Veterinary Hazards Cartoon

Every workplace has safety considerations. This veterinary hazards cartoon illustrates a potential challenge when vets care for pets.

Apparently, animal-inflicted injuries are only part of the hazards a veterinarian faces. Here is a list of the top five hazards veterinary staff face. The one that surprised me is back injuries. But of course, pets can be a squirming, uncooperative challenge. At least you wouldn’t have that problem with a piranha!

More Dangerous Than Law Enforcement?

An article from the US Department of Labor states that working in the veterinary field is more dangerous than working in law enforcement. I definitely didn’t know that when I drew this cartoon! Among the hazards veterinary staff face are:

• Radiation exposure
• chemical exposure
• And of course, animal restraint challenges

I now understand a charge our family faced a few years ago. We needed to board our cat for a few days while we moved. When I picked up the cat, I was surprised to find an aggressive pet charge. That surprised me since I knew the cat and I didn’t think she had an aggressive bone in her body.

But given the stressful situation for the cat, I can see now why that charge was on my bill. I’m pretty sure that cat’s teeth were as sharp as piranha’s fangs.

So I salute the many veterinary staff that faces challenges I never considered. May this veterinary hazards cartoon bring a little humor into a challenging, yet needed work environment.

Editor’s Note: I originally published this blog on October 6, 2015. I revamped and updated it for timeliness and comprehensiveness.