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Raising Future “Leaders” of the World – ain’t nobody got time for that.

Like, seriously, what’s the likeliness my kids will be a president? Like even less than if they were a professional athlete, right?

When I was growing up and even after I was an adult and had kids, I would hear the thing about “raising the future leaders of the world” and just chucked that idea to the side because 1. I certainly was not going to be a leader – I’m average at best at everything I do. And 2. It’s just statistically unlikely that I or my children will every actually be a leader high up in the rankings. So, I never thought much of that saying and even thought it was a little hokey to say. Then, the other night, I was lying in bed, unable to sleep, letting my mind wander when this idea came upon me.

What if that saying does not literally mean that we could be raising the next US president or diplomat or religious leader? What if it just meant that we are raising people who will influence other people throughout their life? I think that sounds much more important. Like every child has the opportunity to influence those around them and, therefore be a leader.

The idea that I, as a single person in a world of billions, can influence the world to be a better place is, at least, slightly less of a daunting and crushing idea if you imagine that every person you come in contact with can be influenced to be a better person, even if they don’t show it right away. But, then imagine your creating little clones of yourself, little helpers (children, not robots) that can then go out and spread the same message as they were raised (after they come back from the dark side of the moon, anyways). If you can influence, let’s say 10 people, now with 3 kids, you and them can get 40. And if they each have 3 kids now, we’ve influenced 100 people to be better.

Obviously, this is all speculative. My kids could resent me for some reason or get into drugs or “the wrong crowd” and not follow this path. Or I could be crazy and just be perpetuating the crazy by spreading it with my kids, but for now, for the idea that we are raising leaders of the world, even if they’re small leaders who spread the love, lets just imagine that everyone does this, and so a multitude of very small leaders leads to a large change and better society.

Oops, they all got pregnant…

So, let’s raise our children to be those (small group) leaders who can influence others to do the right thing and to make a better world for themselves. I think that is a much more attainable and worthy goal for our kids. When I think about parenting in those terms, I feel like I’m doing a little more for the world by trying to hold in my temper or fly off the handle about something without the proper pause and introspection. (I still lose my temper with them sometimes, no worries). I try to make sure I treat strangers with respect and give them the benefit of the doubt. I try to quell my children’s anger when they are mad at each other or another kid at school and try to make them think about the situation from the other side or even consider that they may be mistaken in what they perceived happened. I’ve been pretty impressed with their perception of right and wrong in situations, understanding that they are all still very young and sweet.

Things they do that makes me proud of who they are right now: Calvin was having his birthday party to turn 5 recently and when asked who he wanted to invite, his very first people on his list were India and Oscar’s best friends because he “wanted India and Oscar to have a fun time”. Oscar consistently makes sure that others around him are taken care of (when he’s not fighting with his siblings). If there’s candy offered and Calvin or India aren’t there, he will make sure to give some of his candy to them when he finally sees them. He traded one of his toys for another toy he knew Calvin had wanted and surprised him with it.

India, our precious baby girl, is not our sweetest kid, she has been known to be on the spicy side (pummeled a boy with a hippity-hop in kindergarten who was picking on her and the other day threatened any imaginary person who is picking on Oscar in the future) but she’s very fair and responsible, volunteering to help the boys or us to make our lives easier. India has also been more curious in civil rights lately, asking if I think black people are equal to white and then wants to know why other people don’t think they are. I get to take that opportunity to educate her about how awful white people were to black people and see her astonishment that that was ever a thing. Then she asks about last names and I get to discuss how women were also once thought of as “less than”. It hurts to have to educate her on these things but hopefully, it will open her eyes to modern day injustices and continue to spread love and acceptance and that’s all I can ask for.

And, yes, we HAVE talked to India about our vast preference for non-violence. We have talked with her about calling for help, getting an adult, calling 911, all before getting physical.

So, the next time you are worried about your child maybe not being presidential material, and are wondering how on earth you are supposed to influence the world with little ol’, regular you, just imagine creating a loving, caring being in your child who will one day grow up to be someone special to every person they encounter. That your child could be an extension of your own love and and desire for peace and unity. Our children are, literally, the future. We won’t be around in the next 100 years, so let’s make sure our values are continued on and grow even as we wither and pass.

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Is this an Emergency?! Common Over- and Under Reactions

Veterinary offices everywhere are struggling to keep up with the demand of the needs of pets lately and some folks are having to wait a couple of weeks to months to get things addressed. This is causing excessive spill over into the Emergency Clinic world. Suddenly, a place that was designed for the super severe, complicated, or tragic cases that happen in the middle of the night are now clogged up with ear infections and dogs that have been limping for 2 hours. Then, they are getting horrible reviews and dragged through the mud on social media for owners having to wait 8 hours and having to pay hundreds of dollars more than they would at their regular vet (if they have one). People sometimes forget how much money it costs to keep a top tier facility like that open 24 hours a day and fully staffed to be able to drop everything and take your dog to surgery for a bleeding abdominal mass. They also forget that a non-emergency is going to continue to get bumped by the actual emergencies that may not live through the night. So, I decided to come up with a list of things that are absolutely not an emergency to save numerous angry owners from the long waits and heavy fees of going to a place that is currently doing CPR on a dying dog. Then, I will have a list of things that are absolute emergencies that some owners might wait a little too long to address which could lead to more money spent, but more importantly, a poorer outcome for your pet. Also, please read my previous post “5 ridiculously easy ways to avoid pet emergencies and BIG bills that your vet doesn’t want you to know… oh, wait.”

Things that often present as emergency, but are not.

  1. Ear infections. Yes, these can be painful and itchy, but save your trip to the ER. It can wait until regular business hours. Ear infections in dogs and (lesser) cats are not like infant/child ear infections in that they typically don’t cause fever and significant internal pain. The vast majority of ear infections in dogs and cats are external to the ear drum and therefore, not as serious. Most ear infections can be prevented with diligent observation of the dog’s ears every now and then – are they red? Do they smell bad? Is your dog shaking/scratching ears more often? Your vet has some amazing ear cleaners that can prevent the infections to begin with if your dog produces excessive ear wax. Most infections are caused by breed (Here’s looking at you, Cockers) and allergies. Dogs can be kept on allergy meds (talk to your vet for recommendations) to prevent the excessive wax production that the little buggers (bacteria and yeast) love to thrive on. Your dog suddenly have fire-red ears on a Saturday night and won’t stop digging/shaking? Give 1mg/lb benadryl (So, 50lb dog will get 50mg benadryl – DON’T Give children’s liquid if it has xylitol in it) every 8 hours and wait for Monday morning to call your vet.
  2. Limping. Ugh, so many. Unless you feel like the leg is broken ie. dangling, bent in unnatural way, bleeding, largely swollen, or dog screams if you touch the leg (30min after injury) it can probably wait until normal business hours or may even resolve by that time. Yes, occasionally we will get a broken leg, more often, a torn cruciate (ACL tear) – big dog playing hard, screams, holding back leg up – but more often than not, it’s a sprain or strain and will not show up on an x-ray and will get better with rest.
  3. Bleeding toe nail. There’s a saying in medicine “the farther from the heart, the more likely to live”. Your dog is MORE than likely not going to exsanguinate from a bleeding toenail. If your dog will let you, elevate the leg, apply pressure with your fingers to either side of the toe involved, apply cornstarch or flour (all purpose, cake, self rising, I don’t care) until you get the bleeding to stop. If he won’t let you, send him out in the yard and forget about him for an hour.
  4. Vomiting…. once. We see it all the time. Client rushes into the clinic on emergency for vomiting dog. We’re all geared up for the next train wreck foreign body surgery, blocking off appointments to make sure we have enough time, and when we get into the room, we find out the dog vomited once last night – but ate breakfast this morning. Or vomiting three times 10 days ago. Or had diarrhea once. Would you rush yourself to the ER if you had diarrhea last night, but felt fine today? Or if you vomited three times last week, but have been fine since? Now, if a patient has been vomiting several times in a day, absolutely it could be an emergency, especially if they can’t keep anything, including water, down.
  5. Any skin issues. When I was working shifts at the ER, we would get someone waiting 8 hours to be seen for skin issues and end up paying 10x the amount they would at their regular vet due to increased costs of running a 24/7 clinic. Flea prevention goes a REALLY long way in preventing these, but even then, likely it can wait until normal business hours. Hot, inflamed skin that pops up all of the sudden and is oozing and terribly itchy? Trim the hair away from it, clean it with mild soap (Dog oatmeal shampoo if you have it, baby shampoo if not), give 1mg/lb benadryl every 8 hours until you can get to your regular vet.

Things that ARE an emergency but people don’t always take seriously

  1. Eyes! Eyes are always an emergency. Even when they’re not, you should still treat them like one until proven otherwise. One eye squinty? Redness, swelling? Drainage with squinting? Bluish color or cloudiness to the eyes? Any wound involving eyelids? Take to the vet NOW. Could it be something simple like conjunctivitis? Sure! But it could also be an ulcer or scratch or hole in the cornea that causes your pet’s eye to rupture and have to have their eye removed. Lacerated eyelids need to be repaired ASAP to make sure they are aligned correctly without too much “shrinkage”. If the repaired lids do not line up pretty perfectly, it will lead to problems in the future – like increased risk of corneal ulcers. Sometimes animals get foreign bodies in their eye that need to be either flushed out, or the eye needs to be numbed and the vet will look behind the third eyelid for sticks, grass, bugs, etc that will continue to scratch the eye every time the animal blinks. Eyes will either heal up like nothing ever happened or can turn into a train wreck in just a matter of hours.
  2. A male cat (neutered or not) that is straining or vocalizing in the litterbox. Male cats, as you can imagine, have VERY tiny penises with even tinier urethras. Any amount of crystals can get caught in that very tiny urethra as it twists and turns around the pelvis to get to the end of the penis. Once the crystals get backed up to the point of blocking the flow of urine, the bladder starts to fill like a water balloon left on the spigot. Not only will this put extraordinary pressure on the kidneys, but if the bladder eventually pops, your kitty is pretty much done.
  3. Bloated dog that is not eating or is vomiting/retching or is really really sad looking. Especially deep chested dogs. You can even thump on the belly and if it sounds like an empty drum, it’s gas. Big belly, happy, wagging tail, jumping around? Likely just got into something and ate too much (food bloat) but still, take in for radiographs to just make sure. Gastric dilatation volvulus GDV is a condition where the stomach bloats with gas, then flips over, cutting off the blood supply to itself and the spleen. This means you have mere minutes to jump in the car and get to a facility capable of dealing with these. You will likely need to get to a 24 hour emergency clinic as the dog will need surgery, then intensive hospitalization care as the dog can literally just drop dead hours to days after the surgery due to toxins released when the stomach is righted and the effects of those toxins on the heart. It will be vital to have your dog at a facility that can constantly monitor electrolytes and the heart to prevent this. Most small clinics likely will not be able to handle this entire procedure correctly. Ask your regular veterinarian if they are capable of performing a GDV after hours before it ever happens so that you don’t have to waste time calling them only to have them tell you to get to the ER. Get your dog in the car, start driving, have someone call the ER to give them a heads up on the way. This way they will be set up and prepared to properly treat your dog in an expedited fashion.
  4. Vomiting and unable to keep anything down. Sure, dogs sometimes throw up and it’s no big deal. They go out, eat some grass, vomit, but later, will eat a whole bowl of food and never look back. But if the dog has vomited multiple times, seems lethargic, and/or anytime he eats or drinks anything, it comes back up – DO NOT wait to bring these in. These could be a multitude of issues, but all need to be taken care of ASAP. It could be a foreign body, intestinal blockage, intussusception, intestinal torsion, pancreatitis, etc. Some are surgical, some need intensive hospitalization, but one thing is for sure: the longer you wait, the much much worse it will be. Waiting could result in severe dehydration with multiple organ damage, intestines dying or rupturing, causing deadly infection of the abdomen and body, and a general rapid regression in the overall prognosis of your pet. Foreign body caught right away – simple incision into intestines, suture back up, go home that night. Foreign body after three days: possible inches to feet of intestines removed, infection, days in the hospital, possible death. You may expect to pay a bit more for an emergency visit, but the longer you wait, the more exponential the bill will increase.
  5. Intact female dog doing almost anything. Vomiting? Drinking and peeing a lot? Lethargic? Vaginal discharge? Swollen abdomen? Any or all of the above? Not currently in heat or knowingly pregnant? Intact female dog (and sometimes cat – but more rare) coming in sick for almost ANY reason is a pyometra until proven otherwise. I discussed this a little before on how to save big bucks on major vet bills (spay and neuter), but a pyometra is where the uterus gets an infection and because it’s just a huge sack of pus hanging out in your dog’s abdomen, it causes grave sickness and if it leaks or ruptures, likely death. It’s easy to diagnose and easy(ish) to treat. Notice your intact female sick and take her in right away, if she is diagnosed with a pyometra, they will take her straight to surgery, remove the entire sack of pus without leakage and she will be a new dog when she wakes up. Wait a few days or try to nurse her at home, she will quickly become septic (whole body infection) and require prolonged hospitalization and a much greater risk the sack of pus will leak or rupture during surgery (all that bacteria, inflammation, and stretching of the uterus makes it super weak and friable) and that will lead to an even poorer prognosis.

In the end, if you aren’t sure, try calling the ER and finding out how emergent your pet’s issue is.

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“It’s Time to Move On”

“It’s time to keep going. What lies ahead, I have no way of knowing…” This was the song that came on when I was at my lowest and contemplating driving my jeep off a bridge on the way to an emergency. Tom Petty spoke to me and he was right. It IS time. Where will I go? What will I do? What if it’s not better there? I have no idea, but it’s not working here.

Felt like my babies were just growing without me – pic taken by Tony while I was at work

Tony and I have moved all over. We moved from our home town in middle Georgia to Athens, GA for college, then to South Carolina for a job, then to Michigan for a job, and finally to Virginia for our, hopefully, forever home. Everywhere we have been, we have run into people who are not happy where they are. Whether it’s just in their job, or their entire geography. We, having been able to just pick up and move (okay, it was NOT that easy), could not understand why people would subject themselves to misery just because that’s where they were. I guess it’s just like the physics law “an object at rest will stay at rest”. Change is hard.

Feeling “caged”?

***Disclaimer*** To be completely fair and honest, I have a few advantages to being able to just get up and walk out of a situation. 1. I am financially stable. I certainly wasn’t always, but I have the privilege of having a loving and willing family to back me if things get hard or bad. 2. I have a mentality that when I decide something, it’s done. I was able to go for one interview in Michigan and find a house in the same 2 days. When I’m done with a relationship, I’m done. When I want to buy something, I drive up to a different town and come home with a new car. Done. 3. My family, though loving and supportive, are scattered throughout the country. I don’t have a home base anymore. And, 4, finally, I have faith that things will work out and that if they don’t, I will just get up and move again and it will eventually all work out. People ARE happy in some jobs. There ARE good bosses. There are good places to live where you can have fun and afford it. You just have to look.

North Manitou island – just need a camping permit and pay for the ferry to get there! That’s me Jumping.

Part I Job woes

I think my number 1 piece of advice for anyone with any job is to make yourself irreplaceable. Don’t just drag your feet and survive the hours doing what needs to be done to get a paycheck, make yourself valuable to the company. Do the jobs no one else there wants to do, take over tasks that don’t have an overseer, go above and beyond to increase efficiency, bring in the costumers, or revenue, basically, make it so that if you left, it would hurt the company in the pocketbook (the only vision most have), and they wouldn’t be able to just hire another body to replace yours.

Best lab vet – look at this rat I grew!!

Now that you have made yourself vital to the company, make them know it. Ask for a raise? Want to make changes in the workplace? Different hours? First, ASK. You know the best way to not get what you want? Don’t ask. Surprise! Your employee isn’t even about to offer you something without your asking. They may give general raises across the board for inflation and such, but they’re not going to just offer you a portion of their money without your pointing out that you do a lot for the company and bring in a lot of money and deserve an increase in pay to keep you there and working as hard as you can. Second, ask while reminding them or pointing out HOW it is you are helping their company. Point out all the ways you’ve made yourself valuable and vital to the workplace then set your requirements. A very helpful person once told me “the ‘company’ doesn’t care about YOUR issues. Rent went up? Putting a child in daycare? Not their problem. You need to make them know why you are valuable to THEM”. If you’re not getting what you want or need, be prepared to go look for other jobs. Don’t stay at a job where you’ve been paid $12/hr for 15 years just because the boss says he “can’t” give you a raise. With your dedication (staying at a place for 15 years) and experience, you can find a better place. Just look.

Part II Life is short!

Yes, I know, cliché. Wait until you read part III. But seriously. Every place Tony and I have lived, we have run into people who are absolutely miserable in their current situation/location. Having been able to just get up and leave makes us wonder why those people just stuck it out. You only live so long. One day, when you’re unable to get around anymore and are stuck where you are and have always been, you may ask yourself, “why didn’t I just try to get out?”. When we lived in Georgia, we heard about how terrible the heat is 9 months of the year, when in Michigan, the cold and cloudiness 9 months of the year, how people hated the snow, etc. Go see the world, or at least the country. Try a completely different climate, environment. I bet there’s a job out there in that state just as much as there is in your own.

You don’t have to commit your life to that area either. Do a 2-5 year plan for yourself. Go live somewhere else, leave your extended family, but know that you will return if it doesn’t work out. Family can travel. This isn’t the days when it took a week to travel across the state in a stage coach. There are airplanes now and good roads and reliable vehicles. I have made a number of cross country drives with three young kids just to see family. It can be done.

Travel with three kids is a migraine headache but then you’re there and it’s all worth it

***Side note*** Fly or drive? For us, with three small children, if the drive takes as much time or just slightly more than the ENTIRE affair of the airport shenanigans, we will drive and save the money. For instance, driving to Georgia from Michigan took 13 hours. We lived 3 hours from the airport that got the cheapest flights (family of 5, you’re still looking at $1500). So, 3 hours to the airport, have to get there 2 hours before your flight, then the flight is 2 hours or something, then you have to go rent a car, 1-2 hours to de-plane and get to the rental car, then another 2 hour drive from there to destination, all while border collie-ing three rambunctious feral kids around, dealing with the glares from other passengers. You’re looking at an 11 hour day. Or you can just strap everyone down in the car, forget having to herd rabid cats, put on some noise cancelling headphones (just kidding) add an extra 2 hours and save $1500.

Wheel barrow – not the most efficient form of travel

Part III You gotta have faith

You have to BELIEVE that it will all work out and that even if it doesn’t, you will be okay. I had no intention of ever moving to Michigan – like, that state never even made it on my peripheral radar of places to even visit – like, EVER. But, I sent my resume to Pol Veterinary Services as an almost favor to a friend who loved the show. I had prayed to God for an answer and the next day, Dr. Pol called me on my way home from visiting family in Colorado. I took it as a sign and had faith it would work out. And it did! Am I still there, no, but I had a great time and being on TV set me up for financial stability that I may have never achieved on my own with a veterinary salary. When I decided I had had enough time with Dr. Pol, I took another leap of faith, Tony and I picked Virginia for it’s geography (not 9 months of stifling heat like Georgia, not 9 months of dark depressing cold like Michigan, mountains and on the coast), scattered my resume around a few clinics in Virginia, booked a family trip to go do all the interviews in a weekend, then landed my current job.

I’m not saying it will be all yellow brick roads and that I was confident and secure in every decision that was presented. I pined and pined for over a year whether or not to leave Dr. Pol asking all my friends and family, who all had different opinions. There were many sleepless nights and stress-induced migraines with trying to plan out massive moves, checking all the boxes, dotting i’s and crossing t’s, etc. But once you trudge through that part (as long as it might take) you get to sit on your proverbial front porch in the mountains, sip coffee as you watch the sunrise and wonder what you were ever so worried about. There are still some boxes that haven’t been checked. We still own three houses. One from Georgia that is currently being rented to own, and the Michigan house never sold either – also being rented to own.

There’s a path, wait, is that a path? Does it end in thorns? Off the edge of a cliff? Or the visitors’ center?

It is HARD to even allow yourself to start to think about the mountain of things that will be affected by your move. Friends, family, jobs, schools, stores (miss you Mejier!!), banks, church, people, activities, clubs, etc. What if I move to a whole new state and I don’t make any friends? What if I don’t like the people there? What if the work situation is worse when I get there? At least at my current workplace I know the horrors and how to deal with them, what if there are new horrors I can’t deal with? I like visiting the mountains, but what if living there makes me feel claustrophobic? What if I get sick of sand living at the beach?

Sooo many questions

Guess what? If you don’t like it, go back or go somewhere else that you think you’d like to try. At least you’ll know you tried. I was 100% sure I wanted to work in the horse racing industry until I worked there for a few externships and saw it through normal colored glasses and knew it wasn’t for me. If I hadn’t at least tried, I would always think I had missed a great opportunity, maybe even have resented my family for it. But now I know that wasn’t the right path for me.

Orion when he was a yearling – will he be crazy? What if he kills me when I’m breaking him?

There are so many what-ifs, but if you don’t try, you’ll never know. You can’t achieve more in life without reaching for more. Don’t just accept your situation and resign yourself to dealing with misery and unhappiness just because you have a few stakes in the ground – or all of them if you’ve never lived or done anything else. I hope this blog pushes at least someone to try something they’ve always wanted. I hope it brings that person pure joy and happiness and makes people realize that you aren’t stuck in your situation, you just have to be willing to make some sacrifices and like George Michael and, later, Korn said “You Gotta have Faith”

Orion “broken” and easy to ride. He WAS crazy, but he didn’t kill me and you know what they say…
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Christmas Puppy!! Or not?

Cute Pomeranian, no issues, just a cute picture

I was recently floored when I learned something new. I mean, I get that they say you learn something new everyday, but some are more disturbing than others. I admit to be pretty naïve about most things. I don’t like sad or scary movies because they affect me for weeks to months, I’ve only been with one man (Biblically) my whole life, I didn’t start drinking until I was of legal age, and was scared by our D.A.R.E. program as a child and am convinced that if I try drugs in any fashion, I will immediately become addicted and sucked into a vortex of waking up in my own vomit and prostitution. So, it’s no surprise that I was the only one in the treatment area at my clinic who was even remotely surprised by this, but I was and felt the need to discuss this with you all.

Life used to just be Birthday cakes and kittens..

We had a puppy in our clinic who was sick. He was a VERY cute puppy, a “morkie” or a Maltese X Yorkie … a “designer breed” if you’re fancy and optimistic, a “mixed breed” or “mutt” if you’re honest. (I’ll get to this later, don’t get too mad yet) These owners obtained this adorable mutt from Puppy City for a whopping $2500! I mean, I get supply and demand, but sheesh! Aaaaaannnnnddd this puppy came with the dreaded and deadly disease, Parvovirus. (Others from that same shop have come with Giardia or coccidia – both parasites that are difficult to treat and typically come from a dirty living situation – ie – the breeder) This is where it gets me; the owners did not have the money to properly treat the puppy because they didn’t even have the money to purchase the puppy in the first place. Puppy City will FINANCE people to buy a puppy they already can’t afford.

Daphne – Standard Poodle puppy purchased from an incredibly careful breeder – parents prescreened for hip, elbow, Addison’s disease (common in Poodles), etc.

I get it, Veterinary care is expensive and, even for responsible owners, can get out of the budget. I mean, honestly, if I found out my 10 year-old large breed dog had bad cancer, I’m not going to be the one who drops thousands of dollars to give him/her an extra 4-18 months – I have three kids to raise and have to set my priorities. And I get it when a cat or dog finds you and sticks with you as a stray and you do your best, but just cannot afford that cruciate tear (ACL in humans) surgery ($5000-8000) and have to keep your dog on pain meds the rest of his life instead. What I DON’T understand is PURCHASING an animal when you don’t have the money in the first place. This goes for dogs, cats, cows, horses, etc, but also for exotics. Little tip for all you who suddenly can’t live without a sugar glider: find a vet that will treat your species of choice BEFORE having one shipped to you from Bangladesh – or where ever your exotic desire comes from – the closest *knowledgeable* vet may be 3-4 hours away and cost $300 just for the exam – it takes a special specialist to know what they’re doing for these guys.

Exotic Shoe Beans – Just kitten!

People who accidentally get pregnant and have to live on government programs to help keep their little one alive and healthy are one thing – crap (errr, blessings) happens – but willingly going to purchase or even “rescue” an animal without the funds to take care of it (and there are no government programs to help) is downright irresponsible and frankly, not rescuing, just relocating. What typically happens in the scenario, is instead of owning up their irresponsibility, these owners will turn on the vet and use something called emotional blackmail to try to get what they want.

Dan, the clinic cat working on emotional blackmail – if I loved him, I would feed him my sandwich

“What?? It’s going to be around $1000 to treat my puppy for parvo – a perfectly preventable disease with a simple vaccine series that I refused/forgot to get or tried to give myself from the feed store?? You monster, YOU are killing my puppy!! YOU are to blame for my irresponsibility!!” “So, I refused to get my female spayed because I read something on the internet, and now she has a giant sack of pus taking up her abdomen and rotting from the inside, and it’s going to cost $1500 or she’ll die??? You money hungry B**** even though it would have only been $250 to spay her on a regular appointment and not in the middle of the night when you have to call in extra staff in overtime, take up your time with your family, and when the dog is crashing and needs all sorts of extras to keep her stable during a PERFECTLY preventable disease” “Yes, I bought an English Bulldog for $5000 having no idea that they suffer almost every and any disease under the sun and will cost at least $1000/year to keep up with, especially when I don’t heed your advice and come back every 6 months with all the problems out of control again”

Merlin – lots of care through his life – He was worth it though. RIP

Any who, whether you adopt or shop, just make sure you are doing it responsibly. I’ve had several owners bring in a puppy they purchased and told me that after seeing the conditions at the breeder when they picked them up, they felt more like they were rescuing them. Unfortunately, if you are giving the breeder money, you are supporting their breeding program, only to breed more puppies and get more money. If you are truly concerned about the condition, call Animal Control. Don’t support their function. There are REALLY good breeders out there who actually care about the quality of the dogs they are producing, not just the color or size, or just because they have a boy dog and a girl dog and want to make money. There are breeders who actually have their breeding stock checked for common diseases like OFA certification to make sure they have genetically good hips and elbows, heart tests, full genetic screens to make sure your dog will live as long as possible. They also only breed the dogs that have the best personalities for the purpose they are bred for. Personality is very heritable and if you go to pick up a puppy and the mom or dad it barking it’s head off on the end of a leash and you can’t touch it, or cowering in the corner with “whale eyes” walk away, you don’t want that disaster. These wonderful breeders will charge more than what you can find in the “for sale” section of the paper, but they are SO much more worth it, and 3-4x less than the “designer” breeds – which *tend to have ZERO testing or care taken. *I’m sure there are very careful breeders of Doodles, but I haven’t met them.

Mastiff with a FANTASTIC personality

Last note: animals are for life. If you get a dog/cat, you’ll need to understand that every time you move you will need to find a pet-friendly place. If you decide you need a tortoise or African Grey parrot – you’ll need to leave them in your will to someone as they may outlive you.

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How do you get through the hard days?

Yesterday, I had a hard day. I had an emergency animal come in on death’s door from possible trauma, thought I could save him, but after an hour of fluids, meds to bring down brain swelling, warming bair huggers, oxygen, and all the meds to keep his heart going when he stopped breathing on his own, we had to finally throw in the towel. Calling and giving the owner that news was heart wrenching to say the least. Later that day, another patient came in for what I thought would be a pretty simple, but long term treatment plan for a young animal with chronic issues. The owner, understandably, after having pours thousands of dollars into a very young animal without ending the suffering, was already ready to throw in the towel. I knew it was the right answer, but it just felt like I was murdering this beautiful baby soul. I know what my job is and the practicality and humanity of stopping the fight, but it was still, literally, gut wrenching to push that pink fluid into that sweet, loving animal’s vein, even while those eyes trusted me not to hurt her, I stopped her heart.

Hugging the most huggable kitty you could ever ask for – Popcorn

I’m the worst when it comes to looking on the bright side – when it comes to myself. I’m fantastic at trying to get others to see the light in things and keeping humor interjected in almost every situation to keep others out of the black hole that is my mentality sometimes. I’m cynical, I’m doubtful, I lose faith in the existence of God on a regular basis, I lose faith in people (just read the news, like, ever), I lose faith in myself and wonder if anyone who really knows me actually loves me, I have bad days, bad weeks, etc. (If I haven’t posted in a while, I’m probably in a dark place) How have I even survived this long? Well, medication, therapy, and trying to think of things in a MUCH broader view.

Stay away from the news! Any news about the nation or world. You can’t change any of it, you literally just read it and get paranoid, angry, sad, or otherwise negatively emotional. I used to (and still slip into it every now and then) go looking for news that would make me says “OMG! I can’t believe that!” or look for something to talk with someone else about “did you see where.. ” or “can you believe what *** did??”. It’s addicting – somehow reading something that makes you feel an emotion – there has to be a hormone similar to dopamine that is released when you read stuff like that. I still find myself falling into rabbit holes, but if I can stay away from the news, I can typically control my emotions better because, guess what! —> see next point

How my brain feels when I’m deep in a news dig – no kids were harmed in the making of this photo – I had a rather large bruise though.

The people around you and in your community are generally good people. We may all have very different opinions about subjects and topics, but for the most part, most of the people around you are courteous, polite, and trying to do the best that they can. Remember, all the crazies that make you crazy on the internet or social media are the loud ones. The majority of people who are normal, reasonably balanced human beings are not out there touting far one-sided crap. I truly believe that there are enough (probably plenty) of intelligent, wise, level-headed humans in this country who could actually take the issues (social and economic) and come to a reasonable conclusion. If you talk to a *rational* person about politics, you may find that y’all can agree on a lot when solutions are trying to be found. But the whole “my team says this, so you’re stupid” thing will never work. We all have more in common and can agree on WAY more than the news, social media, or your crazy polar friends will let on.

We may have different opinions than you, but we’re good people

At the end of the day, most everything will be the same. Horrible clients? A dog that tried to die on the table? A horribly complicated case that had you dragging your eyeballs over the gravel while jumping through fiery hoops? When I get home, my kids will be energetic, they will be safe, my dog will greet me like she hasn’t seen me in a year, my cats will greet me like they literally saw me two seconds ago, and after the kids go to bed, I will sit down and have a cup of cheese balls and maybe a glass of wine sitting on my couch watching the next episode on Netflix with Tony. That is pretty much a constant and when I’m stuck smack dab in the middle of the weeds wishing whatever horribly stressful event to be over with, I will stop, go into my mind and imagine sipping that glass of wine thinking about how all of those stressors are behind me. When I can picture myself being done with the stress, I can calm down and muggle through it.

Sometimes decompressing includes alcohol

Exercise is always good – you can’t worry about piddly little things when you’re gasping for air!

Thirty. Second. Abs!

Find a friend or therapist. Believe it or not, voicing your concerns and even crazy paranoias can release them. Sometimes you just need someone to listen (not necessarily give advice – guys) and tell you you’re not crazy (unless you are – then they may call the police =D) and sympathize with you. Sometimes, even though it’s super hard, actually talking about your issues with the person who is bothering you (esp if family or close friends) clears the air and you both find out you were worried about completely different things.

Snuggling with friends. Unlike Toad, you should make sure the cuddling is consensual – Delphi (background kitty) wants nothing to do with this, but she’s not willing to give up her spot.

Try seeing the positives in whatever situation you’re in. Horrible client, but super cute dog? Focus on the fluffy fur. Can’t figure out a case and have never seen anything like this to even know where to start? Try to think “even though this is super painful and stressful and I want to crawl in a corner, after it’s all said and done, I will have learned something new and can apply it next time” – hard times lead to broader knowledge.

Unravelling puzzles

Stressful days suck, sometimes they pile up for a bad week or month, but if you can stay strong and keep yourself as an example to others, then the general atmosphere of your workplace, home, community will have a brighter outlook. And when you make others brighter, you will feel brighter and will have a more solid ground to keep yourself going. Everything will pass, eventually. As my favorite quote says “Do your best and leave the rest, for it will all come right one day or night” – Black Beauty, Anna Sewell.

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Riddle me this: COVID conspiracy!

Personal statement:

  1. I am a scientist, a doctor, a believer in the centuries of scientific methods and reasoning that have gone back and forth to come to our, though still learning, very sophisticated and successful medical advancements. I am also a believer in God. Go figure.
  2. I do NOT, at all, like politicians or care what they have to say about science, as they know little to none of what experts have spent their lives studying and perfecting.
  3. Scientists and researchers are not rich people and do not benefit much at all compared to their toils for the great things they do and come up with.
  4. There will be individuals in every profession who think radically and do not go with the vast majority of evidence or research findings – this cannot be helped, but the one outlier is MUCH less likely to have the right answer than the 99% of the others. That’s just statistics.
  5. Politics should NEVER have an influence on science and how the people are presented with facts – this is dangerous and irresponsible. (Besides, political parties are like football teams and the voters can be like the fanatical fanbase. Tom Brady is, like, the best quarterback, but people hated him because he played for the Patriots. He can play for your least favorite team, but this does not retract from the fact that he is, currently, the best. The same idea extends to a fantastic vaccine coming out and because your political base says it’s bad when the science says it’s not, is just down right irresponsible, and even murderous.)
Political party hatred.

So, that being out of the way, lets talk conspiracies (I’ve actually heard – like, for reals) surrounding the science.

First conspiracy: “The Government wants you to get vaccinated because they make money off your getting the vaccine.” Okay, this doesn’t make sense at all. The vaccine is currently free. The government is paying for the vaccine for everyone. I’m sure this will have an expiration date, however, and once they feel everyone has had a reasonable window to get vaccinated, they will stop paying for it and the pharmaceutical companies will charge whatever they want.

All family members over 5: Vaccinated – for free!

Second: “The hospitals are making up COVID death diagnosis to get more money from the government.” The government IS subsidizing hospitals for COVID cases whether they die or not because the cost to treat COVID is ridiculously expensive with the intensive care patients require: the isolation protocol and days to weeks of oxygen which can be charged by the hour. Many people don’t have insurance or insurance isn’t covering all of it, so costs go to tax payers – which seems to be another good reason to get that free vaccine. The hospitals are NOT making up COVID diagnosis to get the subsidies, however, that is fraud and a serious violation that could lead to license loss and/or litigation that no one wants to deal with. It is true that some people have other disease processes and then contract COVID which brings them over the edge. Some may argue that COVID didn’t kill these people, that they were sick with other things already, but their other disease processes were controlled, being maintained carefully through medications, diet, therapy, etc, then they got COVID, and their body couldn’t take it anymore. So, without COVID, these people could have lived another several years to decades.

Facts all jumbled get hard to decipher

Third: “The government is pushing the vaccine because there’s a microchip in it and they can, then track your every movement.” Do you have a phone? They don’t need a microchip in your body because you willingly carry one in your pocket at all times. Also microchips are huge – like the size of a rice grain and you would need a MUCH larger needle. Also, how would they differentiate which vaccines had the chip in them? The first vaccine? The booster?

Removed arm to remove microchip – JK

Fourth: “The government invented this virus to kill the population.” OR “The government is pushing the vaccine because they know it will kill us”…. *crickets* Does this make sense to anyone? If everyone dies, who will pay their taxes? How does having less people benefit the government? We DO know the government is also made up of people – people who are also susceptible to the virus, right?

Wolf in Grandma’s clothing

Fifth: Not so much of a conspiracy as just very bad information being propagated: “The vaccine is experimental and developed too fast” The vaccine for viruses like COVID has been in development for many years – now that there is a need for them, they already had all the parts, they just needed to assemble. The trials vaccines are required to go through were also all completed. The vaccine is safe. Like 1000x safer than the disease. Everyone talks about how harmless the virus is “it’s just the flu” even though almost 800,000 people have died in the US, but even with the only 1.6% death rateT, the vaccine is 1000x safer, with a death rate of 0.0022%. So, if you love your neighbor, get vaccinated.

T: Current COVID deaths in the US is 793,958 with 48,643,963 cases. Therefore, death rate is deaths/cases= 0.016 x 100 = 1.6% deaths. For fun, I looked up some PAST flu data since people are claiming Flu doesn’t seem as bad because everyone is reporting COVID now. In 2017-2018 Flu cases was 41,000,000, flu deaths were 52,000. Deaths/cases= 0.0013×100 = 0.13% deaths. In other words, no, COVID is not just like the flu, you are 10X more likely to die from COVID.

My brother preparing to paint my basement ceiling – not appropriate fit for dealing with COVID patients

In conclusion, this virus is costing the government a LOT of money – between subsidizing hospitals for the increased costs, paying for vaccine development from multiple companies and continued vaccination of the public, not to mention the cut to the economy with 700,000 less available workers and trying to keep the remaining people safe with closures. None of this would benefit the government in any way. It just doesn’t make sense to think of the virus or the vaccine as a conspiracy.

Nuff said

To end this segment, I’m going to steal a story my dad told me recently. He has retired from working 31 years at Warner Robins Air Force base (civilian) and has since been picked up by a large Department of Defense contractor to keep up his good work (whatever that is, we don’t talk about it – which works out because I don’t tell him what I do either…. because he’d vomit). Any who, he was talking to a guy at one of the facilities and they were just talking the typical weather, football, small talk, then my dad went to walk away when the guy said “Hey, what do you think this whole COVID vaccine? Kinda crazy isn’t it?” My dad said, “Listen, I’m vaccinated and here’s why; my momma is 91 years old and I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I thought even for a moment that I got her sick and caused her to die. Let me tell you another thing, I’ve been on a military base for 31 years before I started here, and working around all of those soldiers who spent time overseas getting shot at, giving up large chunks of their lives with loved ones, risking their lives every single day, sometimes living in hot, miserable conditions for months to years for people they don’t even know, just to keep them safe. I thought, a vaccine was a pretty small sacrifice I could make for my fellow American.”

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Vet Medicine: the greatest career on Earth

So, you read about all my whining and complaining in the last blog. Being a vet is TOUGH. Understanding that you can treat an animal without having the exact diagnosis and without choosing the same treatment as any other vet (there will never be full consensus on treatments for any disease, ever) takes a long time of feeling like a failure, staying up nights worrying that you didn’t treat something right, wondering if you should have gone with the high dose, short therapy or the lower dose long therapy. Are you causing antibiotic resistance? If you don’t send an antibiotic home, will the owners hate you? Will you get a bad review because, even though you spent hours researching and worrying, the animal didn’t get better, or another vet threw you under the bus? So, why even try? Why enter this field?

Because it’s FREAKING AMAZING!! That’s why!

Reasons it’s FA (freaking amazing): The animals, obviously. Granted, you LOVE animals, but must accept that they hate you. You must just understand that you’re doing it for your love for them, and not to win their love (though I handily try with multiple treats and a slow approach). It’s much like being a mom or a religious leader. You care for and are responsible for others, but they might not like what you have to say or do. Occasionally you get the adorable puppy/kitten, but sometimes you have to deal with the jack-wad pet. If you are companion animal, most of your patients will be middle to older aged animals with skin, ear, endocrine issues. If you are large animal, most will be reproductive, preventative health, and emergency. Most of the animals are happy with you anyway, especially if you keep pushing the treats.

The SCIENCE – if you love science and seeing things work like you read about, you will love vet med. It doesn’t always work out, but when it does, it feels MAGICAL – and it works out most of the time. You get a rush of dopamine (this is not proven, just theorized) when you hear back from a patient you’d been working on and hear that they’re SO much better! Even when it’s just an older dog with probable arthritis and the owner didn’t think it was pain but was willing to do a trial of pain meds. They call back and go on and on about how much like a puppy their old Bella has become. It makes my insides smile.

Not arthritis

You can FIX things! Sometimes this feeling is amazing! Female intact dog walks in, sick as, well, a dog, you find it’s a pyometra (uterus is huge and full of pus). The dog looks like death, but with a 30 minute surgery (spay), the dog is back to almost 100% overnight! Laceration repair can be tedious, but is like creating a work of art. Indoor/outdoor cat comes in with a swelling and a fever – cat bite abscess – super rewarding to drain the abscess and the cat is back to normal by the next day. There’s nothing like the feeling “hey, your animal has this problem, but don’t worry, I’ll fix it!” The feeling only gets super frustrating when the owner chooses not to treat for one reason or another (finances, chronic issues that require multiple rechecks, long-term medication). Then, this leaves you totally frustrated – “but I can fix it…”

Learning all the time. You may think this sounds tedious and awful, but it’s not. Again, learning something new that you can immediately apply to a case, whether it’s researching for a current case and finding an actual answer or going to continuing education conferences and learning a new fabulous (and low cost) new treatment regimen, actually gives you a rush. As a vet you are (or should be) CONSTANTLY learning, researching, RE-learning and it’s actually fun. There are always new things to learn and ways to check your pride and try a different methods and while you’ll find yourself frustrated in the moment, and may take awhile to institute the change, you’ll be elated when it all falls into place. Because – science.

The clients! (okay, there are some sour lemons, but with the current demand for vets and long waiting list to get an appointment, we have the luxury to “rehome” clients who are naughty) Are you a people pleaser? Do you get a physical giddy sensation when you make someone happy? Vet med *can be* for YOU! For the most part, clients are extremely polite, understanding, and grateful for what you do. I think it helped my client communication skills to be a large animal vet for awhile. When you’re stuck standing over a newly gelded colt, waiting for him to get up, you learn how to chat with people and not feel awkward. Depending on the client’s attitude toward me (the more positive, they more they get), I will go to all sorts of lengths to make sure they and their animal are getting free samples, internet sources, brochures, under the table treatments (slip in a free nail trim), etc. If a client is cold and dismissive, they will get what they ask for and that is it.

Then there’s the not so obvious perks to being a vet; Comradery – Everyone in the vet world is stressed and many take it out with a twisted sense of humor. When you find the right clinic, it’s like getting together with your friends every day – joking, griping together, getting excited over gross things, inappropriate humor. Everyone working in your field (or at least the vast majority) love animals and share the common goal to help people and their animals. I’m sure there are others, but how many other work places do you have where everyone in the company has the same interest? Want to talk about your cat’s cute way she chirps to you? So does your co-worker!

Rescues will be a commonality in your field. This pup was born with no bones in her forelegs and now belongs to a co-worker

Something for everyone. You like working with your hands? Large animal is perfect for you, prefer indoors with more meticulous skill? Surgery is for you! Like both? Do both!! Don’t like working with your hands? Medicine. Pathology. Teaching. Like people? General or referral practice. Don’t like people? Pathology, lab animal medicine. Want to practice medicine everyday, great! Don’t? Government work! Like people, but only your kind, and not general public? Become a drug representative, traveling to clinics telling them about all the new products coming out! Want to work all day everyday, and be on call – don’t worry, there’s plenty for you! Only want to work 3 days a week? Pick up relief shifts! Night owl? Work emergency overnight shifts. ***These examples are all highly generalized, and I’m 100% sure vets working in all of these fields will have something to say, but my point is there’s a job out there for anyone with a Veterinary degree, don’t just envision working at a clinic***

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So, you want to be a vet?

I was driving to work yesterday morning, feeling COMPLETELY miserable. Flu-like symptoms, my body ached like it had been beaten and rolled down a hill. I was freezing, then two seconds later, sweating. My head was pounding and I had a very painful baseball sized lymph node under my right armpit. Don’t worry, though, I wasn’t going to spread a horrible sickness among co-workers (this time), but instead, I had gotten vaccinated two days prior – my third COVID-19 vaccine (a booster) and it hit me like a truck. I kept thinking to myself “Ugh! I just want to go home. This is going to be a long day. I can’t call in sick though because I already have a completely full schedule and can’t just leave my co-workers to take all of my cases.” Such is the life of a vet. Don’t worry, there’s awesome parts too (just not in this blog).

The rare sweet puppy cuddle

Training to be a vet is sort of like boot camp for a marine (but not at all the same). Once you enter vet school, they start the mental and physical conditioning. Not only is there no rest for the weary, but if you’re weary, there’s extra work. They start with a grueling schedule of 8 hours of advanced science/medicine classes per day – 8am-5pm, then expect you to go home and review the material (they approximate an hour per hour of class). Then, the testing starts. This means studying night after late night into the early morning, internally debating whether more review or sleep will be better for you (psst! Get the sleep). One professor described the onslaught of information vs retention as throwing a giant pile of horse crap at a wall and hoping some of it sticks.

No time? Drink! My 27th birthday party – technically, I was an intern.
Driven to madness, Emily is seen here sipping Guinness from a straw

After three and a half years of dragging your brain across a cactus field, the clinical rotations start. Vet school clinicians (drill sergeants) are notoriously miserable themselves, and therefore, feel the need to make sure everyone else is also miserable. I can’t blame them, necessarily, they are dealing with the hardest cases (most animals don’t come to the vet school unless there’s a super complicated issue that a general practitioner can’t deal with), they are doing it on very little income, and they are having to “babysit” over eager students who, despite having studied for 3.5 years, don’t know squat. **side note: some of the senior clinician are absolute SAINTS – made to teach AND a master of their field. And some are literally trying to drag you down to hell with their miserable selves – none shall be pictured.**

Definitely one of the saintly clinicians – seen here with my horse, Orion – a stone stuck in Orion’s urethra, and more in the bladder.
Stone cut out of Orion’s urethra about 4 inches below his anus (making him pee like a mare)
The stone in the bladder, seen here being lasered to break it up for easier extraction

While a student, you are expected not to complain about not sleeping because someone always has to comment how they’ve been up for 32 hours straight (to which I guess you are supposed to bow down to that person?). You are expected not to complain about being hungry – you may, I don’t know, end up eating some horse or dog food because you are so hungry and it doesn’t look too bad when you’re holding a horse for the 90th hour and haven’t been allowed to move. You are not to use the bathroom while people are around – thou shalt not flaunt your excessive time allotment by urinating when others cannot.

Another saintly clinician, in the middle, Dr. Hollett, who has now, sadly, passed away. Also pictured, my intern-mate.

You are expected to show up NO MATTER WHAT is going on. Snow storm? In Georgia, where snow plows are a thing of fairy tales? Better start hiking or you won’t hear the end of it when you finally manage to drag yourself (and wreckage of a car) into the hospital. Have the flu? Might as well resign vet school before calling in. I mean, technically, they’ll have to allow you to stay home, but you may be excommunicated for showing an ounce of self care. Also, you’d be so much cooler if you just took some ibuprofen and pushed on. Vomiting? Just bring a bucket and you can empty it during your bathroom breaks which don’t exist. Pregnant? Just get out. (There were actually a few classmates who were brave enough to have kids during vet school and they are all amazing women and vets to this day).

Me, pregnant with India, but not until after I got my first job.

You made it to graduation, yay!! You somehow also survived the SIX HOUR test you have to take to apply for a license. Some will go on to start their career, while some will choose to get internships with the idea that this will ease them better into the work field (because when you graduate, despite the physical and mental torture and water boarding of information, you still know nothing, but are happy to be alive). Some internships are AMAZING (I’ve been told), but some are just a way to get you to do the crap work, while getting crapped on (pun intended), further breaking you down (because now it’s about breaking your soul) all with the exciting wage of $25,000/year – with the ($100K+ with 6-12% interest) student loans lapping at your heels.

Me and my students, “horsing around” on the breeding dummy. We were responsible for making this area look “presentable” for the stallions – rake the dirt, water the grass, make sure the wool fleece was warm and soft.

You can then, enter a residency if you choose to be specialized in a certain discipline (surgery, medicine, oncology, ophthalmology, etc) – typically you will need to be at the top of your class (I was NOT) and even more into self torture than most. This option is three years of more intensity than anything previously experienced, with, again, little pay – but from what I’ve heard, you won’t need the money anyway – sleep at the hospital, never eat, etc.

The wild hog, named Ferdinand after he took up residence with an anesthesia tech’s horses. We came to castrate him – it took a LOT of ketamine. He was later “let go” for attacking and mauling her dogs.

Finally, it’s time to start your career. Due to the mental, physical, and spiritual beating you have endured, you’re perfectly happy and, in fact, eternally grateful for your first job offer. $42,000/yr? YES!! That’s almost twice as much as you were making as an intern, living on literal beans and rice!! You’re going to be rich!! (you might even be able to add some CHEESE to your beans and rice). From here, it may be a good 2-3 years before you don’t think you’ve made a huge mistake and that you’re a failure and imposter, and then 7-10 years before you realize your worth – as a vet, but mostly as a person.

My job as holder of the blood donor goat.

So, now, you’re finally comfortable in your own skin, you work hard, contribute your all, but also expect respect from your boss, co-workers, and, especially, clients. Finally, it’s time to start realizing what there is to love about veterinary medicine. *See next blog*

Another amazing clinician on the right.