions. Mrs. Smith, whose human children are in college, is on a tight budget (as we all are) but feels obligated to consent to everything be...
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Welcome!

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Welcome everyone! This is actually my second attempt at writing this post. Yesterday, I put on a comfortable summer dress, gathered my Clinical Pathology notes, and took my butt to a coffee shop with the express intent of starting this new blog. I created the blog site, picked out colors and fonts, and started trying to write my first post. I struggled with every word I put down; I was trying to force it. I’ve learned over and over that I can’t be the silly, witty writer that I want to be if I'm forcing it. I have to be inspired. Unfortunately, inspiration usually comes at the most inconvenient times, like when I’m two sweaty miles into the woods trying to get my run on. Or when I’m sitting in the bathtub at 11 pm binge watching Orange is the New Black instead of getting a good night’s sleep like I should. I was not inspired yesterday so I was writing crap. Then, as it often does, the Universe intervened by deleting everything I had written. I was incredibly frustrated at ...
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