A sad case

A young, two year-old cat presented to me in severe and acute respiratory distress, severely hypotensive (low blood pressure), and vomiting clear fluid. The cat's gums were extremely pale and his temperature was a freezing 34.5 degree C (94.1 degrees F), indicating that the cat's extremities were very poorly perfused (no/little blood flow). The owner brought the cat in immediately after hearing the cat suddenly screech. There were no toxins to which the cat was exposed. On examination, the cat's veins were hair-thin, so tiny that it was difficult getting an iv catheter in one of them - but we did. After giving the poor gasping cat a tiny dose...

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Happy Birthday

It's Christmas day, and the kids got up early to see what Santa brought them.  My wife and I exchanged some additional presents, and we have cinnamon rolls baking in the oven (a tradition in our house).  We're enjoying some relaxing family time, as well as the gifts we were given.  It's a pretty typical traditional Christmas.I don't regret the secular aspects of the season, but sometimes we have to be reminded of the rest of it.  Did you know that today is a birthday?  How many of you have forgotten this?  Okay, yes, I know that Jesus was likely born in the Spring and that many "traditional" Christmas beliefs and decorations are related to pagan celebrations.  Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Jesus, and that is the focus of the holiday.  People...

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The Night Before Christmas

It's Christmas eve, a day of excitement in our house.  It's our tradition, based off the Swedish customs, to open family presents on Christmas eve (Santa's presents are for Christmas morning).  Today is also special for our kids because we're going to see the new Alvin & the Chipmunks movie, which they have been anticipating for months.  Like most people, this day is about being together as a family.I've taken this week off work to relax and have time with my family, and am so glad for that.  I can't remember the last time I've had this much time off to be at home.  Honestly, I probably needed it.  It's been...

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Facebook Follies

I've avoided joining Facebook for a long time. I'm not a highly social person, preferring a small circle of friends. For the most part I've kept in contact with those I wanted to (some better than others), and have no great desire to meet random people. I also saw how many people were clamoring to join Facebook, and didn't want to go with the crowd. I often said that I wouldn't join just out of principle.Ooops.A few days ago I joined. Most of it was due to my wife's gentle pressure, talking about how I could get in touch with some of my old friends better. Partly I also saw there were some interesting games, and I could put my pages in pirate lingo! So in the end, I did finally join. Little did I know what I was getting myself into.Now I'm playing eight different games, have 41 mateys...

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Time for Muppets

I grew up watching the original Muppet Show, and have never stopped loving Jim Henson's creations.  I have watched every movie and incarnation of the muppets since they first came on TV.  No matter how many times I see them, I still laugh at the same things.  Though all of them are great, I think that Animal is my favorite.  Just about everything he does makes me bust a gut.Did you know that the muppets have their own YouTube channel? I just recently discovered this!  So here's a couple of my favorite clips from their MuppetsStudio (notice that both prominently feature Animal...

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The Humor In A Vet's Life

For all of the hardship, heartache, and difficult decisions in a veterinarian's day, there can be a surprising amount of humor.  Some of it happens naturally.  For example, a year ago I blogged about a particularly funny incident involving a canine University of Tennessee fan.  Some times the humor is completely incomprehensible to others, such as when one of my techs had his pants slip a little while handling a dog, exposing his "crack" a little.  One of the other techs stuck a catheter cap into the space.  Yeah, a bit childish and weird, but we all had a good laught about it.  Other times the humor is forced as you try to find ways to cope with a particularly difficult situation.I certainly don't consider myself a humorist, though I would love to be.  I'm...

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Coming out...

...as depressed may be more difficult than coming out of the closet. As some of my regular readers may know, I have not posted very recently in many months, since the rupture of a long-term relationship. Since then, I have entered into a "circumstantial" depression, call it what you will... Right now, I am actually on my way out of it. My life from the outside is fully functional, I continue to work, and to love work. In fact, in all modesty I don't think I have ever been a more caring and empathetic veterinarian, and have never felt like such a good diagnostician.A part of me is hiding, though. A significant part of me hides behind a very...

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An Allergic Vet?

Here's an interesting and excellent question...My name is Jennifer. I am a student at West Valley College in Saratoga California. My assignment is to write a paper on a dream career or mine. I picked becoming a veterinarian, and found your site. My question is, Will having my allergies to certain animals (dogs, cats) affect me being a veterinarian? It would be greatly appriciated if you could get back to me Asap. Thank you so much. Jennifer, this is more common than you might think. As you mention, allergies tend to be to specific animals and not to all animals.  And there are ways around this problem.  If you have been working with an allergist, talk to him or her about desensitization medications or other ways you can medically handle the allergy.  In some cases regular...

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Practice Makes Perfect

Being a doctor isn't easy, and I don't think anyone would disagree with this comment. One of the hardest things to learn is how to take the information from the classroom and textbooks and apply it in a clinical setting.  This is why experienced doctors tend to make better clinical judgements than new graduates (everything else being equal).  It may not seem like it, but there can be a bit of disconnect between what is reported in the texts and what you may actually see.It's common for doctors to talk about whether or not a patient "reads the textbook". This means that some cases present exactly like is described in the textbook.  For example, a hypothyroid patient would have a thinning coat, weight gain, and persistent skin infections.  However, some cases don't have classic...

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Never Be Afraid To Ask

In her comments to my last post, Stefani made these statements....I get records every time I leave, and I go over them. I review bloodwork. I ask lots of questions about anesthetic protocols and monitoring. I go a place that uses licensed techs. I make specific requests. I wanted to bring these up for those who don't read the comments because they are great words of advice.  While I think that the average professional deserves some degree of initial trust (or you would never follow any recommendations the first time to went anywhere), I also think that full trust needs to be built.  Part of that depends on the professional you see acting in an appropriate, open, and ethical manner.  But a large part of that  depends on you as the client to do your part. A common...

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A Few Bad Apples

Over my lifetime (all 40 years of it so far) I have seen many people do reprehensable things.  Professional businessmen and CEOs who embezel and drive companies into the ground.  Ministers who steal or hire prostitutes.  Teachers who seduce and sexually abuse their students or other children.  Police officers who abuse their charges, physically beating them.  Respected officials who abuse their power.  Celebrities who are supposed to be role-models falling to drug and alcohol addiction.  And don't even get me started on the problems with politicians.There's the old adage that a bad apple will spoil the whole bunch.  And I guess that it's human nature to see a prominent figure as a representative of their "type".  But is that really fair?  In...

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Caffeinated Happiness

I have discovered a very important thing about myself.  I am a much happier person when I am full of caffeine.  I'm not much of a coffee drinker, but I drink sodas almost daily (diet only...trying to keep at my goal weight).  Yes, too much caffeine is bad for you, especially with some diseases.  But I'm otherwise healthy so I don't worry about it.  Caffeine doesn't really hype me up too much.  It does get me energized when I'm dragging, but I normally don't get hyperactive on it.  Does that mean that I'm addicted?  Probably.  But I'm not as bad as some people I've known.  I don't keep an energy drink around, and rarely even buy them (y'know, Red Bull and similar drinks).  I have at most 2-3 sodas per day, and if I have coffee it's no more...

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Phosphorous Problems

This question comes from Barbara...My question is what is the highest abnormal phosphorus level that a canine has ever been successfully treated for without total loss of kidney function and maintained on diet & medications. And is there a citable article in any journals?First, a little bit of explanation on what abnormally high phosphorous levels mean.  There are several things that can cause the phosphorous levels in the blood to increase. The most common reason is for renal (kidney) disease.  As the kidneys fail in their function, phosphorous is retained in the body rather than being expelled.  Other causes can include low parathyroid hormone levels, increased intestinal absorption, acromegaly (a growth disorder), destructive bone lesions, and normal bone growth (mainly...

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Sue For Emotion?

It happens from time to time that people will threaten to sue for one problem or another.  Here in the US, as well as in many parts of the Western world, there are people that are ready to jump into the legal system to solve their problems.  Often, this is because of money rather than a true need for justice.  When human medical malpractice settlements and judgements can easily be in the millions of dollars, it's easy to see why some people would be tempted.  But it is quite different in veterinary malpractice claims. Pets are considered a special kind of property by the legal system.  Due to this status, a pet owner can only sue for the actual value of the "property" and any medical costs incurred.  For a breeding animal this dollar figure can be in the...

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Fun With Words

Here's a weird thing about me (one of many)....there are certain words I just love to hear and say.  I don't know why, but some words simply sound interesting to me, or I love the specific meaning that they give.  Here are some examples....PlethoraUbiquitousPurulentBorborygmiOrnithology Language can be fun, and I enjoy learning about the origins and underlying meaning of words and phrases.  The English language is such a hodge-podge (there's another good one!) of words from other cultures and languages and is constantly evolving that some people spend their lives studying it.  Unfortunately, people often butcher words, usually unintentionally.  I have learned to live with these mistakes, but it still bothers me sometimes.  For example, there is no such word as...

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Cat Vs. Fan Belt

As the weather in the Northern Hemisphere gets cooler, everyone needs to be aware of a very tragic possibility.  When temperatures drop, cats will often dry to find warm, dry places.  This all too commonly includes a car's engine.  The cat will climb up into it from underneath and make themselves cozy.  The person doesn't notice the cat there until the engine is turned on and the cat gets caught in the fan belt or other moving parts.  And this can be a very, very bad thing.Today I saw a cat unfortunate enough to have this happen to her.  She was an indoor cat that had somehow managed to sneak out without the owner knowing.  He got into his truck and drove to his mother's house.  He never knew that she was in the engine until he turned the motor off and...

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Never Work With Children

An adage in Hollywood is that you should never work with kids and animals.  I'm finding this out all too clearly.  My family is currently involved in a production of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.  Most of this cast is children, about 20 in total.  And oh, my gosh this is crazy! I wasn't planning on being in another play so soon, but got talked into it by my darling wife and the director.  Thankfully I only have five lines in one scene, so it's a pretty quick and easy appearance.  Unfortunately, that means that I spend most of my time backstage, trying to wrangle a couple of dozen teens and pre-teens that don't seem to understand the meaning of the words "keep quiet". There is constant chatter and noise, which can be heard in the theater if we're not careful....

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