- I'm Dr. Katie Avelar, I'm a veterinarian
and this is how I work it.
I'm gonna take you through 24 hours of my wellness routine.
I see 75 to 100 animals per week.
I work five to seven shifts per week.
My appointment schedule is eight hours,
but I'm almost always at the hospital longer than that.
The most challenging part of my job is doing everything
I can for a case and they're just not getting any better.
The most rewarding part is the exact opposite of that,
having a really challenging case
and watching them get better.
And the best part is being around animals all day.
Yeah, I love that part.
Good morning.
It's about 5:30 right now.
I usually wake up and take my dogs for a run.
So let me wake my dog up.
He always sleeps in the same place.
Oscar, ready to go for a run?
Even though we're all very sleepy at that time,
we get up.
I use a harness so that it never pulls too hard
around her neck.
We usually do three miles in the morning.
Come on, let's go!
Sometimes that takes a half hour, sometimes
it takes me an hour.
Good morning.
I just finished my cold shower.
I always take a cold shower in the morning
'cause it wakes me up.
Everything I shower with is usually unscented.
I like the Jason and Dr. Bronner's products.
They're both really natural.
They don't dry out my skin.
I don't like to smell like anything artificial.
My patients will pick up on that.
They like to smell you as a person.
They get a lot of information from that.
My morning routine is really fast.
I wash my face with CeraVe face wash,
and then I moisturize with with Vanicream.
I try to use really gentle products
because I break out really easily.
I like styling cream.
It doesn't smell like hairsprays.
I use the Toney B. Styling Cream after I get out
of the shower and I also use a little bit
before I go to work so that my curls stay in place.
I don't want to feel like I have makeup on
during the day.
God forbid, I'm rushing into an emergency surgery,
the last thing I want is mascara in my eye
or my face mask caking up some concealer.
So I'll usually leave for work around seven.
On my way to work.
I have my water with me.
I won't have a lot of time during the day to eat
or drink, so I try to hydrate before and after.
I'm just getting to work.
And here's my crew.
Helen and Betty.
- Hi, Dr. Avelar. - Hey!
- I went into this field because I love adrenaline rushes.
And I've prepared my whole life for this.
Whenever an emergency comes in, instead of panicking,
I program myself to just become laser-focused on getting
this animal better and stabilizing them.
My boss always says every surgeon knows what to do
when something goes right.
A good surgeon knows what to do when something goes wrong.
I always plan for what I would do if something
were to go wrong and 99.9% of the time,
everything goes right and you don't
have to do anything extra.
But afterward, you're exhausted.
You feel like you just ran a marathon.
So a lot of times I will tell the receptionist
to move some appointments for me, I just need
20 minutes to reset myself and I usually go for a walk
around the block.
I'm about to go into an exam with my next patient, Angel.
She has chronic kidney disease, so we're gonna take a look,
see how she's doing.
Hey.
[cat meows]
7.7, which is great because she hasn't lost any weight.
She's so good.
Sorry baby.
There's some tartar on these back teeth,
but the front teeth don't look bad.
You should brush your dog's teeth once a day.
Fluoride is toxic to animals, so never use your toothpaste.
If you're not able to brush your animal's teeth
or you just don't have the time, like me,
there are products.
One of the things is Greenies.
Sit.
It is really good for their teeth.
It's funny how dogs and cats create their own language
with their owners.
Yeah, her eyes look good.
Have you noticed any changes?
- [Owner] Well, right before she gets like, vomits,
they get very cloudy looking.
- Oh.
I rely on the owners to tell me because they know
the little quirks.
So we should get blood work.
Gonna take her parents longer.
- Oh, burrito cat.
- We call them cat burritos.
I always carry the travel size of all of the soaps
and lotions because things happen during the day.
Sometimes abscesses will [laughs]...
I'm not, should I say that?
- [Interviewer] Yeah, no, tell me the story!
- It was first thing in the morning,
this dog had a big red lump on its neck.
It looked like an abscess to me, so I started applying
some pressure to it and was right in the path.
It got all over my face. [squishes]
Luckily I was wearing glasses, but things like this
happen all day, every day.
So during the day I am constantly washing my face
and I'm always applying lotion because my face
will dry out from how many times I'm washing it.
Moose has been having some urinary issues.
He's been peeing in the house, so we're gonna do
a rectal exam to make sure I don't feel any masses,
to make sure his prostate isn't enlarged.
I don't feel anything.
- Okay.
- But we could do an X-ray and see if he has any stones.
- You a good boy.
- When I first started in this profession, I got nauseous
with all these really strong smells.
I really like peppermint when I'm feeling nauseous.
If I felt like I was going to pass out,
I would just take a minute in a corner and smell
my peppermint gum.
The smell of poop doesn't bother me as much.
Anal glands are a big issue for us.
- [Interviewer] How would you describe the smell
of anal glands?
- Rancid.
- Like a dead fish.
- Like, yeah, rotted dead fish.
Left in the heat.
[laughter]
- Luckily, humans don't have them.
They're meant to mark their territory,
but now they don't serve much of a purpose
since they're mostly relaxing in our houses,
so we end up having to express them and you just
never know where they're going to go.
And once you get anal gland in your hair,
it will not come out unless you wash it multiple times.
I've been so desensitized that now an owner will vomit
or pass out in the room and I don't even smell it.
People will say to me, "Why didn't you tell me to leave?"
Usually I just put them in a chair out front,
get some fresh air and I make a medical note
in their chart.
I went into this job because I love animals.
I love every type of animal, but unfortunately
they don't feel the same about me.
Every time they walk into the room, I see all the signs
that they're uncomfortable.
That might be they're bearing their teeth
and lunging at me.
Cats might be scratching at the carrier and hissing.
Dogs, especially anxious dogs, they don't like
when we hover over them.
Whenever they're really stressed out,
we like to keep them on the floor where they're comfortable
and then we just come down to their level.
To win over very anxious animals, is squeeze cheese.
It's not the best for their diet, but if I have
a really stressed animal, it's more important to me
to make them comfortable.
I tend to get bitten and scratched more than I'd like.
I will immediately clean my wound with some
sort of antiseptic.
I'll put an antibiotic ointment on it
and then the next few days I always apply scar cream.
This is Adaptil.
I always use these in the exam rooms.
It's a pheromone that helps to calm dogs down.
It's supposed to mimic the maternal pheromone.
And the Feliway is for cats.
He has a luxating patella.
So their knee is set up just like ours.
Their patella, which is their kneecap, will slide
to one side or the other because this groove is shallow.
I really love this company Figs for scrubs.
I have my Figs on.
They have petite sizes.
I like them because honestly, I'm on the floor all the time.
I'm rolling around with animals and they feel
more like athletic wear.
And then my Ultraboost.
I love Adidas Ultraboost, they feel like clouds on my feet.
I probably wash my hands 20 times a day, if not more.
I take my antiseptic scrub.
It comes with this little device so that I can wash
under my nails.
My nail care is very embarrassing.
I don't polish, I keep them really short.
Scrubbing into surgery, you don't want nail polish on
and you don't want any bacteria that could stick
under your nails.
A study just came out that says if your nails are painted,
it doesn't introduce more bacteria into the surgery.
Little device, old school.
And I'm also lazy and don't feel like getting my nails done.
So, my hands get really, really dry.
And my nails are not very glamorous
because dogs are licking them all the time like you, Obie.
I use a hemp-based moisturizer for my hands.
It takes down inflammation.
I always try to use products that are cruelty-free
and pretty natural ingredients.
Whenever I'm scrubbing into surgery, I take
all of my jewelry off.
So I try to keep it really light, even though
I love jewelry.
There's a little trick for my engagement ring.
I hook it onto a scrunchie and hook it into my bra.
So I like to put my hair back because I don't want
anything disgusting getting in it.
I really like those telephone cord scrunchies
because they stay put and then you put on your surgical
cap and mask, your surgical gown
and your surgical gloves on.
The worst thing is when you get all scrubbed up
and after 30 minutes and you have an itch
and that's when you have to really meditate yourself
out of it.
Sometimes I will wear contacts, but when I'm in surgery
under a surgical light, they'll dry out.
My skin is very acne-prone.
I get blemishes a lot.
My surgical mask, it conforms to your nose
and this is why I get so many pimples around my mouth.
For the first few days, I'll put benzoyl peroxide
on the blemish, cover it up with some concealer.
That's really all I do, I don't go crazy about it.
So, Linguine's here and he's having some skin issues.
Cats and dogs that have the smushed faces,
they tend to have a lot of skin issues
because of their skin folds.
They tend to get yeast infections.
I did have a pet rat when I was 16.
I brought her everywhere with me.
She only lived three years, which is pretty good for a rat.
I adopted my dog before I went to vet school.
His name is Oscar, he's 10.
He is the light of my life.
He's perfect.
I knew I wasn't gonna have much time to take care
of a dog, so I made sure he was an older guy
that would be happy relaxing at home and he went
through all of vet school with me.
Just this year I decided to adopt a puppy so that he had
some company and she is challenging and really testing
my behavioral education.
She's definitely chewed up some couches.
[bell dings] [dog barks]
But he seems to love the company and she's learning
from him, so it's very cute.
So, euthanasia is a really tough part of my job.
Sometimes it can be really rewarding.
An animal that's lived a long, healthy life
and their owner is just choosing a peaceful ending
instead of watching them suffer, but sometimes
it's really hard.
Sometimes after a really hard case, I need some time
for myself, I need to go cry a little bit
for the animal, for the client.
My trick is that I'll splash some cold water on my face.
Sometimes I'll take some ice, put it under my eyes
just to feel like it's waking me up again
and I can go back into my next appointment
and just reset.
A lot of us deal with something called compassion
fatigue, where the entire day you are giving
bad news, taking care of really sick, ill patients.
A lot of the day is also good and happy,
but those things tend to weigh you down.
I put a lot of importance on my self-care
and mental health.
I make sure that when I'm not at work, I'm doing things
that make me happy, that make me feel good.
After work I always take my dogs to the beach.
Being by an ocean helps to calm me down
and just being with my dogs in general.
Being in nature makes me happy.
If I have a day off, I usually set it aside
to go for a hike.
I'll meditate.
Sometimes it's five minutes, sometimes it's 20 minutes,
but it's nice to just be in your own head for a little bit.
Whenever I get home from work, I make sure to take my
clothes off, my shoes off at the door,
so I don't bring anything infectious into the house
and then I'll change into something at the door.
I'm not very good at doing my makeup.
I guess because I never wear it.
Usually I go very simple.
I do a tinted moisturizer, I'll put in my contacts
and I'll put some mascara on.
I also do really like darker lips,
so I try to do that too, a tint.
I try not to wash my hair everyday
if I can get away with it,
but on days where something gets into it
or it was trapped under a surgical cap, I have to.
A lot of people ask me how often should I bathe my animal
or what should bathe them with.
There's two shampoos I like for dogs and cats.
One is HyLyt shampoo.
I also like Johnson & Johnson Baby shampoo.
Sometimes human shampoos don't work well on animals
because it's made for human skin, which is more acidic.
The big thing with animals is not to bathe them too much.
Once a month.
If you live in a humid area you can do twice a month,
that way you're not drying out their skin.
If a human is allergic to their pet, most of the time
it's the dander.
I like to use organic baby wipes and I just recommend
wiping down their fur once a day.
It's very embarrassing, but I watch TLC when I get home.
I love "90 Day Fiance", it's my guilty pleasure.
I try to be in bed by 10, but sometimes I don't
even get out of the hospital until well after 10.
I was supposed to leave three hours ago,
but an emergency just walked in that was in a dog fight.
We just stabilized him, he lost a lot of blood
and I'll probably have to suture
his wounds closed later tonight.
I'm just getting home after a really long day.
[jingling keys]
Sleep is important for me.
I know that my brain works better on eight hours of sleep
so I always try to get eight hours of sleep.
A lot of times it's not possible.
Oscar, say goodnight!