Flagpole Interview with Dr. Dodd
Excerpted from the Flagpole Magazine article, full article here.
Three Athens Vets Tell Flagpole What Their Job Is Really Like
Dr. Lisa Stacy and Dr. Angela Dodd of the Animal Wellness Center of Athens
Dr. Angela Dodd (Animal Wellness Center of Athens)
Flagpole: What’s a typical day like for you?
Angela Dodd: There’s not a typical day, and that’s kind of one of the things I enjoy about what I do. No day is exactly the same as the last.
FP: What is the most interesting pet you’ve ever treated?
AD: I feel like something interesting happens every day. I once treated a very large turkey [that] stood about 3 feet tall—a pet turkey. I treated a raccoon with a green-bean can stuck on its head. He was found by people walking in the woods… We had to sedate him to take it off. As a technician, I used to see snakes. Sometimes I was told they were going to be in the room and sometimes I wasn’t, as just a fun little something. “Get a temperature on Rocko.” And then I was like, “He’s room temperature.” You see all kinds of crazy things.
FP: What’s the biggest misconception about veterinary care?
AD: When people bring their aging pets in to see us, and we have to begin the process of coming up with ways to make them comfortable and address end-of-life decisions, invariably at some point the comment is made, “I don’t see how you can do this job, it’s so sad.” True, facing the loss of an important part of the family is awful, and we feel that sadness to the very core of our being, but we also are able to have a glimpse at one of the most pure, unconditional examples of love that exists: the bond of love between an animal and their person(s).
FP: What advice would you give someone considering a career as a veterinarian?
AD: Best advice I ever got was, “Make sure you follow your passion—try to make a living doing something you never get tired of doing.” I watched my parents complain for my whole life about how much they hated their jobs, and I was determined that I would choose something I loved.
FP: What should people do if their pet has eaten drugs or other toxins?
AD: Always, the best advice is to seek professional veterinary help immediately. There are times when it is appropriate to induce vomiting, if an animal eats something they shouldn’t, and there are other times when the item could cause just as much harm coming back up as it did going in… Call your local veterinarian [or] emergency center if after-hours, or the ASPCA has an animal poison-control hotline to call—888-426-4435—and they should be able to advise.
