15 reasons you need a relief veterinarian… even though you don’t NEED a relief veterinarian

Associate IndeVet Dr. Denise Johnson provides a humorous take on why your hospital totally needs a relief veterinarian… even if you don’t NEED a relief veterinarian.

1. Your staff has heard your stories a million times and you desperately need a new audience.
2. There are only so many ways for you to recommend weight loss and you need a fresh face to tell this owner that beagles shouldn’t weigh 80 pounds.
3. During the last exam, you accidentally petted the client’s hand while they held their dog and it will be at least two puppy visits before you can look them in the eye again.
4. You’ve seen so many ear infections lately that Malassezia doesn’t feel like a real word anymore.
5. You need a tie-breaker in the great What Does Pyrantel Actually Taste Like debate.
6. That fractious dog is back on the schedule and you don’t have the mental bandwidth.
7. That fractious client is back on the schedule and you REALLY don’t have the mental bandwidth.
8. You have a brand new toy piece of medical equipment and no one else is sufficiently excited to play with utilize it in practice.
9. Your perfectly apposed ex lap incision needs to be seen by someone who can truly appreciate its beauty at suture removal.
10. You have been on a fantastic streak but there’s a full moon coming up.
11. Your new grad’s wishlist is longer than a vintage Toys-R-Us Christmas catalog and you could use a second opinion from someone who has seen it all in action.
12. That chatterbox drug rep is coming in and you’re not above using a human shield if it means getting to complete your callbacks.
13. You need someone else to catch your boomerang case before you go nuts and run away to Australia.
14. You think you’re an excellent prankster and want to see the look on your favorite client’s face when they think you’ve up and retired without telling them.
15. Those IndeVets cookies.

Dr. Denise Johnson is an Associate IndeVet practicing in Ohio.

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