how do they train to put animals to sleep without killing them?

Vets are trained to weigh and accurately deliver the right dosage of drugs.

Its important for a vet to be able to give the right dose of any medicine.

i mean how do they learn to put animals to sleep for good. how do they show they know the right amount

By the weight then they exceed the dosage

But putting "animals to sleep for good" *is* literally killing them albeit (usually) as an act of mercy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_euthanasia

as an example, if a vet can administer the correct amount of injectable antibiotic to an animal, they therefore have shown they have the skill to accurately dose and administer any injectable drug.

to put an animal under for an operation, they work out the amount of sedative drugs needed to do that, by weighing the animal and calculating the amount they need to inject by following the guidelines set out by the manufacturer of that drug.

to put an animal down (to kill it) they give a massive overdose of what is usually a sedative. i believe the minimum amount they administer to extinguish life is three times that of the safe dose.

why does it take 5 years to become a vet then?

Because they do much more than putting animals to sleep?

Because you have patients that have different anatomy, endocrinology, size, chemistry etc, etc.

In humans the four big differences are paeds, gynea & obs, med, surg

In animals the differences are massive and the animal can't tell you what it is feeling. Lizard or kitten. Fish or horse. Troll or budgie.

so do they put animals to sleep during training?

They do "work placements" at vets while at uni. I imagine they will but under strict supervision.

Possibly, under the close supervision of a fully trained vet and (one would hope) the consent of the owner.

Doctor or vet - they both have to learn somehow and, in the case of animal euthanasia, there will be a first time for every vet.

i wonder how they put animals to sleep without getting upset. thats the thing that pushed me towards zookeeping instead of veterinary

Are you a zookeeper zamba? Why not ask the vets treat the animals at your zoo?

Off topic - my son wants to be a zoo keeper, do you have any tips? What qualifications, where to get experience, what is the pay like, that sort of thing.

I believe Zamba is only just 14

Zamba may only be 14 but she obviously realises that kindness is everything to an animal. Maybe when she is a little older she will learn that sometimes the kindness is to know when to let go. No Vet ever likes to put an animal to sleep but sometimes it is the kindest thing to do.

I'm a part time aquarist (fish zoo keeper!) and used to work in zoos, first off - pay is SHOCKING, the work is hard and cold and wet (and smelly) but id not change it for the world. there are very few jobs about as most of us don't move on, we love our animals and stay for years

To start (dependant on his age) work experience is essential, volunteering one a week a zoo or similar, that's how all of my colleagues and myself found ourselves jobs. All zoos will happily take on free staff, the bigger zoos normally have links to unis so only ake them from there, but getting experience ina smaller zoo is normally better anyway, you get to do more! Qualifications help, a foundation or batchlors in animal management are great, and things like behaviour (what I'm currently doing) or zoology are helpful if he wants to specialise or move up from a keeper position.

Don't be fooled into paying for keeper for a day things, they count for nothing on a cv and provide little experience in real life zoo keeping.

I'm happy to chat via pm if you want more info. It's a great career, I don't know an u happy keeper, if your down in the dumps you go and look at your life (and if your ucky get a furry cuddle) and realise its blooming brilliant!

Ha ha

Thanks bazaar1 He's gone to bed now (he's only ten) but he may well have questions if that's cool

Don't I didn't realise zamba was only 14. I feel quite mean now In my defence I was having moila flashbacks.

Sorry zamba

Oh!



Sorry

i'm 14 and sadly i'm not a zoo keeper YET.

i know it's kind but i do find it hard to let go of animals. i get upset about it because sometime 'dangerous' dogs are put to sleep when they are ever so tame and placid also stray animals and wildlife sometimes don't get a chance and are put to sleep straight away

sometimes zamba you have to your own feelings have to be put aside as the animals needs have to come first i know how hard it is i have been there

our vets have students from here http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/vet/index.aspx

Of course, no issue at all. I was tiny when I decided I wantedto be a keeper, then decided it was too much like hard work so spent years working in offices before going back and doing it! Gutted I missed all those years!

If he likes birds of ot ete, a lot of falconry centres do kids clubs, it's a great start as they get to handle and learn about the birds, my son (7) does it, and LOVES it.