Veterinary professionals know the hard days well. Frustrated clients, emotional cases, sad goodbyes, and busy days can wear veterinarians down and make them momentarily wonder: Why did I choose this life?
But the profession also delivers heartwarming moments of connection, humor, and celebration that few other careers can match. These moments help veterinarians overcome daily challenges and find renewed motivation to return and pursue the good days.
So, what makes for a good day in veterinary medicine? The answer is unique to the individual. We spoke with experienced veterinarians to understand what makes them tick, why they became veterinarians, and what keeps them coming back.
The veterinary dream
Many veterinarians dream of working with animals from a young age, but for others, vet med is a surprise. Caitlin DeWilde, DVM, founder of The Social DVM, was not a child who simply “knew.” She hoped to play cello and become a teacher until her parents put her in a 4-H job-shadowing program in their rural town.
"I was assigned to a veterinary clinic, and I was livid," Dr. DeWilde said. "I did not want to do it, and I can remember slamming the door, thinking, ‘I'm only staying here until noon.’ And then I got there, and everyone was so kind and welcoming. I went on a farm call, saw dogs and cats, went out to the barn, and saw a surgery, and I was hooked.”
Dr. DeWilde called her parents to pick her up later than planned, and the rest is history. She volunteered at the clinic, worked there as an employee, and eventually applied to veterinary school. For her, it was never about the cute puppies and kittens.
"It was about the people that we were helping, and how we did that in a variety of ways," said Dr. DeWilde. "I couldn't believe that it was all possible with one job. The ways you have to use your brain are just so varied for everything you do in a day, and I loved the idea of that."
The unexpected moments
Dr. Sarah Pruss, DVM, a general practitioner in the Chicago area, finds joy in the unexpected, often hilarious moments that happen when you work with pets. She recalled a colleague who performed a routine rectal exam on a dog. Unbeknownst to her, a child’s bouncy ball was inside. "It launched off a cabinet and then bounced around the treatment area," said Dr. Pruss. "We all got a kick out of that."
When the going gets tough, you have to find humor and make the most of the lighter moments. On another occasion, the team at Dr. Pruss’ clinic saw a rescue dog with severe matting who needed a shave-down. "The mats were so thick and widespread that the hair came off in one big piece," Dr. Pruss shared. "Somebody held it up, and I took it and put my head through a hole in the fur, wearing it like a cape. The team took photos of me posing like it was fashion week, and I sent them to my kids, who loved it."
Crazy stories like these help illustrate an important source of veterinary career fulfillment: the laughter, camaraderie, and bonding that arise from ridiculous, unexpected, and sometimes gross moments on the clinic floor.
Life-changing wins
A good day in veterinary medicine is one in which veterinary professionals make a difference. For Dr. Pruss, watching advancements unfold over her years in practice has been exciting and rewarding.
For most of her two-decade career, steroids and antihistamines were the best treatments she could offer for allergies. Then, a drug class used in human medicine finally came onto the veterinary market.
"We went from dogs having horrible side effects and entire families being miserable to 80% or 90% of these dogs getting relief without side effects,” said Dr. Pruss. "It was life-changing. It was such a huge win."
Another notable advancement was in the treatment of FIP. The new antiviral drug was initially available only through black-market channels, and even after FDA approval, obtaining it remained challenging.
A local rescue group obtained a supply, and Dr. Pruss used it for the first time on a critically ill kitten. "I looked at the head of the rescue and nearly burst into tears," said Dr. Pruss. “It makes you feel really good as a practitioner when you can offer something so valuable to a pet owner and to their pet’s quality of life.”
The numbers game
For Dr. DeWilde, good days in veterinary medicine are a numbers game. "The worst days I had were never because of an animal,” she said. “But for every one unhappy client, there were 10 others who were kind, grateful, and appreciative. It's like the stock market: Historically, it's positive, but there’s going to be ups and downs.”
Dr. DeWilde keeps coming back for the same reason she stayed in the clinic on that first shadowing day. "At the end of the day, I just love helping," she said. "That's still the thing that brings me joy. I want to help somebody every day."
Finding fulfillment with Provet
Technology can help veterinarians feel even more fulfilled in their work. During good days in veterinary medicine and bad days, Provet’s cloud-based veterinary practice management software is here to support your team so you can focus on what makes a vet med career your dream job.
Schedule a demo to learn how our PIMS platform and clinical AI tools can help you find more happy moments in your day.
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