Summer 2012--St. Francis Veterinary Clinic Visit #9: Bulldogs and Boxers and Bailey, Oh My!

Sorry for the kitschy title. I really couldn't think of anything better. Anyway, today was Dr. J's surgery day. I got to see five surgeries, all very interesting. And no dentals! I find them not that fun most of the time. Anyway, the first was a canine spay on a French Bulldog who had never had a litter but who had always had trouble getting pregnant. The uterine tubes were quite large and deeply muscular. Dr. J said they felt hard and lumpy, which might explain the whole infertility thing. The dog will be much happier, I think, after the procedure.

The second surgery was a lip mass removal on a Boxer. The mass was no bigger than a pea, but the owners had told one of the doctors that it had doubled in size since they first noticed it, prompting the vet to recommend removal. The mass was placed in a jar of formalin to be sent for analysis. I'm hoping it's something pretty minor.

The third surgery was a feline neuter combined with a front declaw followed by another front declaw--this time without the neuter. Both went according to plan.

Finally, the fifth surgery was as spay on a pregnant feral cat. She was not very far along, so the kittens in her uterus just looked like big beads on a string. I found myself sort of emotional about it, but the world really doesn't need more kittens looking for homes. Besides, one of the techs drew up some euthanasia solution and injected about 0.5 mL into each kitten, so they died peacefully and pain-free, instead of dying slowly after being cut off from their mother. I felt a little better after that.

I suppose I should mention at this point that I was unable to do much of my usual stuff today because there is a student there who is interning to become a vet tech. Needless to say, she must learn to do a lot of the things in surgery that I am used to doing, such as anesthesia monitoring, taking temperatures, assisting with intubation and catheterization, and the like. I did take a few temperatures and record a few numbers, but that was pretty much it. I  felt a little useless and in the way today. I guess I shouldn't complain because I did get to carry a couple of the patients from the cat room to the surgery room and assist with extubation after surgery, catheter removal, and restraint, so it wasn't a complete bust of a day. But I am looking forward to getting back to my usual Wednesday morning surgery routine next week.

The morning passed quite quickly so that before I knew it, it was time to eat lunch. I was just recording some of my observations when Dr. J said it was time to go home. Frankly, I wasn't ready. I'm so used to my 10-hour days that 5.5 just doesn't seem like enough. I didn't even have time to make more puppy and kitty packs like I usually do! It's something small but important that I can do for the clinic, so I like doing it. It sure beats flipping through a novel and feeling out of touch with the clinic atmosphere (this would happen frequently when I was still early on in my shadowing experience).

Even though I was only at the clinic a short time this week, I still learned something. When surgery patients need vaccines, those vaccines are usually given a few hours post-operatively instead of immediately after the surgery. This ensures sufficient time for the anesthesia gases and other drugs to wear off. Plus, if the patient has a reaction to the vaccine, the clinic can be sure that it is actually the vaccine causing the reaction and not the anesthesia gases or other drugs (vital information for future vaccination or surgery). I also learned that cats, when they experience reactions, tend to exhibit more gastrointestinal symptoms, such as vomiting and diarrhea--instead of more dermal symptoms like hives or a rash. I asked one of the techs why this was the case, and she told me that's simply how it is. Just like people react differently to different vaccines based on physical makeup, there is just something about the physical makeup of cats that makes them more susceptible to GI reactions. I guess some things in life cannot be explained in full. Anyway, I hope you learned a little something today, just like I did. One of my mantras is that it is important to learn at least one new thing everyday, no matter the thing--it can be academic, emotional, social, physical, you name it. That is part of what gives each new day purpose for me and helps me feel like I am not wasting my time here on Earth. I suppose that is one of the reasons why I am so intrigued by veterinary medicine. It is a career that requires constant learning, and I want to be a true lifelong learner.

I hope you all out there had a happy Monday, too! Stay tuned for a post about Thursday's shadowing at VCA Cedar!