Veterinary - Blog Posts
I'm so thankful to have our new vet, Frankie's surgery which cost us 972 at out new one would have cost us 3k+ at our old one, Frankie went back in today because I was scared of some post op symptoms he was having, we talked to the vet who squeezed us in and then despite having a full appointment, he doesn't charge for post op concerns, we will also not be charged when Frankie goes in to have his stitches removed. These prices aren't sacrificing quality of care either, I adore how all the vets and techs at the place treat my dog with kindness and love, how they don't fault him for being excited about going to the vet, how they take the time to walk us through everything and don't make us feel stupid about not knowing stuff. We got so many updates during his surgery, they gave me a number to text if I had any concerns or worries about my dog. I think every vet I've been to or worked for felt more focused on getting money than pet care and I can't blame them, we all need money to live and run a business but it this knew one feels so focused and loving of our animals it makes me want to cry a bit
Microchipping pets is super important! You can get it done for cheap too. Pets who have microchips have a higher chance to be returned home if they get lost. It is however just as important to keep your pets updated and keep tract of thr company! I personally use home again due to being able to pay a yearly subscription of $20-$25 for additional benefits including them reimbursing some costs should I have to travel to pick my animal up. You can also sign up for a newsletter, free with just your email, to be notified of lost or missing animals in your area
Important! Your pet's RFID chip number might have been disconnected this week.
Is your pet chipped? They should be. Do you know who made the chip?
Pet RFID chips are so small that there's really only room on them for a serial number. When your lost pet is brought to a shelter or a vet's office, they can scan the chip, read that number, and then type it into a program that draws from a series of linked databases to find your name and phone number. That's how they find you, and tell you that Silly Lilly von Wigglesbottom has gone wandering, and she's safe and sound, and would you come get her, please?
Texas-based Save This Life, which provided chips to vets and shelters all across the US, has all at once and abruptly gone dark; their database is just gone. Their customers were not given warning and so did not know to change their registration to another company. A lot of animals have basically become anonymous now.
If you don't know what company you've been using, call your vet's office and ask what pet chip number they have on file. If the chip number starts with 991 or 900164, it's probably a Save This Life chip.
If it turns out yours is one of the affected cases, the chip itself will still be fine! There's no need to add another, or anything like that. You'll just need to transfer the number to another company, and your vet should be able to recommend the one that they like the best.
Me telling my husband I am excited to be making $24/hour at my new job... mean while my husband is making $39/hour 💀
We started our year off right with the most amazing honeymoon a girl could ask for. Tomorrow I start my new job, we are going to start house hunting in the spring, and after we move we will start trying for a baby. To say I am beyond excited for this year is an understatement 🥰
Well, this may need to be addressed sooner than I hoped. Our cat was just diagnosed with diabetes which is super unexpected by us and my vet due to his weight always being healthy, and his labs were perfect in july (and every year prior). He is between 15-16 years old so I'm worried about how he will do with this 😭 hoping for remission and more time with him ❤️
If you and your partner had a pet that was previously owned by one of your exes, but there's lots of drama surrounding that past. Would you reach out to that person when the pet passes to inform or offer paw prints? Or is that no longer something to inform them on. (See below for more info)
For further context, the ex grew up with the pet and left him when they moved. The pet is declining, and I don't believe he will be around for more than a year. My heart feels bad if I don't reach out as i would want to know. But there's so much drama in the past I don't want to open the door for more again. I feel like there's no right answer either way. I'm somehow going to get bit in the ass 🙃
I passed the VTNE! I am now a licensed veterinary technician! I'm do proud of myself for putting in all the hard work to not only graduate but pass the boards. I can't wait to continue taking my career to the next level
Fuck you Microsoft 😭 I was supposed to take my licensing exam today but it was canceled due to the outage. Now idk when I can take it and it has to be done by August 15th
Send me some questions please 🥰 bored while studying for my VTNE
One thing about vet med that drives me insane is how people do not prioritize their animals. A client didn't treat their dogs illness because "well I was going on vacation a few days later and i just didn't want to deal with it". Like 😭 your old sweet dog deserves to have its medical issues treated. You wouldn't ignore a child's illness because of vacation?
Photos from my college graduation 🥳
Things have been crazy busy lately with school finishing and my best friends wedding. Now time to focus on studying for the VTNE and our big wedding 😊
New arrival In home, her name is Soia and I discovered her wandering around high traffic road. Soia was injured in a leg, although she is not 100% recovered, she will be running short time lapse. Let's go play!
If you can please help out!!!!
// 19/04/2024//
Odie had to take some x-rays to care of his legs, the traumatology vet gave him some medicine but they want to know how to treat him better with exercises. I'm surprised and I thank God for how well he's doing at the age of 13, being diabetic and with cushing (between other health issues he deals with).
He's just the best boy <3
Day 2/100
// 03/08/23// A really tiring day. I worked +1.5 hours more and didn't feel so good during that time, tons of documents scanned, lots of time wasted searching for something that was at my boss's house... but! I arrived home and Odie received me waving his tail <3
So today:
Worked +5hs
Went to sign language class
Cook dinner
Injected Odie the saline he needs (in google translate we trust)
Ate what Iri gave me (a coworker)
Ok, I know I'm going to the vet and I'm waiting....YO !!!!
I met with some very cool people today to discuss their new research project about parasite-animal-human relationships, which hopes to touch on social and biological anthropology, primatology, veterinary medicine, human medicine and others. It's genuinely one of the most amazing projects I've heard about recently and I'm thrilled to (hopefully) be a part of it.
For my fellow scientists, please suggest your favorite books, research papers, anything really on the subject of parasites from any point of view!! I'd really appreciate it.
#Scraps being a good boy and waiting for his shots. Who am I kidding, he was so full of energy and couldn't wait for the Vet. #annualshots #mybully #pitchiweenie #myboy #amstaff #veterinary #petoftheday
Recognising silent acute pain in animals - assorted species grimace scales:
Development of the Horse Grimace Scale (HGS) as a Pain Assessment Tool in Horses Undergoing Routine Castration
The composition and initial evaluation of a grimace scale in ferrets after surgical implantation of a telemetry probe
The Assessment of Facial Expressions in Piglets Undergoing Tail Docking and Castration: Toward the Development of the Piglet Grimace Scale
The Sheep Grimace Scale as an indicator of post-operative distress and pain in laboratory sheep and the Coding and quantification of a facial expression for pain in lambs
Mouse - How to be a pain management advocate for exotic and zoo animals (full text available - includes additional species)
The Rat Grimace Scale: A partially automated method for quantifying pain in the laboratory rat via facial expressions
Evaluation of EMLA Cream for Preventing Pain during Tattooing of Rabbits: Changes in Physiological, Behavioural and Facial Expression Responses
Pain evaluation in dairy cattle
Pain is subtle - we cannot depend on vocalisations or extreme abnormal behaviour to determine if an animal is on pain - animals can cover up pain while going about their daily life. Grimace scales have been found to be reliable indicators of pain (full text available)
Unfortunately, I could not find a clear visual grimace scale for dogs, cats or birds :(
Which is a shame, because perhaps I could have recognised my own dog’s discomfort for the acute pain it was sooner:
(left: dog in pain. See eyes, tension, cheeks, whiskers, ears compared to the multiple species grimace charts above. right: tired but not in pain dog)
Perhaps my new books that arrived today might have some on dogs at least. There’s this visual blog post of a stressed dog at the vet - stress in the absence of a trigger looks very much like pain.
Here is a small comparative cats, with the link going into more detail. Not a scale but better than nothing:
Bonus round - you can get free A3 posters on recognising pain for Rabbits, Mice and Rats from the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research. My rabbit specialist vet has the rabbit one!
A little tribute on canvas to someone who helped me find myself :)
I work in a bone museum and at a vet clinic
I just realized that many many people have jobs
Rb with your job, wtf do you people do while offline???
It's Tech Week and Doc's Dog got into the tech week brownies so I'm stuck on Clevor Baby Sitting Duties
It's Tech Week! Feed your veterinary support staff, send them a nice little note, and as always, be kind to your vet staff.
It's Tech Week! Feed your veterinary support staff, send them a nice little note, and as always, be kind to your vet staff.
It's Tech Week! Feed your veterinary support staff, send them a nice little note, and as always, be kind to your vet staff.
Bag Tour 2024: Daily Bag Edition Feat. Hannibal Lector
All images have alt text descriptions with items listed, bag tour, and the reasons for each item below the cut
The Bag Itself:
This bag is a Coach Turnlock Tote bag in the pebbled leather color Blossom. This bag, the belt bag I now use as a bag organizer, and the wallet were all gifted to me in 2019 by a family member. The belt is too large for me at this point in life, so the pouch has been repurposed as a Toolkit of sorts. While it is a hair small fully packed, I enjoy the color of it and the balance of it as well as the functionality of the pockets it has.
The Straps:
My straps on this bag usually aren't this cluttered. However, Hannibal has been coming with me to work on a daily basis to get him used to the idea of traveling, and I needed a place to put his harness.
On my straps there is a malachite pendant necklace attached to the charm loop at the bottom of the right side of the outer strap, and my keys are also usually attached here with a carabiner unless I'm going somewhere that I'd want my keys a little bit more secured. I just like malachite. It looks cool. It's the right shades of green, and it's fairly easy to get ahold of.
I also have my stethoscope looped here if it's not around my neck or on my desk at home. I have a neonate size littman stethoscope since I primarily work in companion animal medicine, and I find that it focuses a bit better on my patients who are less than 15 pounds. I do have a regular litmann as well, but that one stays at the office. Most of my after-hours calls are on cats and small geriatric dogs who have standing orders for as needed injections of certain medications whose owners are either unwilling or unable to administer those medications.
Then, the big thing on the straps today is Hannibal's harness. Little dude is 17 weeks, and a whopping 7 lbs already. I could gush about him literally all day, though. His harness was only on the bag while he was allowed to have free roam over the back of the reception area and wrestle with Chewbacca (my terrier).
Turnlock Pocket:
This is where I keep my human med kit for myself, plus treats for my pets, or snacks for myself. Image 8 is the corresponding image.
Human Med Kit:
Glucometer: I have struggled with Non-diabetic hypoglycemia, POTS, and hemiplegic migraines for about 7 years now due to a moderate traumatic brain injury in my teens. So I tend to take 2-5 glucose readings per day. The rubber gloves in my glucometer bag aren't for me to use on me so much as they are to be ready if I need to assist someone in a first aid setting or administer narcan to someone.
Excedrine Migraine: A tried and true beloved OTC medication, both my terrier, Chewbacca, and my malinois, Phobos, are trained for migraine alert and POTS electrolyte imbalance alert work, although Chewbacca is retired at this point. At the first migraine alert from my dogs, I take one tablet of Excedrine and then wait an hour. If the migraine continues to worsen, I then take the second half of the regular dose. This is what works for me, and you should talk to your doctor about treatment options if you have migraines. Currently, I'm down to only 2-4 migraines a month and only experiencing breakthrough hemiplegic migraine symptoms about once every 3 months with this routine.
Narcan: I carry it everywhere. I was never an opioid addict. However, after my TBI, I did struggle with perscription amphetamine addiction, and as a result of having been through that, and having gotten clean, I've become a really big proponent of harm reduction and narcan access programs. There's a few charities I'm involved with that give away narcan locally, and I'd be happy to put anyone interested in carrying narcan some national resources. I also live fairly close to Philadelphia and have unfortunately had to utilize narcan to assist strangers in bars in the past from tainted supplies.
Menstrual cup: I have PCOS, so my cycle isn't super regular and I'd rather have it and not need it then need it and not have it.
Not Pictured: My supply of both instant iced coffee, instant electrolytes, and protein bars that I keep in my glove box, office desk, and at home. Both the caffiene (increases blood pressure) and the electrolytes (increases sodium and potassium) are important in managing my POTS symptoms. The protein bars are for when my glucose drops a bit too far.
Chicken Churu: This was Hannibal's treat for today, we worked on saying hello to strangers and walking nicely on a leash.
Tech:
Corresponding Photos: 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, & 9
Samsung Galaxybook Go: This is my laptop for work and personal use, it has an LTE data chip so I can use it on the go without sucking up my Hotspot data, and it's got fantastic battery life. I bought this refurbished off of Amazon at the beginning of the year. It also charges with a USB-C cable which is super convenient since the rest of my tech with the exception of my smart watch also utilizes USB-C charging so I can just pack a fast charge block and 2 USB-C cables rather than lug around 5 different chargers.
Samsung Galaxytab S6 Lite: It was on special at costco and has an S-Pen which is great as someone who's memory for reading/typing isn't nearly as effective as my memory for things I've written down. I mostly use this for notes on patients and my studies.
Samsung Galaxy23 Ultra: It has a stylus and is of a similar design, feel, and functionality to my Note9 I just replaced last fall.
Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro: The active noise cancelling is fantastic for working in busy coffee shops on Mondays, and the Ambient sound is great for getting a Podcast in during charting or longer monitoring stints.
Samsung Galaxy Watch5: LTE enabled watch helps when I'm away from my phone during the day, it allows me to still get calls, texts, notifications, and keep track of active time and calories burned.
Charging Bundle: One 8" USB-C -> USB-C cord for charging my tablet, phone, or earbuds off of my laptop, one 4' USB-C -> USB-C cord to charge my laptop or other devices if my laptop is sufficently charged, a USB-A -> hard drive cord for my 1TB portable drive, and a USB-A Smart watch charging cord.
Data storage: 8GB flash drive that is mostly used for ultrasound capture transfers and X-Ray Diacom transfers, although occasionally it also gets used for in-house lab data transfers when the WiFi link is acting up. 1 TB portable hard drive, this contains textbook PDFs, a large music library, archived notes, and lesser used reference tables and software. It also has copies of my more important documents.
Vlogging/Content Creation Supplies: Light bar, microphone, mini tripod, comfort grip, and microphone stand. Basically just stuff to enhance recording quality for tiktoks, reels, and YouTube videos (coming soon).
Books & Stationery:
Pocket Edition Book of Common Prayer: No, I am not carrying a Bible around, I have an app for that. This is a Book of Common Prayer (1979 edition) for The Episcopal Church. While I'm laity, I do still try and take time for Morning Prayer/Matin, Noonday Prayer/Diurnum, Evening Prayer/Evensong, and End of Day Prayer/Compline. These are quiet moments for me to break away from the stressors of the day. I also utilize 2 additional devotionals for quiet time upon rising and before bed that supplement my regular journaling, however these stay on my bedside table with my primary journal.
Martha Stewart For Staples Discbound Junior Notebook, this is my planner, quick notebook, and lazy journal, I basically dump my brain out right here throughout the day.
Paper clips: From marking off the current month and week in my planner to organizing papers from drug reps, to getting a client printed copies of their records, there's lots of paperclip usage.
Correction tape: I don't often use pencils and sometimes my brain goes faster than my hand and mistakes happen.
Erasers and pencil leads: If I'm out and about I don't want to lose my ability to sketch and use pencils if they're needed
Pens: Pink, Red, and Black ink, my standard for personal notes is Pink ink, while business notes are done in black, the red is for corrections on both
Pencil: it's the same grip as my favorite pens that I can write for hours with, super beneficial for long study sessions.
S Note App: My longer rough notes and revised notes are done in SNote with a SPen/stylus and handwritten out. I also tend to keep spare nibs on hand, however I am currently out of spare nibs.
Sticky notes/flags: great for passing off notes to coworkers, flagging charts, or marking messages.
Snack Attack:
Travel Cutlery set with a fork, spoon, and knife so that I don't have to get utensils when I grab breakfast or lunch at Wawa or the local BBQ joint
Travel straw: Save the turtles while still enjoying my Starbucks
Bandana/neckerchief: No single use napkins here
Coozie: Perfect for NA Seltzers, Sodas, or a beer at the bar after work. Plus it holds all my other eating supplies.
Beauty/Hygiene:
Hand lotion: washing hands between every patient can leave my hands feeling pretty gnarly, so I always pack lotion
Perfume: Anal Glands happen, and sometimes you just... need to freshen up a bit.
Dry Shampoo: my hair always looks super greasy after taking my scrub cap off after surgeries, this buys me enough time to get through my shift
Hand sanitizer: ideal for housecall visits or visits to elder care facilities where you may not be able to properly wash your hands between patients.
Lip gloss: I'm not a huge fan of lip balms and the waxy feeling they leave on my lips vs the glide of a lipgloss or oil.
Sewing kit: Because if your shirt rips in vet med, it's probably going to be in a place you really don't want it to rip
Manicure kit: wrestling with animals can cause nail breakage and hang nails, and I'd rather not have to chew one off. It also has tweezers that come in handy for splinters or thorns picked up from animal coats.
Blotting sponge: again, I tend to start looking greasy after surgery because I sweat. And I'd rather be able to take care of it quickly and discreetly
Condoms: These don't need to be in my work bag, but they're in the tool kit along with my most basic essentials because the Toolkit is in every bag I use, including bags I use when I go out for girls night or linedancing. Also another have and not need vs need and not have item.
Hair tie, bobby pins, barette: just little extra bits and bobs as needed for hair issues, sometimes the dry shampoo isn't enough and the only solution is to throw my hair up into a slicked back ponytail instead of having it down.
Cooling wet wipe: again, surgical sweating
Other Essentials:
Wallet: Obvious Reasons
Nicotine Pouches: I've quit vaping but I haven't quite kicked the habit entirely yet
Unpictured: Glock 43. I uber and doordash after work, I also deliver controlled substances for patients in some not-so-great areas being ravaged by the opioid epidemic. I'm also a 5'5" disabled female who lives alone and has had a stalker. Sorry not sorry, it's insured, I'm licensed, and I take courses for it routinely.
If you have any questions, comments, or thoughts, feel free to DM me, comment here, comment in the tags, or reblog. Also, I'm aware this is Tumblr and that the Jesus stuff can be frightening to see, just want to make note that I do fall somewhere between a pluralist and a universalist. As long as you aren't using your religious views to oppress, marginalize, or harm people, we're good as far as I'm concerned.
Why is there polyester in my cashmere? Or spandex? Knits have stretch in their weave. Why are we adding in microplastics? Why is it impossible to find boring 100% cotton scrubs in basic colors?
Acrylic sweaters for wool prices make me violent