Well... My day has had it's ups and downs. I cut a lot of my hair off this morning (over 5 inches), and now have it above my shoulders. I'm pretty fond of it this way! I needed a change.
I also got back my physics exam and did much better than expected (yay for an A!). However, I also found out that I didn't get the dairy internship, which is pretty disappointing, since that is the one I really wanted. I should know about the FDA internship by mid-March, and I'm fairly certain that the deadline for the NIH recipients has already passed, so this one is really my last bet. If nothing pays out, I might be applying to work at Petsmart, Petco or anywhere that will take me. Not exactly what I want to do this Summer, but sometimes we just have to bite the bullet.
Tomorrow morning I am headed to the APVMA National Symposium in Florida with 6 other members of the pre-vet club. The school is footing the bill 100%, so I'm definitely happy about that! It should be a fantastic experience. We are staying at the Hilton, and will have a dinner/welcome on Friday evening, all day at the CVM on Saturday attending labs and lectures, and another dinner/social that night. Friday includes pre-vet olympics which should be... interesting.
I am pretty worried since I have my cell mid-term on Tuesday, and the last exam wasn't stellar. I have already started studying, but I'm extremely nervous. My plane rides will be full of intense study-time. Wish me luck!
~Melissa
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Saturday Night Fever
On Saturday I was in to the ER again. It was a pretty busy night once things got rolling! I was in for 7.5 hours, and on my feet for almost the whole time. The cases included a 10 week old puppy that swallowed a nut (like a nuts and bolts nut), a pom that ate chocolate (but not enough to need to vomit), a cat with a very low temp (92!) whom we also found out was in kidney failure, a dog with HGE (Hemorrhagic Gastroenteritis), a cat who was recovering from a blockage, an old dog who was being hospitalized overnight to euthanize in the morning when the family could come in, a dog with a huge splenic mass (diagnosed over 6 months ago), who had started to go downhill and we ended up euthanizing, a dog with a prolapsed rectum, and a patient whom I recognized from elsewhere.
The vet on staff was really good with explaining things to me between crises, and she told me about HGE in detail, which was very awesome for me. I love learning about new things, and HGE reminded me somewhat of the nature of IBS in humans... that is, it is more of a symptom than a cause, but there are ways to treat it (the symptom), and get it under control so that you can find the cause.
The diabetic dog (the one I recognized) was a very good lesson in client interaction. The owner is interesting. Her dog is 5.5 years old, HUGE, a diabetic, and has cataracts. She has spent a lot of money on him, getting him to an okay place, but is pretty bad with regulating his diabetes. They won't operate on the cataracts until his diabetes in under control, so the poor thing can't see too well. Her appointment at the ER was because the dog hadn't laid down all day and seemed very uncomfortable. The doctor spent a lot of time convincing her that because of his diabetes, it was really important to figure out what was going on. Once we were able to get bloodwork and urine on him, it showed that he had both pancreatitis and a UTI, very common things in diabetics. To convince her to let the dog be hospitalized was like pulling teeth. She obviously did not want to be separated from him. The vet had to explain at least 4 times why this was such a big deal and what needed to be done. Finally, she signed the estimate, remarking at different times, "It's all about the money isn't it?" "Did you read the article in the Times this morning? It's about hospitals ripping people off" and best of all, "It must have been those antibiotics Dr. Regular Vet put him on, they had to cause the UTI." She was a very grumpy woman, but she did what was right for the dog, and assured him she would be back at 6 am to check on him and visit with him.
What did this teach me? Patience. I think the ER is a wonderful place to see client interactions because it is a high-stress situation. The owners don't know what is wrong, are often unable, unwilling or unprepared for the fees, and they are emotional. It takes a special person to work in that environment and be able to calm them down, explain things to them at a level they can understand and accept, and sometimes even coax a smile. Quite often you are delivering awful news to owners, and being able to do so in the right manner can make all the difference. I have a lot of respect for it, and I hope that I am absorbing as much as I feel I am there.
~Melissa
The vet on staff was really good with explaining things to me between crises, and she told me about HGE in detail, which was very awesome for me. I love learning about new things, and HGE reminded me somewhat of the nature of IBS in humans... that is, it is more of a symptom than a cause, but there are ways to treat it (the symptom), and get it under control so that you can find the cause.
The diabetic dog (the one I recognized) was a very good lesson in client interaction. The owner is interesting. Her dog is 5.5 years old, HUGE, a diabetic, and has cataracts. She has spent a lot of money on him, getting him to an okay place, but is pretty bad with regulating his diabetes. They won't operate on the cataracts until his diabetes in under control, so the poor thing can't see too well. Her appointment at the ER was because the dog hadn't laid down all day and seemed very uncomfortable. The doctor spent a lot of time convincing her that because of his diabetes, it was really important to figure out what was going on. Once we were able to get bloodwork and urine on him, it showed that he had both pancreatitis and a UTI, very common things in diabetics. To convince her to let the dog be hospitalized was like pulling teeth. She obviously did not want to be separated from him. The vet had to explain at least 4 times why this was such a big deal and what needed to be done. Finally, she signed the estimate, remarking at different times, "It's all about the money isn't it?" "Did you read the article in the Times this morning? It's about hospitals ripping people off" and best of all, "It must have been those antibiotics Dr. Regular Vet put him on, they had to cause the UTI." She was a very grumpy woman, but she did what was right for the dog, and assured him she would be back at 6 am to check on him and visit with him.
What did this teach me? Patience. I think the ER is a wonderful place to see client interactions because it is a high-stress situation. The owners don't know what is wrong, are often unable, unwilling or unprepared for the fees, and they are emotional. It takes a special person to work in that environment and be able to calm them down, explain things to them at a level they can understand and accept, and sometimes even coax a smile. Quite often you are delivering awful news to owners, and being able to do so in the right manner can make all the difference. I have a lot of respect for it, and I hope that I am absorbing as much as I feel I am there.
~Melissa
Birth and Death
This is more a blog of cute pictures than anything else :)
On Sunday we headed out to the goat farm, and got there just in time to see a birth! One of the kid's front legs was twisted slightly, and it had to be rotated. The kid then came out, slimy and cute. I got to help towel it off, and held it while it's umbilicus was cut and treated with iodine dip. There was a twin to it that took about a half hour coming out, but unfortunately this little was unable to take it's first breath. It's heart was still beating, but despite what the vet was able to do, he couldn't get the little thing to breathe. It died very quickly after entering the world. It was the first dead kid of the year for them, so it was kinda disappointing. They toweled it off and laid it outside, to bury later in the day.
We got to play with the other babies, and one of them had bowed tendons in it's front legs, so they got splinted (something the vet had done in the past which had worked well). We also got to see ultrasounds, feet trimming, and got some more goat milk to drink! Here are some cute pictures:
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| The live twin, super cute! He was trying to nuzzle my jacket |
We got to play with the other babies, and one of them had bowed tendons in it's front legs, so they got splinted (something the vet had done in the past which had worked well). We also got to see ultrasounds, feet trimming, and got some more goat milk to drink! Here are some cute pictures:
Remi's Results
Sorry I'm a bit behind! I'm going to update on my experiences in a couple steps, so that y'all don't get bored :) So on Thursday we took Rem over to Doc's office to get checked out for her strange urinary incontinence issue. We did x-rays to look for bladder stones (which were suspicious), and an ultrasound to confirm/reject. We couldn't find anything, which was very good, and we also got a shot with her hips in it, which was also nice. Since she is my dog, I can actually show them to you! We then drew her blood and Doc told me that he thought she had a common problem among dogs her age who have been spayed, wherein they leak only when they are sleeping. This made sense when coupled with the evidence that we have seen, and he prescribed us diethylstilbestrol.It came in today, so Jared is going to go pick it up. After seeing how bad her hips are, we are getting her right on Cosequin DS (something we had talked about for awhile but put off due to the expense). She could really use the surgery where they cut off the head of the femur, but the price and the fact that it would be both hips is just too much for us to be able to do. The breeder was originally supposed to have it done for us, but it just never happened. Hopefully in a few years I will have saved it up before it is too late.
Also, I got to draw her blood! Since she was my dog I was allowed to, and Doc instructed me. I felt kinda bad because I had to stab her a couple times before I got in the vein, but it just made me want to learn how to do it right, and get some more practice!
I know I have a huge bill coming, but it isn't as much as it would have been if we had taken her to an animal hospital, and it was worth it to make sure there wasn't anything bad going on. We also got a really nice look at all of her organs and were assured that she is very healthy, minus the hips.
Here are her X-rays:
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| From web-dvm.net |
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| You can see her badly shaped hip cups in this view. |
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Thursday Day Off
Every other Thursday I have the day off due to my class schedule, which is wonderful. It gives me the time to catch up on housework and homework. I only have some light reading today and a few problems, so hopefully only about 4-5 hours of homework to do. The housework has been kept up by sun-and-stars lately (bizarre as that is), and I have been loving coming home to a semi-clean house every day. His standards aren't quite up to mine, but it is one less thing I have to worry about on a daily basis, and I very much appreciate the help.
Taz's neck has cleared up, which I am very happy to see. Of course, we took Rem-dog's urine in because I thought she might have a UTI (she has leaked a few times in the past couple of week, which is pretty weird for her), and they found excess phosphate crystals in it, but no infection. That means ultrasounds and/or x-rays to see if she has bladder stones, and possibly surgery if she does and they are large enough. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it's nothing.
So my day looks like homework, cleaning stalls, maybe taking Rem over to get looked at, and heading up to school in the evening to drive wanna-be SPCA volunteers to the shelter. We had over 30 students sign up to get oriented (which I know will be overwhelming for the shelter, unfortunately). Friday I will be up there again helping with their spay and neuter clinic, Saturday I will be shadowing at the ER, and Sunday I will be heading out to the goat farm to meet the new baby goats! So I have a very fun, animal-filled tail end to my week.
~Melissa
Taz's neck has cleared up, which I am very happy to see. Of course, we took Rem-dog's urine in because I thought she might have a UTI (she has leaked a few times in the past couple of week, which is pretty weird for her), and they found excess phosphate crystals in it, but no infection. That means ultrasounds and/or x-rays to see if she has bladder stones, and possibly surgery if she does and they are large enough. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it's nothing.
So my day looks like homework, cleaning stalls, maybe taking Rem over to get looked at, and heading up to school in the evening to drive wanna-be SPCA volunteers to the shelter. We had over 30 students sign up to get oriented (which I know will be overwhelming for the shelter, unfortunately). Friday I will be up there again helping with their spay and neuter clinic, Saturday I will be shadowing at the ER, and Sunday I will be heading out to the goat farm to meet the new baby goats! So I have a very fun, animal-filled tail end to my week.
~Melissa
Monday, February 18, 2013
Lab Partner Woes
Having a bad lab partner is like missing a couple fingers. I have so far had to track down mine over three times in the last week, and she has been everywhere from 15 minutes to an hour and a half late for every time we have met to work on our papers. It wouldn't be a big deal if I wasn't a commuter student and could just go home and work on other things... but I'm not. So I just waste time.
Had an orgo exam today, and felt really good about it. And I found out today that our cell exam grades will be curved at least a couple points, which should get me a B-. I will take that with a smile.
Also, I fell into a horse fence on Saturday and fried my phone, so I currently have no contacts, and an old hand-me-down phone from a neighbor. I have a reputation as a serial phone killer, but I didn't actually DO anything to this one... it didn't get dropped in a horse trough, in a toilet, stepped on by a 1200 lb animal, dropped on a tile floor, nothing. It just happened to be on me when I, clutz that I am, had my boot sucked off in the mud, and fell forward onto the fence. I'm going to try to get the info recovered so that I can have my life back (and the numbers of all the SPCA volunteers, vets I've shadowed, people I have known since childhood, etc.). I'm not sure if that will be possible though.
The vets didn't know what was up with Taz, but they think it is some sort of under-the-skin infection. He got an injectable antibiotic and Depo for the inflammation. Hoping that one of the two takes care of it! It was really good to see all the techs and vets at the animal hospital. I actually miss being there quite a lot.
Anyway, back to working on my papers due this week.
~Melissa
Had an orgo exam today, and felt really good about it. And I found out today that our cell exam grades will be curved at least a couple points, which should get me a B-. I will take that with a smile.
Also, I fell into a horse fence on Saturday and fried my phone, so I currently have no contacts, and an old hand-me-down phone from a neighbor. I have a reputation as a serial phone killer, but I didn't actually DO anything to this one... it didn't get dropped in a horse trough, in a toilet, stepped on by a 1200 lb animal, dropped on a tile floor, nothing. It just happened to be on me when I, clutz that I am, had my boot sucked off in the mud, and fell forward onto the fence. I'm going to try to get the info recovered so that I can have my life back (and the numbers of all the SPCA volunteers, vets I've shadowed, people I have known since childhood, etc.). I'm not sure if that will be possible though.
The vets didn't know what was up with Taz, but they think it is some sort of under-the-skin infection. He got an injectable antibiotic and Depo for the inflammation. Hoping that one of the two takes care of it! It was really good to see all the techs and vets at the animal hospital. I actually miss being there quite a lot.
Anyway, back to working on my papers due this week.
~Melissa
Saturday, February 16, 2013
My Unshining Moment
This past week has been pretty hectic. I had my very first cell exam on Friday, and, knowing the difficulty of the Professor's exams from other students, I took it very seriously. I had been keeping up with the textbook reading, and felt good about class, but I re-read the book, took notes and made notecards from everything I had learned, and studied with a few other people to really solidify things. I took it yesterday afternoon, and didn't feel so bad about it when I left. There had been four or five questions that I felt a little iffy on (things that seemed to come out of left field), but overall, it wasn't horrible. Heck, it was the first multiple choice exam I've taken in college, and that had to count for something, right?
Well the professor sent out the grade distribution yesterday, and the class average was a 71%. Two people scraped A's with 90's, and 11 students got B's. The other 45 students got C's or below. The worst grade was a 45%. That warned me ahead of time, as did my two best friends in the class letting me know what they got... above the average but not by much, and they were only one point away from each other. So I pretty much knew what I was getting before I got the email. It still hurt though. My first C in college (well, ever), and on an exam I had thought I had done well on. If I had gotten one more question right, I would have scraped a B, which is at least an acceptable grade. I still feel like I have learned a lot in the first part of the class, and I'm sure I will continue learning, but boy did that put a damper on my weekend... It's not the end of the world though. It is after all, just an exam, not an evaluation of me, and I am determined not to let it mess me up.
Yesterday afternoon the PVC took some pre-vet and pre-health kids to meet a veterinary neurologist down the road. He lives about 5 minutes from my house, and is best friends with Doc (the equine vet), and one of my cousins as well, so I have met him a few times. He has a beautiful hospital and rehab center, and was very interesting to talk to. He is quite atypical for a vet, but perhaps not for a surgeon. I think everyone else enjoyed him as much as I did- we were all rolling in laughter throughout the hour and a half we were there, and he gave some really good advice about vet school, neurology, and even just about life. He is pretty eccentric, dropped the F-bomb at least 10 times, and made some political comments that had me wincing, but it all added to the enjoyment of the experience. It was very nice for him to take the time out of his day to have us up, as I know it really is quite a feat to make that happen sometimes. These are the times I wish we had money to pay our speakers back!
While we were there, I asked him if he would mind if I shadowed him sometime, and he said yes! So I might look into doing that in the upcoming year/Summer. It is so close to my house that it would be silly not to, and I would get to see a ton of brain and back surgeries (as this is the bulk of what he does). I have this bizarre thirst to see as many sides of vet medicine as I can, not because I don't know what I want to do, but because it is so interesting! Everything is applicable to everything else, I am constantly learning about new and better ways to do things, and the differences between practices.
Today starts the next hectic stint for papers and exams. I have to work on a lab paper at one with my lab partner (who, so far, is not working out well), due Tuesday. I also have to study for my organic exam on Monday, and finish a paper due Wednesday. And I'm taking Taz to the vet to have his chest looked at, as I feel some suspicious lumps that I'm hoping are not mass cell tumors. On the bright side, tonight is Snowball at the college (yes, it is actually a ball) and I'm pretty pumped about that. We have a live jazz band and Swing music for half the night, and a DJ for the other half. Along with a candy bar, a chocolate fountain and a photo booth this year! Stay tuned for pictures :)
Well the professor sent out the grade distribution yesterday, and the class average was a 71%. Two people scraped A's with 90's, and 11 students got B's. The other 45 students got C's or below. The worst grade was a 45%. That warned me ahead of time, as did my two best friends in the class letting me know what they got... above the average but not by much, and they were only one point away from each other. So I pretty much knew what I was getting before I got the email. It still hurt though. My first C in college (well, ever), and on an exam I had thought I had done well on. If I had gotten one more question right, I would have scraped a B, which is at least an acceptable grade. I still feel like I have learned a lot in the first part of the class, and I'm sure I will continue learning, but boy did that put a damper on my weekend... It's not the end of the world though. It is after all, just an exam, not an evaluation of me, and I am determined not to let it mess me up.
Yesterday afternoon the PVC took some pre-vet and pre-health kids to meet a veterinary neurologist down the road. He lives about 5 minutes from my house, and is best friends with Doc (the equine vet), and one of my cousins as well, so I have met him a few times. He has a beautiful hospital and rehab center, and was very interesting to talk to. He is quite atypical for a vet, but perhaps not for a surgeon. I think everyone else enjoyed him as much as I did- we were all rolling in laughter throughout the hour and a half we were there, and he gave some really good advice about vet school, neurology, and even just about life. He is pretty eccentric, dropped the F-bomb at least 10 times, and made some political comments that had me wincing, but it all added to the enjoyment of the experience. It was very nice for him to take the time out of his day to have us up, as I know it really is quite a feat to make that happen sometimes. These are the times I wish we had money to pay our speakers back!
While we were there, I asked him if he would mind if I shadowed him sometime, and he said yes! So I might look into doing that in the upcoming year/Summer. It is so close to my house that it would be silly not to, and I would get to see a ton of brain and back surgeries (as this is the bulk of what he does). I have this bizarre thirst to see as many sides of vet medicine as I can, not because I don't know what I want to do, but because it is so interesting! Everything is applicable to everything else, I am constantly learning about new and better ways to do things, and the differences between practices.
Today starts the next hectic stint for papers and exams. I have to work on a lab paper at one with my lab partner (who, so far, is not working out well), due Tuesday. I also have to study for my organic exam on Monday, and finish a paper due Wednesday. And I'm taking Taz to the vet to have his chest looked at, as I feel some suspicious lumps that I'm hoping are not mass cell tumors. On the bright side, tonight is Snowball at the college (yes, it is actually a ball) and I'm pretty pumped about that. We have a live jazz band and Swing music for half the night, and a DJ for the other half. Along with a candy bar, a chocolate fountain and a photo booth this year! Stay tuned for pictures :)
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Just Because I Have Horses...
Doesn't mean they are rideable. Nor does it mean that I want every person who has ever met me to decide at some point that they want to come ride my horse and bug me incessantly about it. Yes, I will lead around a few of my friends who I offer it to, and those with horse experience and horse sense can take her out for a spin. If I don't offer it, don't assume just because I am a nice person that I am going to instantly make your dream of riding a horse one day come true, and please don't continually ask me after I say no. My horse is not a well-behaved show pony. My horse is nuts.
~Melissa
~Melissa
Saturday, February 9, 2013
An Ibuprofen-Filled Night
Ibuprofen can be a really good thing. For people, that is. But when dogs get into it, bad things happen. At 1/2 mg/kg it is toxic. The more the dog ingests and absorbs, the worse it gets. One of the animals at the ER tonight was in for his last day of intensive care. He had gotten one pill, and by the time the owner got him to the ER and they induced vomiting (about 45 minutes after consumption), he had already absorbed it. Thus he was in for three days of monitoring and intensive care. He was throwing up blood at one point, but overall he recovered really darn well, with none of the very intense neurological symptoms or the renal failure that can occur without proper treatment. So he got to go home this evening, along with medication for a UTI, which they found during his stay.
Our second ibuprofen dog of the night was a much larger dog. The owner called in a panic, saying an entire bottle got dropped on the floor, and they didn't know how much the dog did or didn't get. As the dog arrived and phone calls were made, it was revealed that the dog had done this over 2 hours ago, that the owners (based on advice from a "dog expert" friend) had fed it a large amount of hydrogen peroxide and... salt(?), to try to induce vomiting, and had only conceded to bring it in when these failed. They were extremely concerned about how much money the trip would take, and even after having all the consequences explained to them, they decided after being at the office for an hour that the dog didn't actually ingest any and they were going to take their chances at home without treatment.
Other interesting cases included two minor surgeries (one a badly cut leg/pad that had to be sutured, and one a re-stitching of a surgery site that had been damaged); a dog in congestive heart failure, a cat with a hugely swollen head and Horner's Syndrome, a beagle who had fallen over in a complete trance in the middle of running through the woods, and a hit by car who was doing really well.
I also got some homework done in the calm periods, which was definitely needed!
Oh, and students miraculously started signing up for the goat farm yesterday, as well as the SPCA spay and neuter clinics, and our trip to a local neurology hospital. Definitely lifted my spirits to see that!
~Melissa
Our second ibuprofen dog of the night was a much larger dog. The owner called in a panic, saying an entire bottle got dropped on the floor, and they didn't know how much the dog did or didn't get. As the dog arrived and phone calls were made, it was revealed that the dog had done this over 2 hours ago, that the owners (based on advice from a "dog expert" friend) had fed it a large amount of hydrogen peroxide and... salt(?), to try to induce vomiting, and had only conceded to bring it in when these failed. They were extremely concerned about how much money the trip would take, and even after having all the consequences explained to them, they decided after being at the office for an hour that the dog didn't actually ingest any and they were going to take their chances at home without treatment.
Other interesting cases included two minor surgeries (one a badly cut leg/pad that had to be sutured, and one a re-stitching of a surgery site that had been damaged); a dog in congestive heart failure, a cat with a hugely swollen head and Horner's Syndrome, a beagle who had fallen over in a complete trance in the middle of running through the woods, and a hit by car who was doing really well.
I also got some homework done in the calm periods, which was definitely needed!
Oh, and students miraculously started signing up for the goat farm yesterday, as well as the SPCA spay and neuter clinics, and our trip to a local neurology hospital. Definitely lifted my spirits to see that!
~Melissa
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Looking Forward to Summer...
The search for Summer internships is on... So far I have applied for three. One is at the NCI Animal Health Lab, one is with the FDA and is regulatory research related, and the last one is at... well... a 2000+ milker dairy farm. All of them would be steadily paid (anything from $4,000-$11,000), which is something I haven't experienced in awhile (besides the cleaning job). I'm still searching for more, but am somewhat limited by the fact that I have to stay at home. Not only can I not afford to rent an apartment and pay for utilities at the house (and it just seems stupid), but I also doubt I could find somewhere that would let me take my menagerie. I am really keeping my fingers crossed about these- I think any of them would be an extremely valuable experience and look great on a resume
Part of me really wants the dairy farm internship. If only because I would actually get to palpate thousands of cows and spend my days surrounded by spots and some of the most high-tech milking set-up in the U.S. I feel like this would be really useful in the future (not that the others wouldn't!). Plus it's 20 minutes away, and let's face it, I'm a homebody.
If I don't get any of them, I think I'm going to try to shadow a USDA vet for MD or PA. One of the local labs I contacted gave me all the info to do so (since the vet in charge was unable to host me herself). I was inspired by Elliot Garber's guest post (read more here). Or I'll just split my time between dairy cattle, equine vet med and a real job. There are limitless options.
Do you have any plans for the Summer?
Part of me really wants the dairy farm internship. If only because I would actually get to palpate thousands of cows and spend my days surrounded by spots and some of the most high-tech milking set-up in the U.S. I feel like this would be really useful in the future (not that the others wouldn't!). Plus it's 20 minutes away, and let's face it, I'm a homebody.
If I don't get any of them, I think I'm going to try to shadow a USDA vet for MD or PA. One of the local labs I contacted gave me all the info to do so (since the vet in charge was unable to host me herself). I was inspired by Elliot Garber's guest post (read more here). Or I'll just split my time between dairy cattle, equine vet med and a real job. There are limitless options.
Do you have any plans for the Summer?
Monday, February 4, 2013
Goat Farm!
On Sunday I took two of the other pre-vet girls to the goat farm. It was really interesting, since we got to see the milking process, all of the equipment for sanitation, pasteurizing and bottling, and the herd health checks. The set up is really neat since it is made for a single person to be able to do it on their own, and is extremely efficient. After watching the milking, we got a tour of the farm and the different goats and pens that they have, and they did some in-hand breeding of a couple they are working on getting pregnant. We then did ultrasound pre-checks on about five goats. They coolest moment was when one of the fetuses was kicking during the ultrasound and you could see it's leg going! I'm sure that will be a feisty baby. We also learned how to trim hooves and deworm goats. The goats there are all super friendly, since they have been raised on the farm and with a lot of attention, so that was quite nice on top of it. The kidding starts on the 20th, so after that we will get to see a lot of babies. They mentioned that next week anyone who comes out would probably get to help with vaccinations and feet trimming, as well as anything else that needs to be done. I had a really good time, and I think the others did too.
I am pretty concerned that no one is signing up though. I really thought people would be interested in going at least once, for the novelty of the experience if nothing else. Instead, it seems as if no is interested but three people who have signed up to go multiple times. Of the 20+ in the club, that is pretty sad to me, as well as the fact that it is also somewhat embarrassing. None of the other officers have even signed up. When I work with local vets and persons who I have a working/shadowing relationship with to bring the opportunities to the club, it pretty much sucks when I then have to cancel because no one was interested. That is one of the downsides of being a local student. I guess I will just have to stick to purely cats and dogs in the future, since that is primarily what students seem to be interested in.
Well, maybe people will sign up later in the week and I'm just being pessimistic. I certainly hope so! Seven people have already signed on to help out with spay and neuter clinics at the SPCA, so that is good at least.
Jared actually met me up at school after class today and we went up to the SPCA to look at one of the dogs there. He has been talking about getting another dog, which I'm not exactly a fan of, but I figured we would go look anyway. Part of it was that I wanted him to see why I go once a week and spend time there, and I think he definitely saw that. The dog we were looking at was a 4 month old shepherd mix that was a stray- not up for adoption yet. Because of this, we couldn't take her out, but we played with her through the kennel door and she was very sweet and well-behaved. He is really upset with me that I am not into getting another dog. However, we just don't know what is going to happen in the next year or so with his applying for full-time jobs, and me applying to vet schools. Having the three cats, ten chickens, two horses and the one dog is enough work and energy. Getting a puppy just seems like a really bad idea to me. Jared swears he can handle it though. I'm pretty torn. She was a really nice dog, and I'm sure she won't stay up for adoption long. However, we also have a free puppy from the breeder that we got Remi from (before I realized how awful it is to feed into the breeder cycle), because Remi was "defective" and has had hip displasia since she was born.
I just don't know. Is two dogs that much more work than one? I feel like getting an older dog (one already housebroken!) would be a lot easier.
~Melissa
I am pretty concerned that no one is signing up though. I really thought people would be interested in going at least once, for the novelty of the experience if nothing else. Instead, it seems as if no is interested but three people who have signed up to go multiple times. Of the 20+ in the club, that is pretty sad to me, as well as the fact that it is also somewhat embarrassing. None of the other officers have even signed up. When I work with local vets and persons who I have a working/shadowing relationship with to bring the opportunities to the club, it pretty much sucks when I then have to cancel because no one was interested. That is one of the downsides of being a local student. I guess I will just have to stick to purely cats and dogs in the future, since that is primarily what students seem to be interested in.
Well, maybe people will sign up later in the week and I'm just being pessimistic. I certainly hope so! Seven people have already signed on to help out with spay and neuter clinics at the SPCA, so that is good at least.
Jared actually met me up at school after class today and we went up to the SPCA to look at one of the dogs there. He has been talking about getting another dog, which I'm not exactly a fan of, but I figured we would go look anyway. Part of it was that I wanted him to see why I go once a week and spend time there, and I think he definitely saw that. The dog we were looking at was a 4 month old shepherd mix that was a stray- not up for adoption yet. Because of this, we couldn't take her out, but we played with her through the kennel door and she was very sweet and well-behaved. He is really upset with me that I am not into getting another dog. However, we just don't know what is going to happen in the next year or so with his applying for full-time jobs, and me applying to vet schools. Having the three cats, ten chickens, two horses and the one dog is enough work and energy. Getting a puppy just seems like a really bad idea to me. Jared swears he can handle it though. I'm pretty torn. She was a really nice dog, and I'm sure she won't stay up for adoption long. However, we also have a free puppy from the breeder that we got Remi from (before I realized how awful it is to feed into the breeder cycle), because Remi was "defective" and has had hip displasia since she was born.
I just don't know. Is two dogs that much more work than one? I feel like getting an older dog (one already housebroken!) would be a lot easier.
~Melissa
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Snowy Nights
Even though it was snowing last night, I decided to head in to the ER anyway, determined to leave if it got bad. I debated bringing my homework but left it at home... bad decision. In the three hours I was there last night, there were 2 cases. 2! One was an extremely constipated dog that had to be manually evacuated (talk about a bad smell). I'm pretty sure he was eating stones as well as bones. And maybe some dirt. The other case was a pom that had had his third seizure in as many years. He was a nice little dog (though the father reeked of booze and the mother reeked of smoke), and they just brought him in to make sure he was alright. You could tell they really cared for the little bugger (and boy was he cute). So then it started to mist/snow (basically insta-ice), so I headed home way earlier than last week. That kinda sucked, but I made it home alright, despite the horrid roads. This winter is teaching me to drive in the snow!
This morning I'm heading out with 2 pre-vet kids to the goat farm for the first time. I was kinda disapointed that only 2 girls signed up for it (though some other dates already have individuals signed up). I was really hoping that they would jump on it- however, this weekend was pretty short notice, so I think that was a part of it. I'm going to take pictures today and hope that that inspires some people!
The SPCA here is just starting community spay and neuters on Fridays and Sundays. The shelter manager contacted me and asked if we wanted to send 1 or 2 volunteers every week to help out. I'm not sure that we will get people out every week, but I'm definitely hoping it will work out. They would be assisting the vet and helping with handling, so it would be very good experience for students. We have some really SPCA dedicated volunteers (including myself), so I'm fairly certain at least those students will want to lend a hand.
~Melissa
This morning I'm heading out with 2 pre-vet kids to the goat farm for the first time. I was kinda disapointed that only 2 girls signed up for it (though some other dates already have individuals signed up). I was really hoping that they would jump on it- however, this weekend was pretty short notice, so I think that was a part of it. I'm going to take pictures today and hope that that inspires some people!
The SPCA here is just starting community spay and neuters on Fridays and Sundays. The shelter manager contacted me and asked if we wanted to send 1 or 2 volunteers every week to help out. I'm not sure that we will get people out every week, but I'm definitely hoping it will work out. They would be assisting the vet and helping with handling, so it would be very good experience for students. We have some really SPCA dedicated volunteers (including myself), so I'm fairly certain at least those students will want to lend a hand.
~Melissa
Sometimes we experience things that shatter part of our world. As human beings, we are self-centered individuals. We tend to think that we know how other people think or act, or what their motives are. Some of us, like myself, have always given others the benefit of the doubt; assuming that most people are good, decent people. But every now and then we discover something. Something that flaunts our convictions, our illusions. Something that makes you realize you don't know anyone at all, not truly. It makes you grateful for the friendships and the relationships that you have, the ones that are close enough that you can begin to get that glimmer of another individual's soul, of what makes them tick. Sometimes it's not a good glimmer. But that is life. You can only hope that you can create a ray of sunshine bright enough to reach in and let some light in to someone else's soul.
Like Fun sings... "Though I've never been through hell like that, I've closed enough windows to know you can never look back... if you're lost and alone, or you're sinking like a stone, carry on. May your past be the sound of your feet upon the ground. Carry on, carry on."
Like Fun sings... "Though I've never been through hell like that, I've closed enough windows to know you can never look back... if you're lost and alone, or you're sinking like a stone, carry on. May your past be the sound of your feet upon the ground. Carry on, carry on."
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