Recently, I was reading an online collection of veterinarians' favorite stories from their work. The stories ranged from heartwarming to heartbreaking; from gross to downright NSFW. As I read through them, I couldn't help but reflect on some of my own memorable moments and wild cases from my time in the clinic. I often wonder—does any other profession offer as many outrageous experiences as veterinary medicine?
My first hint that veterinary medicine might be a wild ride came when I was still in high school, working after school as a "kennel assistant" at my local animal hospital. My job was to stock supplies, wash the clinic’s laundry, clean the patients’ cages, and mop the floors every night after the veterinarian wrapped up his day. One evening, the doctor was working late, finishing scheduled surgeries after an already packed day of emergencies. He was performing hip surgery on a large dog to alleviate the pain of hip dysplasia. His assistant had gone home, and at the time (before credentialed technicians were widely used), it was quite common for solo practitioners to do everything on their own.
The doctor was struggling to get good surgical access to the part of the hip joint he wanted to work on. As I passed by the OR door with my mop and bucket, he waved me in.
“Show me your hands,” he said.
Confused, I held them up, prisoner-style.
“Go get some size 6 gloves and a mask and come in here,” he instructed.
For the next 45 minutes, I became his surgical assistant, holding the dog’s leg in place so he could get better access to the joint. By the time I got home, my arms were burning—and I was completely hooked on the profession.
During veterinary school, my favorite rotation was the Emergency and Critical Care unit. I loved being part of a team helping the sickest, most fragile patients. One case that sticks with me involved a Great Pyrenees who kept collapsing. His worried owner had arrived in a taxicab from a town almost three hours away. This gentle giant was so ill that we had to place him in a medically induced coma and on a ventilator just to keep him breathing while we figured out what was wrong.
After an extensive work-up, we discovered the problem: he had swallowed an entire bottle of mustard, still in its packaging, and it had become lodged in his intestines. This caused pain, electrolyte imbalances, and a nervous response that dramatically lowered his heart rate, leading to his collapses. The poor dog spent two weeks in intensive care through surgery and convalescence, but happily, he made a full recovery!
As a new veterinarian, I worked in a three-doctor practice. I was small, soft-spoken, and, at the time, looked like I was about 16 years old. As is often the case, some clients didn’t want to book their appointments with “the young doctor.” One evening, I was the only vet on duty, with a full schedule of consultations when a long-time client walked in with his dog and insisted that he be seen. His dog had been intermittently vomiting for three weeks. Despite two previous visits, anti-nausea medication, and a full work-up, including bloodwork and x-rays, my colleagues hadn’t been able to pinpoint why he was sick. The client was understandably frustrated—and not shy about expressing his doubts about seeing the "inexperienced lady vet."
Just as he was about to leave in favor of seeing the clinic owner the next morning, the dog yawned, and I noticed a small flash of white at the back of his throat. Quickly, I reached into the dog’s mouth and pulled out a loose loop of butcher’s string. For three weeks, it had been stuck on the dog’s tongue, dangling down his throat and causing the vomiting and gagging. The client was stunned into silence, but internally, I was celebrating one of my greatest clinical triumphs!
A few years later, I worked with a dedicated dog mom whose small female dog kept getting urinary tract infections. This was the fourth or fifth time I had seen her for the same issue, and we were both wondering what might be causing the problem. We had ruled out bladder stones, kidney issues, congenital defects, and other potential causes. Still, the infections kept recurring. One observation that was consistent through all of her past examinations was that this pup always seemed to have a low heart rate. Though it wasn’t dangerously low or even technically outside the normal range, it seemed odd for a small dog in a stressful environment like a vet clinic.
Focusing on her heart, we eventually diagnosed an atrioventricular block, a condition that slows the heart's electrical conduction. Once we treated the dog for her heart condition, the urinary tract infections never returned. It was a powerful reminder of how much heart function can affect the health of other organs.
One of my favorite stories involves a beautiful calico kitten named Princess Ruby, who belonged to a sweet 4-year-old girl. Ruby had been adopted from the local humane society and came to us for a spay surgery. An interesting fact about calico cats is that they are almost always female. When the family dropped Ruby off, it was clear that the kitten and the little girl (dressed as Princess Elsa) had already formed a deep bond, even though Ruby had only been with them for a week.
As I was discussing the procedure with the girl’s mom, my veterinary technician measured Ruby’s vital signs.
“Uhh…Doc?” she called. “I don’t think we’re doing a spay today.”
She turned the kitten around, revealing a tiny pair of fuzzy testicles. “Princess Ruby” was a very rare male calico! We updated the paperwork and prepared Ruby for a neuter instead. At pickup time, I asked the mom if we should change Ruby’s name to Ruben in our records. But “Princess Elsa” crossed her arms and confidently declared, “Princesses are GIRLS!” With a chuckle, her mom explained they had discussed the surprise at home and decided that Ruby seemed perfectly comfortable with her original identity. And so, to this day, “Princess Ruby” reigns as royalty.
These are just a few of the many rewarding experiences I’ve had as a veterinarian. If you’re interested in hearing more stories from veterinary professionals, check out books like My Patients and Other Animals by Suzy Fincham-Gray, Vet: My Wild and Wonderful Friends by Luke Gamble, or Bite Me: Tell-All Tales of an Emergency Veterinarian by Laura C. Lefkowitz.
Dr. Jennifer Sperry, a licensed vet and Medical Director at Independence Pet Group, is dedicated to educating pet parents about the importance of pet health and financial preparedness, bringing pet health information to a broad audience. You can learn more about Dr. Sperry on her LinkedIn.
