Hello? Hello? Is this thing on???
Hey, that sounds better. I’m glad you stood up for yourself. Congrats!
Thanks for the updates! I know there are a lot of us rooting for you (and living vicariously).
Oh, and thanks to your exhange with LauraRae, my mom’s cat is now much more comfortable. My mom happened to mention in a phone call this weird scooting Katya was doing, and I was able to tell her what it was! So thanks from the all the impacted cats of the world…just what you want to be famous for, no?
I heard a story sort of similar to Bam-Bam’s. It happened in North Carolina. A frightened doe smashed through the front window of an office, but she survived pretty much unscathed. The staff had to wrestle her to the floor because she was so rambunctious! (I think I just would have hid under my desk but these folks decided to deal more aggressively.) The game warden was going to shoot her, but the staff wouldn’t have it, so I think they paid for a vet exam and let her go.
Anyway, the only veterinary emergency place I’ve been to seemed a lot less hectic than your place. I took one of cats there to spend the night when he was so sick with peritonitis. He didn’t pull through, but the staff was very sweet and not nearly as overworked as you and your coworkers.
What kind of education do vet techs have? (Not that I would ever consider doing it; I think I would instantly die of sadness.)
To be perfectly honest, most vet techs only get on the job training. The main role of a vet tech used to be animal restrainer and kennel cleaner. However, veterinary medicine is growing in leaps and bounds, and veterinarians now recognize the need for educated, professional support staff. Many technicians entering the field now have an AA degree (basic college stuff) as well as a 2 year degree in veterinary technology. Some colleges have a 4 year program. Technicians are also getting into specialization, for instance, there is a tech at my hospital who does mobile ultrasounds, and I know another tech who has specialized in radiology, and yet another who specializes in oncology. I myself am trying to get my basic certification, and then I MAY decide to go into critical care. I have already graduated from a 4 year univeristy, so all I have to do now is complete my tech courses. It’s not an easy job and because the role of vet tech is changing so quickly, we sometimes have a hard time getting the recognition and pay we deserve. Hopefully that will change in the near future, but right now not many people can make a good living as a basic vet tech. People who do this do it because they love what they do, pure and simple.
“Love given when it is inconvenient is the greatest love of all. Kindnesses that are shared at a high cost to oneself are the most dear.”
Don’t know who said it, but I like it.
[standing and applauding]
Whooooooooo! Yay Michelle! Out of that nasty stressful situation! Congratulations, girl, it was well-deserved and well overdue. I hope your emergencies are far less catastophic now–and that they’ll have happier endings. 
“My cat’s breath smells like cat food.” --Ralph Wiggum, hero and icon
Well, last night was another typical night at the emergecy hospital. Let me vent/advise a little:
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Please, please, please, get your animals micro-chipped. We get stray dogs in almost every night that have been hit by cars, and if they only had a chip we might be able to get them back to their owners!
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Heat stroke comes on fast and is DEADLY. If it is hot where you live, don’t let your dogs run around outside for more than a few minutes at a time. ALWAYS have fresh, cool water for them, and NEVER leave them in your car! Yesterday a man brought in a beautiful, young, Golden Retriever who had been playing for an hour in the heat when it collapsed. Despite everything we did for it, it went into DIC and died a horrible, bloody death.
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Use common sense. The minute you think your pet may have a health problem, take it to the vet! Catching problems early on makes them eaiser and cheaper to treat. Do NOT watch your cat vomit for 6 days before you decide she might have a problem!
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Do NOT try to play vet at home. Often times owners, in an effort to save time and money, will give their animals the same medicines they take, without even really knowing what is wrong with their pet. They end up making their pet worse than it was before. If you need some advice, call the vet! Information over the phone is free!
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If you are unlucky enough to have to come in to the clinic, please try to be understanding about the wait. even if your cat has been vomiting for 6 days, the dog in congestive heart failure really does have to be seen first, even though it came in 15 minutes after you did.
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If your pet is on medications, or has some pre-existing health problems, be sure to tell the emergency vet about this. It will make treating your pet in a crisis situation much easier. If you can, bring the medications with you, as well as a copy of your pet’s medical records.
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If your pet is difficult to handle, and you know this, TELL the staff! Don’t sit there and watch the technician or doctor get bit and/or shredded to bits. We don’t enjoy this.
I am sure more points will cross my mind later. Right now I need to get to bed!
“Love given when it is inconvenient is the greatest love of all. Kindnesses that are shared at a high cost to oneself are the most dear.”
Don’t know who said it, but I like it.
::sigh:: The girl who was my replacement in ICU quit the other day…without notice…so now until a new person can be hired I am back in ICU…they are really desperate not to lose another person though, so they know they gotta get me back out of ICU as fast as possible…I have a feeling this is gonna be a stressful weekend!
I filled in for someone last night…we have a beautiful, obedient rottie at the hospital for a GSW to the left leg and rump. The owner’s girlfriend was playing with a gun…thought it was empty…it wasn’t. The wound was pretty bad…clipped some bone and is going to need extensive surgery to fix it…but the dog will do just fine.
“Love given when it is inconvenient is the greatest love of all. Kindnesses that are shared at a high cost to oneself are the most dear.”
Don’t know who said it, but I like it.
I’m sorry you’re back in ICU, Michelle 
especially after having gotten out for a while.
Poor dog – why would anyone “play” with a gun? At least it’s going to be okay.
Catrandom
Let’s see…what neato things did I see lately?
Sweet little kitty with a prolapsed rectum. Yuck. Pushed it back in and sewed it up (not completely, of course).
Jack Russell Terrier hit by a car. Two broken legs and a smashed pelvis. Slated for surgery.
Jack Russell Terrier with Bufo toad toxicity. Recovered quickly.
Cute calico cat possibly bitten by a snake. Owner waited at least 10 hours before bringing kitty in, and poor cat has no ability to clot. Stablized over weekend, sent to regular vet today for further care.
Two pit bulls with parvo.
A chow mix, brought in by animal services. Someone had filed a complaint against their neighbor for animal neglect. When the officer went to check out the complaint, no one was home, but the dog was in the yard. The officer nabbed the dog and brought it in to us. Severely anemic due to fleas and the worst tick infestation I have ever seen. Criminal charges have been filed against the owner. The ward where we kept the dog is now infested with ticks, and we had to call in exterminators.
“Love given when it is inconvenient is the greatest love of all. Kindnesses that are shared at a high cost to oneself are the most dear.”
Don’t know who said it, but I like it.
Oh, I almost forgot, the night started off with emergency surgery on an otter from the Florida Aquarium. It ate part of a bouy that was floating in its tank.
“Love given when it is inconvenient is the greatest love of all. Kindnesses that are shared at a high cost to oneself are the most dear.”
Don’t know who said it, but I like it.
Michelle - I’m in awe of what you do. Up until the age of 18 I was going to be a vet. What changed my mind? The thought of putting animals to sleep for no good reason (even if I’m the only one who thought is wasn’t a good reason). Pets are NOT disposable and I wouldn’t be able to get off my high horse with the owners.
I can sit through human medical shows (emergencies, surgeries, et al) but not animals. While channel hopping one day I came across a Toronto Human Society special. I was literally bawling withing 15 minutes and could no longer watch. The musical montage showing poor abondoned pets almost killed me. The Emergency Vet on Animal Planet is another show I just can’t watch.
When Larry (our 11 year old great dane/ german shephard mix) was about 5 he starting throwing up continuously and was very lethargic. It was Thanksgiving day so I had to phone the emergency vet centre and they told us to bring him in immediately ($100 before they would even look at him). He needed to remain overnight for tests and an IV (very dehyrdated). My husband and I were practically in tears and and had to be scolded because we were too afraid to be away from him. The vet said, in an effort to ease our distress, I’m guessing, ensured us that the cost could be paid overtime in installments. MONEY WAS NOT A PROBLEM we said - we’re just very worried. Larry is like a son to us (we left a campground because we didn’t like the pet rules).
Anyway, he had to stay for two nights and three days. We asked if we could visit. They had no problem with that. So here we were, my husband and I with Larry and his IV sitting in an empty exam room twice a day each day. The look of happiness when he saw us waiting for him in that empty exam room was priceless.
Still not sure what was wrong - their best guess is something he ate (knowing Larry, good guess as he’s one great big walking stomach). $638.35 later (cdn), we went home, one big happy family. Yes, pricey, but not relevant when it comes to health and happiness - for all of us.
Very busy weekend at the hospital. I am afraid I’m going to suffer total burnout before too long. I love the animals but I swear one day I am going to kill some of the people I have to deal with.
At least once every weekend we see cats who have had over the counter flea medicine put on them. The packages state that the stuff is for dogs ony, DO NOT USE ON CATS, but people ignore the warning and do it anyway. I want to jump across the table and grab them by the shirt and give them a good shake. WHY? WHY?? Why did you put this crap on your cat even when you knew that you shouldn’t??? Did you think the warning was just some sort of joke??? You cat is seizing uncontrollably now, are you happy??? Now you have to pay a 200 dollar vet bill! If you had just spent 30 bucks at the vet for APPROVED flea stuff this wouldn’t have happened!!!
I also hate having to practice half-assed medicine. Pets come in very ill, but most of the time we can’t do all the diagnostics that we would like because pet owners don’t want to spend the money. We send home a lot of animals that I know are going to end up dying because they didn’t get the attention they needed. The other day I presented a lady with a 450 dollar estimate and asked her if it was ok. She looked at me like I was crazy, and said to me, “Of course it is ok? How can I say no?” I wanted to hug her and tell her, “You don’t want to know how many people say no!” Sad to say, good clients are a rare find.
Ah well. I could rant forever. It isn’t all bad, it’s just that the bad can be overwhelming sometimes.
“Love given when it is inconvenient is the greatest love of all. Kindnesses that are shared at a high cost to oneself are the most dear.”
Don’t know who said it, but I like it.
What makes a dog flea medicine bad for cats? Is it just too strong or is there a chemical that is bad for feline systems? Can I use it on myself when I get fleas? (The last one was a joke.)
Nothing I write about any person or group should be applied to a larger group.
- Boris Badenov
Most of the over the counter stuff contains permethrins, which is toxic to cats.
Michelle, that really sucks. I can only imagine how dizzyingly frustrating it is to have people say, “Hey, I don’t give a crap.” It must be so emotionally exhausting.
Hoping that you can get out of ICU soon…
Laura
I used to think the world was against me. Now I know better. Some of the smaller countries are neutral.
Michelle – first of all let me say thanks! You have a hard job and it sounds like you really care about these animals. I admire you a lot! I wanted to be a vet and then saw my first operation on a dog with breast cancer. I hit the floor as soon as they made the first cut! I just knew I couldn’t do it!
But I have a question for you: the other day I was pounding away at the keyboard on my latest novel and I hear this kitten. It’s whining away to beat the band! I get up and go looking around my yard. I finally realize it’s in my neighbors 40 foot pine tree.
Now, I only heard it because the windows were open. I go over there and they’ve been hearing it for DAYS! They said they just couldn’t find it (liars!) And so I went out by the tree. Just calling to it helped it to find it’s way down.
Anyway, it was small, perhaps no more than 4-6 months old. But on the top of it’s head was a weird, hairless, lumpy grey mass. It wasn’t tree sap. It looked like a growth. My neighbor took the kitty from me and said she’d take it to the vet. I know she’s full of shit but what could I do? I already have 3 cats and that’s one more than what I can have legally.
Do you have any idea of what that lumpy stuff could be? I thought tumor but it’s on the outside of the skin, rough textured, like a human wart. Any info you can give would be much appreciated!
Sorry, I really have no idea what that lump could be. Hopefully your neighbor will take the kitten to the vet and have it completely checked out.
Well, I thought I had seen it all, until the other night. There is an emergency clinic in a town nearby, and sometimes, when they get cases too sticky for them to handle, they dump them on us. Sunday night we get a call from them, saying they are sending over a guy who has a cat with a lizard tail sticking out of its nose. They are afraid to pull it out, as they cannot tell how much more of the lizard may be stuck up inside this cat’s nare. Anyway, about 45 minutes later, the guy shows up. We open his cat carrier, and there is this poor cat, who does indeed have about 2 1/2 inches of lizard tail sticking out of his right nare. Actually, it was a glass snake, which is a type of (nearly) legless lizard. The cat hads eaten the lizard and then had vomited so hard some of it came out his nose. I am sure there are a few people out there familiar with this process, although I doubt that any of you were vomiting lizards. I hope not, anyway. Anyway, the doctor gave the lizard tail a gentle tug and it came right out. The owner of the cat was a jerk and refused to let us do any further examination, even though we explained to him that there could be more lizard up there, and leaving it in could be a source of irritation to the cat. I’m hoping that was all there was too it, and the cat does ok. I hate letting animals leave the clinic when I know they still need more treatment.
Weave a circle round him thrice,
And close your eyes with holy dread,
For he on honey-dew hath fed,
And drunk the milk of Paradise.–Coleridge
Tonight was a pretty busy night at the clinic. We had our share of vomiting and diarrhea dogs, whether or not it was from eating off the table I don’t know.
Someone brought in a five month old, small style mutt, which had been seizuring all day long. Instead of bringing it right in, the owners decided to wait it out. When it didn’t seem to be getting any better, they decided to give it a blue pill, then a white pill, and then they threw in a dose of children’s Tylenol for good measure. I hope this isn’t the way they try to treat their children when they get sick! By the time I left the little dog was actually looking a little bit better. I am keeping my fingers crossed.
We had an old bassett hound come in with gastric dilatation volvulus (GDV), otheriwse known as “bloat”. This is a very serious condition where the stomach fills with air and then twists up. Why this happens is unclear. Many times it is caused when animals eat too fast and swallow a lot of air. It also happens if they eat too fast right after exercising. In any case, these animals almost always have to go into surgery. Sometimes, the stomach just bloats but doesn’t twist, and we can pass a tube and decompress the dog. These dogs run a high risk of re-bloating, however. Most of the time though, the stomach does twist, and then the owner has 2 choices: surgery or euthanasia. Unfortunately, the decision has to be made in a matter of minutes due to the serious nature of the problem. The cost of a GDV surgery at my emergency hospital is two thousand dollars. The people didn’t have the money. My hospital teaches interns, and each intern is allowed to do one procedure for a reduced cost. We explained this to the owners of the bassett and told them that if they didn’t mind an intern doing the operation as opposed to a specialist, we could do it for 450 instead of 2,000. They decided to go for it. The surgery went well and a few hours later that old dog had a new lease on life.
More on bloat: this typically happens in large, deep chested dogs, but this is a condition that all dog owners should be aware of. If you have a dog and have never heard of this problem, please talk about it with your vet! Sometimes feeding dogs in small amounts, encouraging slower eating, and putting food and water on a raised surface can help prevent bloat. Most pet stores sell stands that you can place bowls in.
Also, inquire about pet insurance! Most people cannot afford to be hit up with a 200 dollar vet bill, let alone a 2,000 dollar bill, but pet insurance can cover almost any situation.