Interesting? Definately. Well, maybe.

Re: Interesting? Definately. Well, maybe.

Thomas Johnson — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 10:42:39 GMT

[quote user="Utlendigur"]

My own personal bugbears include...

pets "loosing" weight

[/quote]

You beat me to it, this is the one that really gets on my nerves!

Re: Interesting? Definately. Well, maybe.

Utlendigur — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 19:15:45 GMT

[quote user="alison howell"]

In Uganda they confuse 'pollute' with 'dilute' and say things like 'We must stop diluting the rivers'!

[/quote]

Dilution is the solution to pollution, or so our cleaner seems to think as she sloshes water around.

My own personal bugbears include...

pets "loosing" weight

clients who are on "there" way down

fewer instead of less, and vice versa

"virus" and "bacteria" used interchangeably by news programmes

Re: Interesting? Definately. Well, maybe.

Lorna McHardy — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 15:29:24 GMT

[quote user="Simon Neuhoff"]

we get judged every day on our appearance, our manners and our language - and yes, our spelling.

[/quote]

Well, I have to admit that misspellings in notices, leaflets, information sheets, itemized invoices, consent forms and so on so forth do irritate me when I see them... and not just in veterinary practices. My subconscious mind says something along the lines of "if they can't even bother to check the spelling in the stuff they give me, what else don't they care about?" I realize this isn't necessarily so, but the reaction is the same. And if that's how it strikes me, you can bet your boots that's how it will strike at least a proportion of clients.

It doesn't bother me in on-line forums or other informal contexts, though. Except "K9". That grates whereever I see it

Anyone notice how often clients tell you their dog has a prostrate problem?

Re: Interesting? Definately. Well, maybe.

vs0u — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 15:53:25 GMT

In Uganda they confuse 'pollute' with 'dilute' and say things like 'We must stop diluting the rivers'!

Re: Interesting? Definately. Well, maybe.

Tanya Fielding — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 13:52:38 GMT

I f you find this spelling mistake interesting come and have a go at my dyslexic son's homework you would be fascinated!

Re: Interesting? Definately. Well, maybe.

SteveOwen — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 13:19:04 GMT

Anyway, back to the point. I didn't compare myself to doctors or dentists. I just made the point that I am a veterinary surgeon, hence a Mr not a Dr. I don't think for a minute that my surgical ability is anywhere near that of your father. The fact is that, in the UK, surgeons have the title Mr for historical reasons, coming from barbers and all that. Ps this was typed on an iPhone so forgive typos ;-).

Re: Interesting? Definately. Well, maybe.

SteveOwen — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 13:15:23 GMT

Was the full stop after Dr to wind me up? Very common abbreviations such as Dr, Mr and St should not have a full stop.

Re: Interesting? Definately. Well, maybe.

Alex Gough — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 13:06:56 GMT

Coming to this late, but recently played a game of Articulate, where a friend described the answer as "A bird, and it is distinct" Knowing the friend's track record with Articulate, we all immediately guessed she meant a Dodo.

As for Iphone spell corrections, a colleague was disturbed to get a message from his wife recently that she was in bed with a migrant.

Alex

Re: Interesting? Definately. Well, maybe.

Mark Rowland — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 12:47:38 GMT

I dont tend to compare the work of doctors and dentists to what I do in any way. They do their structured jobs and i do mine. That it is the medical profession is as far as I like to go. If I were to I suppose I would feel a bit of a fraud since human doctors have usually gone through extensive post grad training to bvecome surgeons and have earned themselves the title they have. I also think the client perception of human surgeons is one of a degree of arrogance (probably due to watching too much holby city). My father is a human surgeon and has reconstructed limbs, made clients a new oesophagus out of their neck muscles following oesophageal tumour removal to name but a couple. I have respect for what he does, he has respect for what I do. I dont feel the need to give myself a post graduate salutation other than what i have earned by taking post grad exams and study. I think a post grad degree holder in soft tissue surgery could alter his salutation if he or she wanted to. However as I said, I dont compare the two as i think they are not the same.

But thats just me Mr Owen.

Lots of love Dr. Rowland..

Re: Interesting? Definately. Well, maybe.

Bob Russell — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 10:57:36 GMT

Dentists now refer to themselves as Doctor now. I too prefer Mr!!

Re: Interesting? Definately. Well, maybe.

SteveOwen — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 10:21:48 GMT

Why? You are a surgeon, hence, as in human medicine, have the title Mr. I will therefore always correct people who call me doctor.

Re: Interesting? Definately. Well, maybe.

Mark Rowland — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 10:18:47 GMT

[quote user="Bob Russell"]

[quote user="Simon Neuhoff"]

One that gets me is "euthanise". It is actually equally correct and interchangeable with euthanase - yet it just looks wrong.

[/quote]

It is the creep of the Americans coming back to reclaim the mother country!

[/quote]

Could be... They will always speak english however.

I have to say it is nice to be referred to as Doctor Rowland when I visit the US though.

Re: Interesting? Definately. Well, maybe.

Bob Russell — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 10:09:50 GMT

[quote user="Simon Neuhoff"]

One that gets me is "euthanise". It is actually equally correct and interchangeable with euthanase - yet it just looks wrong.

[/quote]

Hardly an edition of Vet Times goes by without me throwing my toys out of the pram on this one. I was taught to euthanase pets and over the years become a dab hand at it (sadly) but I have no idea how to euthanise.

It is the creep of the Americans coming back to reclaim the mother country!

Re: Interesting? Definately. Well, maybe.

Mark Rowland — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 09:52:27 GMT

[quote user="Niall Taylor"]

[quote user="Mark Rowland"]... one vet at my practice was laughing at how much celox I was applying to a wound. "Spare the rod and spoil the child" was my (un PC) reply[/quote]

While sharing your love for words and cliches which are falling out of use I'm not sure that 'spare the rod and spoil the child' is the right phrase for this situation. Surely that phrase refers to punishing someone for their own good rather than over doing something.

Unless celox really, really stings wouldn't the phrase "I don't want to spoil the ship for a ha'porth of tar" have been more appropriate (or have I misunderstood?).

("Oooh look, he's put a question-mark inside the brackets and a full-stop outside" - wanna make something of it? )

Niall

[/quote]Well there's a new one on me. I had always thought it had meant that not disciplining enough, the job (of education) wasn't done properly. I bow to your much more appropriate phrase though. Could I have been hoisted with my own petard (one of my all time favourites)?

btw am I the only one conciously checking for errors more than usual in my typing?[

Re: Interesting? Definately. Well, maybe.

SteveOwen — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 09:50:46 GMT

Confusion between e.g. and i.e. is annoying. As is a full stop with Dr and St.

Re: Interesting? Definately. Well, maybe.

Vet2Vet — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 07:16:25 GMT

[quote user="Julian Earl"]

I thought speyed and spayed were equally correct?

Anyway, can someone explain why some vets cannot spell testicle, or heifer, or (as noted) abscess after five years at university? Grrrrr.

[/quote]

Ah, interesting , I cannot remember having a single spelling test in college . Maybe it relates to this in my case ,

Re: Interesting? Definately. Well, maybe.

jd2008 — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 03:22:35 GMT

http://theoatmeal.com/comics/misspelling

Re: Interesting? Definately. Well, maybe.

Michael Woodhouse — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 00:30:15 GMT

[quote user="SteveOwen"]Dogs and cats have claws, not nails[/quote]

But you call it a nail bed infection?

[quote user="SteveOwen"]They also have anal sacs, not glands[/quote]

There was an incident during our rotations where a client misheard the term. I feel anal glands less liable for confusion!

[quote user="SteveOwen"]Incorrect spelling of veterinary, diarrhoea and abscess is really unforgivable![/quote]

I have to read back diarrhoea every time I write it.

Pasturellosis is caused by Mannheimia spp.

We are supposed to call adrenaline epinephrine, but the family is adrenergics!

Re: Interesting? Definately. Well, maybe.

Mark Holmes — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 22:46:55 GMT

Using less when you mean fewer!

Re: Interesting? Definately. Well, maybe.

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 22:45:45 GMT

Hm, well, "veterinarian" is actually a time-honoured British word. One of the earliest, and most long-running, respectable British veterinary journals was "The Veterinarian". However I too prefer, and will remain, "veterinary surgeon" which is traditional and very British. It also enables one to give a little history lesson to Americans occasionally.

Re: Interesting? Definately. Well, maybe.

SteveOwen — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 20:40:40 GMT

I don't like the term "veterinarian" creeping in from America and Europe. Veterinary surgeon so much nicer.

Re: Interesting? Definately. Well, maybe.

Simon Neuhoff — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 20:33:10 GMT

One that gets me is "euthanise". It is actually equally correct and interchangeable with euthanase - yet it just looks wrong.

Re: Interesting? Definately. Well, maybe.

SteveOwen — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 20:24:16 GMT

Ophthalmology. Aaaaarrrrgh!!!

There was even a referral practice at BSAVA this year giving keyrings promoting their "opthalmology" service.

Re: Interesting? Definately. Well, maybe.

SteveOwen — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 20:21:19 GMT

Interesting Noweia!

So the general public 6%, vets 10% and VNs 20%. Hmmm!!

Then again, google is international. Maybe it's a British thing?!

Re: Interesting? Definately. Well, maybe.

SteveOwen — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 20:17:45 GMT

Hmm. Spayed/speyed are perhaps as equally correct as fetus and foetus.

It's often said that fetus is American and foetus British. No, fetus is correct, as the term comes from Latin, not Greek.