Veterinarian but not - Question

[fuzzymom]

Ok, that is a wierd title, I must agree, but here is something that has been floating around in my head.

I used to want to be a veterinarian for exotic animals. After a while I got tired of the idea because I didn't like the idea of seeing animals in pain all the time. So after a while of keeping reptiles, I decided to become a professional reptile breeder (gotta work up to that one, haha) and a stay at home mom (when I finally have kids). Now with as many animals as I have, vet visits during the year could get expensive.

Would it be possible to teach myself basic veterinary skills (suturing wounds, medication dosage, diagnosing problems/illnesses, first aid care, etc) and treat my own animals. Now, I mean MY OWN animals, not other peoples.

For example....A while back we adopted/rescued a ball python in bad shape. He had stuck shed, bad living environment, and an obvious respiratory infection. We called the vet and I told her that I had a snake with a respiratory infection and I needed an antibiotic for him. Of course, she couldn't give me the meds without seeing him first, so even though I knew what he had, I was still charged $40 for an exotic pet exam plus the cost of the drug. (And it was actually me and the vet tech that helped diagnose him because she couldn't hear him wheeze and we both had to tell her we heard him wheezing. She was about to send him home without a diagnosis of RI.)

So I know its illegal to practice veterinary medicine without a license but what if you are doing it for just your own pets? I dunno. I just like the idea of being able to provide that kind of care to my pets myself.

[lnsybean44]

I know certain things would still have to be done by a vet (such as rabies which isnt relevant for reps) and you would still need to be prescribed meds but I cant see why you cant do small things by yourself.

Just be careful because you could end up making things worse. We had a baby goat come into our clinic (im just an office gopher) and his owner had tried to wrap a small cut on the leg by himself but wrapped it too tightly and the leg from the elbow down ended up sloughing off. It was really sad and the whole leg ended up needing to be amputated because it was severely infected and the nerves had been damaged.

Im fairly certain you can find classes in such things. I learned how to suture in class and usually you can find dosages online and first aid is always a good thing to know but serious things will need to be seen by a vet for antibiotics etc and a more expert hand with severe cuts etc. And you def wouldnt be able to do surgery, im fairly certain that would be against the law and you wouldnt be able to get you hands on anesthesia without a license.

Im sure about legalities but you would only be able to do so much without meds. Also it might be hard to find suture materials and wrap materials and such without a vet contact.

I dont know if that was very helpful sorry. I kinda rambled a bit.

[fuzzymom]

Well I got the idea from a man on a reptile forum I'm on just about every day. A few years ago he hatched out a little ball python and sadly she was born with her heart outside her body, still beating! After doing a little research, he took a needle and some dental floss and put her heart back into her body and sewed her up. Wouldn't you know it that little snake lived!

I guess I'm just tired of having to go to the vet for things I could learn to do myself. (suture wounds, basic first aid, etc) Some big herp breeders even have an ultrasound machine (I think that is what it is) to see if their snakes are pregnant. While I won't have one of those (unless I become a really big breeder) I would like to be able to do basic veterinary care for my animals.