Triage: Where Medicine Meets Mayhem (and You’re the Traffic Controller)

Working in vet med means you wear a lot of hats – diagnostician, counselor, detective, animal whisperer. But one of the most underrated (and most stressful) roles? Triage Officer of Chaos.

Whether you’re in general practice, urgent care, or full-on emergency medicine, triage is the daily tightrope walk between urgency and capacity.

And spoiler: you rarely get to sit down.

The Mental Math of Triage

You know the drill:

• Patient 1: Brachycephalic dog panting aggressively after sunbathing.
• Patient 2: Chihuahua with a minor limp but Mom says it’s been “limpy” for two years.
• Patient 3: Cat actively seizing in the parking lot.
• Patient 4: Upset that they have been waiting 20 minutes for “just a nail trim.”

All arrive at once. All think they’re Priority #1.
Your job? Be calm. Be kind. Be fast. Be right.

The Realities Behind the Categories

Let’s break it down:

Priority #1 – The “Drop Everything” Cases

These are your time-critical emergencies:

Bloat, heatstroke, active seizures, major trauma, or anything where a pet is hanging by a thread.

The kind of cases where you’re running, yelling for a crash cart, and somehow finding the vein with one hand and a prayer.

Life-saving mode: Engaged.
Personal Panic: Silently screaming inside, but carrying on professionally.

Priority #2 – “Serious But Not Dying”

Vomiting, diarrhea, blood in urine – the classic “could wait, but shouldn’t wait too long” cases.

They’ll often look fine in the lobby until they suddenly aren’t.

These cases walk the line between stability and “We need to move now.”

Constant reassessment required.
Juggling act intensifies.

Priority #3 – “We Love You, But Also…You’ll Have to Wait”

Abscesses, mild limping, chronic skin issues, foxtails, and “that weird bump I just noticed but it’s been there since Christmas.”

We care. We really do.

But when a dog is actively dying in Room 2, that ear wax buildup is going to have to take a number.

Wait time = Yes.
Patience = Please.

And Then There’s the Human Factor

Triage isn’t just about pets – it’s about people.

You’re managing their fears, their frustrations, their guilt, and their assumptions.

You’re the translator of urgency. The buffer between emotion and medicine.

Some days, it feels like explaining to a client why their dog’s torn dewclaw isn’t more important than the actively seizing husky is harder than actually treating the husky.

Things We’ve All Said While Triaging:

• “I know it’s scary. Let’s check them out right away.”
• “If things change, please come let us know immediately.”
• “They’re stable right now, but if you notice XYZ, we’ll re-triage.”
• “No, unfortunately we can’t skip the bloat patient to check that rash.”

Triage is a Skill – and an Act of Compassion

You don’t just manage emergencies – you prioritize lives in real time.

You keep the wheels turning. You keep pets alive.

And you do it with grace, caffeine, and at least three backup pens in your pocket.

So the next time you’re in the weeds, remember:

You are not just “sorting cases.”

You are directing the flow of survival, one patient at a time.

And that? Well, that’s nothing short of heroic.