The hurdles for studying veterinary medicine are high, and women in particular are pushed into the profession. An experienced vet explains why she prefers treating animals to people and how the downsides of her job have grown over the years.
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Christina Kunkel
dream jobs
It is not so easy to identify who is suffering more here. The ten-year-old, black-and-white tomcat, lying flat on the treatment table, as if Petra Kracher, with the syringe in his hand, couldn’t find him. Or his owner, who caresses him excitedly and tries to calm the animal with a cracking voice: “Yes Spatzl, you’ll get tartare later.” But the cat doesn’t seem to care. He’s obviously in pain, a look into his mouth shows why. “Unfortunately, they all have to go,” explains the owner’s veterinarian. FORL, a typical cat disease. Incurable. And expensive. “You have to reckon with 600 to 800 euros,” reveals Kracher to the worried woman. She swallows briefly and then only says: “Then there will be no vacation this year.”