If you’ve ever spent your Monday morning commute daydreaming about starting afresh with your career, this feature is for you. Each Monday, our Money team speaks to someone from a different profession to discover what it’s really like. This week we chat to Dr Hannah Hunt, a mixed animal vet at Milfeddygon Ystwyth Vets in Aberystwyth…
I can be a midwife, a dentist, a surgeon, a GP and a farm health planner all in one day… I get a chance to be part of the story, whether it’s the pre-emptive work with annual check-ups or routine farm work; problem-solving investigations into symptoms and disease; exciting surgery; all-hands-on-deck emergency situations; or sometimes end-of-life care for a beloved animal.
Being a vet tests your ability to win and your ability to lose… Also your ability to solve problems and your application of common sense, your perseverance, your humour and, maybe most importantly, your people communication skills.
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Euthanasia can often be the last kind option I have to offer an animal… as a dignified way out and end of suffering, and that can make the process easier to deal with emotionally.
There are now more animals without insurance than with… and unfortunately, I do think some owners are avoiding purchasing insurance because of the cost. But pet insurance is definitely very much worth it. If an animal has insurance, it does potentially widen the range of diagnostic options or treatments that may be available.
There needs to be a balance with regulation… between ensuring the right standard of care is provided for animals in this country, whether pets, pleasure or commercial horses, or livestock, and avoiding putting in so many regulations that the possibility of a tailored approach being made to each animal’s and owner’s situation is prevented.
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I typically work… 9am-5pm Monday through Friday, though sometimes I have to be flexible for early morning farm calls or extra emergencies. I am also part of the on-call rota, during which I could be working at any hour, during the night or at weekends.
The average starting salary is… around £30,000 to £35,000 and this can go up to about £65,000 dependent on location and experience. For increased specialism or full-time emergency work, this can be higher at £85,000, which reflects the additional education, qualifications and skills the individual has developed.
Training takes between four and six years… To practise as a vet, I needed a veterinary medicine degree and to be enrolled in the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.
People sometimes miss limping as a sign their pet is in distress… animals limp or show lameness because something is painful, but owners often mistake a lack of vocalisation or whimpering as meaning there can’t be any pain. But unless there is a conformation problem with shortened bones, or abnormal configuration from birth, lameness occurs because of pain, so it’s important to get them checked out to resolve both the pain and limping.
There should be some criteria to fulfil before owning an animal… It is a big responsibility, no matter if they are a small pet like a guinea pig or hamster or an animal that is part of a commercial business like a dairy cow. There is a responsibility for the owner to provide the right environment, diet and care for the animal to ensure it can live a happy and healthy life, and to prevent suffering, which includes preventing or treating disease and injury when it arises.
Unfortunately, with no NHS for pets… vet treatment does cost money. Providing a veterinary service is more than just the 10-20 minute consultation – you have to take into consideration the five years’ training to become a vet; the team of nurses taking the time to help hold the animal or monitor anaesthetic where necessary; the ability to stock a pharmacy; the provision of emergency services 24 hours a day; and maintaining a building with the right space and equipment to provide the service.
Owners forget that their pet is essentially a luxury item… A pet is often a beloved and much relied on member of the family for happiness and comfort, yet it is also essentially a luxury item. NHS treatment is free at point of use, so the general population is not exposed to the costs of their medical care and it does mean there is a bit of a disconnect between the care that owners expect for their pet and the price they expect to pay. But by comparison, veterinary health care is cheaper than human health care, whether it’s the unseen NHS medical care or a private dentist, for example.
Read more from this series:
What it’s really like to be a… bodyguard
What it’s really like to be a… zookeeper
What it’s really like to be a… driving instructor
When picking a vet… choose local and check the emergency/out-of-hours provision. I often speak to people wanting to register and they live an hour away and would drive past two other vets to come to the practice. In an emergency, you want to be able to get to the vet as quickly as possible for treatment, especially in the case of something like toxin ingestion, seizures or a road traffic accident.
Unscrupulous members of the profession are rare… as most vets really do have the best interests of the patient at heart and can only offer their suggestions and opinions as to what treatment or testing plans should look like. The owner has the option to go with everything a vet suggests, some of it or none of it and they are also able to ask for an estimate of costs too.
I once treated a sheepdog that had been headbutted in the abdomen by a ram and we still talk about it to this day… He was bleeding internally from his liver, so my nursing team and I took the dog to surgery. I collected the blood from the abdomen, and we transfused it back into the dog while I repaired the liver. The dog made a full recovery and was out rounding up sheep on the mountain the following week. We still talk about how dramatic it was and how thrilled we were to save this young dog.
Then I castrated a camel for a travelling circus in a field… which had the round-top circus tent. The field was also next to the steam train railway line, so had some passengers in the audience too!
