First day in a Vet Clinic... It's long, comments appreciated. ;)
I got into a preceptorship in a langley vet clinic; brookswood
veterinary hospital. Today was my first day doing that and I can go in for more
than I need to as well, which I just might. I enjoyed it a lot, seeing as it
was a first day I did a lot of housekeeping stuff and restraint... I missed
watching the surgery but the dr said I could have and I can any time. A
ferret had it's spleen removed and the thing was I guess the size of a
cats spleen. A little dog that was there wouldn't take a crap all day, and I
wanted him to so I could get it ready and look at it under the slide. I
wanted to see that today if there was something there. I should have
taken a look when Melissa did that in the clinic she used to work at in GP for
fergus way back haha.I loved it, there were a few shitty points... (literaly and
figuratively). I've heard a lot of stories, and read a lot of articles and reports and
whatnot... but actually seeing some anmials in the state and condition
that n entirely because of the neglect of thier owners or just
complete ignorance makes me both kinda ... sad I guess? But more pissed off...
to no end.
Courses are going well though, I worried when I went and got some test
results on the Animal behavior, and training test because apparenlty
the instructor said that afew people didn't pass... turned out I got 92. So
that was a nice surprise.
I'm going to get on canada wests heals again soon and see about doing
my practicum there, they weren't able to accomadate the preceptorship but
I'll see early on if I can do it there. If I want I will be able to do it
where I am now, and I'm getting more hands on experience in the back and
everything; which is what I wanted. I'll be having to do stuff in the front too
sooner or later but that's not bad. The Dr. there told me that I'll end up
learning a lot while I'm there so that's good.
I was there over an hour late today helping with a cat that was brought
in a little before six... one of two negletfull owners that piss me off...
the cat was skin and bones... they said it has troubles eating or keeping
food down, it's mouth was full of puss and it's teeth were horrid as well as
the breath... appearanlty it seems obvious to one of the drs that he has
heart, kidney and thyroid problems as well... as he was severely dehydrated so
I was there for that time helping get an IV set into it, helping force
feed it some liquid food to make sure it had something in its stomache.
Legs are kinda sore from standing all day but I definately want to keep
doing it.All in all things are going pretty well it seems.
--- Addie
This is the email I wrote to Melissa's mother who I still keep in contact with, she had taken a very warm interest and had been more supportive than my own mother in terms of me persueing my hopes and dreams so to speak, and has been behind me 110%, something I wish I could say about my own mom, but whatever; that's life.
Anyways to add on to that, also that today I helped do some x-rays on a chow-chow (the dogs that look like miniture bears) he was pretty well tempered and tolerant for a chow. It went well, couldn't see anything wrong with his heart appearantly so he went home. The surgery was the ferret with the spleenectomy which I was uuber interested in watching, I poked at the spleen on the tray and took a look at it. You know only for a fraction of a second did I really think about the fact that was just an organ inside of an animal, I just kept looking at it and examining what it looked like and everything.
I went on about the fact that some people make me irate when it comes to pets... the cat was bad... but we had a dog in as well, a small dog (I don't know the breed off hand, looked like a multi-poo). COMPLETE NEGLECT, the dog had dirt, puss and a horific infection in it's eyes, dirt was literally caked on there, the dogs over all health is not good, she's over weight, might have thyroid problems too. But anyways, the eyes? Tip of the iceberg, the mouth of the dog was decaying I guess is the best way to put it, the teeth are practically rotting out of it's head, and if a dental were to be done on it; it would be lucky to have any teeth left. And then the paws, they literally looked like the dog had been standing in mud non stop from september till now, the feet are generally shredded, the nails are falling apart and gangly. We clipped them and actually ended up removing 2 of the nails. The owners act completely oblivious and ignorant about that shit, same with the cat that was in at the end of the day.
I could go on for hours about the ethics and responsibilities of animals and everything but I won't. I'll say this, if you are not going to treat that animal with 110&, don't get one.
Don't ever ignore it, I know I won't because well I've gotten into the animal health field and even though it's only been one day so far, I know this is something that I want to pursue, I know this is something that I want to be doing long from now. Doubts and fears aside, I'm all into it. I looked at my watch afew times after I should have left, but at the same time I was procrastinating to leave, I was around there doing what I thought needed done, asking if there was more to do.
I've started to get more into this stuff, I thought the spleen thing would bother me, things I thought would have bothered me I just sucked it up and moved on. The fact that that dog and the cat; the most ethical solution is probably going to be euthenasia, we'll see. The blood tests for the cat will be back on monday. If the owners of that dog don't come back for a post-check up there was more than one of us saying that the SPCA should be called. "Hope" isn't enough for these animals when thier own family doesn't give them any... that's where it starts.
I'd love to make some things personal about this, but the fact is is that I'll go home, I'll vent about it, think about it and wonder how the animals are doing. And I'll damn sure do everything I can. But the I believe the thing is, is that I have to separate myself from it somewhat. The first euthenasia is going to be difficult, it may sound sick but I just want that first one done and over with. Too see it, to experience it, to see how I deal with it. Like I said, eithics come into play... those two animals today, it could very well be that is the best solution for them. But say if the big golden lab that's still in there, and the owner came back tomorrow and said "I can't look after it so just euthenize it"; something like that would bother me extremely.
Plan is one day once I go through a shitload of schooling is to have my own vet clinic, at least then I know I can set the ethics code... after having experienced it.
1. The animal is too agressive and cannot be rehabilitated.
2. The animal is so sick that keeping it alive is selfish and just painfull to the animal.
3. Birth deformities.
I'm going to find a paper of mine... Animals are probably my first and formost "love" in life I guess. I'm not a overly sensitive man but reading these things that I will post kinda made me sniffly and leaky eyed. Not blubbery ;) Just sniffly and that squeezy eyed feeling.
This only being my first day, I wasn't too overwhelmed, I had no troubles getting up with only short of 4 hrs of sleep. I was more excited about going to this than I do about a lot of things, and the nervousness went away last night which was good. Reading, and hearing about everything that goes on, but words can only do so much. As much detail as I described a lot of things in, it's nothing short to actually being there and experienceing it. :)
veterinary hospital. Today was my first day doing that and I can go in for more
than I need to as well, which I just might. I enjoyed it a lot, seeing as it
was a first day I did a lot of housekeeping stuff and restraint... I missed
watching the surgery but the dr said I could have and I can any time. A
ferret had it's spleen removed and the thing was I guess the size of a
cats spleen. A little dog that was there wouldn't take a crap all day, and I
wanted him to so I could get it ready and look at it under the slide. I
wanted to see that today if there was something there. I should have
taken a look when Melissa did that in the clinic she used to work at in GP for
fergus way back haha.I loved it, there were a few shitty points... (literaly and
figuratively). I've heard a lot of stories, and read a lot of articles and reports and
whatnot... but actually seeing some anmials in the state and condition
that n entirely because of the neglect of thier owners or just
complete ignorance makes me both kinda ... sad I guess? But more pissed off...
to no end.
Courses are going well though, I worried when I went and got some test
results on the Animal behavior, and training test because apparenlty
the instructor said that afew people didn't pass... turned out I got 92. So
that was a nice surprise.
I'm going to get on canada wests heals again soon and see about doing
my practicum there, they weren't able to accomadate the preceptorship but
I'll see early on if I can do it there. If I want I will be able to do it
where I am now, and I'm getting more hands on experience in the back and
everything; which is what I wanted. I'll be having to do stuff in the front too
sooner or later but that's not bad. The Dr. there told me that I'll end up
learning a lot while I'm there so that's good.
I was there over an hour late today helping with a cat that was brought
in a little before six... one of two negletfull owners that piss me off...
the cat was skin and bones... they said it has troubles eating or keeping
food down, it's mouth was full of puss and it's teeth were horrid as well as
the breath... appearanlty it seems obvious to one of the drs that he has
heart, kidney and thyroid problems as well... as he was severely dehydrated so
I was there for that time helping get an IV set into it, helping force
feed it some liquid food to make sure it had something in its stomache.
Legs are kinda sore from standing all day but I definately want to keep
doing it.All in all things are going pretty well it seems.
--- Addie
This is the email I wrote to Melissa's mother who I still keep in contact with, she had taken a very warm interest and had been more supportive than my own mother in terms of me persueing my hopes and dreams so to speak, and has been behind me 110%, something I wish I could say about my own mom, but whatever; that's life.
Anyways to add on to that, also that today I helped do some x-rays on a chow-chow (the dogs that look like miniture bears) he was pretty well tempered and tolerant for a chow. It went well, couldn't see anything wrong with his heart appearantly so he went home. The surgery was the ferret with the spleenectomy which I was uuber interested in watching, I poked at the spleen on the tray and took a look at it. You know only for a fraction of a second did I really think about the fact that was just an organ inside of an animal, I just kept looking at it and examining what it looked like and everything.
I went on about the fact that some people make me irate when it comes to pets... the cat was bad... but we had a dog in as well, a small dog (I don't know the breed off hand, looked like a multi-poo). COMPLETE NEGLECT, the dog had dirt, puss and a horific infection in it's eyes, dirt was literally caked on there, the dogs over all health is not good, she's over weight, might have thyroid problems too. But anyways, the eyes? Tip of the iceberg, the mouth of the dog was decaying I guess is the best way to put it, the teeth are practically rotting out of it's head, and if a dental were to be done on it; it would be lucky to have any teeth left. And then the paws, they literally looked like the dog had been standing in mud non stop from september till now, the feet are generally shredded, the nails are falling apart and gangly. We clipped them and actually ended up removing 2 of the nails. The owners act completely oblivious and ignorant about that shit, same with the cat that was in at the end of the day.
I could go on for hours about the ethics and responsibilities of animals and everything but I won't. I'll say this, if you are not going to treat that animal with 110&, don't get one.
Don't ever ignore it, I know I won't because well I've gotten into the animal health field and even though it's only been one day so far, I know this is something that I want to pursue, I know this is something that I want to be doing long from now. Doubts and fears aside, I'm all into it. I looked at my watch afew times after I should have left, but at the same time I was procrastinating to leave, I was around there doing what I thought needed done, asking if there was more to do.
I've started to get more into this stuff, I thought the spleen thing would bother me, things I thought would have bothered me I just sucked it up and moved on. The fact that that dog and the cat; the most ethical solution is probably going to be euthenasia, we'll see. The blood tests for the cat will be back on monday. If the owners of that dog don't come back for a post-check up there was more than one of us saying that the SPCA should be called. "Hope" isn't enough for these animals when thier own family doesn't give them any... that's where it starts.
I'd love to make some things personal about this, but the fact is is that I'll go home, I'll vent about it, think about it and wonder how the animals are doing. And I'll damn sure do everything I can. But the I believe the thing is, is that I have to separate myself from it somewhat. The first euthenasia is going to be difficult, it may sound sick but I just want that first one done and over with. Too see it, to experience it, to see how I deal with it. Like I said, eithics come into play... those two animals today, it could very well be that is the best solution for them. But say if the big golden lab that's still in there, and the owner came back tomorrow and said "I can't look after it so just euthenize it"; something like that would bother me extremely.
Plan is one day once I go through a shitload of schooling is to have my own vet clinic, at least then I know I can set the ethics code... after having experienced it.
1. The animal is too agressive and cannot be rehabilitated.
2. The animal is so sick that keeping it alive is selfish and just painfull to the animal.
3. Birth deformities.
I'm going to find a paper of mine... Animals are probably my first and formost "love" in life I guess. I'm not a overly sensitive man but reading these things that I will post kinda made me sniffly and leaky eyed. Not blubbery ;) Just sniffly and that squeezy eyed feeling.
This only being my first day, I wasn't too overwhelmed, I had no troubles getting up with only short of 4 hrs of sleep. I was more excited about going to this than I do about a lot of things, and the nervousness went away last night which was good. Reading, and hearing about everything that goes on, but words can only do so much. As much detail as I described a lot of things in, it's nothing short to actually being there and experienceing it. :)