To me it seems rather common that technicians and DVMs eventually rack up a couple (or a bunch) of animals over the years that have been either abandoned or were going to be PTS unless someone intervened due to medical conditions or treatment that the original owner couldn’t afford. How do y’all’s partners react to this?

I, of course, think it should be a mutual decision as I believe partners should communicate but a part of me also feels as though people in vet med (not all) have big hearts and are fulfilled by helping animals if they can do so. What I’m trying to say is that a part of me feels like if your partner is in vet med then it’s kind of a given that eventually they’ll bring home a stray or a patient from work (again, I know there are exceptions). AKA if your partner knows this is what makes you happy then they should expect it eventually and support you in any way they can because it makes you happy. Of course, there should be limits though. We see suffering on a daily basis and know when an owner is prematurely trying to euthanize due to financial constraints or whatever other reasons (not judging the owners, just simply stating a fact) and sometimes our hearts just can’t let it happen and we feel compelled to intervene because we feel as though the animal hasn’t been given a full chance. I also think it’s easy for others to judge us when they don’t work in vet med and obviously don’t see what we see. I feel judgment casted my way like “you’re really going to take on this cat that was previously blocked, needs to be on urinary SO forever and could possibly get blocked again/need PU surgery?” And I’m like “sooooo would you have stood by and allowed the cat to be PTS just because the owners can’t afford more treatment when he isn’t even blocked a second time but they think he’s suffering/hasn’t been eating but he’s rolling around for pets and eats fine for us?” I’m not saying that the cat’s suffering isn’t something to consider (I am all for being logical when it comes to deciding if euthanasia is the best option, I personally believe euthanasia is/can be a blessing) but also it isn’t fair when the cat hasn’t been given a chance to actually (or possibly) get better (especially when the cat is 1 of 7 in original O’s household). Of course we shouldn’t just take in EVERY ANIMAL unless we can afford it but sometimes you just see their precious face and think to yourself “you know what, if I have to eat ramen for weeks or do an extra side hustle to make this work so I can afford the RX food/meds etc, then so be it”. And I don’t think people that haven’t worked in vet med will ever be able to put themselves in our place unless they’ve walked a mile in our shoes.

My discussion tagged post turned a bit in a vent/advice/support post, I’m sorry🤦🏻‍♀️ Looking for discussion as well as some support as I’m sure y’all can predict that the discussion with my partner did not go as I would have liked.

Anyways, please let me know y’all’s thoughts and experiences. Thank you for reading my post💜 It means a lot.

Edit: I just wanted to add that I haven’t officially taken ownership of the cat I mentioned, he is staying at my hospital for at least an additional week and half to monitor his eating and urinary habits to see exactly what I’m working with/what I’d be committing to.