What Three Years in a Veterinary Clinic Taught Me

What Three Years in a Veterinary Clinic Taught Me

Before I became an animal chiropractor, I spent three years of my undergraduate education volunteering as a veterinary technician.

I worked alongside nine veterinarians in Haywood County, North Carolina, in a practice that treated both large and small animals. No two days were quite the same.

I helped with equine castrations, assisted with spay and neuter procedures, observed several ACL surgeries, and once helped lance an enormous abscess on a cow.

It wasn’t glamorous work—but I loved working with the animals.

Some experiences were fascinating. Others were incredibly difficult.

One New Year’s Day, I watched a shepherd mix die on the table after drinking antifreeze on Christmas Eve. There was nothing anyone could do to save him.

Another time, I witnessed a young cocker spaniel—only three or four years old—being euthanized because his family said he didn’t get along with their young children.

I also remember holding a dog’s vein while he was euthanized because of a Stage 4 heart murmur.

Those moments have stayed with me.

Working in that clinic taught me about anatomy, procedures, disease, and the realities of caring for animals. But it also showed me how deeply animals depend upon us to recognize their needs, protect their well-being, and make decisions on their behalf.

They cannot always show us exactly where they hurt. They cannot explain that something feels different. They depend on us to notice the subtle changes—the hesitation before jumping, the altered gait, the change in energy, or the withdrawal from something they once enjoyed.

Those three years helped form the animal chiropractor I would eventually become.

They taught me to observe carefully, handle animals compassionately, and never forget that every animal on the table is deeply loved by someone.

Today, I’m grateful to offer another way to support animals—one centered on mobility, function, comfort, and helping them live their fullest lives.

Sometimes our earliest experiences plant the seeds for a calling we won’t fully understand until years later.