This book offers a uniquely honest - sometimes funny, sometimes sad and
disturbing - picture of the life of a vet in the twenty first century. Make
no mistake, be you a pet owner, a practising veterinary surgeon, a
prospective or current student of veterinary science or nursing, Pet Hates
will dramatically change your perspective on the profession.

In 2005 the suicide rate amongst vets in the UK hit the headlines [...] I
myself have worked in two practices where previous members of staff had
killed themselves [...] and I have witnessed and heard of many vets
breaking down...

I believe that the media [...] have a lot to answer for. I hope this book
will go some way towards correcting the balance, and ultimately, will save
lives. With this as one of the book's major aims, I make no apologies for
possibly shattering the illusions of those who idealise the profession. I
have seen too much suffering to feel guilty about this.

Who is this book for?

1. Pet Owners
This will give you some idea of what may lie behind the seemingly cheerful,
caring and patient manner of your vet...

2. Those considering entering the profession
Training to be a vet is a major commitment. Depending on where you study,
it will take up to six years of very hard work, and at the end of this most of you will be heavily in debt. It is very hard to get an accurate idea of what being a vet is really like from school work experience or the odd weekend seeing practice... If, after reading this book, you are still determined to be a vet then you will be very well equipped to handle the vet school interview. Your detailed knowledge of what the job is really like will certainly impress your interviewers, who will know the score only too well...

3. Those studying to be vets and veterinary nurses
If you have only just embarked on your studies you might consider switching
to something else, although admittedly it is very hard to relinquish a
long-cherished dream. Failing that, you might...

4. Recent graduates
No, the problem isn't you! No, you are not alone! This book will be of
great comfort if you are feeling isolated and epressed. It's very common
for the thrill of graduation to give way rapidly to disillusion and
depression, and to think
there is something wrong with you. Well, many of us have been there, as you
will see from this book, and there is a funny side to it!

5. Long-established vets and veterinary nurses
You should be familiar with much of this, and I think it'll raise a knowing
chuckle or two. For some it may do you good to see the world through the
eyes of a new graduate again. Bosses, this book might encourage you to
treat your staff with more consideration!

Finally, readers should note that while there is an entry entitled Large
Animal Work, this book concentrates on the small animal side of the
profession. I have worked almost entirely as a small animal vet and, as
farmers are increasingly struggling to make ends meet, large animal work is
in decline and most graduates will spend most of their time dealing with
pets.

DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT before you read Josh Artmeier's hilarious and
timely rant about the way humans think we are fond of animals.

Definitely not for the romantic - cats bite, defaecate, urinate and
discharge their anal glnads as defence/attack mechanisms, and they also
scratch. Many cat lovers are simply delusional!

Doggy types who drool over their rare-breed pooches also get a grilling -
every deviation from the body plan and psychology of the ancestral wolf
brings its own set of problems.

2007-08-29 Perfectly beastly......