# Could a Veterinary Treat a Human? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 25, 2004, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-veterinary-treat-a-human/261366 "2004-08-25T00:38:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Whammo72](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/77aa72/32.png) [@Whammo72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whammo72)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2012, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-veterinary-treat-a-human/261366/41 "2012-03-22T16:48:01Z")
A police officer told me that he was at an accident scene watching a man bleed to death. Was told an ambulance had an eta of 15 minutes. He knew the man would be dead by then and had dispatch call ahead to a 24 hour vet up the road. He dragged him in the car and hook him and they performed surgery on a gurney in the parking lot under a street lamp and he survived. I’ve always wondered whey they couldn’t take him inside though. ---
**Author:** ![Dogzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dogzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogzilla)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2012, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-veterinary-treat-a-human/261366/42 "2012-03-22T17:45:47Z")
> [@Brandinho](#): > > Well in that situation, you don’t really have a choice. It’s not like you could tell the baby to stay inside while you get to a hospital. But hypothetically, let’s say I needed a procedure performed and there was a vet right there with me. The only thing I’d ask him/her to do is let me borrow their phone to call an ambulance because that’s the only thing they’re qualified to do. Anecdote: My uncle is a vet and my aunt was giving birth to their third child, the human doc got hung up, presumably with another patient or something. No worries though, my uncle ended up delivering his son. Rather, he caught the kid; my aunt actually delivered. For all I know, the human doc knew about this, stepped aside and supervised. ---
**Author:** ![Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Springtime_for_Spacers)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2012, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-veterinary-treat-a-human/261366/43 "2012-03-22T17:55:15Z")
> [@Whammo72](#): > > A police officer told me that he was at an accident scene watching a man bleed to death. Was told an ambulance had an eta of 15 minutes. He knew the man would be dead by then and had dispatch call ahead to a 24 hour vet up the road. He dragged him in the car and hook him and they performed surgery on a gurney in the parking lot under a street lamp and he survived. I’ve always wondered whey they couldn’t take him inside though. Not enough space in a small animal surgery? ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2012, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-veterinary-treat-a-human/261366/44 "2012-03-22T18:09:56Z")
I sometimes think about going to the vet instead of the doctor. I’m very anxious around doctors. Vets are presumably more used to their patients being really anxious than human doctors are. I know our vet has put up with really bad behavior from Luna. They get out the big elbow-length leather gloves when I bring her in. She tends to growl and hiss the whole time she is there. She used to pee and sometimes poo on the examining table, but at least she hasn’t done that the last few times. She does not act like this at home, and it starts well before the vet does anything to her that I think could hurt, so I chalk it up to anxiety. I behave better than that at the doctor, at least. The worst I’m likely to do involves tears and shaking. That presumably wouldn’t seem so bad, to a vet. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2012, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-veterinary-treat-a-human/261366/45 "2012-03-22T18:13:48Z")
Not quite a classic zombie so here goes: Ages ago I was active with Trout Unlimited; an organization which ran heavy to doctors and lawyers. One guy I worked with and liked was a medical doctor but I never really knew or asked his specialty. I also knew he had most of his own equipment; could shoot his own x-rays and such. In the course of getting ready to leave for an extended trip I was pretty sure I broke my thumb pretty bad; shut it in a car door. I knew it was just a case of making sure things were lined up and then taping and splinting ------- and I just didn’t want to spend 6 hours down AGH ER confirming all that. So I called “Doc” and basically begged him to do it. After him pleading several times “I’m not that kind of doctor” and me telling him I didn’t care if he was a gynecologist ----- it was him or nothing ---- he agreed to meet me down his office. You guessed it – DVM. On the plus side, he did a great job on me and I was home in less than an hour. On the bad side I have had to put up with 10 years of “how’s the paw?” and him popping TicTacs in my mouth and saying “good boy”. ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2012, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-veterinary-treat-a-human/261366/46 "2012-03-22T18:27:19Z")
Incidently, to turn this around, I know it’s common for zoos with great apes to call in a doctor/dentist as well as the vet. Really not much difference, under the fur… I’ve never heard of a conversion course to human medicine for UK vets though, and I know quite a few UK vets. Can’t find any info on one either. Not convinced. ---
**Author:** ![Sister\_Vigilante](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Sister\_Vigilante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sister_Vigilante)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2012, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-veterinary-treat-a-human/261366/47 "2012-03-22T18:31:05Z")
> [@](#): > > My former vet practiced acupuncture on my dogs. I had some minor ache/pain one time when I was in there with the dog and he gave me a bit of acupuncture as well. He did it on himself and was certified to work on people as well as critters – in terms of acupuncture. I know I’m responding to the zombie portion of the thread, but I think you’re confusing the word “vet” with “quack”. I could perform acupuncture if I wanted to. It wouldn’t work any better than if a vet did it. But if you believe in that kind of thing, have at it. The vet makes money, you feel happy, and no medical procedure was even done. ---
**Author:** ![Dogzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dogzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogzilla)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2012, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-veterinary-treat-a-human/261366/48 "2012-03-22T18:47:12Z")
> [@Sister\_Vigilante](#): > > I know I’m responding to the zombie portion of the thread, but I think you’re confusing the word “vet” with “quack”. I could perform acupuncture if I wanted to. It wouldn’t work any better than if a vet did it. But if you believe in that kind of thing, have at it. The vet makes money, you feel happy, and no medical procedure was even done. I hear you, but I have trouble figuring out of the placebo effect is something that dogs experience. My dog went in there stiff and hurting and after we got home, she could walk again, and would bounce around the house until the next time she injured her degenerating cervical disk. Then we’d go back, get dog-you-puncture, and _then_ put her on steroids and painkillers. I am not so convinced it did much for _me_, so I quit going to my human one. But I saw it work on the dog. The dog doesn’t know about her Chi. But she was limping and barely walking when we went in and by the time she got home, she was significantly improved. That vet sold the practice and the new vets there roll their eyes when I mention the dog-you-puncture, but I don’t know how I could project my shit on to the dog in that situation. She was the one limping; I didn’t take her in there because I believe anything. I took the dog to the vet because she was in pain. He gave her the acupuncture to tide her over until the meds started working. It was effective enough as a bridge-the-gap measure. ---
**Author:** ![wheresmymind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/91b2a8/32.png) [@wheresmymind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wheresmymind)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2012, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-veterinary-treat-a-human/261366/49 "2012-03-22T19:46:04Z")
> [@kopek](#): > > Not quite a classic zombie so here goes: I dunno, this one’s been reanimated TWICE! ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2012, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-veterinary-treat-a-human/261366/50 "2012-03-22T20:01:23Z")
> [@kopek](#): > > Not quite a classic zombie so here goes: > [@wheresmymind](#): > > I dunno, this one’s been reanimated TWICE! and notice who has done both. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2012, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-veterinary-treat-a-human/261366/51 "2012-03-22T20:19:08Z")
> [@Whammo72](#): > > A police officer told me that he was at an accident scene watching a man bleed to death. Was told an ambulance had an eta of 15 minutes. He knew the man would be dead by then and had dispatch call ahead to a 24 hour vet up the road. He dragged him in the car and hook him and they performed surgery on a gurney in the parking lot under a street lamp and he survived. I’ve always wondered whey they couldn’t take him inside though. My WAG is that maybe they thought as long as the DVM wasn’t inside the building where he/she is licensed to practice, the license (or at least the practice/business) would remain safe in case things went south. Puts the onus on the doctor alone rather than everyone/everything under the roof. ---
**Author:** ![whc.03grady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a6a055/32.png) [@whc.03grady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whc.03grady)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2012, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-veterinary-treat-a-human/261366/52 "2012-03-22T20:19:44Z")
> [@Brandinho](#): > > Absolutely, positively, 100% hell no. I wouldn’t trust a vet to perform even minor surgery on me. > > What kind of emergency could there be where I couldn’t get to an ER but I could get to a vet? Apparently somehow you’ve never come across the concept of a hypothetical question. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2012, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-veterinary-treat-a-human/261366/53 "2012-03-22T20:22:16Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > and notice who has done both. So… vets can reanimate people? I definitely want to go to one rather than going to a doctor, in that case. Luna says this is further evidence (as if any were needed) that vets are Teh Evil. ---
**Author:** ![Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Springtime_for_Spacers)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2012, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-veterinary-treat-a-human/261366/54 "2012-03-22T20:50:51Z")
> [@Filbert](#): > > Incidently, to turn this around, I know it’s common for zoos with great apes to call in a doctor/dentist as well as the vet. Really not much difference, under the fur… > > I’ve never heard of a conversion course to human medicine for UK vets though, and I know quite a few UK vets. Can’t find any info on one either. Not convinced. I saw a programme about a monkey/ape sanctuary where a female monkey (from an endangered species) had a fertility problem that was curable by an operation routinely performed on humans. However no one had performed such a procedure on an ape before so the zoo vet asked to observe an op at a local hospital, because, as you say, there are basic similarities in the anatomy. Following that the surgeon for humans, who took a reciprocal interest, came in to observe the operation on the monkey and even offered a bit of advice at one point. Happy ending too, the monkey did go on to have babies. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2012, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-veterinary-treat-a-human/261366/55 "2012-03-22T21:20:50Z")
> [@Whammo72](#): > > they performed surgery on a gurney in the parking lot under a street lamp and he survived. I’ve always wondered whey they couldn’t take him inside though. Probably because the parking lot was more germ-free than the inside of the vet’s office, where all the sick & scared animals had been. But where did the gurney come from? ---
**Author:** ![Sister\_Vigilante](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Sister\_Vigilante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sister_Vigilante)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2012, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-veterinary-treat-a-human/261366/56 "2012-03-23T03:55:23Z")
> [@Dogzilla](#): > > I hear you, but I have trouble figuring out of the placebo effect is something that dogs experience. My dog went in there stiff and hurting and after we got home, she could walk again, and would bounce around the house until the next time she injured her degenerating cervical disk. Then we’d go back, get dog-you-puncture, and _then_ put her on steroids and painkillers. I am not so convinced it did much for _me_, so I quit going to my human one. But I saw it work on the dog. The dog doesn’t know about her Chi. But she was limping and barely walking when we went in and by the time she got home, she was significantly improved. That vet sold the practice and the new vets there roll their eyes when I mention the dog-you-puncture, but I don’t know how I could project my shit on to the dog in that situation. She was the one limping; I didn’t take her in there because I believe anything. I took the dog to the vet because she was in pain. He gave her the acupuncture to tide her over until the meds started working. It was effective enough as a bridge-the-gap measure. Maybe she was happy being home? I am not going to guess your or her states of mind during those times. But here is a link on [acupuncture](http://skepdic.com/acupuncture.html). If it were me, I’d see any slight change in my dog’s behavior as significant. It’s like placebo-by-proxy. From that site: [Sham Acupuncture](http://skepdic.com/shamacupuncture.html) I am truly curious about this effect on animals, or babies, as I’ve a friend to truly believes in it due to those two reasons. I know personally, from owning animals, that if any of my dogs seemed a little better after going the vet, no matter what the vet did, I’d think the animal appeared better. That’s as best as I can explain it; I don’t want to argue. ---
**Author:** ![Shmendrik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Shmendrik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shmendrik)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2012, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-veterinary-treat-a-human/261366/57 "2012-03-23T05:21:12Z")
> [@Cardinal](#): > > I’ve heard that a surprising number of doctors are vetinary school dropouts. It’s harder to learn to treat 100 species than just one. It would indeed be surprising if any significant number of MDs/DOs are former veterinarians, let alone vet school dropouts. Generally, once you fail out of a professional school, other schools aren’t exactly scrambling to enroll you. This goes for stories of medical school dropouts becoming PAs, nurses, or other health care professionals as well. ---
**Author:** ![Dogzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dogzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogzilla)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2012, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-veterinary-treat-a-human/261366/58 "2012-03-23T13:56:43Z")
> [@Sister\_Vigilante](#): > > Maybe she was happy being home? I am not going to guess your or her states of mind during those times. But here is a link on [acupuncture](http://skepdic.com/acupuncture.html). If it were me, I’d see any slight change in my dog’s behavior as significant. It’s like placebo-by-proxy. > > From that site: [Sham Acupuncture](http://skepdic.com/shamacupuncture.html) > > I am truly curious about this effect on animals, or babies, as I’ve a friend to truly believes in it due to those two reasons. I know personally, from owning animals, that if any of my dogs seemed a little better after going the vet, no matter what the vet did, I’d think the animal appeared better. That’s as best as I can explain it; I don’t want to argue. It’s possible. I don’t want to argue either, so I’m not going to insist it worked and I didn’t waste my money. Maybe it did. Maybe it didn’t. The dog is dead now so it’s a completely moot point. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGrenze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@KarlGrenze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGrenze)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2012, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-veterinary-treat-a-human/261366/59 "2012-03-23T16:03:41Z")
Vets are not legally qualified to treat zombies. Also, one of my classmates became a vet school dropout and later went to nursing school. And I’ve known some EMTs who end up in vet school. ---
**Author:** ![Teacake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Teacake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teacake)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2012, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-veterinary-treat-a-human/261366/60 "2012-03-23T18:00:28Z")
I’d certainly let a vet treat me in preference to not getting prompt treatment. At least one of my brothers has been treated by a vet - he fell off something and split open his head, and there wasn’t a doctor around, so the vet dealt with it. Did a nice job, too, even though he was drunk. You can’t even see the join. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-veterinary-treat-a-human/261366.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-veterinary-treat-a-human/261366.md?page=4)