One day about a month into my career, I was in an exam room with a client when a large-ish spider skittered across the exam table towards my hand. "Eeek!" screamed the client. "Eek!" screamed the vet. I grabbed the nearest book (I believe it was Miller's Anatomy, a nice, dense tome) and dropped it on the table with a thud. Silence. Then, from the client: "Guess you don't love all the animals, huh?" I felt kind of bad about that one, truth be told. I haven't done it since. I've ... Read more »
Daily Life
Help! My lab ate an M&M!
It's Halloween time, and that means one thing: everyone stuffing their cabinet with chocolate under the guise of "just stocking up for Halloween." Except then you have to open the bag for inspection, just to check that it didn't melt or anything on the way home from the store, and that no one put razor blades in it. Safety first, after all. So by October 20th, you've exhausted that first bag, and then you have to get a couple more; can't wait until the last day, since of course the stores ... Read more »
Building up strength
It's a little paradoxical, but one's caloric needs can actually increase after surgery when you're in that low-activity healing phase. It takes extra energy to rebuild tissue and heal. So because of that, I increased Koa's daily ration since her Wednesday surgery. Her lipoma that turned out to be a nerve sheath tumor involved a pretty yucky surgery- I took out a good deal of tissue over her shoulder, and even with that I'm not sure if my margins were adequate. Her body has some work to do to ... Read more »
The numbers game
Owners have very high expectations of one's ability to diagnose a condition based on their description, what they read on the internet, and (to a lesser extent) my physical examination. Don't get me wrong- taking an accurate history and doing a physical examination are instrumental skills. But they are not 100%. "What is it, doc?" the owner asks as I poke at a lump. I can give you some guesses with a good amount of accuracy based on its appearance, how it moves on or under the skin, that sort ... Read more »
Have you hugged a tech today?
Did you know the third week of every October is National Veterinary Technician Week? I can't think of a more deserving, hardworking group of people to celebrate. Vets get all the glory, all the cards and cookies, but techs are so often the ones who neglect to get any recognition for the incredible amount of work they put into keeping pets healthy. They man the phones, hold pets for all manner of procedures, do the vast majority of nursing care for hospitalized pets, and bear the brunt of the ... Read more »
Security Beastie
With Halloween approaching, it's only natural to start thinking and talking about things that scare us. How I long for the days of my youth and a good healthy scare- werewolves and zombies and vampires and all of that, made-up monsters who retreat into myth at the end of the day. But as we all know, that mythos is a cover for the real monsters that lurk out there- rare, fortunately, but flesh and blood humans with something wrong in the head. And they terrify me. When I was a senior in high ... Read more »
On Safari: Famine
It takes all kinds of creatures to maintain homeostasis in a stable ecosystem. On the savannah, the laboceros and the goldenbeast have achieved an uneasy tolerance. Despite limited resources, the denizens of the plains have managed to carve out their own niche, and peace is maintained. Usually. ... Read more »
I like big mutts and I cannot lie
I am just so happy to get an excuse to use that line. :) Koa is big, compared to, say, a teacup chihuahua, but we are inching ever closer to that ideal body weight that will make her happier and healthier. She has a pretty large lipoma on her left shoulder. I can't tell if it is growing, or if it simply seems more apparent now that she has less fat covering it. Either way, it will be coming off in the near future. I am, for reasons that should be obvious, pretty gun shy about taking ... Read more »
I must have missed this kit at Michael’s
I will clarify and agree regarding yesterday's post that I am looking for web sites that help owners understand a vet's diagnosis and treatment plan, NOT ones that claim to make a diagnosis themselves. For every great site out there, there are four or five of these sort, which I link to only because it's the kind of thing that explains my awful teeth grinding habit: HOME PARVO TREATMENT, courtesy of the "Thrifty Fun" website. Yes, alongside articles about turning used toilet paper rolls ... Read more »
Behold the power of the internet
I love the internet. Trust me, I do. I find nothing wrong with a client who goes and pokes all over the net in search of information about their pet, because I do the same thing for myself. The internet is nothing short of miraculous in helping people become empowered. But. But.... (fade to black) The scene: A typical exam room, inhabited by a typical patient: a labrador with an ear infection. Me: Has Freddy had ear infections before? Client: Off and on for most of his life, ... Read more »
Genesis
When we last left this topic... I wrote to Mike Arms after the whole 'terror at the podium' thing, to ask him for his ideas about how we bloggers could help in the bigger picture to improve animal welfare. He was gracious enough to invite me to Helen Woodward for a tour, and then he got me lunch AND a drink. I mention that last part only because some of you were keeping tabs, so I had to make sure I let you all know he kept his word. ;) I didn't have to read the letter again, though he did ... Read more »
Pets for Patriots
One quiet Thursday afternoon, a young man in fatigues came running into the lobby, a beagle cradled in his arms. She was not in good shape. As it would turn out, Sandy had lymphoma. There was not much we could do, and the young man- a veteran of multiple tours of duty to Iraq and Afghanistan- made the difficult decision to euthanize her. Sensing the need for solitude, the staff cleared out of the room, leaving me alone with him and with Sandy. It was only then that he started to show his ... Read more »
John Paul Pet Product Review and giveaway
Winners: Annette, Keighter, and Shannon! I will get those out to you as soon as I have your mailing info (you can send it through the contact form). Hope you like them! I had big plans for this post, but with THUNDERSTORM 2010 looming down it kind of put a crimp in my idea. (Read: we get one thunderstorm every 24 months or so around here, and the county pretty much shuts down in mass panic, blackouts, that sort of thing.) So I thought I would keep it simple. As we learned in Wednesday's ... Read more »
Nulo Challenge: Skinny Jeans
I don't really know what the dog equivalent is of fitting in a pair of skinny jeans. They aren't vain that way. They lack the human tendencies to feel shame, thus have no issues with muffin top fear or the like. Either way, Koa has lost enough weight that people are starting to notice- which although she doesn't know it is a big milestone. Pets reap the benefits as much as anyone else of a healthy weight. Yesterday, I was watching Koa and Brody standing together and noticed how she is ... Read more »
Sometimes I forget I’m not like other people
Scene: Joann's fabric store. Dr. V on her lunch break, perusing fabrics for an upcoming very special crafting project. In the background, two 'normal' looking women pushing babies in carts. The carts are piled high with calico, fabrics with little kewpie dolls, and fuzzy velour. As Dr. V looks on, the two women begin arguing loudly over which gingham best matches the fabrics they're selected for their quilt/baby bedding/whatever. Woman 1: Excuse me, can you help settle an ... Read more »
Tails from the Vet Clinic: Paging Dr. Groomer
I can provide witnesses to this exchange. ... Read more »
We are not alone
Thank you for the kind words yesterday. I'm taking today to reflect and regroup, but fortunately I have a wonderful guest post from Dr. Sarah from Friends of Humane Society de Tijuana to share with you today. It is a beautiful reminder to honor all creatures great and small. See you tomorrow. As we traveled down into Tijuana two Sundays ago, I knew I had another long day in front of me. We were coming to see Sr. Juanito, a very humble man near the age of 90 years old who rescues street ... Read more »
Little Earthquakes
When I was little, we lived across the yard from my father's parents. In the morning, I would burst out the backdoor, run across the small but immaculate vegetable garden my grandmother faithfully tended, and jump through my grandparents' front door in search of hugs and cookies. Ignoring my mother's moratorium on 8 am sugar, there was always a plate of Stella D'oro cookies on the table in the foyer. Mary was as close to the personification of Mother Nature that you could ever hope to find. ... Read more »
