Summer 2012: St. Francis Veterinary Clinic Visit #10: Holy Saint Bernard, Batman!

Wednesday was quite the slow day at the clinic. I only saw two surgeries in the morning: a canine neuter with removal of deciduous (baby) teeth and a canine spay with microchip placement. I performed my usual duties of monitoring anesthesia, taking temperatures, cleaning, and helping administer nerve block to the ovary on the spay as before. All of this occurred without too much excitement. We got out of surgery early enough that there was still an hour before lunch break, so I decided to make up some more puppy and kitty packs. One of the techs thanked me profusely and complimented me on the good job I was doing. I think she just wanted to let me know how appreciated it was because everyone is usually so busy that they cannot keep up with the demand for them and have to take time out of their schedules to make them up on the spot, which keeps clients waiting during their new-puppy or new-kitty appointment. Other than that, my only real contribution was doing some pill-counting later in the day, which I usually enjoy. I counted out some antibiotic pills for a dog with an ear infection.

Even though it was a really slow day, I think it was beneficial, and it was even fun because of a couple of interesting appointments. One led me to the title of this blog post. A very large Saint Bernard came to visit the clinic for some diarrhea issues and general lethargy. He was an easy 174 pounds on the scale. I was absolutely astounded because I have honestly never met a dog so big as this one. I was even more flabbergasted to learn that the dog had dropped 20 pounds. So yes. He was supposed to weigh close to 200 pounds! Woah.

Another fun appointment was with a couple and their cat Fred. They had another cat at home whose name was...can you guess? That's right. George! Like from Harry Potter. I shared this with Sarah because she is a Harry Potter fan. I wonder if this couple (an older couple) knew what they were doing or if it was just a cool coincidence.

I also got to snuggle quite a bit with Bailey, who has taken to giving me love bites when we are playing. It is cute but also painful, and I kind of want her to stop. I feel bad whenever she picks on Odie, too, because he was my first kitty friend at St. Francis, and I don't want to push him aside (like the other cats have) just because he has to share his space with others. I feel awful that he has taken to sleeping in the laundry room, all alone, because he feels so threatened and side-lined. Yet I still wish I could take Bailey home.

I wanted to let you know that I have changed my views on declawing now. I read a leaflet about it from the American Association of Feline Practitioners (2007). Declawing does not just cause a behavioral tendency to bite more than scratch. The surgery itself is painful and risky because of a liability for permanent nerve damage and hemorrhaging. The procedure is not really necessary because cats can be trained to direct their scratching--a normal, natural activity--to things like scratching posts instead of couches and such. I now think that declaws are only okay as long as they are only the front two paws (the back two do not really cause any damage to furniture or to people, usually) and as long as the process is absolutely essential for household harmony. I can also understand why perhaps elderly or disabled people might have a hard time training cats properly not to scratch, so declaws might be more viable for them than for other groups of people. So, that's how I feel about declawing after getting more information on it.

One of my favorite parts of shadowing is learning more about diseases whose names are familiar to be but about which I know relatively little because no one has really explained them to me (or I have been too lazy or busy to look them up on my own!). I like hearing a vet's explanation of them, too, sometimes, better than any explanation I encounter on the often-incorrect Internet. Anyway, on Wednesday, I got more information about leptospirosis, a bacterial infection that animals get from water contaminated with urine from an affected animal or from the urine of wildlife that pets may encounter when outdoors. The condition causes severe kidney problems and is especially common after a flood, when large bodies of standing water form and when wildlife is driven from its habitat. After some personal research about the topic, I learned that it is more common in warmer climates (easier for bacteria to grow) and that its typical symptoms include fever, headache, nausea/vomiting, chills, and muscle soreness. People can get the disease, too, and just thinking about it makes me feel a bit sick. A fun fact is that in the United States, Hawaii garners the most cases annually. Tropical climates do have their drawbacks, I guess. Another fun fact (albeit unrelated) is that sharks do not get sick! They are immune to every known disease, including cancer. I am guessing this must be due to their thick skin and environment (salt water tends to discourage bacterial growth).

I will leave you with a couple of anecdotes. First, I learned that Dr. N was at the clinic until almost 1:30 AM one night. I was really surprised. I felt bad for her because it kind of happens a lot to her. She is kind of a perfectionist, so it takes her awhile to write things up. The only reason I point this out is that it worries me just a little. Is that what I will be like during my first few years of being a vet? Will I get stressed out all the time like she does? I think of myself as quite the perfectionist, too, so I worry that I will end up spending late nights at my clinic, too. But maybe that's the whole point. By applying to veterinary school, I am making a commitment and expressing a desire to dedicate my life to animal health. I am pledging to serve animals and people for the rest of my time on Earth, and if this entails a few late nights, then it is worth it. I'm not becoming a vet because it is an easy way to support myself. I want to be a vet because animals and people are very important to me, and I want to use my gifts to help them to the best of my ability. However, one of the vet techs encouraged me by saying that I am much more focused than Dr. N, who tends to be a bit scattered, so I'm not completely hopeless. Basically, Dr. N gives me hope and scares me at the same time because I see a lot of myself in her. If she can become a vet, so can I!

The other anecdote was very funny. One of the techs was showing one of the four orange kittens to a potential adopter when it got away from her. It rushed toward the break room, where I was standing making up some puppy and kitty packs. It rounded the corner just before the tech did. "No! Kitten!" she shouted as she chased after the elusive animal. Hoping to draw it toward me, I crouched down near it where it had stopped momentarily to rest and said, "Hey! You wanna play?" Not with me it didn't. That or it decided the game of the moment was Tag. It ran the other way, and the tech finally snared it, while it gave out a loud, "MAU!" I was surprised that such a big sound came from such a tiny kitten (it is only six weeks old).

So, that was my day! Though it was a little on the slow side, I still enjoyed myself, especially going into vacation this weekend. Like I said in my last post, I will try to include all of the highlights so I can share them with you when I return. Have a great week!