Episode 3 of Dad and the Vet Tech starts as a reminder at dinner and somehow ends with monkeys, rabies and fainting which pretty much sums up how these conversations usually go. A casual conversation with the Vet Tech's Mom brings back the memory of when Xena lost all her toenails, leading to a discussion about autoimmune disease, our German Shepherds Czar and Xena, and the vet visit that turned into an impromptu staff training session.

From there, the Dad gets a front-row seat to vet tech school realities, including pre-exposure rabies vaccines, why they’re required, what they cost, and if they go into the stomach. We also revisit one image every large-animal vet tech instantly recognizes.. a very long plastic sleeve and a bovine pregnancy check. Hands-on learning is not just a phrase here, it’s the entire experience.

The conversation moves into a semester spent working with rhesus macaques monkeys, covering daily care, enrichment, training, and the very human personalities of monkeys who watched TV, peeled oranges, and kept everyone on their toes. We wrap things up with our two-and-two segment, balancing feel-good rescues with tougher animal welfare stories, and end with a reminder that this work can be funny, heavy, and meaningful all at once.

If you’ve ever wondered what vet tech school is really like, or found yourself learning more than you expected as a parent, this episode is for you.

👉 Follow the show so you never miss an episode.
🎧 New episodes drop every Sunday at 9 AM EST.
🐾 Visit us at dadandthevettech.com and go "Behind the Mic" after the episode with our blog.

Vet Tech programs teach the basics but true emergencies rarely go by the book. We talk about jumping into emergency clinics with no easing in, losing your first patient, and the emotions that come with different circumstances around death. We break down what it’s like when clients are in a fog after losing their animal, why anger sometimes gets directed at staff, and how hard it is to carry that while still doing the job.

Dad and the Vet Tech also talk honestly about long hours, emotional fatigue, mental health, and self-care to prevent burnout after giving everything you have to save a life. There’s also a bright spot, a cat the Vet Tech cared for at college who helped her get through overwhelming times came home with her after college. The episode wraps with the Cram Shack featuring anatomy and physiology questions from college, and the 2 and 2, covering two good animal stories in the news and two not-so-good ones.

👉 Follow the show so you never miss an episode.
🎧 New episodes drop every Sunday at 9 AM EST.
🐾 Visit us at dadandthevettech.com and go "Behind the Mic" after the episode with our blog.

In this first episode, we talk about how losing our German Shepherd named Czar led to choosing the vet tech career path and what new vet techs can expect in school and inside a busy clinic. We cover how to choose the right vet tech program, what early challenges look like, and how scholarships and accreditation shape your options.

We also walk through the difference between school and real clinic work, share early vet tech experiences, and talk about what it’s like to face emotional cases for the first time.

You’ll step into the Cram Shack for rapid-fire vet tech study questions and wrap up with our 2 and 2 segment: two tough animal stories and two uplifting ones from the news.

If you’re a vet tech, a student, an animal lover, or someone exploring the veterinary field, this episode sets the tone for what’s ahead.

👉 Follow the show so you never miss an episode.
🎧 New episodes drop every Sunday at 9 AM EST.
🐾 Visit us at dadandthevettech.com and go "Behind the Mic" after the episode with our blog.