Dad and the Vet Tech

#5 Snickers in the Trees, Wilma in the Bags & Sam's 11-Year Journey Home

Episode 5 kicks off with a chaotic clinic flashback , a cat named Snickers bolts into the dark woods after a vet visit and ends up in a tree for the night before anyone could catch him. We talk about Oscar, a baby possum who spent the night in the kitchen playing dead while the Vet Tech's mom tried to feed him carrots. We dig into the top 10 conditions vets treated dogs and cats for in 2025 , skin allergies have held the number one spot for dogs for 15 years running,  We learned that Wilma really loves hamburger....raw hamburger that is and Alice, our AI co-host confirms whether Wilma's breed and those paddle-shaped paws really were bred for hunting badgers. The conversation turns to emerging pet tech trends in the form of vet telehealth, wearable health monitors, and AI facial recognition for tracking animal pain, along with a candid discussion on pet insurance and who it actually helps.  We cover the Two and Two (two stories that'll make your blood boil and two that'll restore your faith.)  A Connecticut man faces charges for a violent on-camera dog attack tied to a domestic violence case, a dog named Rocky is joyfully reunited with his owner after 43 days lost in the Colorado wilderness, a disturbing Washington State case reveals two cats killed under suspicious circumstances, and in the feel-good finale, a woman in South Carolina is reunited with her cat Sam , 11 years after he went missing .... all because of a microchip. This week's reminder: chip your pets !  👉 Follow the show so you never miss an episode. 🎧 New episodes drop every Sunday at 9 AM EST. 🐾 Visit us at dadandthevettech.com [https://www.dadandthevettech.com/] and go "Behind the Mic" after the episode with our blog.

#4: We're Back: House Fire Rescue, Fake Tick Collars, and Porcupine Arrows

We're back! After a short break, Dad and the Vet Tech return for Episode 4 - and Stella made sure the comeback was anything but calm. From nearly unplugging the studio to refusing to move, she set the tone perfectly for everything that followed. In this episode we catch up with Alice, dive into some real clinic cases including a cat rescued from a house fire that arrived covered in soot and went straight into an oxygen chamber, and share one of the most heartbreaking stories we've told yet. a cat sitter who held a photo of the owners up to their cat during its final moments so it wouldn't be alone. We also talk about the giant white cat that followed the Vet Tech and her sister the entire length of the street on a walk, tick season arriving way too early and the very real danger of counterfeit flea and tick collars causing seizures in dogs. We debate whether porcupines actually shoot their quills. And then there's Wilma, our wiener dog that eats everything,  raw onions , a discarded hamburger she refused to surrender even under protest, and a long piece of sidewalk bubble gum she chewed like she had nowhere to be. She has never lost one of these battles. We close out with the 2 and 2 — two good animal stories from the news and two not so good , because the world isn't all sunshine and rainbows and neither is this podcast. 👉 Follow the show so you never miss an episode. 🎧 New episodes drop every Sunday at 9 AM EST. 🐾 Visit us at dadandthevettech.com [https://www.dadandthevettech.com/] and go "Behind the Mic" after the episode with our blog.

#3 Vet Tech Stories: Monkeys, Cows, Rabies & a Very Long Plastic Sleeve

Vet tech emergency stories, rabies shots, and farm animal care. 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 [https://www.dadandthevettech.com/] and go "Behind the Mic" after the episode with our blog.

#2: Vet Tech Burnout: Loss, Emotional Breakdowns, and Owner Mistakes

Vet tech burnout, compassion fatigue, and hard cases no one prepares you for. Vet tech programs teach the basics, but real emergencies rarely follow the book. We talk about starting in emergency clinics without a ramp-up, losing your first patient, and the emotional weight that comes with different circumstances around death. We explain what it’s like when clients are in shock after losing an animal, why anger sometimes gets directed at vet techs, and how hard it is to carry that while still doing the job. Dad and the Vet Tech talk honestly about long hours, emotional fatigue, mental health, and self-care to reduce vet tech burnout after giving everything you have to save a life. They also share a bright spot, a cat from vet tech school who helped through overwhelming moments and eventually came home after college. The episode wraps with the Cram Shack featuring anatomy and physiology questions, and the 2 and 2 segment covering two positive animal stories and two difficult ones from the news. 👉 Follow the show so you never miss an episode. 🎧 New episodes drop every Sunday at 9 AM EST. 🐾 Visit us at dadandthevettech.com [https://www.dadandthevettech.com/] and go "Behind the Mic" after the episode with our blog.

#1: Starting the Journey: Becoming a Vet Tech and Why It Mattered

Vet tech training, early career reality, and what new vet techs should expect. In this first episode, we explain how losing our German Shepherd, 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 a vet tech program, early challenges in the field, and how accreditation and scholarships affect your options. We break down the difference between vet tech school and real clinic work, share early vet tech experiences, and talk about handling emotional cases for the first time. You’ll step into the Cram Shack for rapid-fire vet tech study questions and finish with our 2 and 2 segment: two tough animal stories and two positive ones from the news. 👉 Follow the show so you never miss an episode. 🎧 New episodes drop every Sunday at 9 AM EST. 🐾 Visit us at dadandthevettech.com [https://www.dadandthevettech.com/] and go "Behind the Mic" after the episode with our blog.