Since we didn't have a marching band show or football game today, I finally had a weekend off. So of course I headed to the animal hospital to get some shadowing hours. There was a relief vet working there today, but she was more than happy to teach me things and have me follow her around. She is recently out of vet school (3 years) and graduated from my home state school. She intended to go into large animal and food animal work but has ended up just going with family and job security and doing small animal. I also found out that she is involved in FFA, specifically with the high school I graduated from (yes, I was in FFA). The teacher who runs it taught the small animal care and management and veterinary medicine classes that I was lucky enough to be able to take in high school. He was a great guy, and probably one of the few teachers who both inspired me and challenged me in HS. It was like a mini trip down memory lane to chat with her about things. I was very impressed that she did so much- works part time at a hospital, is a relief vet for two others, does the FFA bit, and was heading to the Frederick Fair later this evening to help out with things there. Pretty impressive!
Anyway, the day was full of a lot of sick cats... we had cats that threw up, cats that diarrhea'd, chronicly cconstipated cats (talk about an enlarged colon), anemic cats, cats with giant holes in their faces, cats with terrible teeth, cats with cysts, and kittens being tested for Fe-Leuk. (man can they scream). Good thing I love cats! I got to hold a lot more animals than last week, since they know me a little better now and the relief vet (I will refer to her as Dr. R), kept giving me things to do, which I really liked. So I got to count pills, hold animals, interact with clients, check out microscope slides, that sort of thing.
Some other notable events were a euthanasia on a poor old dog who was going through chemo and couldn't handle it anymore (very sad), x-rays on a dog that appeared to have either lymphoma or a sarcoma on the spleen, and a puppy that had contracted distemper and been treated for it awhile ago. The puppy was an abnormality- usually animals that contract distemper are put down, as it is a virus that affects the brain and causes severe, life-long side affects (as well as being extremely infectious). This pup had been treated instead, but the owner was worried because it now had visible, constant attention tremors, and was having daily seizures. These will last for the rest of it's life, and possibly get worse with age. The puppy was also rather deformed (it's mother was a rescue), and just looked very pathetic... it walked with almost all of its "ankles" on the ground, as if the ligaments had never strengthened, and it's back legs were very crooked. It's spine also appeared to be somewhat misshapen. They put it on some seizure medicine, but it was quite a sad case, especially since the disease can be so easily prevented with the vaccine.
On academic notes, I took my first physics exam yesterday, and I feel like I rocked it. I also turned in my first paper for my English class, and this coming week I have my first organic chemistry exam (Wednesday), so I have become a study-holic. Tonight I have to head up to see a play for one of my classes, and then I am taking the night off and going to the school Swing Dance. Jer is going to come up and watch the animals tonight so I can stay up at school and not have to worry (very nice of him). I probably won't make it to the hospital but for a few hours next week (if that), just because of a very busy schedule and a ton of meetings.
Sorry not to have posted too much lately, but I figure not many people want to hear about my hours of studying and doing homework, or scrambling to keep up with things around the house amidst my constant running. I'm surviving, but things have felt somewhat overwhelming these last two weeks. I'm sure it's only going to get worse... this week I am also farm sitting for 5 horses and 2 dogs, and this coming weekend I have both a competition in Allentown, PA (which will take all day), and a football game. I have to come home in between/around events so I can take care of all the animals! But I am making some money, which is fantastic and needed, especially since once again my job hasn't paid me for two months. Such is life.
~Melissa
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