Here's a practice-makes-perfect subject, and the one that I personally feel the need to practice the most. This is tricky stuff. And one of the biggest requirements to know.
Restraint.
Simply put, it's restraining pets for the vet's exam, for the tests or treatments they need...dogs, cats, rabbits, birds, lizards, ferrets, snakes, and more. Relaxed dogs, anxious cats, hostile rabbits, dangerous birds, aggressive lizards...or anxious dogs, aggressive cats, happy ferrets, hostile birds, dangerous lizards.....or hostile dogs, calm cats, anxious lizards, happy birds, sad turtles....well, you get the picture. Anyone can be anything. At ANY time. And a visit to the veterinarian's office can be a big, tricky stressor.
So, some tips:
Prey animals have eyes placed at each side of their skull. This provides a wide visual field.
Predators have forward-facing eyes, providing depth perception to help capture prey.
Prey animals have a blind spot in front of them.
Predators do not have as far of a side visual field as prey animals.
Prey have young who can stand and run shortly after birth.
Predators have young who are completely dependent on them the first few weeks.
So. Bunnies as predators then. Little bunniculas.
I kinda like that thought.
We must revisit those facts.
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Monday, June 4, 2012
Good Grief (and Real Grief)
I apologize for letting the blog go so long without an entry, but life really interfered. It does seem amazing that I couldn't carve out 10 minutes....it feels LAME to use real life as an excuse, but the fact of the matter is that although I am a master (mistress?) of coordination my poor little blog fell by the wayside.
NOT by way of an excuse, but as a sharing thing, we lost another bun on May 18 - our eldest boy Dusty. Some of you I know already know what happened. Dusty had a prolonged bout of stasis in February/March. We couldn't figure out the cause, but because he was a prolific shedder when he shed (which did seem to be all the time), it was assumed that the excess fur he ingested while grooming was the culprit. Stasis is known as the 'silent killer' in rabbits. Typically it manifests in the bun refusing to eat something it always eats. That's when the alarm bells should sound. As a way of explaining, sometimes during moulting buns will ingest a lot of fur when they groom themselves. Or at any time they can potentially eat something that shouldn't be eaten (carpet fibers, towel fibers, cushioning, etc. -rabbits are prodigious chewers and will pretty much chew ANYTHING). The excess "stuff" makes them feel full, so they don't feel the need to eat. That's the start of the problem, because they NEED to eat their hay (which has fiber) and they NEED to drink (ESSENTIAL to their health). Without those two things, well, Houston, you have a problem. Their gut motility slows down. Gas builds up -which is very painful for them and causes them to REALLY not want to eat. Plus whatever they did eat stays "stuck" because their gut is not working properly to move things along. The train is not running on the tracks like it should. Picture a train having seizures. That's what the gut system is doing.
The fluid in the bun's last meal is pulled away from the stomach/intestines to go to the major organs because of the bun's lack of drinking. What happens? Everything in the stomach and intestines becomes drier. And harder. It's still there so they still feel full. Oooooh, but painful, too. So who wants to eat or drink? They don't. And that just makes the "stuff" drier and harder -and harder to MOVE. Then you have a huge problem. A blockage.
"Stasis" can take the form of a bun still eating a little, still drinking a little, passing tiny dry stool, or pointed-end stool in fits and starts and being generally unhappy with glimmers of hope, to a bun that is passing nothing, taking in nothing, and in a critical situation. Stasis is the result of something, not the cause. So bunny owners must look at stasis as having an origin. WHAT is causing it?
Going back to Dusty, it was thought that he was ingesting a lot of fur while grooming during his shed and that that caused his stasis. That's always a possibility in buns. Or eating some foreign object. Or pain from another source (OFTEN molar spurs which can puncture the inner cheeks or lacerate the tongue -note to self** must write about molar spurs at another time), infection, stress, trauma.
Again back to the Dust Bunny and his stasis....general anorexia...maybe eat this...maybe not want that. It was the strangest thing I had ever encountered in a bun who had an appetite like King Kong. The sun might not rise but Dusty would always want to eat. You could count on it even if you couldn't count on anything else in your life.
Eventually he began to eat again but not like his old self. He lost weight and could not regain it. One morning I noticed him holding his left leg up, in pain. He could not bear weight on it. Our vet found that the area around the knee was swollen, but it didn't feel like a normal swelling. She wondered if it could be a mass. X-rays showed there was something, but it didn't involve the bone and could be just inflammation, so Dusty was put on pain reliever. At his next appointment the swelling was reduced. HURRAY!
Short lived. In a matter of days, it was back again. And he had lost more weight. Aspirations of the tissue showed red and white blood cells, signs of inflammation. There was possibly an infection somewhere in the tissue so the vet put Dusty on antibiotics.
On the night of the 18th Jimmy and I went out to eat, and when we came home had one of those "I don't like the look of this" moments. Dusty was sitting in a corner, but I didn't like how he was breathing. The difference was subtle but one of the things I learned in class was watching for an abdominal tuck as a sign of difficulty in breathing. Dusty wasn't gasping, or breathing through his mouth (which bunnies never do unless it's an emergency), but his nostrils were flaring wider and there was that tuck. It was 10:30 p.m. but I couldn't go to sleep unless I knew he was OK. So, off to the vet hospital we went.
The tech who checked him when we got there confirmed he was not breathing well and took him to put him on oxygen. The doctor came in shortly thereafter to tell me that she had listened to him and while there were noisy sounds in the upper part of his lungs, there was silence in the lower part and that had concerned her enough so she had done an X-ray. She wanted to show me what it revealed. Can you guess? Tumors. You couldn't even see his heart on the X-ray. Area in his lungs that should have been black with air were white. His esophagus was pushed up to his spine. As much as it was startling, it was comforting because it EXPLAINED the last few months.
While the doctor was gently trying to tell me how bad this looked Dusty went into cardiac arrest....and died. I gave my permission for them to stop CPR. I'm sure that if I had not brought him in we would have found him dead the next morning and never known the exact cause. At least now we knew. The consensus is that Dusty had a soft tissue cancer in his left leg that over a short course of time metastasized. Nothing we could have done even 3 months ago.
So, there is real life. And real grief in the middle of saying "Good grief! There's been so much going on I haven't gotten to my blog!" But things go on, and that's as much a part of my learning about the veterinary world of life and death as it is my own learning about life and death. The lessons continue.
NOT by way of an excuse, but as a sharing thing, we lost another bun on May 18 - our eldest boy Dusty. Some of you I know already know what happened. Dusty had a prolonged bout of stasis in February/March. We couldn't figure out the cause, but because he was a prolific shedder when he shed (which did seem to be all the time), it was assumed that the excess fur he ingested while grooming was the culprit. Stasis is known as the 'silent killer' in rabbits. Typically it manifests in the bun refusing to eat something it always eats. That's when the alarm bells should sound. As a way of explaining, sometimes during moulting buns will ingest a lot of fur when they groom themselves. Or at any time they can potentially eat something that shouldn't be eaten (carpet fibers, towel fibers, cushioning, etc. -rabbits are prodigious chewers and will pretty much chew ANYTHING). The excess "stuff" makes them feel full, so they don't feel the need to eat. That's the start of the problem, because they NEED to eat their hay (which has fiber) and they NEED to drink (ESSENTIAL to their health). Without those two things, well, Houston, you have a problem. Their gut motility slows down. Gas builds up -which is very painful for them and causes them to REALLY not want to eat. Plus whatever they did eat stays "stuck" because their gut is not working properly to move things along. The train is not running on the tracks like it should. Picture a train having seizures. That's what the gut system is doing.
The fluid in the bun's last meal is pulled away from the stomach/intestines to go to the major organs because of the bun's lack of drinking. What happens? Everything in the stomach and intestines becomes drier. And harder. It's still there so they still feel full. Oooooh, but painful, too. So who wants to eat or drink? They don't. And that just makes the "stuff" drier and harder -and harder to MOVE. Then you have a huge problem. A blockage.
"Stasis" can take the form of a bun still eating a little, still drinking a little, passing tiny dry stool, or pointed-end stool in fits and starts and being generally unhappy with glimmers of hope, to a bun that is passing nothing, taking in nothing, and in a critical situation. Stasis is the result of something, not the cause. So bunny owners must look at stasis as having an origin. WHAT is causing it?
Going back to Dusty, it was thought that he was ingesting a lot of fur while grooming during his shed and that that caused his stasis. That's always a possibility in buns. Or eating some foreign object. Or pain from another source (OFTEN molar spurs which can puncture the inner cheeks or lacerate the tongue -note to self** must write about molar spurs at another time), infection, stress, trauma.
Again back to the Dust Bunny and his stasis....general anorexia...maybe eat this...maybe not want that. It was the strangest thing I had ever encountered in a bun who had an appetite like King Kong. The sun might not rise but Dusty would always want to eat. You could count on it even if you couldn't count on anything else in your life.
Eventually he began to eat again but not like his old self. He lost weight and could not regain it. One morning I noticed him holding his left leg up, in pain. He could not bear weight on it. Our vet found that the area around the knee was swollen, but it didn't feel like a normal swelling. She wondered if it could be a mass. X-rays showed there was something, but it didn't involve the bone and could be just inflammation, so Dusty was put on pain reliever. At his next appointment the swelling was reduced. HURRAY!
Short lived. In a matter of days, it was back again. And he had lost more weight. Aspirations of the tissue showed red and white blood cells, signs of inflammation. There was possibly an infection somewhere in the tissue so the vet put Dusty on antibiotics.
On the night of the 18th Jimmy and I went out to eat, and when we came home had one of those "I don't like the look of this" moments. Dusty was sitting in a corner, but I didn't like how he was breathing. The difference was subtle but one of the things I learned in class was watching for an abdominal tuck as a sign of difficulty in breathing. Dusty wasn't gasping, or breathing through his mouth (which bunnies never do unless it's an emergency), but his nostrils were flaring wider and there was that tuck. It was 10:30 p.m. but I couldn't go to sleep unless I knew he was OK. So, off to the vet hospital we went.
The tech who checked him when we got there confirmed he was not breathing well and took him to put him on oxygen. The doctor came in shortly thereafter to tell me that she had listened to him and while there were noisy sounds in the upper part of his lungs, there was silence in the lower part and that had concerned her enough so she had done an X-ray. She wanted to show me what it revealed. Can you guess? Tumors. You couldn't even see his heart on the X-ray. Area in his lungs that should have been black with air were white. His esophagus was pushed up to his spine. As much as it was startling, it was comforting because it EXPLAINED the last few months.
While the doctor was gently trying to tell me how bad this looked Dusty went into cardiac arrest....and died. I gave my permission for them to stop CPR. I'm sure that if I had not brought him in we would have found him dead the next morning and never known the exact cause. At least now we knew. The consensus is that Dusty had a soft tissue cancer in his left leg that over a short course of time metastasized. Nothing we could have done even 3 months ago.
So, there is real life. And real grief in the middle of saying "Good grief! There's been so much going on I haven't gotten to my blog!" But things go on, and that's as much a part of my learning about the veterinary world of life and death as it is my own learning about life and death. The lessons continue.
Friday, May 4, 2012
Fascinating Tidbits on Puppies
Here are some interesting facts that I've learned recently:
During a puppy's neonatal period (birth to 10 days) is the best time to have dewclaws removed and tails docked because they cannot feel pain at this age.
EEGs taken during this period show no difference between the puppy's brain waves when he is asleep and when he is awake.
Puppies that are removed from their mothers and siblings before 7 weeks old suffer psychological scarring. They tend to be nervous, bark a lot, may bite and be aggressive towards other dogs. "They will not realize their full genetic potential as a dog or companion." (So when are puppy mill puppies separated?)
At 7-12 weeks of age puppies are little sponges. Everything that happens now will make a greater impression on them more now than ever again.
True adolescence comes between 4-8 months old.
Puppies have 2 fear imprint/impact stages. The first occurs between 8-11 weeks. The second occurs between 6-18 months.
Imagine everything that can happen.....
I find it all so interesting. Much more to come!!!
During a puppy's neonatal period (birth to 10 days) is the best time to have dewclaws removed and tails docked because they cannot feel pain at this age.
EEGs taken during this period show no difference between the puppy's brain waves when he is asleep and when he is awake.
Puppies that are removed from their mothers and siblings before 7 weeks old suffer psychological scarring. They tend to be nervous, bark a lot, may bite and be aggressive towards other dogs. "They will not realize their full genetic potential as a dog or companion." (So when are puppy mill puppies separated?)
At 7-12 weeks of age puppies are little sponges. Everything that happens now will make a greater impression on them more now than ever again.
True adolescence comes between 4-8 months old.
Puppies have 2 fear imprint/impact stages. The first occurs between 8-11 weeks. The second occurs between 6-18 months.
Imagine everything that can happen.....
I find it all so interesting. Much more to come!!!
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Preparing For A Euthanasia
Part of a recent class was devoted to preparing an exam room for a euthanasia. It's ironic because within 2 days of the class Jim and I made the difficult, but necessary decision to put one of our rabbits down. Cosmo was an elder bun whose right hip had deteriorated to the point where the ball and socket had just....dissolved. Though he was unaffected in the beginning, gradually he became more disabled. In the beginning he could still hop, even if he did lean to one side. He could still jump up on a box. He could hop down the hallway. Then we noticed him hopping less and scooting more. The lean was more pronounced. Eventually he stopped hopping entirely and just scooted when he needed to, taking longer rest stops in between. Then one day it seemed as though he was no longer even scooting. Instead he was pulling himself along by his front paws in a sort of hitching motion. In a short time his front paws took on the appearance of oars splayed out wide, and that pose helped him "paddle". A week later it seemed as though even paddling was becoming too laborious. Instead Cosmo chose to stay in his enclosure rather than explore. He could be found almost always lying on one side, curled in a backwards looking letter "C", no longer wanting to exert himself. He ate lying down. He still got so excited for treats that he would wiggle and make himself move, but we could see how difficult it was. His back end was atrophied and his body started to become twisted. Worse, the fur on the down flank wore away in a matter of days and I was afraid that his delicate skin would start to abrade and bleed and become infected.
Although he was on pain meds they were not ever going to be able to return his former quality of life to him. Cozzie, as we affectionately called him, had been reduced to a bunny grub.
And it was not fair to him to live this way.
So, we made the decision to euthanize him. According to my teachers, as hard as euthanasia is on an owner, it's also very hard on the staff of a veterinary practice, especially if they have come to know the pet well. Emotion aside there are certain protocols to be followed by the veterinary assistant(the parents and the pet go into an exam room right away, there is a soft blanket for the pet to lie on, a box of kleenex for the parents, a way for them to leave afterwards without going through a waiting area filled with people and their...alive pets. Things to ease the weight and sadness.) On the practical side there is paperwork authorizing the euthanasia and decisions about the body.
As teary as I was in the room with Cosmo in his last moments, I still found myself making a mental note of what my vet was doing, checking off items that I had recently been taught. The next day in class I think I did OK on that part of our quiz though sadly not just from what I learned studying.
RIP Cosmo Bunny. You were the BEST toy-tosser we ever had and we loved you dearly.
Although he was on pain meds they were not ever going to be able to return his former quality of life to him. Cozzie, as we affectionately called him, had been reduced to a bunny grub.
And it was not fair to him to live this way.
So, we made the decision to euthanize him. According to my teachers, as hard as euthanasia is on an owner, it's also very hard on the staff of a veterinary practice, especially if they have come to know the pet well. Emotion aside there are certain protocols to be followed by the veterinary assistant(the parents and the pet go into an exam room right away, there is a soft blanket for the pet to lie on, a box of kleenex for the parents, a way for them to leave afterwards without going through a waiting area filled with people and their...alive pets. Things to ease the weight and sadness.) On the practical side there is paperwork authorizing the euthanasia and decisions about the body.
As teary as I was in the room with Cosmo in his last moments, I still found myself making a mental note of what my vet was doing, checking off items that I had recently been taught. The next day in class I think I did OK on that part of our quiz though sadly not just from what I learned studying.
Monday, April 16, 2012
The Chemo Chronicle
Sorry for the delay. I must have been abducted by aliens.
So, where was I? Oh, chemotherapy. THIS is something.
Our recent safety protocol lessons (Remember I'm trying to reform myself with the needles? And did you see that gross arm exposed to radiation?) also included the clothing required while performing certain tasks like taking an X-ray or giving a dog a medicated bath. There are special gloves, gowns, masks, etc. for a variety of tasks, the overall goal obviously being protection from something you don't want.
Fast forward. There are some pets who come into the hospital once a week for chemotherapy treatment. (I think they are all or mostly dogs, but I'm not sure.) The chemo chemicals are delivered via IV catheter in a vein. It sounds relatively benign until you learn that the assistant who sits with the pet that is receiving treatment (to help keep it calm) is suited up like an extra in the movie "Outbreak".
You need:
and have on hand absorbent pads for all of the chemo agents, the IV catheter, etc.
This is just to SIT with the patient.
After use EVERYTHING goes into special yellow chemotherapy buckets except for the goggles (which are cleaned with alcohol). Chemotherapy waste is biohazard waste.
Patients also have 2 chemo bags; 1 for garbage, 1 for dirty towels.
Uneaten food= chemo waste. If the pet messes on the blanket it's laying on= chemo waste. Any discharge from the pet= chemo waste. All of this is segregated from everything else at the hospital and picked up by a biohazard company. Why?
Because the chemotherapy agents cause cancer if you are exposed.
So, knock me over with a feather.
So, where was I? Oh, chemotherapy. THIS is something.
Our recent safety protocol lessons (Remember I'm trying to reform myself with the needles? And did you see that gross arm exposed to radiation?) also included the clothing required while performing certain tasks like taking an X-ray or giving a dog a medicated bath. There are special gloves, gowns, masks, etc. for a variety of tasks, the overall goal obviously being protection from something you don't want.
Fast forward. There are some pets who come into the hospital once a week for chemotherapy treatment. (I think they are all or mostly dogs, but I'm not sure.) The chemo chemicals are delivered via IV catheter in a vein. It sounds relatively benign until you learn that the assistant who sits with the pet that is receiving treatment (to help keep it calm) is suited up like an extra in the movie "Outbreak".
You need:
- a chemotherapy gown (which is impermeable)
- chemotherapy gloves (thick)
- a mask (just in case)
- goggles (just in case)
and have on hand absorbent pads for all of the chemo agents, the IV catheter, etc.
This is just to SIT with the patient.
After use EVERYTHING goes into special yellow chemotherapy buckets except for the goggles (which are cleaned with alcohol). Chemotherapy waste is biohazard waste.
Patients also have 2 chemo bags; 1 for garbage, 1 for dirty towels.
Uneaten food= chemo waste. If the pet messes on the blanket it's laying on= chemo waste. Any discharge from the pet= chemo waste. All of this is segregated from everything else at the hospital and picked up by a biohazard company. Why?
Because the chemotherapy agents cause cancer if you are exposed.
So, knock me over with a feather.
Monday, April 9, 2012
Vacation Week
We had vacation from class this past week. It turned out to be a blessing because my little Escape had to spend a good part of the week in the shop, but she is back home now and good as new. Ready to bring me back to class on Tuesday.
The pets got lots of quality time. :)
Here is Keena today:
Doesn't she look thrilled to be an honorary bunny for the holiday?
Tomorrow it's back to hitting the books. Even without school work (and a car) the time filled itself with a ton of things to do.
Oh, I almost forgot! I want to share what I learned about chemotherapy. But darn it, I'm getting sleepy. It will have to wait until the next post.
Thanks, dear reader, for coming this far. There's a lot of interesting stuff ahead. I promise. (Good night!)
The pets got lots of quality time. :)
Here is Keena today:
Doesn't she look thrilled to be an honorary bunny for the holiday?
Tomorrow it's back to hitting the books. Even without school work (and a car) the time filled itself with a ton of things to do.
Oh, I almost forgot! I want to share what I learned about chemotherapy. But darn it, I'm getting sleepy. It will have to wait until the next post.
Thanks, dear reader, for coming this far. There's a lot of interesting stuff ahead. I promise. (Good night!)
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Needle Safety
OK, here's where I need retraining. For YEARS I have been doing sub-cutaneous fluids on our kidney failure pets. (These are fluids that are injected by needle under the skin, to be absorbed by the body in addition to what the pet may be taking in by mouth.) I'm talking thousands of times I've done this, and lo, and behold I have just learned that I am not recapping my needle properly at the end.
Safety protocol dictates that you do NOT recap your needle using your other hand. Rather it's a one-handed sort of scoop of the needle into the cap which you then press against something to secure it.
I'm ashamed to admit I have used both hands (one to hold the needle, the other to hold the cap and then voila! the two are joined). The danger? That you miss the cap and skewer the pad of your finger. And have I ever done this? Of course. The caps are an opaque color and you think you're headed into it and then YEEEEEOW! Your finger's on fire and spouting blood like it's been actually cut off. Really it is amazing to me that the pets don't bleed like this when they are stuck. Maybe I'll learn why.
The good news is that I have only stuck myself with lactated Ringers needles and not with something that should absolutely not be poked into my body. The stakes are raised now.
I must reform. And throw away the Bandaids in favor of better prevention.
Safety protocol dictates that you do NOT recap your needle using your other hand. Rather it's a one-handed sort of scoop of the needle into the cap which you then press against something to secure it.
I'm ashamed to admit I have used both hands (one to hold the needle, the other to hold the cap and then voila! the two are joined). The danger? That you miss the cap and skewer the pad of your finger. And have I ever done this? Of course. The caps are an opaque color and you think you're headed into it and then YEEEEEOW! Your finger's on fire and spouting blood like it's been actually cut off. Really it is amazing to me that the pets don't bleed like this when they are stuck. Maybe I'll learn why.
The good news is that I have only stuck myself with lactated Ringers needles and not with something that should absolutely not be poked into my body. The stakes are raised now.
I must reform. And throw away the Bandaids in favor of better prevention.
Friday, March 30, 2012
I'm a Safety Girl
When you think about safety in the workplace it's hard to believe that OSHA (Occupational Safety and Hazard Administration) didn't exist until 1970. Not 1870. 1970. So, you just took your chances every day you went to work. You breathed in toxic fumes (mad as a hatter), asbestos dust, cotton dust. You were exposed to lead and benzene. You died in grain elevator explosions. You handled known carcinogens and were exposed to radiation without protection. It seems hard to believe but that's exactly what happened to people EVERY day. Statistics were cited by a champion of OSHA, Rep. William Steiger, who reported that in the 25 years preceding 1970 there were 400,000 Americans KILLED in work related accidents and illnesses, and 50,000,000 (yes, 50 MILLION people -in 25 years) who suffered disabling injuries.
I mention this background because as the instructors go through all of the safety protocols in class they seems excessive. Almost over the top. But now I see why they are so stringent. The workplace before OSHA was dangerous. And it was not that long ago for a 50 year old, that's the real kicker.
There are photographs in the X-ray room at Bolton of a woman's hand in the late 1800's after being exposed to radiation while she took X-rays without protection. By the fourth photo there are fingers that had to be amputated. You can see the damage to her hand throughout. For those of you with strong stomachs who would like to see another example go to http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&ved=0CEsQFjAD&url=http%3A%2F%2Fehs.virginia.edu%2Fehs%2Fehs.rs%2Frs.documents%2FRadiation_Safety_Training_for_Safe_Use_of_Analytical_X-Ray_Equipment.doc&ei=L092T7ngFMi-2gXDycSqDQ&usg=AFQjCNEFqB1G8TEooSq3wFhpepNtGzvaUg&sig2=YwXqHO4TxNsjM24i6DCimQ and take a look at Section 5 and what happened with one hand after ONE X-ray accident.
Now that is sobering.
I mention this background because as the instructors go through all of the safety protocols in class they seems excessive. Almost over the top. But now I see why they are so stringent. The workplace before OSHA was dangerous. And it was not that long ago for a 50 year old, that's the real kicker.
There are photographs in the X-ray room at Bolton of a woman's hand in the late 1800's after being exposed to radiation while she took X-rays without protection. By the fourth photo there are fingers that had to be amputated. You can see the damage to her hand throughout. For those of you with strong stomachs who would like to see another example go to http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&ved=0CEsQFjAD&url=http%3A%2F%2Fehs.virginia.edu%2Fehs%2Fehs.rs%2Frs.documents%2FRadiation_Safety_Training_for_Safe_Use_of_Analytical_X-Ray_Equipment.doc&ei=L092T7ngFMi-2gXDycSqDQ&usg=AFQjCNEFqB1G8TEooSq3wFhpepNtGzvaUg&sig2=YwXqHO4TxNsjM24i6DCimQ and take a look at Section 5 and what happened with one hand after ONE X-ray accident.
Now that is sobering.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Answers From Last Week
The answer to the puzzler last week (3 available rooms, 5 clients -who gets a room?) did turn out to be 1) the emergency 2) the surgery appointment and 3) the on time vaccine appointment
AND
The cat with the needle that went up through the soft palate into the area between the brain hemispheres? The cat DID have to have surgery to remove the needle. If it had been left it could have continued to migrate. Yeesh.
This week was Medical Safety Data Sheets, the merits of protective clothing and other fun stuff. More good stories to come.
AND
The cat with the needle that went up through the soft palate into the area between the brain hemispheres? The cat DID have to have surgery to remove the needle. If it had been left it could have continued to migrate. Yeesh.
This week was Medical Safety Data Sheets, the merits of protective clothing and other fun stuff. More good stories to come.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
So, What Would You Do?
We had a quiz in class the other day. I did fine until the last question, then I was stumped. What would you do?
The scenario is: You are the receptionist in the vet office and you are responsible for "triaging" incoming clients. You presently have 3 rooms available. You have an emergency (laceration), a surgery drop-off, a vaccine appointment who has arrived 15 minutes late, a vaccine appointment who has arrived on time, and a vaccine appointment who is 15 minutes early. Who do you put in the 3 rooms?
My response was: 1) the emergency, 2) the surgery drop off (because there will be a vet waiting to do the surgery -assuming it is a multi-vet office-but they didn't say or not say that, uh-oh, maybe I shouldn't have assumed) and 3) the on time vaccine appointment.
I overheard one of the instructors say to the other that a lot of people did not do well with that question. So, I put it out to all of you: What would YOU do?
I will report back after next class with the answer.
Oh, here's a story for you from the instructors: Cat owner notices their cat has pooped out thread (sewing thread). Somehow realizes there would have been a needle at the other end (!) and brings the cat in. X-rays reveal the needle but not where you think it might be. Somehow the needle became unattached from the thread, poked up through the soft palate at the top of the mouth and worked its way up into the brain between the two hemispheres, right in the middle.
You know, I wonder if they just left that needle there? I'll have to find out.
The scenario is: You are the receptionist in the vet office and you are responsible for "triaging" incoming clients. You presently have 3 rooms available. You have an emergency (laceration), a surgery drop-off, a vaccine appointment who has arrived 15 minutes late, a vaccine appointment who has arrived on time, and a vaccine appointment who is 15 minutes early. Who do you put in the 3 rooms?
My response was: 1) the emergency, 2) the surgery drop off (because there will be a vet waiting to do the surgery -assuming it is a multi-vet office-but they didn't say or not say that, uh-oh, maybe I shouldn't have assumed) and 3) the on time vaccine appointment.
I overheard one of the instructors say to the other that a lot of people did not do well with that question. So, I put it out to all of you: What would YOU do?
I will report back after next class with the answer.
Oh, here's a story for you from the instructors: Cat owner notices their cat has pooped out thread (sewing thread). Somehow realizes there would have been a needle at the other end (!) and brings the cat in. X-rays reveal the needle but not where you think it might be. Somehow the needle became unattached from the thread, poked up through the soft palate at the top of the mouth and worked its way up into the brain between the two hemispheres, right in the middle.
You know, I wonder if they just left that needle there? I'll have to find out.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Behind The Scenes at the Hospital
It is a buzzing hive in back, EVERYONE is in motion. I get the feeling that the most these people ever eat are snacks on the go. No one is sitting, unless it is at a microscope.
The waiting room by contrast is deceptively quiet. A few people with appointments come in while we are learning about reception and watching the receptionist in action. She probably saved one cat's life (this from the group that had gone around before us). A woman brought a cat in wrapped in a towel, saying the cat wasn't feeling very well, and then went to go sit down and wait to be seen. The receptionist asked to take a look at the cat and immediately ascertained it was a life or death situation and ran with the cat in back to put her on oxygen.
There is a surgery finishing up as we walk back past the surgery area - a large dog has just had a splenectomy (removal of his spleen). I think it's a Golden Retriever but it's hard to tell as he is on the operating table all bundled up in blankets. His cage in the ICU is about 12 feet away and we can see it is all set up with a comforter, blood for his transfusion (apparently a splenectomy is a very bloody surgery) and other things. Two techs carry him, still bundled, and with the doctor they get him settled and hook him up to everything. Then everyone sits on the floor by his side. When we pass through again on our way back to the dog training room the two techs are both still sitting on the floor next to him, watching him intently, right by his side.
It makes me feel like there is true compassion here in the buzzy hive. I like the feeling. I like the activity. I just can't help but notice everyone here is so YOUNG.
But as Kathy Bates says in her triumphant moment in "Fried Green Tomatoes":
"Face it, girls. I'm older and I have more insurance." OK, I'll go along with that.
The waiting room by contrast is deceptively quiet. A few people with appointments come in while we are learning about reception and watching the receptionist in action. She probably saved one cat's life (this from the group that had gone around before us). A woman brought a cat in wrapped in a towel, saying the cat wasn't feeling very well, and then went to go sit down and wait to be seen. The receptionist asked to take a look at the cat and immediately ascertained it was a life or death situation and ran with the cat in back to put her on oxygen.
There is a surgery finishing up as we walk back past the surgery area - a large dog has just had a splenectomy (removal of his spleen). I think it's a Golden Retriever but it's hard to tell as he is on the operating table all bundled up in blankets. His cage in the ICU is about 12 feet away and we can see it is all set up with a comforter, blood for his transfusion (apparently a splenectomy is a very bloody surgery) and other things. Two techs carry him, still bundled, and with the doctor they get him settled and hook him up to everything. Then everyone sits on the floor by his side. When we pass through again on our way back to the dog training room the two techs are both still sitting on the floor next to him, watching him intently, right by his side.
It makes me feel like there is true compassion here in the buzzy hive. I like the feeling. I like the activity. I just can't help but notice everyone here is so YOUNG.
But as Kathy Bates says in her triumphant moment in "Fried Green Tomatoes":
"Face it, girls. I'm older and I have more insurance." OK, I'll go along with that.
Friday, March 9, 2012
Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic
Much to the chagrin of many of us most everything related to medicine, dosages, and animals' weights is on the metric system. People in this country go into a panic over the metric system. But if we can get used to buying soda by the liter then we can get used to this facet of veterinary work. We've been practicing converting pounds into kilograms (1 kg=2.2 lbs) and then determining amounts of medicine based on the dosing strengths. Not too bad if you have a calculator and take a deep breath.
Did I mention I forgot my calculator for Tuesday night's quiz? Sigh. BUT I remembered my glasses. My goal is to one of these days remember everything.
We've also been learning the names of directions on an animal's body (like caudal means towards the tail, cranial means towards the......you can do it- YES, head!- rostral means towards the nose [rhymes with nostril -easy one]). It took a bit for the body "planes" to sink in (median, transverse and dorsal) The planes divide the body into left and right hemispheres, front and back hemispheres, and top and bottom hemispheres. It was a brain sprainer in the book. Thankfully the instructors brought out a big (toy) stuffed dog for us to see it in 3-D.
We heard about a kitten who was brought in because of continuous vomiting who had actually swallowed a metal nut (from a nut and bolt set she had been playing with). Surgery was a success. And we heard about a dog with a horrible yeast infection all over its feet and in between its toes. (Also successfully treated.)
Tomorrow we go to the veterinary hospital and take a tour and shadow the staff. Oh, fun!
Did I mention I forgot my calculator for Tuesday night's quiz? Sigh. BUT I remembered my glasses. My goal is to one of these days remember everything.
We've also been learning the names of directions on an animal's body (like caudal means towards the tail, cranial means towards the......you can do it- YES, head!- rostral means towards the nose [rhymes with nostril -easy one]). It took a bit for the body "planes" to sink in (median, transverse and dorsal) The planes divide the body into left and right hemispheres, front and back hemispheres, and top and bottom hemispheres. It was a brain sprainer in the book. Thankfully the instructors brought out a big (toy) stuffed dog for us to see it in 3-D.
We heard about a kitten who was brought in because of continuous vomiting who had actually swallowed a metal nut (from a nut and bolt set she had been playing with). Surgery was a success. And we heard about a dog with a horrible yeast infection all over its feet and in between its toes. (Also successfully treated.)
Tomorrow we go to the veterinary hospital and take a tour and shadow the staff. Oh, fun!
Monday, March 5, 2012
Last Saturday's Class -Frazzle to Fun (Part1)
Halfway to the class on the highway on drizzly gray Saturday morning I realize I have left my reading glasses on the nightstand at home. Instant panic. "AAAAAUGH!" Quickly replaced by "@%#*&^?*^%!!" Oh, you young ones with keen eyes can say, "So what?" but one day, you'll realize. I can spot a mouse on the side of the highway at 500 yards, but up close the world is a headache inducing blur.
So, I had an eye pep talk. "OK, eyes, you can DO this. It's JUST a five hour class. You CAN take notes, you CAN use the new Staples calculator(courtesy of the husbun who got the large readout, bless his heart)." The more I talked, the better I felt. Then I realized I had brought chicken salad for lunch in a cute little Rubbermaid container but I forgot to pack a fork. Pep talk. "OK! You can DO this! You will use your baby carrots as utensils! "
I gave myself 45 minutes last Tuesday to get to the campus early. This morning I had 25 minutes in misty rain. (Who knew it was so hard to get out of a cozy bed?) And sans glasses and lunch fork. Sans raincoat and umbrella. Run to the building from the parking lot. The only person in sight. Burst into the computer room (had to find it) to the sight of many pairs of eyes swinging in my direction watching me choose a seat. I try to make myself feel better by saying to my seatmates "Oh, I'm just FRAZZLED this morning, I can't believe I left my glasses at home and it's just thrown me off."
The woman on my right says, "I have an extra pair of reading glasses with me. Would you like to borrow them?"
Cue the angels singing.
It's going to be O.K.
I'll figure out the carrots.
So, I had an eye pep talk. "OK, eyes, you can DO this. It's JUST a five hour class. You CAN take notes, you CAN use the new Staples calculator(courtesy of the husbun who got the large readout, bless his heart)." The more I talked, the better I felt. Then I realized I had brought chicken salad for lunch in a cute little Rubbermaid container but I forgot to pack a fork. Pep talk. "OK! You can DO this! You will use your baby carrots as utensils! "
I gave myself 45 minutes last Tuesday to get to the campus early. This morning I had 25 minutes in misty rain. (Who knew it was so hard to get out of a cozy bed?) And sans glasses and lunch fork. Sans raincoat and umbrella. Run to the building from the parking lot. The only person in sight. Burst into the computer room (had to find it) to the sight of many pairs of eyes swinging in my direction watching me choose a seat. I try to make myself feel better by saying to my seatmates "Oh, I'm just FRAZZLED this morning, I can't believe I left my glasses at home and it's just thrown me off."
The woman on my right says, "I have an extra pair of reading glasses with me. Would you like to borrow them?"
Cue the angels singing.
It's going to be O.K.
I'll figure out the carrots.
Friday, March 2, 2012
Ha Ha, Terminology
I've always thought I have a decent command of the English language. (Especially at cocktail parties.) Until I hit tonight's homework of learning 10 pages of the suffixes and prefixes and characteristics of certain words, in anticipation of tomorrow morning's class. WOW. Please pass the margarita.
What I don't know about words, WELL...
What does the prefix "Ortho" mean? Like orthopedic, orthodontist... Guess what? It means "STRAIGHT"! (Wow!)
"Nan" ="Dwarf"
"Telo"="End"
"Tetan"="Rigid, Tense"
"Noci"="Harmful"
"Crypt"="Hidden"
So a side benefit is that I am obviously learning more about language. On the flipside I wonder how I ever thought I was so smart with it.
What I don't know about words, WELL...
What does the prefix "Ortho" mean? Like orthopedic, orthodontist... Guess what? It means "STRAIGHT"! (Wow!)
"Nan" ="Dwarf"
"Telo"="End"
"Tetan"="Rigid, Tense"
"Noci"="Harmful"
"Crypt"="Hidden"
So a side benefit is that I am obviously learning more about language. On the flipside I wonder how I ever thought I was so smart with it.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
First Class (Part 2)
Tonight's class was an introduction of our teachers (3 certified vet techs and 1 veterinarian) and an overview of the course.
There are 20 of us. Mostly women. Maybe 2 who are older than I am. The rest are 20-somethings. One girl has her own farm and volunteered to bring in her mellow bunny for the bunny restraint class. I didn't volunteer any of my bunnies...not sure about that.
We are going to be starting with Terminology and Medical Records at Saturday's class. I need to bring a calculator. The last calculator I had was a Texas Instruments one back in oh, 1979. I also have to buy scrubs. Walmart it is.
The doctor was telling us how important the front desk is in the efficient running of a veterinary office. They had a recent case of an emergency call from a man whose cat had stopped breathing. He was rushing the cat in from a neighboring town. Everyone necessary at the hospital was notified, and when the man arrived they were prepared to immediately intubate. The doctor said the cat was blue. (I wonder how you can see blue with all the fur? Maybe they are looking at the gums?) Anyway, when she went to intubate she found an obstruction in the cat's throat and pulled out a 12 inch long hairball. The cat started to breathe and within minutes was up and grooming itself.
So, we have to be able to maintain our composure. Hmm. Maybe it's good we're starting with office work first.
There are 20 of us. Mostly women. Maybe 2 who are older than I am. The rest are 20-somethings. One girl has her own farm and volunteered to bring in her mellow bunny for the bunny restraint class. I didn't volunteer any of my bunnies...not sure about that.
We are going to be starting with Terminology and Medical Records at Saturday's class. I need to bring a calculator. The last calculator I had was a Texas Instruments one back in oh, 1979. I also have to buy scrubs. Walmart it is.
The doctor was telling us how important the front desk is in the efficient running of a veterinary office. They had a recent case of an emergency call from a man whose cat had stopped breathing. He was rushing the cat in from a neighboring town. Everyone necessary at the hospital was notified, and when the man arrived they were prepared to immediately intubate. The doctor said the cat was blue. (I wonder how you can see blue with all the fur? Maybe they are looking at the gums?) Anyway, when she went to intubate she found an obstruction in the cat's throat and pulled out a 12 inch long hairball. The cat started to breathe and within minutes was up and grooming itself.
So, we have to be able to maintain our composure. Hmm. Maybe it's good we're starting with office work first.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
First Class (Part 1)
Biting-nails-kind-of-nerves driving into the campus. It's been over 20 years since I've been there. It's been modernized, updated, lots of glass, new buildings. I am so out of my element. I don't recognize anything anymore. I've come early because I know I won't know where I'm going so I'm going SLOW.
The library is in the same building as the Vet Assistant class. What an awesome looking library. People hanging out in comfy chairs reading, on laptops. I can see students through the glass in the other buildings walking to and fro. I'm one of them now? WOW!
I find my building and then my classroom (great deductive abilities here). I am 20 minutes early. BUT not the only one. Already 3 people. I notice the chairs in the classroom are nicer than the last best office chair I sat in. There's a message here somewhere.
And so I take out my notebook and textbook and trusty pen (with refill in my purse just in case) and my bottle of water. And wait......
The library is in the same building as the Vet Assistant class. What an awesome looking library. People hanging out in comfy chairs reading, on laptops. I can see students through the glass in the other buildings walking to and fro. I'm one of them now? WOW!
I find my building and then my classroom (great deductive abilities here). I am 20 minutes early. BUT not the only one. Already 3 people. I notice the chairs in the classroom are nicer than the last best office chair I sat in. There's a message here somewhere.
And so I take out my notebook and textbook and trusty pen (with refill in my purse just in case) and my bottle of water. And wait......
Thursday, February 23, 2012
A New Challenge
Is it just me or do many 50 year old women start feeling the tick-tock of the life clock and decide they need to get busy living?
I've always been interested in animal medicine so next Tuesday it's "Back To School" and learning what goes on behind the scenes at a veterinary office.
Stay tuned!
I've always been interested in animal medicine so next Tuesday it's "Back To School" and learning what goes on behind the scenes at a veterinary office.
Stay tuned!
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