What a great introduction to the ER! I got to meet two of the ER vets (since I was there for a portion of each shift), and five techs (one of whom is actually a cousin I had never met before). We had a ton of cases in the 7 hours I was there including:
- Ruptured anal glands
- A dog who ingested pot cookies (and also, a McDonald's breakfast sandwich- found that in her vomit)
- A cat with saddle thrombosis (very, very sad)
- A very old cat with blood in his urine, hyperthyroidism and a huge mass in the abdomen
- A small dog who fell down the stairs (he just had a soft tissue injury)
- A chihuahua with possible hydrocephalus and definitely some sort of neurological issue
- A dog with a foot abscess filled with blood
- A dog that ripped his stitches out from a tumor removal
- A puppy who ate rat poison
- A diabetic dog who was vomiting (pancreatitis was revealed with bloodwork)
The hospital was very well-organized and I was quite impressed with the two vets I shadowed- they knew their stuff and were very good with the clients (even when one screamed at a vet to "get the *&^% out of the room"). The worst part for me is that I can't touch any of the patients since I haven't been vaccinated for rabies and it's an emergency hospital, so often the vaccine history is unknown or nil. So even when they just need an extra hand, I can't lend it, which sucks. I can't feel masses, listen to murmurs, restrain, or assist with much besides wiping up the floor and drawing up some meds, and the techs/vets are obviously not as used to having shadowers around as the small animal hospital. I guess I got spoiled there. I will get used to it though, and it is a very valuable experience. I'll give some more details in the morning about the cases (if anyone out there is actually interested).
For now, I'm hitting the sack!
~Melissa
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