Summer 2012--St. Francis Vet Clinic Visit #2: Earning My Keep

Well, yesterday was another active day at the clinic. Not that I mind those. No, I love getting my hands dirty and really participating in things that make a positive difference for the animals. This day in particular was full of opportunities for me to do just that. It wasn't until the afternoon that I realized why I am getting to do so many cool things: Dr. J is making me work for my letter of recommendation. She will write it, but I also need to do my share and perform tasks for the clinic when I am asked to. I have the skill and the experience, so why not?

As before, I started off my day in surgery. We just had a canine spay and a cat dental. Nothing too exciting. I did more anesthesia monitoring, temperature taking, and patient transporting (i.e., back to the kennel after surgery). I helped restrain a cat for intubation (putting the breathing tube down its throat) and catheterization. I even did some light cleaning of the surgery room after the vet was done for the day. And this was all before lunch!

After lunch, I went to see an appointment with Dr. N. Dr. J's was just for vaccines, but Dr. N's was a three-year-old post-partum black lab/Newfoundland mix. It's easy to see why I went with Dr. N. It was such a cool case, and one in which I played a big part. First, I helped Dr. Nicole hold the old girl while performing a vaginal exam. The dog was not feeling well, especially since she lost all 10 of her pups from the litter, her third. I felt really bad for her and the owner. All that work and no puppies survived. Poor girl. Then, I got the exhausted momma some water because she was a little dehydrated. I guess she didn't drink any because I was soon called to administer two liters of fluids subcutaneously from an IV drip bag. I was a little nervous at first because I have never done anything so big in my life. Dr. N showed me the ropes, though. Each bag is one liter, so there were two. I just had to fit the bag into a special inflatable sleeve that did all of the muscle work for me, ensuring a steady stream of liquid through the tube and needle and into the dog. I did most of the work of keeping the sleeve inflated and adjusting the needle and its location when one lump of fluid got too big or the flow was decreased for some reason. It was pretty straightforward after awhile. I watched the dog and the drip to make sure everything was going smoothly while chatting with her owner. The sweet girl kept nudging my hand whenever I stopped petting her. Her owner said she seemed to like me, which I always enjoy hearing. No sense being a vet unless I have a true way with animals, right!? Dr. N was very grateful, and Peej (a technician) helped me a lot to fix any problems. She seemed impressed because she told me that she had never given two liters before. One liter was about the most she had ever given. Another tech said it looked like I knew what I was doing, which I took as very high praise. I guess I did feel pretty comfortable. My glutes really got a workout, though, from all of the crouching (it was hard to sit and work at the same time, even though Sophie was lying on the ground at her owner's feet). I felt so accomplished afterwards because I saw what a positive impact my work was having on the dog. She looked brighter, like she was feeling better. I enjoyed interacting with the owner and being appreciated by the staff. I liked being in charge of something, taking full responsibility for an animal's health. Cases like this make me want to be a veterinarian even more. More importantly, they tell me that I have the ability to be a veterinarian. And that feels too cool for words.

The rest of the day was pretty eventful, too. I helped restrain a large German Shepard while Dr. J examined his paw and while Peej clipped his nails (two different restraining sessions), which was not easy because I'm pretty sure his limbs were thicker than my arms! I got pretty messy on the nail trim because I kept getting dusted with cracked pieces of nail. I also got to see some cute Dachshund/Pekinese puppies. Finally, I ended my day by helping restrain a couple of animals during an ultrasound (a dog and a cat). The dog was in for suspected Cushing's disease, and the cat was having abdominal problems, which turned out to be cancer. I love watching the radiologist work on her high-tech ultrasound computer. She does everything so effortlessly, and she can read those ultrasounds like they were stories in a book. It just amazes me. It's so cool to see what's going on in the body as it's happening and also cool to see that ultrasounds aren't just for pregnancies.

So, as you can see, I have a lot to do at the clinic, and it seems like they like having me there (and need me...I was kind of in high demand yesterday). This is all good since I really like being there and getting to have all of these cool experiences that I can share with you! Next week will be great because I am also shadowing on Monday at the VCA clinic, so I'll have two things to write about. Yay!

Oh, and the vet application opens a week from today. AAAAH! At least I have all of my letter writers figured out.