Well veterinary school has been a bit of a downer lately - not entirely, but it's frustrating when you have multiple choice exams and they don't really relate to real life (I'm sure you heard this before!). I can't talk about the specific test questions, but lets just say they were less than fair. However, I don't let it get me down because I know in the REAL world I can just go look it up and most importantly, my patients will not come with multiple choice questions pasted to their foreheads. Anyway, this post is not meant to complain about how tough vet school is, it's about the silver linings I've found in life lately. A great friend told me I shouldn't give up on my blog writing, that it is probably reaching someone out there and helping them achieve their dreams or find the same silver linings I have. The job outlook for veterinary graduates is dismal - and I feel I am constantly reminded of it from the media.
This weekend, I spent Saturday volunteering at the Mercer veterinary clinic for pets of the homeless. We had one of our busiest days in a long time - the parking lot was fun of clients and their furry friends. They were there early and formed a line that wrapped around the entire lot! I parked my car down the street from the lot where Mercer is held near Loaves & Fishes in Sacramento. As I was walking in, I saw a family trying to carry their two cats and walk their dog into the clinic - I took one of the cats for them and we walked in together. I feel so distant to these people in my ceil blue scrubs, but I know we're here for the same reason - for the animals.
I say hi to the "regular" volunteers and the new clinic coordinators...man how Mercer has grown! It has become very efficient, better for clients, their pets and volunteers! I don't even come for the volunteer orientation because I know how Mercer works inside and out. I often work with new students or by myself. I had three clients that day. The first one was a "fast track" with two healthy Akita cross breed dogs that were just loosing their winter coats. I was happy to see their owner had brought them in for their wellness exams. I gave them through physical exams and sent them home with flea prevention and heart guard.
The second client had two cats - one was a 14 year old hyperthyroid kitty who needed a blood sample to check his thyroid levels. The owner told me how important this cat was to her and how her life had changed recently in so many ways. I really try to listen to clients and sympathize with their situations - although all unique - this woman in particular had a really rough patch. I did my best to get a painless blood sample from the Siamese cat she adored very much - I made sure she was a part of the whole process and comfortable with my efforts. I had a lot of trouble because the cat was very hypovolemic (had low blood volume) and was slightly dehydrated making it difficult for me to take blood from him. I used a butterfly catheter in his medial saphenous vein - but the blood came out so slowly it clotted after I got about 0.5mL. I enlisted the help of Dr. Kendall who had about as much difficulty as I did, but managed to get me another 1mL of blood from the very vocal Siamese cat. The other cat was a healthy housemate who purred intensely when I examined her.
My third patient that day was a wonderful female lab that I have seen since I started volunteering at Mercer. She has chronic skin issues that flare up if she has any chicken in her diet. She is on steroids, antihistamines, and a special allergen free diet. She was looking great and had also lost weight (which is good for her because she was overweight). She's an old girl, but quite the companion for her dedicated owner who waits every month to get her dog's perscriptions filled. I clipped her long nails and sent her on her way.
We finished seeing all the clients by about 12:30! A record for any Mercer clinic - and we had a ton of clients that day - just a lot of volunteers (veterinary students and vet aides) and I think four volunteer veterinarians that made the day fly by. It's hard because donations for Mercer are down and we are lacking resources to get basic referral care for our patients. For example, some new clients brought in a puppy with a suspected broken leg who needed an X-ray, but since our budget is so tight, we were unable to send them for referral. I know it sounds harsh, but the funding is limited, thus carefully managed and we had to create rules as to how our resources are used in order to best serve clients we have. We are always open to accepting new clients that qualify for Mercer (aka ARE homeless and have a recent TB card), but unfortunately that is our only way to limit the program so we can help those in need.
On Sunday, I volunteered at the feral cat clinic at the Sacramento SPCA. I got there around 11am and jumped into action - helping at various stations moving cats along. It was a great day, we had 56 cats go through our clinic that day. While doing some anesthesia monitoring, I met a volunteering veterinarian who had an interesting story to tell. She was interested in starting a sustainable veterinary program in the bay area that focuses on the environment, people and animals, encompassing the idea of "one health". I was very impressed to hear about her background and how the idea came about. I'm really looking forward to hearing more about this exciting idea and I have to say it tore at my heartstrings to think about wonderful people like her out there who strive to make a difference in this world. Ideas like this shouldn't be shoved under the rug - although a quite ambitious plan, I know she has the power to make it happen. I took her contact info so hopefully someday in the future I might be able to help her in some way either on my own or by referring a friend.
We did our last dog neuter, it turned out great and hopefully "Bug" will find his forever home. This week we are doing our first dog spay. I can't believe how fast veterinary school goes by - when you're in it, it feels like it drags on forever, but the people around you - your family and friends see it go by so fast. And as it gets down to my last quarter of classes (before I start clinics) - it finally feels like it is flying by for me too!
And last, but not least, today I attended a "Veterinary Forensics" talk given by Dr. Bing Dilts whom is a veterinarian featured on the Animal Planet show
Animal Cops: San Francisco. She attended the University of California at
Davis for nine years, where she received a bachelor's degree in animal
science, a master's degree in animal science and a doctorate in
veterinary medicine. Before coming to the SF Animal Care and Control in
1995, Dr. Dilts was employed as an equine veterinarian. The talk was pretty gruesome (it's aweful what people can do to animals) and Dr. Dilts is a really down to earth - no bull crap kind of person, but it was very interesting.
To hear about how she got into this line of work was truly inspiring. It's amazing how she can take an animal who was neglected, make them healthy and happy and find them a new home. Other cases are not as lucky, but at least the last of their days are spent in a warm and caring environment with veterinary care, food, water and shelter. When I left the talk and was walking to Gourley to my dentistry lab, I thought to myself I want to grow up to be just like her! She does really cool things and prosecutes people who are responsible for cruelty and neglect. The talk was put on by the Shelter Medicine Club - which I am a member of and fully support.
In my dentistry lab today we got to practice extractions on cadaver dogs - it was a great experience and made me feel more comfortable with dentistry tools and it was super fun!
Only 2 more weeks until spring break! Can't wait for a little break!
This weekend, I spent Saturday volunteering at the Mercer veterinary clinic for pets of the homeless. We had one of our busiest days in a long time - the parking lot was fun of clients and their furry friends. They were there early and formed a line that wrapped around the entire lot! I parked my car down the street from the lot where Mercer is held near Loaves & Fishes in Sacramento. As I was walking in, I saw a family trying to carry their two cats and walk their dog into the clinic - I took one of the cats for them and we walked in together. I feel so distant to these people in my ceil blue scrubs, but I know we're here for the same reason - for the animals.
I say hi to the "regular" volunteers and the new clinic coordinators...man how Mercer has grown! It has become very efficient, better for clients, their pets and volunteers! I don't even come for the volunteer orientation because I know how Mercer works inside and out. I often work with new students or by myself. I had three clients that day. The first one was a "fast track" with two healthy Akita cross breed dogs that were just loosing their winter coats. I was happy to see their owner had brought them in for their wellness exams. I gave them through physical exams and sent them home with flea prevention and heart guard.
The second client had two cats - one was a 14 year old hyperthyroid kitty who needed a blood sample to check his thyroid levels. The owner told me how important this cat was to her and how her life had changed recently in so many ways. I really try to listen to clients and sympathize with their situations - although all unique - this woman in particular had a really rough patch. I did my best to get a painless blood sample from the Siamese cat she adored very much - I made sure she was a part of the whole process and comfortable with my efforts. I had a lot of trouble because the cat was very hypovolemic (had low blood volume) and was slightly dehydrated making it difficult for me to take blood from him. I used a butterfly catheter in his medial saphenous vein - but the blood came out so slowly it clotted after I got about 0.5mL. I enlisted the help of Dr. Kendall who had about as much difficulty as I did, but managed to get me another 1mL of blood from the very vocal Siamese cat. The other cat was a healthy housemate who purred intensely when I examined her.
My third patient that day was a wonderful female lab that I have seen since I started volunteering at Mercer. She has chronic skin issues that flare up if she has any chicken in her diet. She is on steroids, antihistamines, and a special allergen free diet. She was looking great and had also lost weight (which is good for her because she was overweight). She's an old girl, but quite the companion for her dedicated owner who waits every month to get her dog's perscriptions filled. I clipped her long nails and sent her on her way.
We finished seeing all the clients by about 12:30! A record for any Mercer clinic - and we had a ton of clients that day - just a lot of volunteers (veterinary students and vet aides) and I think four volunteer veterinarians that made the day fly by. It's hard because donations for Mercer are down and we are lacking resources to get basic referral care for our patients. For example, some new clients brought in a puppy with a suspected broken leg who needed an X-ray, but since our budget is so tight, we were unable to send them for referral. I know it sounds harsh, but the funding is limited, thus carefully managed and we had to create rules as to how our resources are used in order to best serve clients we have. We are always open to accepting new clients that qualify for Mercer (aka ARE homeless and have a recent TB card), but unfortunately that is our only way to limit the program so we can help those in need.
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| Some dogs that were helped at the Mercer clinic |
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| One of my favorite dogs at the Mercer clinic |
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| Our 3rd neuter patient |
To hear about how she got into this line of work was truly inspiring. It's amazing how she can take an animal who was neglected, make them healthy and happy and find them a new home. Other cases are not as lucky, but at least the last of their days are spent in a warm and caring environment with veterinary care, food, water and shelter. When I left the talk and was walking to Gourley to my dentistry lab, I thought to myself I want to grow up to be just like her! She does really cool things and prosecutes people who are responsible for cruelty and neglect. The talk was put on by the Shelter Medicine Club - which I am a member of and fully support.
In my dentistry lab today we got to practice extractions on cadaver dogs - it was a great experience and made me feel more comfortable with dentistry tools and it was super fun!
Only 2 more weeks until spring break! Can't wait for a little break!
