🧠 Topic 1: “Not being able to fix a problem they usually should be able to fix”
🎯 The Case You Mentioned: Inbreeding & Neurologic Issues
Here’s where the pain starts for vets:
✨ Veterinarians train for years to diagnose and treat problems.
But when the issue is fundamentally genetic — especially due to inbreeding — their hands are tied.
Neurosurgeons (in both human and veterinary medicine) are masters of anatomy, pathology, and surgical precision.
But they’re not magicians — if the problem is “built into the blueprint” of the animal’s DNA, surgical tools don’t rewrite genetic code.
This is why vets get upset:
🚫 1. Inbreeding produces congenital neurological defects
These can include:
…and it’s not due to injury, infection, or inflammation — it’s how the animal developed in the womb.
🔬 Even the most brilliant neurologist can’t yank out “bad DNA.”
This is the nub vets hit their heads against.
🧬 2. Why it seems unfair
Because in most cases:
We can FIX infections
We can remove tumors
We can repair spinal trauma
We can stabilize inflammation
But we cannot fix what was structurally never right to begin with.
That’s not negligence. That’s biology.
So vets don’t “hate not being able to fix things” — they hate the emotional load of telling someone you can’t change biology.
Veterinarians do not enjoy being the bearer of “no,” especially when:
owners really, truly adore the animal
The condition looks like a treatable disease, but isn’t
There’s no predictable outcome
And that sucks for everyone.
💥 Why it’s “impossible for neurosurgeons.”
Three brutal truths:
Surgery can remove, repair, or alleviate — but it doesn’t rewire chromosomes.
Genetic neurologic defects are often diffuse, spread throughout the brain/spine.
Neurologic function isn’t a single target — it’s a network.
Example: Removing a tumor that presses on the brain improves function, versus removing a gene error that never built the network, never improves anything.
So vets don’t hate the challenge — they hate the shower of stress that comes with bad expectations.
🧨 Real-Life Brutal Clarification (I’ll say it like it is)
📌 You cannot surgically fix a congenital neural abnormality.
📌 Genetic defects are not “just another disease.”
📌 Neurologists can help with comfort, safety, and quality of life — not rewrite DNA.
And vets get mad when people think otherwise — especially when social media fosters wild expectations.
🧠 Topic 2: CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) in Animals
🎯 The Gross Disconnect
Social media posts often make CPR sound like:
“Do chest compressions! Blow air! Save your pet!”
But vets are screaming:
“Hold on — it’s not the same as TV. It’s not a guarantee. It’s complicated as hell.”
Let’s unload this:
🚑 What CPR actually is in veterinary medicine
CPR in animals is way different from humans:
Different chest anatomy (especially in dogs vs cats)
Varying heart shapes & sizes
Different rates, rhythms, and compressibility
Animals don’t usually arrest suddenly — they crash from other disease processes
Anesthesia and respiratory issues are major contributors — not just heart stoppage
💔 Reality: CPR success rates are low
In human CPR, even with prompt intervention, survival can be 10–20% depending on the situation.
In animals, it drops further:
Often < 10% return-of-spontaneous-circulation (ROSC)
Even fewer survive to discharge
Many survivors have neurologic damage
So vets hate the “Hollywood CPR myth” because:
✔️ It gives false hope
✔️ It ignores context and quality-of-life
✔️ It sells CPR like a guarantee — when it’s more like a Hail Mary pass
🧪 What vets actually do for CPR
When they initiate CPR:
Constant monitoring (ECG, O2 saturation)
Drugs (epinephrine, atropine, other pressors)
Controlled ventilations + compressions
Advanced airway support
Identification & treatment of the cause
electrolyte imbalance
hypoxia
drug toxicity
severe trauma
cardiac tamponade
GDV shock
Sometimes ECMO (in specialized centers)
This is not “just press on chest + blow air.”
💥 Why vets get pissed in comment threads
Because:
Social posts make CPR sound simple and guaranteed
People think they can save any pet if only they “did CPR right.”
Then, when the pet doesn’t respond, owners are devastated and confused
Vets are screaming:
“It’s not really comparable to human CPR.”
“It’s context-dependent and not always humane.”
“It’s not a magic button.”
And they’re right.
🧠 Summary: What veterinarians actually hate debating
| Topic | Common Misconception | Vet Reality |
|---|---|---|
| Inbreeding & neurology | It should be fixable | It’s genetic — not fixable with surgery |
| CPR in pets | It’s simple and usually successful | It’s complex, low-success, not like human CPR |
No comments:
Post a Comment