Do no harm {Book excerpt}

The first day of vet school, they explain it. Our motto. Our way of practicing medicine for life. Do no harm.

It's a simple concept, when you think about it. We want to fix things. We want to help. But we also need to make sure we're not making things worse. And that has weighed on me for my whole career.

I worked emergency for a few years while I was building my practice. ER is hard — a lot of crazy things come through the door and the hours are typically garbage for real-life interactions. But I look back on those years with fondness, because when you're working in emergency the things that come in to see your really need you, and you nothing to do with what brought them in today.

That probably sounds confusing. Let me clarify. As a general practioner you might give a vaccine, and that vaccine might cause a reaction. Or you perform a surgery and the pet rips out their sutures. The pet didn't feel sick or have an open wound until you gave it to them — and even though you were doing the right thing, even though reactions happen and sutures aren't animal-proof, your brain won't stop saying 'I did harm.'

From Chapter 1 • The Weight of the White Coat

That's where the exerpt ends. The rest is in the book. Fur Real: What Your Vet Wishes You Knew — Coming soon. Subscribe to the newsletter to be the first to know when a publication date is decided.

Recovery from surgery doesn't have to be uncomfortable - good pain meds and a fuzzy blanket go a long way.