Today was a very busy surgery day at the clinic. A 13 year old dog (pictured above) came in with a mouth infection and was supposed to have a dental procedure, but started seizing after we put her IV in. She then started crashing- her heart rate was around 32, which is extremely low- so we had to give her fluids and oxygen until she stabilized. The vets said they don’t often see dogs crash that quickly, so this was a pretty crazy experience.
Today was a very busy day and we did four house-calls. We saw 8 cats, 5 dogs and a duck!! We did mostly routine things like annual exams to make sure everyone was healthy. I also helped give shots to the cats and dogs. The Vet Mobile clinic also treats “exotic” animals, so we did a quick check-up on a duck (named Duke) today, which was really cool. We listened to his heart and gave him a little exam to make sure everything looked and felt good.
Today was another surgery day and there were two dental procedures. I got to clean my own dog’s teeth (pictured above). I learned how to remove all the tartar from the teeth and polish them. We also pulled 3 teeth that were abscessed. We also saw a cat named Morgan who was dehydrated so I helped put in her IV and give her fluids.
Today I did 4 house calls with Dr. Joy. We did an annual check-up for a poodle named Dixie (pictured above). I learned how to draw up and prepare a distemper shot- the process had a lot of steps but it was cool to learn. We also saw a cat named Lucy who is FIV positive so she has a weak immune system. We gave her a steroid shot that would help with her allergies.
Today we went on the road and saw 4 dogs and one cat. I helped give shots to two dogs and gave them lots of treats to keep them calm. I learned how to do a heart worm test- after Dr. Joy drew blood I put one drop of that blood into each test and squirted some solution into the sample. The test is positive if a colored line pops up. We also saw a collie named Bailey (pictured above) who got a shot and and an annual check-up.
Today was surgery day! I watched a surgery on a 14 year old dog named Leo. He got 6 teeth pulled and 3 facial lumpectomies (three little masses removed from his face). I got to shave off his fur in the three spots around the masses that were getting removed, and I also cleaned and scrubbed the area so it was sterile for the procedure. Pictured above is Leo post-surgery. I also watched Dr. Joy stitch up the wound of a dog named Molly who cut her neck open on a fence.
Today I went on the road again and assisted with 4 house-calls. We mostly did routine things like annual check-ups and shots. I learned how to find the correct dose of medicine for pets based on their weight and other factors- this was for an Italian Greyhound named Lacey. I also helped give Rabies shots to the two cats in the picture: Loki and Yoshi.
The vet clinic I’m working for does have an office, but they also go out to their patients’ homes and treat them there, so the pets don’t have to deal with the stress of coming to the vet. I went “on the road” today with Dr. Joy and Ms. Allie and got to help treat four cats and two dogs. I mostly did routine things like helping with blood draws and shots. Pictured above is Maxx, a twelve-year-old American Bull Dog. The vets gave him an exam and noticed that his abdomen was very swollen and that he had an enlarged spleen. I learned that this probably meant he either had a mass or that his spleen might rupture. Maxx’s tongue was a purple color, a sign which I learned indicates poor circulation. Maxx now has to get an x-ray at another vet to see what’s going on with his spleen and heart. I also helped draw blood from a cat named Tipper who has hyperthyroidism, which messes with her metabolism and makes her jittery, hungry, thirsty, etc. When we got back to the clinic, I learned how to test Tipper’s blood- we’ll get the results tomorrow- so we can see if the dosage of medicine she’s being given is working or not.
It was another sad start to the seventh day of the Work Experience program, as the first appointment of the day was for a dog that was extremely sick. The dog had cancer on its belly with open wounds and it was determined that the cancer was equivalent to that of stage four cancer in humans. The owner decided to euthanize the dog to spare it any pain and suffering, making it quite a sad but educational moment. The day improved dramatically after the initial consultation because the next patient that we got to see was a puppy golden retriever who was very curious and wanted to talk to everyone. In fact, while the doctor was going over the course of treatment for the puppy, Madi, Nell, and I were petting the dog in the examination room and giving it lots of love. The day continued to get better as the next thing that we did was go into surgery on a chocolate lab. The chocolate lab had been seen 3 years ago for a tibia fracture and after three revision and correction surgeries and three years later, the leg was still not healing. We know that the leg was not healing properly because when you looked at the inside of the leg, you could actually see the metal plate that was placed in there three years, meaning that the skin hadn’t formed over the fracture, leaving it susceptible to a multitude of injuries and possible infections. Therefore, the dog underwent an amputation of the hind limb. Even though it was sad to watch part of the dog being cut away, the doctors and vet nurses assured us that the dog would feel much better now that it was free of the pain the leg was causing. Despite the sad and tearful start to the day, we learned a lot!
Many hearts were broken today at the vet hospital as two of the animals in the care passed away throughout the events of the day. Sadly, the cute little fox that came in yesterday passed away at the end of the day finally succumbing to sepsis after a long 24-hour fight. Also, a five-year-old beagle came in but during ECHO it was discovered that he had started to go into heart failure and there was nothing that could be done for him. Madison and I were both deeply saddened by this and it took a toll on both of us, making it for a long and very sad day at work.
However, there was a highlight of the day and that was a little baby goose that was brought in to the hospital after someone had rescued it from the side of the road. On presentation, it appeared as if an animal such as a hawk or fox had grabbed the baby goose by its neck as it had an old wound that was scabbed over. This little goose stayed with us all day, and he was such a character! He was first placed in the same cage that all the other small dogs are placed in but that shortly changed. The little goose started to energetically try and escape the cage that was holding him captive by poking his little, precious head through the metal bars, almost decapitating him! The shenanigans didn’t stop there as when Madison tried to hold the little bird, he jumped right out of her hands and almost broke one of his feet! It was actually a pretty cool thing to see because we learned that young animals, like humans, can come back from things much quicker as the little goose didn’t show any signs for the worse after being dropped a number of feet.