9.29.2007

Me 'n Leah

Aren't I cute? Or retarded, as the case may be. I actually posted this picture so you could see my beautiful co-worker/friend, Leah. We're on our way to Spokane to buy clothes. Which are now very neatly organized in our respective closets, mine by color and season, hers by ...well, I'm not exactly sure, but they're nicely organized. I was admiring them yesterday.
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9.28.2007

Straight Hair

The important thing to notice in this photo (aside from the fact that my hair is really straight and I am really crooked, I suppose to add artistic touch the picture) is the tin on the wall. Notice the detail, the rust, the quaintness of it. I'm quite fond of my tin, which I assume was from a ceiling and is now nailed to my wall . I'll post another picture of it so you can see it in all its glory.
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Hello up there!

Another holding down the dog photo...
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Feline Dental


Breathing for the cat before starting the dental. Some animals don't like to breath right away after going under the anesthesia, so we have to breath for them.

A spay or neuter is going on the the background.













Scaling the teeth.

Hooking the cat up to the IV pump and ECG machine.
My job is not always the most dignified... at times I have to lay on the floor in order to hold a dog down. Sometimes I'm able to get a small nap in....
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9.18.2007

ACL SX Part 1

An ACL Sx...

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I'm actually working!!

Finally. A picture that makes it look like I do more than sit around or take pictures of everyone else. I'm briefly assisting with a surgery.
Normally with your average surgery I monitor the animal, note things such as CRT, TPR, SpO2, RR/HR, adjust the anesthesia level as needed, and overall attempt to make the whole procedure go as smooth as possible anesthesia-wise for the animal. And Dr. Attempting to spay an animal that wants to jump off the table can be a challenge.
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Where are the scrubs??

We all wear matching scrubs each day. Big cranberries, that's what we are. However, there are times when duty calls.... and one is not properly attired. In fact, there are times when one comes to the clinic in 'cute' clothing (anything not a scrub = cute) since there is just a meeting to attend. Shoes that were chosen purely based on cuteness (ie, carrying a dog or doing anything even remotely physical can be life -or ankle- threatening) jeans that aren't as loose as the burka-like scrubs, and a shirt that .... well, it's from Banana Republic, for pete's sake!
But... when a dog's gotta have a bath, a dog's gotta have a bath. Or an Amitraz dip, as the case may be. You might think that I am wearing the fully body armor because I'm afraid to ruin my makeup, clothing, or beautiful hands. One must stay somewhat put together on one's day off. Technically, however, I'm wearing it all so I don't come in contact or breath the Amitraz dip.
And then I went to the meeting.
And then I had cheesecake. Thankyou Dr. M for having a birthday.

Beloved Ana

This is Ana. Our clinic cat. Now what you see neatly opened on the table is a formerly sterile gown, waiting for the scrubbed up technician to put it on. In enters Ana. She is wondering, hmmm... I'm already a pain in the rear. What else can I do today to make things difficult. I know! I 'll park myself on a sterile gown and glare at anyone who comes near.
I opened a new gown.

ACL SX part 2

A closeup of the knee.
Another view.














The threesome giving their muscles a workout. They're crimping the bars that hold the line (which is replacing the torn ACL) together. Me? I'm just taking pictures. I don't like to overwork my muscles.
























It is finished. Dr. M is closing with staples- an efficient, effective method of closing when you've been in sx for over an hour and want to wake the dog up as soon as possible. We all know, however, that we will be cursing her when we try and remove them all. Perhaps we'll just let her do it.
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Got...Barium??

We do not go around drinking milk at work. In fact, most of us don't like milk. No, Jessie actually prefers barium. It has a sweet, chalky taste, and is proven to help calm the stomach. Of course, we mainly force it down animals. Not drink it.Posted by Picasa

Yes, it is a picture.

In case you doubt, I did indeed post a picture. After 2.5 hours of messing around, trying to figure out how to get pictures on my blog, I downloaded Picasa2 and from that I added pictures. Before I gloat too much about my success, I should do a few more to make sure I have it down.

9.17.2007

I could describe things...

Since I am having such difficulty posting pictures I was just thinking that I could put my poetic skills to work and describe things instead of just attempting to post visual aids..... (I have some of the coolest pictures too. Sigh. Someday. )

I could try to describe the kitten who came in today (found by someone)... looking like something tried to rip part of its face away but only succeeding in making it look like a kitten from a horror film. I could say that once it was euthanized maggots started crawling from where its eye and nose should have been. But I won't. Because that's gross. I would like to say I did not take a picture of it, however, due to how gross it looked. I want this to be a 'little brother friendly' blog, not one rated 'R' for disturbing images.

I could also try to describe the dog that came in due to pain in hind end. Upon further examination it was discovered that there were maggots all around and in his hind end, due to mats that had made the feces stick around it. I felt quite satisfied when I'd shaved all the hair off that dog. And cleaned the maggots off. No picture of that either. Darn.

Clients... ya gotta love them

I walked into the room.

"Where's Jessie?" is the first thing out of the lady's mouth.

Sigh. I know Jessie is awesome and all. In fact, I really like her so I know the owners have a point. They expect to see their favorite vet tech, Jessie, waltz into the room and instead, in walks...hmmm...'What's your name?' 'Kristina'. It says that on my name tag which officially labels me as 'Licensed Vet Tech' If it's not upside down. Sometimes it is.

They love Jessie because she does awesome nail trims. I've racked my brain thinking, 'How can I emulate Jessie in this area, and thus have clients love me?' I just don't know what makes hers so much better than mine. So I quick half of the nails. So the dogs pee and express their anal sacs all over at times. So there is occasionally a screaming dog who is attempting to avoid my nail trim. I still don't know what is so much better about her nail trims. Anyhow.

I can't say that I'm too upset that they love Jessie. Because then I can pass off their appointments to her. All in the name of 'but they love you, Jessie!' They are nice enough people. However....

After resigning themselves to the fact that St. Jessie was not going to be the one to go over things with them, they poured forth:

...cutting off her husband... " ----- stop talking. I have things to tell her."

"He had 12 kibbles this morning. 12. This big. Here is a kibble for you to show the Dr. so she knows what size they were. Because Dr. M said we could give him a little bit of food as he doesn't do well without eating breakfast. They were crumbled up. Here is the list of the medications that he had this morning. He had them at 4:45AM. Here are the phone numbers to reach us at. And here. And here. And here. Here are his 3pm medications. And here is his applesauce and meal. His 3pm meal."

"Would you like me to give the whole container of applesause with his meal?"

"No. It is only to moisten his food. He does not need all of it. And here is his list of things he needs done today. TNT, rads, dental, check ears. And whatever else needs to be done. "

I would just like to say that the conversation was much longer and redundant than the above lines. Being the faithful vet tech that I am, I attempted to pay attention to everything. Really. I made an effort to focus. On the food size, the kibble number, the fact that it was crumbled, the fact that the applesause was only to moisten the rest of the food, the fact that the other meds had to be given at three....etc. etc.

I will never fight Jessie for their appointments.

There are several people I wouldn't fight Jessie to take appointments for. But we both get our fair share over overly detail oriented people, or just plain rude people, or people who you wonder "Are they really on earth today?"

9.07.2007

Thank You Leah!!!

I just want to thank Leah for her help in getting the pictures/video on my blog. I just spent a bunch of time at her house, while she figured out what to do. I still can't post any from my own computer yet, but at least there are a few to look at!

Having fun at work

This is what I do half of the time...charts...


Having fun with animals is part of my job. Taking care of clients is part of my job. Doing charts is part of my job. Charts...the bane of a technician's existance, really. It's wonderful to be busy. Being busy, however, = many charts...sitting in the boxes above my computer....This is where I can be found half the time. See that section in the middle of the charting box? The one where the charts are falling out? Yeah. Those are mine. All the history is on the computer, but we always have a chart for the patient as well, in order to make sure all the hx was finished. If you read a note on the computer, it might look something like this: "Rx Amoxi 30ml, 1ml bid x 10d. Otirinse sid x 7d then prn. TemP 42#, 1.5 bidx7, 1 sid x 7, 1/2 eod" or, " F/U re: OVH, LMOM. KH" The history might just be titled 'ADR', a very technical term which means 'Ain't doing right.'

C-Section





The uterus, just before Dr.M removes the puppies....all 11 of them.











Puppy number one coming out. You only get to see the first one coming out, because we were too busy clamping and cutting and rubbing to take any more pictures during the sx.







Hmmm....am I really working? Or just lounging around by the ECG machine, enjoying the warmth of the sx table and enjoying the view of the puppies coming out. Yeah, I'm working. Keeping the dog alive,that sort of thing.





And the babies!!!! AWWW...... they all lived. Soon after this picture we took the hemostats off, tied off the umbilical chords, and gave them some formula. They were very demanding and noisy.

So you want to be a vet tech....

I think that pamphlets/websites which display information about vet tech schools/what you learn/what you eventally will do give the wrong impression.

Or at least, they do not show you what being a vet tech really entails.

So, before you get all excited about entering the noble profession of veterinarian medicine, please consider the following:

* You will probably be peed on on a daily basis. Occasionally, you won't have time to go home over lunch and change, so you're going to just have to smell like urine all day.

* You will also be pooped on. Again, this can be an almost daily occurance. And, sometimes it will be horrible diarrhea, occasionally with blood in it. Nice.

* Your co-workers will probably laugh at you when you get pooped and peed on. They will make fun of you. Do not expect any sympathy. Laugh with them and at yourself.

* You will have to express anal glands. Now that, in and of itself, is fine. What is not fine, however, is when it squirts into your face, instead of the paper towel. And what is even worse, is when it goes in your mouth. You will be able to taste it the rest of the day, no matter how much you rinse your mouth out or spit. Keep your mouth closed when expressing anal glands. I would say keep your eyes closed too, but seeing what you're doing is always helpful. There is no worse smell in the world than anal sac exudate. When it squirts on you, keep in mind that you will get sarcastic comments from your co-workers and boss for the rest of the day.

* You really are never done with work. Do not fall into the pit of thinking "It's Labor Day on Monday!!! That means I only have to work three days next week!!! (since you already get Fridays off). And I get a three day weekend!" Oh no. You actually will have to come in Saturday evening to do kennels since the assistant who was supposed to work Sat - Wednesday was just fired. You will then get to help with a C-Section and have fun assisting with the delivery of 11 puppies. Sunday you will go in to help feed those puppies since the mom will be quite sick. Monday you will go in for a few hours to do random catch-up things, and then you will do kennels that night. Tuesday and Wednesday you will work your normal shift, but you also will have to stay late because, again, you have to do kennels. But, you will enjoy doing all the above because newborn puppies are just too cute, plus you love your co-workers, so it's fun being with them.

*You will have to clean up piles of vomit. You will see piles of vomit daily, especially on surgery days. The morphine you give all dogs as a premed will make them all throw up and occasionally stuff comes out the other end too. So be prepared to clean up piles of vomit. Also, be prepared to try and guess what that animal ate for breakfast. Hmm. . . Lucky charms?? Sometimes you can't quite tell... Thankfully, you should have a tech assistant who will be the main vomit picker upper. However, be prepared to help clean up.

*If you make the mistake 2 years ago of bringing home the mass that was removed from your rat so you can show your roommate, be prepared to have your boss tease you constantly thereafter, asking if you would like to keep the uterus, mass, dewclaws, tails, testicles, etc.... Because she seems to think that you have a collection at home. Trying to protest and say that red and brown is NOT your color scheme so the body parts just wouldn't match with your cream, brown, and blue decor scheme doesn't work. She will still tease you. In fact, if you go on vacation for 1 week, upon your return you just might find dewclaws, tails, and some leftovers from a cat neuter in your box. Just to help that collection along. A necklace or two, made from leftover suture and some body parts might make their way to you. What sweet, considerate co-workers you have.

*You MUST have a sense of humor. A sarcastic one is the best, since you have so many things happen at work that are just begging for a sarcastic response. Do not take everything your co-workers say at face value. In fact, don't take anything they say at face value. They're probably just sarcastic. You will go home with hurt feelings every night if you don't have a sense of humor.

* You will have scars all over your arms. But you will be proud of them. They are your 'battle scars'. However, when they are fresh and right where your watch is suppose to be, they will be a pain. You might even have long ones down your neck that are rather inconvenient when you want to turn your head. However, when your own dog give those to you because you were trying to do a nail trim, they aren't quite as cool. You will probably have bruises all over. Again, think of them as battle wounds.

*You will have to give baths to cats. Some nice, some not so nice. Generally speaking, cats don't care for water.

*You will have to deal with many nasty cats. The kind that leap at you, and scratch, and bite. In spite of this, you will still have to pill them, give them fluids, etc. You will become brave, reaching in quickly to grab that scruff and then you will not release it. Even when your hand cramps up. Even when the cat is screaming bloody murder. Even when you're all scratched up. Because you don't want your co-worker to be hurt. Occasionally you may have to let the cat go, because he is shredding your arm. Then you get to have fun trying to catch a mean cat in the treatment area of your clinic. If you are fortunate, you will have a co-worker who finds it fun to wrestle mean cats. Then you won't have to do it much.

There are many other things that vet techs get to deal with. After all, animals are only part of our job. There are the clients as well.....

But I don't want to scare you out of becoming a vet tech. It really is an awesome job. As long as you don't mind bodily fluids, bad smells, sarcasm, blood, screaming, and long hours. I love it.

Tips

Just a few tips regarding your animals and their care:

1. If you have a very sick dog, dumping him in the river to find out if he wants to live is probably not the ideal thing to do. I actually would recommend you bring him to the vet.

2. When you bring your cat in to be euthanized, keep in mind that he will be dead seconds after the injection. When you ask if you can leave and your cat just had an IV catheter placed, my saying 'yes, we'll be out in a moment' means, 'go to your car and we'll be right out with the euthasol (which is called Fatal Plus, btw).' It does not mean that your cat was given an injection which takes awhile to kill him, and it does not mean you can drive away. Because then I have to call you and tell you that your cat has to come back to the clinic so we can give it the euthasol. Situations like those make things awkward. I prefer to avoid them. We really do try to make euthanasias as smooth as possible.

3. If we do a housecall euthanasia, we have to listen to your cat's heart after administering the euthasol in order to make sure he has passed. We also need to feel the femoral pulse. Please do not hold the cat very snug against your body. This makes doing those two things extremely awkward. Especially if you are a larger woman and the doctor is a man.

9.06.2007

Attempting to add a picture....

Hmm. This is an older picture of my brothers...for some reason I can randomly upload the occasional picture, but I haven't been able to add anything from work yet.

9.02.2007

The beginning...

I always said I'd never have a blog (and I even said it with italics). I love reading them; I spend too much time reading them. However, that was in the past. When I didn't have a digital camera. When I had roommates I could gross out with stories of my day. When I thought having a blog meant you had to know something about computers. Now, I have a (very cute, I must say) digital camera that I carry around everywhere to make up for the many years that I really haven't done much picture taking. I don't have any roommates. And, it seems like everyone under the sun has a blog so I figured it couldn't be that hard. So far it's quite straightforward. I was worried I was going to have to read a bunch of instructions to figure out how to make one. I hate reading extensive instructions, I'd rather play around with something till I (sort of) figure it out. This dislike of instruction manuals has so far resulted in my knowing how to use only a few features on my cell phone, and not knowing how to do anything on my camera aside from pointing and clicking (and I was able to download a picture to my facebook, much to the amazment of a former roommate). The latter is much to the disgust of my little brother who can't believe I got a nice camera just for the cuteness factor. There are so many cool features on my camera, and yet I don't use any of them.
All this to say here's my blog. Because I have pictures I want to show my family.
Oh- and the name. KH are my initials, obviously, and at work we initial everything. History, notes, emails...all are initialed. And this blog is for random scribblings of mine, mainly regarding work. So there you are.
Warning- many of the pictures I'm going to post are of various surgeries. If you don't like viewing things such as blood, intestines, a uterus here and there, and maggots, you might not want to look at the pictures. On the other hand, if you like looking at cute puppies or random things I find at antique store that I label 'decor', you might enjoy them.