His name was Nuke. It was short for "Nuclear", on behalf of the UC Davis Department of Radiology who used him on a weekly basis to teach the vet students how to take radiographs. When word got out my sophomore year of school that I was looking for a dog, my friend Dan pulled me aside and told me about this awesome dog he heard about from the head radiology technician, Barb. "Nuke is so great," she said before taking me to meet him. "He's a 10 year old coonhound, and we all just adore ... Read more »
Musings
Hearts and thoughts they fade
While I was cavorting at BlogPaws this weekend, my husband was getting some work done around the house, a task I truly appreciate as I despise housework with the hot flames of a thousand suns. While I would like to think this was because he just loves me that much, the cynic in me also whispered that perhaps he was just buttering me up for the abandonment that comes with the start of the NFL football season. No matter. I am still happy. One of his self-appointed tasks was to hang some ... Read more »
Question of the day
"After my dog is euthanized, can you cut off its tail for me to keep?" That was a new one. Resisting the urge to scream in horror and drop the phone, we took a Vulcan-like approach and tried to deduce what, exactly, this person was hoping to accomplish. Perhaps they really were some sort of sicko, in which case I would keep them on the phone long enough to trace the phone number and notify the proper authorities. Or maybe, just maybe, it was a person sick with grief and wanting ... Read more »
Making the connection
BlogPaws West is only a week away! I can't believe it's coming up so quickly. I've debated attending conferences like BlogHer or BlogWorld in the past, but they always seemed so far removed from what I do and what I want to accomplish. I don't really pay attention to SEO and Google rank and all that stuff. I just like to write and blab about animals, forget all that technical mumbo jumbo. But BlogPaws- a conference made up of pet bloggers? That's right up my alley. I attended the inaugural ... Read more »
Out for a walk
I saw the woman marching with her Great Dane for the first time back in 2004. We had just moved into our home, and on an afternoon walk with Emmett I spotted her on the sidewalk on the other side of the street. They were hard to miss, those two- she, tall and strong and purposeful, attended by a small grey horse who upon closer inspection turned out to be a beautiful harlequin Great Dane. She nodded at me, and I nodded back before the dog dragged her past and on down the street. I saw them ... Read more »
In Violation
When I'm at work, I try to be sympathetic to the fact that I am consistently doing things to pets who have no idea why this stranger is poking and prodding at them. They're no dummies. By about the 16 week point they get the wary look of an animal thoroughly expecting to have their temperature taken. Unless you're one of those extremely conscientious owners who takes their pet into the vet for kisses and treats for no reason whatsoever, pets learn very quickly that when they come to the ... Read more »
In Judgment
Last week, I mentioned that I had to do a euthanasia where the owner chose not to be present, and it was a little emotionally challenging for me. I was more upset about the day than the fact that the owners left, and I mentioned it only to illustrate that I needed to lean on my techs to help me out with the part that I normally do without a problem (comforting the pet.) I didn't mean to set that up as a "oh no these irresponsible owners how could they" sort of thing, but it certainly opened ... Read more »
And then
I appreciate all the thoughtful comments yesterday, and especially I appreciate everyone who sent me a picture of their beloved pets to be included in yesterday's video. It was wonderful to see how many people knew what this day would mean, because you all have had this kind of day too. Yesterday was shaping up to be the same type of day I have been (thankfully) having for quite a while lately: simple and uneventful. And then. ... Read more »
All I really need to know I learned while my daughter was in kindergarten
Yesterday was a really bittersweet day for me. It was my daughter's last day of kindergarten. I didn't think it would hit me quite this hard, but it really got me right in the throat to watch all the little munchkins skip up to the teacher with their little cardboard caps to pick up their kindergarten diplomas. The teacher took them down to the field for a few minutes to run some energy off before the afternoon graduation party, and while they were doing that I joined a couple of the parents ... Read more »
Mamas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Veterinarians
(And that, my friends, is probably the first and last time you will ever see a country song referenced in this blog.) Last weekend, I had the honor of going to a fundraiser dinner for a local rehabilitation center at the invitation of my father-in-law, an active Rotarian and an example of the kind of person I want to grow up to be like someday. ;) Anyway, there was another Rotarian there whose daughter wants to be a veterinarian when she grows up, and he asked if I would mind talking to ... Read more »
Service Dogs and the ADA conundrum
When I was in vet school, I attended a guest lecture by a trainer for Guide Dogs for the Blind. As a part of the lecture, we watched a video on the training process these dogs must pass. It was unbelievable, what they had to learn and master in order to graduate. "We take this very seriously," said the trainer as we saw a dog being trained to sit quietly in an airliner simulator. "If these dogs don't behave well in any circumstance we can think of, not only do they put their people at risk, ... Read more »
Life’s too short to sweat the stupid stuff
I was supposed to be in Columbus for Blog Paws this last weekend- two short evenings away, then I would return home to San Diego to resume my regularly scheduled activities. That is what I packed for. Instead, as I touched down in Chicago for my layover on the way to the conference, my phone started ringing. "Gram isn't doing so well," my sister said as I sat on the tarmac. "They don't think she is going to survive the weekend." As we taxied to the gate, the entire plane got to overhear me ... Read more »
With age comes wisdom (sometimes)
A man and his daughter arrive with the daughter's kitten. The kitten is not feeling well, they tell me. She hasn't eaten for several days. I examine the kitten, who is dehydrated and depressed. Her belly is large and pendulous. "Where did you get her from?" I inquire. The shelter, they tell me as they watch me pull several cc's of straw colored fluid from her abdomen. We talk about FIP, a nasty disease with a very poor prognosis. The young girl, probably 7 or 8, nods solemnly. She knew ... Read more »
The path to hell is paved with good intentions
The local news has been buzzing for the last day with the news of a local woman arrested on suspicion of felony animal neglect. According to the animal control officers on the scene, she had about 60 dogs in a 750 square foot 2 bedroom house. Now here's where it gets fuzzy: this wasn't your typical animal hoarder situation. The woman in this case runs a rescue out of her house, and by all indications was genuinely trying to rehabilitate and adopt out the animals. In fact, the reason animal ... Read more »
We’re all humans here
Part of being a professional is the expectation that we are to act, well, professionally. They don't teach a course on professionalism in vet school- it's one of those absorbed-by-osmosis things, I think. As far as I can tell, the best way to be a good professional is to pretend you are a Vulcan at all times. If anyone has a better trick please let me know. I'm at a loss for a better definition. It means not getting into fistfights in the parking lot. It means not wearing platform flip ... Read more »
Are you a stud or a dud?
Oh, no. I have all sorts of wonderful new people popping over thanks to the Bloggies and what do I do? Write a post about vomit. I can't help it. That is what we are all about here, folks. Dogs, cats, Barbies, and vomit. We like to keep it classy over here. But I'll make it up to you! I've been looking at the questionnaire we give to our new clients, which asks things like number of pets, the food you feed, health history, etc. I think this could be improved upon. In honor of Valentine's Day ... Read more »
It’s complicated
I haven't even made it all of the way through the book yet, but I'm riveted by Atul Gawande's Complications: A Surgeon's Note on an Imperfect Science. Though the author is a human physician, I think anyone here in the veterinary field would find much in the book that would have you nodding as I was, so engrossed during my after-work pedicure splurge that I failed to notice the tech painting my toenails a distinct fluorescent orange instead of the demure pink I had put aside. It was worth ... Read more »
If willpower was enough, this dog would already be at home
The days leading up to Christmas, as I have mentioned many times before, are always hard for me work-wise. This year is no exception. It was exactly one year ago that I had the most difficult euthanasia I've ever had to do. It's a long story, one that combines my sadness over Mulan's proximity to her own passing, an elderly woman losing her only friend, and a family whose lack of compassion left me stunned and nearly incoherent. As we speak, a 10 week old puppy lies alone in a cage at ... Read more »
