10/22/2026
A big shout out to all of our veterinary technicians at Marion County Animal Services during Vet Tech Appreciation Week! Thank you for all that you do!
Veterinary technicians at MCAS do a job that is difficult to understand until you see it firsthand. They care for more animals in a single day than many technicians at other animal-focused businesses see in a week. As you might imagine, most of the animals who arrive at MCAS are not the routine patients others may see. Many have been neglected, are frightened, injured, ill, unsocialized, and are unaccustomed to being handled by strangers.
Our techs must be skilled in assisting veterinarians and understanding medical jargon, but that is only a small part of the job. They vaccinate and administer medications, fill prescriptions, maintain medical records, and enter mountains of data. They answer questions, educate citizens, provide customer service, and help rescue partners. They must understand animal behavior, make sound handling decisions, and assist and train coworkers and students. They prepare animals for surgery, monitor them through recovery, and support fast-paced, high-volume spay and neuter services that benefit our community and partner agencies.
Sometimes, they make extraordinary efforts to save a life when the odds are against them. They take home vulnerable animals who need close monitoring and cannot safely be left alone. They carry the heavy weight of challenging cases, knowing that some outcomes will make them wish they had chosen as easier career path.
Just when the day's plan seems manageable, Animal Control may arrive with another emergency. Work stops, priorities shift, and another animal (or large groups of them) needs their attention. Meanwhile, citizens and rescue groups have questions, special requests, and urgent needs of their own. The phones keep ringing. Records still need to be completed. The next patient cannot wait.
These are exhausting days, and leaving on time is often the exception. Breaks get squeezed out, meals happen on the run, and the demands follow them home in ways most people never see. Our techs have families who need them, pets of their own, and household responsibilities waiting. Yet they return day after day, ready to do it all again.
Sadly, they also face public criticism from people who may never grasp the full scope of their work or understand how many competing needs they balance each day.
This Veterinary Technician Week, we want to recognize the people behind the scrubs. Their expertise matters. Their judgment matters. Their willingness to keep showing up matters. They give so much of themselves to animals and to this community, often without the recognition for everything the job demands.
To our veterinary technicians, thank you for the work you do and the care you give even when your own reserves are running low. You deserve to know that your effort matters and YOU ARE VALUED.
