Which Animals Are the Most Difficult To Treat?
Veterinarians entering the field should understand which animals are the most difficult to treat. You don’t want to be caught off guard by a strange, unfortunate challenge. You should know what to expect when treating a pig, hamster, or songbird. Read this article for some helpful tips and tricks for the most difficult creatures on your operating table.
Pigs
Pigs are extremely smart animals, and they are good-natured as long as you don’t put them in an uncomfortable situation. However, they rarely like being treated in a veterinary clinic. Try to hold them down for a procedure, and they may squeal loud enough to startle everyone in your waiting room. Furthermore, without an obvious vein, they can be hard to subdue.
As a veterinarian, you must learn how to reduce stress in your animal patients. When you want a pig to cooperate, the best way to their heart is through their stomach. Give them some frosting so that they can pig out. If you need them to swallow a pill, you can hide it inside a banana.
Hamsters
It may be surprising to see hamsters on our list of which animals are the most difficult to treat. After all, most folks think of them as friendly, docile creatures. But you can easily startle them. Since they spend most of their lives in a cage, they throw tantrums when separated from their creature comforts. They may bite or turn themselves into a ball when they feel threatened.
Rattlesnakes
Treating rattlesnakes can be deeply unsettling. If they feel threatened, and they probably will if you are examining them for parasites, mouth rot, or breathing disorders, they will shake their tails incessantly. It’s an unpleasant sound, one that could send a shiver down your spine when you need to concentrate the most.
Songbirds
Delicate, small animals tend to startle easily. Songbirds are no different; however, they come with a specific problem. When a songbird feels ill or agitated, it will do what it knows best: sing. Only the singing will not be operatic or beautiful. Their singing will sound like fearful chirps and stressful caws. They will also try to jab you with their beak.
