Awkward Jazz.
The boys, doing their usual thing.
Random updates
3 months ago
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Exciting news! And more to come!
I applied for the Pfizer Animal Health Veterinary Scholarship months ago, and today I found out that I was awarded it! It is for $2500, which will definitely go a long way! I was so bummed when the scholarship awards were distributed because I applied for a lot of them this year and didn't get anything. This definitely makes up for it!
Also, stay tuned for some very exciting news tomorrow at Two Pitties in the City.
I am slowly recovering from the nasty cold I've had for the past couple of weeks - I was able to run 6 miles (very slowly) on Tuesday and 9 miles (also kind of slowly) today. Since I am still recovering, I'm holding off on my long run until Sunday morning - they are calling for "54 degrees, cloudy, chance for rain", so I'll take my chances and cross my fingers that the rain holds out because 18 miles won't be fun in a downpour. I'll take a little light sprinkle though! I used to love rainy runs.
I'm also nursing a very mildly tweaked ankle from... tug-o-war. Yep, it is Vet Med Olympics time and KJ, our friend JW, and myself were our class's team captains for tug-o-war. Yesterday, we competed against each other within our respective classes and it was the longest, most difficult tug-o-war game I have ever experienced. EVER. It was minutes long - and my abs and back are killing me today. Plus, I rolled an ankle trying to dig into the grassy field during those tortuous minutes. We went up against the other classes and faculty today and won the "championship" - much easier than yesterday's match up, by the way - it just shows how awesome we are. I'm not competing in the other events - football, volleyball, softball, dodgeball, or basketball because I didn't want to hurt myself (I tend to overexert and injure myself quite frequently - I'm a huge klutz) and I ended up getting hurt in TUG-O-WAR! How ridiculous :) The culminating event of the week is the barcrawl on Saturday - it will definitely be great time!
Any other vet schools have fun events like this?
Also, stay tuned for some very exciting news tomorrow at Two Pitties in the City.
I am slowly recovering from the nasty cold I've had for the past couple of weeks - I was able to run 6 miles (very slowly) on Tuesday and 9 miles (also kind of slowly) today. Since I am still recovering, I'm holding off on my long run until Sunday morning - they are calling for "54 degrees, cloudy, chance for rain", so I'll take my chances and cross my fingers that the rain holds out because 18 miles won't be fun in a downpour. I'll take a little light sprinkle though! I used to love rainy runs.
I'm also nursing a very mildly tweaked ankle from... tug-o-war. Yep, it is Vet Med Olympics time and KJ, our friend JW, and myself were our class's team captains for tug-o-war. Yesterday, we competed against each other within our respective classes and it was the longest, most difficult tug-o-war game I have ever experienced. EVER. It was minutes long - and my abs and back are killing me today. Plus, I rolled an ankle trying to dig into the grassy field during those tortuous minutes. We went up against the other classes and faculty today and won the "championship" - much easier than yesterday's match up, by the way - it just shows how awesome we are. I'm not competing in the other events - football, volleyball, softball, dodgeball, or basketball because I didn't want to hurt myself (I tend to overexert and injure myself quite frequently - I'm a huge klutz) and I ended up getting hurt in TUG-O-WAR! How ridiculous :) The culminating event of the week is the barcrawl on Saturday - it will definitely be great time!
Any other vet schools have fun events like this?
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
I think my fish finally died.
Marley, our dear clearance fish, has been "floating in limbo" for the last few months. So, we diagnosed him with a swim bladder problem with a secondary ick infection... I use the term "diagnose" very, very loosely :) He's been hanging vertically at the water line for a few months - but he'd occasionally eat and sometimes I'd find him swimming at the bottom, so I'm not entirely sure what his major malfunction was. Anyway, he stopped eating a long time ago, although I continued to pour food in the tank, semi-thinking that he might scour the bottom for food when we weren't home. The cats even lost interest in him since he pretty much quit swimming altogether. Every morning I tap on the tank to see if he flinches - he always does, so I know that he is alive. KJ and I considered "euthanizing" him... but 1. we thought it was weird because he is a fish, and 2. neither of us wanted to do it, and 3. we thought flushing him down the toliet was cruel, even in his half comatose state.
This morning, he was upside down floating at the bottom. I did my usual tap good morning - nothing. I did it again this afternoon - nothing. So, I officially call the day of death as today. RIP Marley, you were the greatest free fish we've ever had (the lady who sold us him at Meijer was too lazy to find out a price, so he officially became Marley, clearance fishie).
We're not too broken up about his passing - KJ just said, "oh yea?" when I told him I thought Marley had died. I tried to break it gently to the dogs and cats that one of their own had passed and I got a lot of blank stares, so I think they'll be okay. I think KJ wants more fish, maybe more than one at a time this time around, so the cats will be pretty pumped once they figure that out. After all, they didn't realize Marley was even there for the first year. Our animals aren't the brightest group of cats and dogs, but thats why I love them.
Also, Jazz's collar from Collar Mania came in the mail today - its a pink Burberry knock off pattern and SUPER CUTE, but I just put Revolution on them, so I'll take a picture once that dries :) I also need to order new tags, since her Boomerang collar tag won't fit on this new collar... I love buying new dog tags! I used to buy new ones every month from PetSmart, because Jazz loved to chew on metal when she was a pup (I told you they weren't bright animals...) and she was so flexible that she could chew on her own tags... Brilliant!
I also need to start looking for collars or something special for the dogs to wear in the wedding. We have a flower dog and canine ring bearer so they need to look GOOD! Any ideas?
This morning, he was upside down floating at the bottom. I did my usual tap good morning - nothing. I did it again this afternoon - nothing. So, I officially call the day of death as today. RIP Marley, you were the greatest free fish we've ever had (the lady who sold us him at Meijer was too lazy to find out a price, so he officially became Marley, clearance fishie).
We're not too broken up about his passing - KJ just said, "oh yea?" when I told him I thought Marley had died. I tried to break it gently to the dogs and cats that one of their own had passed and I got a lot of blank stares, so I think they'll be okay. I think KJ wants more fish, maybe more than one at a time this time around, so the cats will be pretty pumped once they figure that out. After all, they didn't realize Marley was even there for the first year. Our animals aren't the brightest group of cats and dogs, but thats why I love them.
Also, Jazz's collar from Collar Mania came in the mail today - its a pink Burberry knock off pattern and SUPER CUTE, but I just put Revolution on them, so I'll take a picture once that dries :) I also need to order new tags, since her Boomerang collar tag won't fit on this new collar... I love buying new dog tags! I used to buy new ones every month from PetSmart, because Jazz loved to chew on metal when she was a pup (I told you they weren't bright animals...) and she was so flexible that she could chew on her own tags... Brilliant!
I also need to start looking for collars or something special for the dogs to wear in the wedding. We have a flower dog and canine ring bearer so they need to look GOOD! Any ideas?
Monday, March 28, 2011
Cows, They're whats for Dinner.
I love steak. This makes it difficult to sit in ruminant health class. It makes me hungry - is that weird? Unless we are looking at weird pathology pictures, in which case I totally lose my appetite for beef and move on to sushi... because I'm always hungry for sushi. In fact, I'm just always hungry. Its the driving force behind my working out and running.
Speaking of cows - I completely forgot that we have a ruminant health exam on Friday. My lovely week after Spring Break was just ruined by this fact. We have a zillion small animal surgery quizzes due this week and next that I've been chipping away at - I try not to procrastinate when it comes to really simple things. That way, I feel like I am still doing "school" work, but it is sort of fun because I get to look up all the answers and watch TV at the same time. Everybody wins.
We also have our poultry final next week. In case you were wondering, this doesn't make me hungry for chicken because the pictures are really gross. How about I promise to NEVER treat a chicken, and maybe they'll just let me pass the class? In fact, I'll even offer to NEVER treat a cow in practice in exchange for letting me become a fourth year in a few weeks? I'm just not production medicine oriented. I look at animals as family members, as members of society. Cows, pigs, chickens, etc are not pets (usually). I get the realities associated with economics and production - but it is not in my interests to factor those issues into medical care. Randomly choosing animals to cull to monitor disease spread and things of that nature is just not my cup of tea. Mad props to those large animal students and vets - the USDA needs you! America needs you! The world needs you!
Plus, I just really love steak and we need those vets to make sure my steaks are all right for eating :)
Speaking of cows - I completely forgot that we have a ruminant health exam on Friday. My lovely week after Spring Break was just ruined by this fact. We have a zillion small animal surgery quizzes due this week and next that I've been chipping away at - I try not to procrastinate when it comes to really simple things. That way, I feel like I am still doing "school" work, but it is sort of fun because I get to look up all the answers and watch TV at the same time. Everybody wins.
We also have our poultry final next week. In case you were wondering, this doesn't make me hungry for chicken because the pictures are really gross. How about I promise to NEVER treat a chicken, and maybe they'll just let me pass the class? In fact, I'll even offer to NEVER treat a cow in practice in exchange for letting me become a fourth year in a few weeks? I'm just not production medicine oriented. I look at animals as family members, as members of society. Cows, pigs, chickens, etc are not pets (usually). I get the realities associated with economics and production - but it is not in my interests to factor those issues into medical care. Randomly choosing animals to cull to monitor disease spread and things of that nature is just not my cup of tea. Mad props to those large animal students and vets - the USDA needs you! America needs you! The world needs you!
Plus, I just really love steak and we need those vets to make sure my steaks are all right for eating :)
Friday, March 25, 2011
Welcome home Pittie smiles
I originally intended to spend a few days of spring break at home with my family. I planned on doing my 16 mile run on the trails that I used to frequent, but was super excited because I would get to explore many more of the trails with this extended distance. I planned on shopping at the outlet mall (I heart you, Vera Bradley - you are my version of a debilitating drug habit) and I planned on visiting this newly famous brewery, Two Brothers. I randomly discovered them at school and was happily surprised to find that they reside in my hometown... like down the street and around a corner.
What did I end up doing?
I took an adventure downtown on the train to meet some friends on the first day - I made the train by ONE MINUTE. I discovered my hair straightener was broken, took a minute to mourn, then realized that I was running late anyway. I then realized I needed money to park the car. I contemplated using the only bill I had (10 dollars) to pay for $1.25 parking, then decided I'd rather be late and drive to the city than do that, until I realized I had stolen 13 quarters from Kyle to pay for the parking meters at the gym. WIN. I dramatically swung into a spot, jumped out - and discovered that I am not a train conductor and I do not get the privilege of free parking. As I was putting money in the meter, I saw the train in the distance. So I ran and tried to play it cool as I approached the platform. I met my best friend from college at the train station for lunch since she works around the corner. When she had to leave, she walked me to Starbucks, as I was in great need of caffeine. Of course, there was no place to sit and read my new book, so I aimlessly wandered back to the train station and wasted 30 minutes waiting for one of my best college man friends to meet me to hang in the city. Since it was freezing out and I was completely inappropriately dressed for the 30 degree weather, we had coffee in the train station (I didn't know it was there earlier...) and then moved on to the train station bar. Thus, I successfully spent a complete afternoon in the train station, getting drunk on mocha lattes and miller lite. At this point, my throat started to burn and it was getting painful to talk, so I realized I might be getting sick.
That day, I learned that not only did I get to enjoy spring break, but my immune system was also going to enjoy spring break and take an extended vacation.
I did not get to enjoy a run on my trails... or any run for that matter. I didn't get to visit the brewery or go shopping. I did get to sit on the couch and watch quality shows like The Price is Right, Let's Make a Deal, The Newlywed Game, and the movie Knocked Up. Twice. I also attempted to be productive and work on some online surgery quizzed - since I was high on cold medicine, I'm a little scared to see what I put as the "correct answers" - but I'll worry about that later.
I broke free from the sickness haze this morning and attempted to drive home. Aside from almost plowing my car into the back of a tractor moving at 10 miles an hour (the semi in front of me maneuvered around it so quickly, I stared in shock and almost hit the tractor myself), I made it home in one piece and was greeted at the door by my handsome boy - not KJ, but my Benjamin Dog.
Have I mentioned how much I LOVE LOVE LOVE pittie smiles? To some, they may appear ferocious - baring his teeth, moving his body in a crazy, haphazard fashion - but to me, they are smiles of the purest joy. It is the best way he knows how to show me how happy he is that I am returning home to him. He doesn't mind that I brought the beagle beast home with me, or that I am sick and dripping bodily fluids from my nose - he is satisfied by my mere presence. I laid on the couch to recover from my drive (since that was the most activity I'd done in days) and he laid next to me. I rubbed his big head until I started to fall asleep - he proceeded to talk pittie to me to tell me that I needed to keep petting him. He also kept rearranging himself to be as close to my face as physically possible. He's my good boy and a great friend :)
What did I end up doing?
I took an adventure downtown on the train to meet some friends on the first day - I made the train by ONE MINUTE. I discovered my hair straightener was broken, took a minute to mourn, then realized that I was running late anyway. I then realized I needed money to park the car. I contemplated using the only bill I had (10 dollars) to pay for $1.25 parking, then decided I'd rather be late and drive to the city than do that, until I realized I had stolen 13 quarters from Kyle to pay for the parking meters at the gym. WIN. I dramatically swung into a spot, jumped out - and discovered that I am not a train conductor and I do not get the privilege of free parking. As I was putting money in the meter, I saw the train in the distance. So I ran and tried to play it cool as I approached the platform. I met my best friend from college at the train station for lunch since she works around the corner. When she had to leave, she walked me to Starbucks, as I was in great need of caffeine. Of course, there was no place to sit and read my new book, so I aimlessly wandered back to the train station and wasted 30 minutes waiting for one of my best college man friends to meet me to hang in the city. Since it was freezing out and I was completely inappropriately dressed for the 30 degree weather, we had coffee in the train station (I didn't know it was there earlier...) and then moved on to the train station bar. Thus, I successfully spent a complete afternoon in the train station, getting drunk on mocha lattes and miller lite. At this point, my throat started to burn and it was getting painful to talk, so I realized I might be getting sick.
That day, I learned that not only did I get to enjoy spring break, but my immune system was also going to enjoy spring break and take an extended vacation.
I did not get to enjoy a run on my trails... or any run for that matter. I didn't get to visit the brewery or go shopping. I did get to sit on the couch and watch quality shows like The Price is Right, Let's Make a Deal, The Newlywed Game, and the movie Knocked Up. Twice. I also attempted to be productive and work on some online surgery quizzed - since I was high on cold medicine, I'm a little scared to see what I put as the "correct answers" - but I'll worry about that later.
I broke free from the sickness haze this morning and attempted to drive home. Aside from almost plowing my car into the back of a tractor moving at 10 miles an hour (the semi in front of me maneuvered around it so quickly, I stared in shock and almost hit the tractor myself), I made it home in one piece and was greeted at the door by my handsome boy - not KJ, but my Benjamin Dog.
Have I mentioned how much I LOVE LOVE LOVE pittie smiles? To some, they may appear ferocious - baring his teeth, moving his body in a crazy, haphazard fashion - but to me, they are smiles of the purest joy. It is the best way he knows how to show me how happy he is that I am returning home to him. He doesn't mind that I brought the beagle beast home with me, or that I am sick and dripping bodily fluids from my nose - he is satisfied by my mere presence. I laid on the couch to recover from my drive (since that was the most activity I'd done in days) and he laid next to me. I rubbed his big head until I started to fall asleep - he proceeded to talk pittie to me to tell me that I needed to keep petting him. He also kept rearranging himself to be as close to my face as physically possible. He's my good boy and a great friend :)
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Last Spring Break... EVER.
Thank you again for all of your support and emails. I appreciate all of your caring words, I'm saving the emails/comments for a scrapbook that I am making for my (eventual) veterinary career - a way to look back when things get tough and for me to know that I am making a difference out there, no matter how small. The winners of the raffle will be announced Friday and items will be sent out shortly after!
I heard this quote today that made me smile, "Pet owners want to know how much you care before they care how much you know." With my worries about not knowing enough when I graduate, I know that caring about my patients and clients won't be a problem. I may be short on relative clinical knowledge right out of school, but I will never be less than impressed with the strength of the human-animal bond and will do my part to strengthen that however possible.
I'm excited to "celebrate" spring break, but at the same time, I am excited to see the light at the end of tunnel, so to speak. Clinics are starting in exactly 1 month. Incredible! I never imagined the years would go by so quickly; the hundreds (thousands?) of hours spent studying seem so far away now - I'm so ready to get out there and make a career for myself - well, for ourselves really, KJ and I.
Speaking of spring break, KJ and I took engagement photos in Chicago yesterday. Our photograher is Amy Aiello, and she is incredibly artistic and talented - she has an amazing eye for great shots and made us look like rock stars. It was chilly and windy and my hair got a little crazy, but it was fun! Enjoy!
I heard this quote today that made me smile, "Pet owners want to know how much you care before they care how much you know." With my worries about not knowing enough when I graduate, I know that caring about my patients and clients won't be a problem. I may be short on relative clinical knowledge right out of school, but I will never be less than impressed with the strength of the human-animal bond and will do my part to strengthen that however possible.
I'm excited to "celebrate" spring break, but at the same time, I am excited to see the light at the end of tunnel, so to speak. Clinics are starting in exactly 1 month. Incredible! I never imagined the years would go by so quickly; the hundreds (thousands?) of hours spent studying seem so far away now - I'm so ready to get out there and make a career for myself - well, for ourselves really, KJ and I.
Speaking of spring break, KJ and I took engagement photos in Chicago yesterday. Our photograher is Amy Aiello, and she is incredibly artistic and talented - she has an amazing eye for great shots and made us look like rock stars. It was chilly and windy and my hair got a little crazy, but it was fun! Enjoy!
Friday, March 18, 2011
Thank you.
Thank you everyone, for your kind and caring words - I couldn't believe that when I checked my blog this morning, I had 19 comments - I really, really treasure the love that you showed her and all of us humans that were helping her. Everywhere in blogland, I have found tidbits about her, and I truly appreciate everyone for working so hard to spread the word about Shy Shy. Thanks A and E for all of your hard work - you were a light back in the day when I had no idea how to help Shy - and you have continued to be there to support and contribute however you could to help her. I made a list of the posts that I could find and shared them all with JH (my friend) and LU (JH's sister and Shy/Khloe's owner) - they were so touched to see how much she was loved by so many.
It seems cruel that the day after we reached our ChipIn goal for the surgery that she passed away. I had actually just talked to Dr. H (our ophthalmologist) about her appointment to check her retinas and make sure that she was still an eligible candidate and set up her surgery appointment. I came home 30 minutes later, and JH called me and told me what had happened. LU came home at lunch to let her out, and it looked like she was seizing on the couch and her gums and tongue were blue tinged. Thinking very quickly, LU gave her a bit of Karo syrup, thinking that she was having a hypoglycemic episode (related to diabetes). They took her to the ER right away, but it was just too late. I can't imagine how awful LU feels - but LU, it was not your fault and Shy/Khloe loved you so much. We all thank you for being there for her and giving her a wonderful place to live, even if just for a short time. You spoiled her like the princess she deserved to be, and I'm positive that her last month with you was the best month of her entire life. Is there a better way to go, knowing that you have a family and love by so many? I don't think so.
There must be a reason that her life was cut short and I'll hold on to the fact that she is up there in doggy heaven where she can see again and she doesn't need injections anymore. Maybe she can finally eat those tasty treats that she couldn't while here on earth. And maybe she will finally get to chase a cat... that seemed to be her life's ambition :)
As for the raffle and the ChipIn page, I will try to figure out if its possible to give the money back. The raffle ends today, so I will also be using an online radomizer (?) program to pick the winners of each item. For the money side - I'm not sure what else to do, unless we use the money to donate to a super awesome (or couple of super awesome) groups in Shy's name. That way her death and your amazing contributions will make a difference in the world. I don't have any in mind right now because I haven't had a lot of meaningful contact with rescue groups or animal-related organizations, but if we do that, I would like some sort of pit bull loving group. And hopefully one in Illinois, since that is where Shy came from.
By the way, KJ (I guess we know his name is Kyle now thanks to his post, ha ha) was very excited about writing his first blog post ever. He has been amazing, he is a wonderful, incredible man, and I am so lucky to have him in my life. Love you.
It seems cruel that the day after we reached our ChipIn goal for the surgery that she passed away. I had actually just talked to Dr. H (our ophthalmologist) about her appointment to check her retinas and make sure that she was still an eligible candidate and set up her surgery appointment. I came home 30 minutes later, and JH called me and told me what had happened. LU came home at lunch to let her out, and it looked like she was seizing on the couch and her gums and tongue were blue tinged. Thinking very quickly, LU gave her a bit of Karo syrup, thinking that she was having a hypoglycemic episode (related to diabetes). They took her to the ER right away, but it was just too late. I can't imagine how awful LU feels - but LU, it was not your fault and Shy/Khloe loved you so much. We all thank you for being there for her and giving her a wonderful place to live, even if just for a short time. You spoiled her like the princess she deserved to be, and I'm positive that her last month with you was the best month of her entire life. Is there a better way to go, knowing that you have a family and love by so many? I don't think so.
There must be a reason that her life was cut short and I'll hold on to the fact that she is up there in doggy heaven where she can see again and she doesn't need injections anymore. Maybe she can finally eat those tasty treats that she couldn't while here on earth. And maybe she will finally get to chase a cat... that seemed to be her life's ambition :)
As for the raffle and the ChipIn page, I will try to figure out if its possible to give the money back. The raffle ends today, so I will also be using an online radomizer (?) program to pick the winners of each item. For the money side - I'm not sure what else to do, unless we use the money to donate to a super awesome (or couple of super awesome) groups in Shy's name. That way her death and your amazing contributions will make a difference in the world. I don't have any in mind right now because I haven't had a lot of meaningful contact with rescue groups or animal-related organizations, but if we do that, I would like some sort of pit bull loving group. And hopefully one in Illinois, since that is where Shy came from.
By the way, KJ (I guess we know his name is Kyle now thanks to his post, ha ha) was very excited about writing his first blog post ever. He has been amazing, he is a wonderful, incredible man, and I am so lucky to have him in my life. Love you.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
A sad day for eveyone who knew and loved her
This is Heather's fiance Kyle. I am talking to you all today on behalf of Heather with a heavy heart. We were just informed that Shy passed away today. The details of what happened are unclear, but we know it was not from a lack of love and care from her new owners and online followers. Please keep her in your hearts, and know that she will always hold a part of ours. We want to thank everyone for the overwhelming support that we received through this process. It reminds us of how truly generous strangers can be. Future posts will discuss what is to be done with the donated funds. Thank you again from the bottom of our hearts and know that Shy thanks you too.
We (YOU!) did it!
$2000 dollars - and you did it! We reached our goal of raising money for cataract surgery for Shy/Khloe! How amazing is this? How incredibly generous are you? I am in shock. I honestly never imagined that you, the animal lovers of the world, would embrace this sweet girl and take her into your hearts. She has come a long way - and through all of your help, donations, and suggestions - you helped find her a home and (fingers crossed) you helped give her sight back.
I will be speaking with our ophthalmologist today about how to set up a surgery date (YAYYYYY) and what needs to be done beforehand. KJ actually has Ophthalmology as his first clinical rotation (starting April 25th), which would coincide very well with Shy/Khloe's potential surgery day (since she needs to be on antibiotics for 30 days prior). That way, he'll be around to see her treatment firsthand and hopefully get to see a neat surgery on a dog that he helped save. And, of course, love on her a little bit when he has a chance. Since I am off for the first two weeks, hopefully I can sneak in and see her too during that time. I unfortunately do not have my ophtho rotation until a year from now... so that is completely out of the question for me!
Congratulations everyone! Thank you for your love and generosity and I will definitely take some before and after pictures of her as it comes closer to surgery time so you can actually SEE what a difference we made!
Side note - spring break is in TWO DAYS! My friends and I are going to St. Louis for a few days. KJ and I have engagement photos on Tuesday, Mom and I are doing wedding stuff Wednesday and Thursday, and I'll probably go riding Friday (in my new boots from KJ for valentine's day!). BUSY BUSY!
Until then, enjoy some funny and adorable pictures of my fur kids.
Pacino being awkward... how did he get my sports bra on?
My beautiful, precious girl.
Mystique and me - one of my favorite ponies.
The pups after an afternoon at the farm.
I will be speaking with our ophthalmologist today about how to set up a surgery date (YAYYYYY) and what needs to be done beforehand. KJ actually has Ophthalmology as his first clinical rotation (starting April 25th), which would coincide very well with Shy/Khloe's potential surgery day (since she needs to be on antibiotics for 30 days prior). That way, he'll be around to see her treatment firsthand and hopefully get to see a neat surgery on a dog that he helped save. And, of course, love on her a little bit when he has a chance. Since I am off for the first two weeks, hopefully I can sneak in and see her too during that time. I unfortunately do not have my ophtho rotation until a year from now... so that is completely out of the question for me!
Congratulations everyone! Thank you for your love and generosity and I will definitely take some before and after pictures of her as it comes closer to surgery time so you can actually SEE what a difference we made!
Side note - spring break is in TWO DAYS! My friends and I are going to St. Louis for a few days. KJ and I have engagement photos on Tuesday, Mom and I are doing wedding stuff Wednesday and Thursday, and I'll probably go riding Friday (in my new boots from KJ for valentine's day!). BUSY BUSY!
Until then, enjoy some funny and adorable pictures of my fur kids.
Pacino being awkward... how did he get my sports bra on?
My beautiful, precious girl.
Mystique and me - one of my favorite ponies.
The pups after an afternoon at the farm.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Running and Running and Running
I think I broke myself today. I finished the longest run of my life a little while ago (15 miles plus a little bit), and I am exhausted. Everything hurts, my lungs fell out, and I think I have frostbite. Well... not really... but I did two *just under* 8 mile loops (so I could use the bathroom if I needed to) and thank God because I needed running tights and gloves after one round! It didn't hurt as bad as I thought it would - my knee and ankle are holding up decently, I actually felt like I could keep going after I got home the second time, so that is an improvement from the 13 miles two weeks ago!
Our small animal surgery exam was today, I feel sort of awful about it - but I'm sure that it will be fine. It isn't worth too many points, and there are a lot of online quizzes that add up to a lot.
Ugh, I need a shower... and food!
Our small animal surgery exam was today, I feel sort of awful about it - but I'm sure that it will be fine. It isn't worth too many points, and there are a lot of online quizzes that add up to a lot.
Ugh, I need a shower... and food!
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Client communication... and sickness.
We worked yesterday as always - but KJ woke up in a state of dying (he NEVER gets sick) so once we got to work, I told him it was okay with me if he sat in his mom's office and slept unless we needed him. It ended up being a pretty uneventful day, thankfully. We work with two other people on Saturdays, even though it doesn't feel like it because they still need supervision. Its been many months since they started working there, so I don't get it... but thats not what I want to talk about. As frustrating as it is and as much as I want to tear out my hair or punch a wall, I deal with it and stay incredibly busy doing the jobs of multiple people. I don't mean to sound conceited, but hopefully you get the idea. You've probably worked with people like this before.
As KJ sat in the back slowly slipping into a sleep coma, I ran all the lab tests (CBC, Chem, UA, fecals, etc), I held all the animals for both doctors, filled every single prescription... and still checked in/out half of the clients. I really actually did KJ's jobs and mine (plus part of theirs), so I was exhausted by the end. At one point, KJ crawled into the car and sat for an hour with the heat up as high as it could go. When I finished up, I came outside and opened the car door and a heat wave overcame me. Poor guy.
The day did have some good parts - mini dachshund puppy (11 weeks) that only comes on Saturdays for boosters. I LOVE HER. She has a dapple coat and is just beautiful. Plus, she weighs all of 4 pounds. She totally made my day - plus her owner is a tall, big guy - and always comes in holding her in his arms. ADORABLE!
I also made friends with another really sweet Rottweiler - the owner was in last week with her other Rottie and I charmed the collar off of that sweet dog, so I think the woman liked me when I gave her other dog the same attention. Plus, she was glad that I was the one holding her in the room.
It is so nice to see clients over and over again and have them recognize me and vice versa. I can't wait to start building my client base - plus, KJ and I are really blessed to be walking into such a successful, busy clinic. The clients adore his mother and are very glad that her son (and me) will be taking over so that it "stays in the family". The business is a family owned one, and I intend to keep it that way. Although I have worked in "corporate vet med" - I enjoy our version of vet med better. That is strictly my opinion - there are definitely benefits to the corporate run animal hospitals, it just isn't my thing.
As KJ sat in the back slowly slipping into a sleep coma, I ran all the lab tests (CBC, Chem, UA, fecals, etc), I held all the animals for both doctors, filled every single prescription... and still checked in/out half of the clients. I really actually did KJ's jobs and mine (plus part of theirs), so I was exhausted by the end. At one point, KJ crawled into the car and sat for an hour with the heat up as high as it could go. When I finished up, I came outside and opened the car door and a heat wave overcame me. Poor guy.
The day did have some good parts - mini dachshund puppy (11 weeks) that only comes on Saturdays for boosters. I LOVE HER. She has a dapple coat and is just beautiful. Plus, she weighs all of 4 pounds. She totally made my day - plus her owner is a tall, big guy - and always comes in holding her in his arms. ADORABLE!
I also made friends with another really sweet Rottweiler - the owner was in last week with her other Rottie and I charmed the collar off of that sweet dog, so I think the woman liked me when I gave her other dog the same attention. Plus, she was glad that I was the one holding her in the room.
It is so nice to see clients over and over again and have them recognize me and vice versa. I can't wait to start building my client base - plus, KJ and I are really blessed to be walking into such a successful, busy clinic. The clients adore his mother and are very glad that her son (and me) will be taking over so that it "stays in the family". The business is a family owned one, and I intend to keep it that way. Although I have worked in "corporate vet med" - I enjoy our version of vet med better. That is strictly my opinion - there are definitely benefits to the corporate run animal hospitals, it just isn't my thing.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
VetPrep and Shy/Khloe
Months ago, my class was sent an email about applying to be the VetPrep student rep. If you got the position, you got a free subscription to VetPrep and a few minor responsibilities - worth at least $269. I finally got an email today asking if I wanted to accept position. Maybe I was the only one to apply, maybe not - but I get a free VetPrep subscription which is AMAZING and saves me $269 of my own money! I'm pretty pumped about this one - for those not in the know, VetPrep is a very popular online study tool for the NAVLE (our version of a national board exam). I know many, many of the fourth years used it to study this year and all recommended it, so that is at least some money saved toward actually paying to take the pricey exam.
Also, I found out from the hospital yesterday that I qualify for 100% coverage for all of my summer medical bills (shattered finger, had a plate and screws put in, rehab). That situation cost a pretty $3000 out of pocket (and insurance covered A LOT), so that is LOVELY, LOVELY news.
Also, we started the online raffle to (hopefully) raise the rest of the money for Shy/Khloe's surgery. I'm constantly impressed by animal people. They are incredibly generous, selfless individuals - words cannot express my gratitude toward all of those donors and all those involved in the raffle set-up. I hope to one day return the favor.
Information about the raffle can be found at Two Pitties in the City.
If you are interested in donating and being entered into the raffle, please visit the ChipIn page for Shy/Khloe.
ChipIn Page.
I spoke with our Ophthalmologist about Shy/Khloe and he recommended a 30 day pre-op antibiotic - I'm tempted to try to start her on it, but I refuse until we hit the goal. I'm thinking positively, but I don't want to count my chickens if you know what I mean. I can't wait to finally announce that the goal has been reached and for the pretty girl to have vision again so she can clearly see her new world and family.
89% of the way there!
Also, I found out from the hospital yesterday that I qualify for 100% coverage for all of my summer medical bills (shattered finger, had a plate and screws put in, rehab). That situation cost a pretty $3000 out of pocket (and insurance covered A LOT), so that is LOVELY, LOVELY news.
Also, we started the online raffle to (hopefully) raise the rest of the money for Shy/Khloe's surgery. I'm constantly impressed by animal people. They are incredibly generous, selfless individuals - words cannot express my gratitude toward all of those donors and all those involved in the raffle set-up. I hope to one day return the favor.
Information about the raffle can be found at Two Pitties in the City.
If you are interested in donating and being entered into the raffle, please visit the ChipIn page for Shy/Khloe.
ChipIn Page.
I spoke with our Ophthalmologist about Shy/Khloe and he recommended a 30 day pre-op antibiotic - I'm tempted to try to start her on it, but I refuse until we hit the goal. I'm thinking positively, but I don't want to count my chickens if you know what I mean. I can't wait to finally announce that the goal has been reached and for the pretty girl to have vision again so she can clearly see her new world and family.
89% of the way there!
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
I spayed a Bitch
Please don't be offended... but I did. And I liked it! Although she is my second spay, this one will be very memorable for years to come. First of all, she is a super adorable spaniel mix that was very scared and submissive initially - but definitely warmed up to us by the end :) I was sad to see her go without being adopted.
She had no other issues, other than being an intact female. She didn't defecate before surgery, so when we palpated the abdomen, we thought we were feeling feces. She also didn't urinate before surgery and we were unable to empty her bladder before inducing her(because, hey, we still don't really know if we are feeling bladder or not). I made my initial incision and immediately saw the linea alba because she had no subcutaneous fat.
(Hallelujah!)
I went through body wall and was immediately introduced to her bladder.
(Damn it.)
I learned how to express the bladder intraabdominally, which was cool. And good to know (you squeeze it... it empties... pretty basic). I then attempted to locate the uterus. I tried manually and with the spay hook... no dice.
(Damn it again.)
I continued looking. Still nothing. I located the broad ligament over and over - and could feel it attached, but there was no uterus.
(Damn it, Damn it, Damn it).
I searched visually and with my hands... I thought I felt the kidney, I thought I felt dilated colon filled with feces, but for the life of me, the uterus continued to evade me. Because that is the nature of women - we are difficult, but intriguing creatures. I even saw a huge, pulsating artery that looked really neat, but wasn't helpful in my uterine quest. A surgical resident was walking around, so I asked him to see if he could see anything - he told me I most likely was holding broad ligament, so the uterus should be "right there". It most definitely was not. Another surgical resident stopped by, and she offered to glove in and assist. I really dislike not being able to do things on my own and I knew the anatomy and what I was looking for... the uterus was just hiding! Silly, silly uterus. She starts looking and moving things around and says, "well, you may not have a uterus."
(DAMN IT!)
She says that she's looking for the stumps to confirm that she was spayed previously. My group had initially looked for a spay scar and not seen one... but again, what do we really know at this point? Then she stops and just says, "Oooooooooh, you do have a uterus."
(Hurray! I get to do surgery!)
She pulls it out and IT. IS. HUGE. She is obviously pregnant with 7 fetuses. My "colon" that I had been feeling? Uterus. The "kidney" I though I palpated cranially? Uterus. My group was shocked.
Hopefully I'm not coming off as too much of an idiot right now, but when you have only done one other spay, you don't have a lot of experience to base your second one on. I removed the uterus, and we were told to inject Fatal Plus into each of the sacs that the fetuses were in (excuse my lack of vet terminology, my brain is filled with radiology knowledge for my upcoming exam this morning). I did the spay as you'd normally do it - I just took extra care because of the increased vasculature. Oh, and that cool, pulsating artery? Uterine artery. Right up against the uterus that I ran away from me earlier.
After we had recovered our patient and she was warm and safely back in her run, we gloved up and tried to see how big the fetuses were. They ended up being only about the size of my pinky fingernail and a gooey mess of gelatinous tissue. Not really "puppy-like" at that early of pregnancy. But it was fun when one of my groupmates incised the uterus and a stream of fluid shot into the air... and we screamed in surprise. Just another reason to wear face masks in junior surgery! Apparently the screaming didn't go over well - a doctor came flying by to see why we were screaming in the middle of surgery...
She had no other issues, other than being an intact female. She didn't defecate before surgery, so when we palpated the abdomen, we thought we were feeling feces. She also didn't urinate before surgery and we were unable to empty her bladder before inducing her(because, hey, we still don't really know if we are feeling bladder or not). I made my initial incision and immediately saw the linea alba because she had no subcutaneous fat.
(Hallelujah!)
I went through body wall and was immediately introduced to her bladder.
(Damn it.)
I learned how to express the bladder intraabdominally, which was cool. And good to know (you squeeze it... it empties... pretty basic). I then attempted to locate the uterus. I tried manually and with the spay hook... no dice.
(Damn it again.)
I continued looking. Still nothing. I located the broad ligament over and over - and could feel it attached, but there was no uterus.
(Damn it, Damn it, Damn it).
I searched visually and with my hands... I thought I felt the kidney, I thought I felt dilated colon filled with feces, but for the life of me, the uterus continued to evade me. Because that is the nature of women - we are difficult, but intriguing creatures. I even saw a huge, pulsating artery that looked really neat, but wasn't helpful in my uterine quest. A surgical resident was walking around, so I asked him to see if he could see anything - he told me I most likely was holding broad ligament, so the uterus should be "right there". It most definitely was not. Another surgical resident stopped by, and she offered to glove in and assist. I really dislike not being able to do things on my own and I knew the anatomy and what I was looking for... the uterus was just hiding! Silly, silly uterus. She starts looking and moving things around and says, "well, you may not have a uterus."
(DAMN IT!)
She says that she's looking for the stumps to confirm that she was spayed previously. My group had initially looked for a spay scar and not seen one... but again, what do we really know at this point? Then she stops and just says, "Oooooooooh, you do have a uterus."
(Hurray! I get to do surgery!)
She pulls it out and IT. IS. HUGE. She is obviously pregnant with 7 fetuses. My "colon" that I had been feeling? Uterus. The "kidney" I though I palpated cranially? Uterus. My group was shocked.
Hopefully I'm not coming off as too much of an idiot right now, but when you have only done one other spay, you don't have a lot of experience to base your second one on. I removed the uterus, and we were told to inject Fatal Plus into each of the sacs that the fetuses were in (excuse my lack of vet terminology, my brain is filled with radiology knowledge for my upcoming exam this morning). I did the spay as you'd normally do it - I just took extra care because of the increased vasculature. Oh, and that cool, pulsating artery? Uterine artery. Right up against the uterus that I ran away from me earlier.
After we had recovered our patient and she was warm and safely back in her run, we gloved up and tried to see how big the fetuses were. They ended up being only about the size of my pinky fingernail and a gooey mess of gelatinous tissue. Not really "puppy-like" at that early of pregnancy. But it was fun when one of my groupmates incised the uterus and a stream of fluid shot into the air... and we screamed in surprise. Just another reason to wear face masks in junior surgery! Apparently the screaming didn't go over well - a doctor came flying by to see why we were screaming in the middle of surgery...
Monday, March 7, 2011
Hypothyroid... Or Not.
Ben is not hypothyroid. This is good and bad for a couple of reasons.
1. This proves he really is that mentally dull and it isn't due to a metabolic disorder.
2. He doesn't have to be on real life-long meds yet (but he is on diphenhydramine BID due to skin issues and having a Grade 2 mast cell tumor removed last year).
3. When he acts like he wants to play at the farm and refuses to walk down the hill, we will actually have to get mad at him instead of blaming an unknown disease.
We actually found out the results of the test last week, but last night I found this blog and I started crying because I was laughing so hard - Hyperbole and a Half. Check it out - you'll cry too if you have dogs like mine.
So, we now have a "slow" dog (Ben) and an actual mentally retarded dog (Jasmine). Excuse my political incorrectness, but in light of this new blog that I found, I will be using this terminology to describe Jasmine. Its like the blogger wrote it about Jasmine. The cartoon even looks like Jasmine.
*Sigh*
Oh Jazz, I love you to death and I wouldn't change anything about you. Even if you are damn near impossible to train. I am just a bad owner and need to learn not leave my backpack on the floor so you can eat cough drops... and jolly ranchers... and blowpops... and my entire lunch... and the fortune cookie that I really wanted to each today... and the empty girl scout cookie box. Jazz recently learned how to open my backpack and lunchbox, so it is always interesting to come home and see what she has gotten into... I really need to learn to put EVERYTHING I OWN in my office and that NOTHING IS SAFE in the living room.
1. This proves he really is that mentally dull and it isn't due to a metabolic disorder.
2. He doesn't have to be on real life-long meds yet (but he is on diphenhydramine BID due to skin issues and having a Grade 2 mast cell tumor removed last year).
3. When he acts like he wants to play at the farm and refuses to walk down the hill, we will actually have to get mad at him instead of blaming an unknown disease.
We actually found out the results of the test last week, but last night I found this blog and I started crying because I was laughing so hard - Hyperbole and a Half. Check it out - you'll cry too if you have dogs like mine.
So, we now have a "slow" dog (Ben) and an actual mentally retarded dog (Jasmine). Excuse my political incorrectness, but in light of this new blog that I found, I will be using this terminology to describe Jasmine. Its like the blogger wrote it about Jasmine. The cartoon even looks like Jasmine.
*Sigh*
Oh Jazz, I love you to death and I wouldn't change anything about you. Even if you are damn near impossible to train. I am just a bad owner and need to learn not leave my backpack on the floor so you can eat cough drops... and jolly ranchers... and blowpops... and my entire lunch... and the fortune cookie that I really wanted to each today... and the empty girl scout cookie box. Jazz recently learned how to open my backpack and lunchbox, so it is always interesting to come home and see what she has gotten into... I really need to learn to put EVERYTHING I OWN in my office and that NOTHING IS SAFE in the living room.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Saturday Morning Crazies. Part 1.
I LOVE working on Saturday mornings. I have worked every Saturday morning since third year started, minus two - 1. I ran a half marathon and 2. I visited my undergrad for the alum swim meet. I'm completely, dead serious. I love it. Do you know why? Because I love crazy people. Some people get frustrated with the crazies, some people get angry and curse the crazies... but me? No, I embrace them. "Oh, Mrs. Nutter! We have a cancellation this morning! Please bring your mini-poodle-mutt and even tinier chihuahua-land-shark for vaccines! I know we have a lot of openings later in the week like you requested, but today is the perfect day to come in and entertain me!" I just like the interactions with these folks. It really makes the morning exciting and something to look forward to in the coming hours.
For example, Mrs. Forget-Me-Not came in with her 65 year old cat that weighs about 2 ounces and is literally dying in front of her. It sounds like this will be a sad story, but the cat is still alive as far as I know and the docs have recommended many, many times to euthanize the cat because he isn't eating and cries when he walks. Yes, I feel awful for the cat, but that's not the point of the story. She was sitting in the waiting room while KJ and I were talking in the pharmacy around the corner with his mom. Mrs. F-M-N starts talking about "the owner and her son and his fiance". She asks the girls about us and how far we are in school and how she spent her last visit talking to the "owner's son's fiance" all about vet school and life in general. The girls say my name and she agrees with them and "yes, thats the girl I talked to". She keeps talking for awhile, and I finally come out because I've heard my name 20+ times at this point. I say hi to her and smile and she says, "I was just talking to the girls about HP and KJ, what a lucky couple they are to have each other and be in school together!" I must have looked confused but without even thinking, I blurted out, "but I'M HP". Then she looked VERY confused and didn't say anything for a few seconds and asked, "So how's school, how far along are you?" Whaaaaat? No... no, no, crazy lady, I've never seen you before and you obviously have no idea who I am, so I'm not sure which other HP you previously talked to, because I'm the only female that works there that is currently in school.
YES! Crazy person interaction 1!
Later in the morning, I was holding a sweet little 6 pound mixed breed with bat ears (very, very sweet by the way - she fell asleep in my arms while future mom-in-law doc drew up vaccines) for a blood draw. Her owner, Mrs. In-Your-Face, was holding her poodle mix (whose blood we'd already drawn) like a baby and put her face within a millimeter of Sweet Bat Dog that I was holding. First of all, I'm not big on needing personal space and I don't get claustrophobic, but this lady was basically standing in my shoes and leaning on me while I held sweet bat dog. I mean, that's further than I've gone with some first dates. I rolled the vein, KJ's mom got ready to draw blood and said "I'm a little uncomfortable with the fact that your face is touching your dogs while I'm about to take blood." Mrs. I-Y-F doesn't move, and while gazing lovingly into Sweet Bat Dogs eyes, says "Oh no, Sweet Bat Dog doesn't bite."
KJ's mom: You know, I've seen plenty of nice dogs snap when getting their blood drawn - I've even seen someone get bitten right on the nose standing exactly where you are standing.
Mrs. I-Y-F: Its okay, Sweet Bat Dog won't bite, I'm not worried.
KJ's mom: I can't draw blood with you standing this close. Really.
Yes, YES, YESSS! Crazy person interaction 2! A two-fer in a four hour work day = SUCCESS.
Really Mrs. In-Your-Face? I get you love your dog, and now you love me too judging by your proximity, but maybe for the 20 seconds it takes to get blood, you could just back off and avoid having your nose bitten off? I swear, you can have your dog back and you can make kissy faces all you want as soon as we're done.
I can't wait to spend 90% of my waking hours next year after graduation actually working instead of being in school. I know I'll get frustrated, and my love of crazies may wane a bit, but I hope I never lose my love of crazy people. Ever.
For example, Mrs. Forget-Me-Not came in with her 65 year old cat that weighs about 2 ounces and is literally dying in front of her. It sounds like this will be a sad story, but the cat is still alive as far as I know and the docs have recommended many, many times to euthanize the cat because he isn't eating and cries when he walks. Yes, I feel awful for the cat, but that's not the point of the story. She was sitting in the waiting room while KJ and I were talking in the pharmacy around the corner with his mom. Mrs. F-M-N starts talking about "the owner and her son and his fiance". She asks the girls about us and how far we are in school and how she spent her last visit talking to the "owner's son's fiance" all about vet school and life in general. The girls say my name and she agrees with them and "yes, thats the girl I talked to". She keeps talking for awhile, and I finally come out because I've heard my name 20+ times at this point. I say hi to her and smile and she says, "I was just talking to the girls about HP and KJ, what a lucky couple they are to have each other and be in school together!" I must have looked confused but without even thinking, I blurted out, "but I'M HP". Then she looked VERY confused and didn't say anything for a few seconds and asked, "So how's school, how far along are you?" Whaaaaat? No... no, no, crazy lady, I've never seen you before and you obviously have no idea who I am, so I'm not sure which other HP you previously talked to, because I'm the only female that works there that is currently in school.
YES! Crazy person interaction 1!
Later in the morning, I was holding a sweet little 6 pound mixed breed with bat ears (very, very sweet by the way - she fell asleep in my arms while future mom-in-law doc drew up vaccines) for a blood draw. Her owner, Mrs. In-Your-Face, was holding her poodle mix (whose blood we'd already drawn) like a baby and put her face within a millimeter of Sweet Bat Dog that I was holding. First of all, I'm not big on needing personal space and I don't get claustrophobic, but this lady was basically standing in my shoes and leaning on me while I held sweet bat dog. I mean, that's further than I've gone with some first dates. I rolled the vein, KJ's mom got ready to draw blood and said "I'm a little uncomfortable with the fact that your face is touching your dogs while I'm about to take blood." Mrs. I-Y-F doesn't move, and while gazing lovingly into Sweet Bat Dogs eyes, says "Oh no, Sweet Bat Dog doesn't bite."
KJ's mom: You know, I've seen plenty of nice dogs snap when getting their blood drawn - I've even seen someone get bitten right on the nose standing exactly where you are standing.
Mrs. I-Y-F: Its okay, Sweet Bat Dog won't bite, I'm not worried.
KJ's mom: I can't draw blood with you standing this close. Really.
Yes, YES, YESSS! Crazy person interaction 2! A two-fer in a four hour work day = SUCCESS.
Really Mrs. In-Your-Face? I get you love your dog, and now you love me too judging by your proximity, but maybe for the 20 seconds it takes to get blood, you could just back off and avoid having your nose bitten off? I swear, you can have your dog back and you can make kissy faces all you want as soon as we're done.
I can't wait to spend 90% of my waking hours next year after graduation actually working instead of being in school. I know I'll get frustrated, and my love of crazies may wane a bit, but I hope I never lose my love of crazy people. Ever.
Friday, March 4, 2011
UnOFfIcial
Oh yes, today is that magical once a year U of I made up holiday where everyone drinks green beer starting at the crack of dawn. KJ and I went over to one of the bars and drank our green beer and had lunch with friends... but then had to go to class at 1... so a few beers later, we are in class (Advanced Dermatology). It is an elective that I don't really have to take (I have more than enough credits) but one that I thought would be interesting and very useful. However, in the middle of the afternoon on Unofficial St. Patty's Day, I'm not really feeling the school vibe. Oh well - you really can't learn enough about derm if you plan on going into small animal medicine (especially our topic of the day - pruritis).
A friend of KJ's and mine is hosting a giveaway on her blog: 906 E. Chic. So if you love Pier One and would like to follow her stylish and vintage blog, you can be entered in her giveaway :)
Happy Unofficial! We have two exams coming up next week in Ruminant and Radiology, so this weekend will be filled with lots of quality library time :) Only 23 days left of real class!
A friend of KJ's and mine is hosting a giveaway on her blog: 906 E. Chic. So if you love Pier One and would like to follow her stylish and vintage blog, you can be entered in her giveaway :)
Happy Unofficial! We have two exams coming up next week in Ruminant and Radiology, so this weekend will be filled with lots of quality library time :) Only 23 days left of real class!
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