Tag Archives: cat

Poetry

Missing your Pet

From the moment we locked eyes

My heart ascended into the skies

Oh the countless times I nuzzled your muzzle

You were the final piece to my life’s puzzle

My amazing little rambunctious ball of fur

Who would’ve imagined you would make my heart stir

Every step of the way I watched your paws grow

Conquering each day with a new story in tow

Constant wondering if you’ll ever be fully obedient

Accepting your hair as a fundamental food ingredient

Saying less you when you sneeze

Talking to you put my soul at ease

That’s why it saddens me to be left behind

When you crossed that rainbow bridge for the color blind

I send you my love and hope angels rub you behind the ears

I hope you’re making friends, you know sniffing rears

But while you’re frolicking in fields seeing all there is to see

Please my love, don’t forget about me

Remember the frustrations in the tub

Cherish each and every belly rub

How we played with ice in sweltering heat

How I wasn’t supposed to, but snuck you many treats

I know it’s temporary but thinking of you makes me sad

But you were a treat to my life, so to have had you makes me glad

-Poetic Ice

To have known the love of a pet, and to have lost that pet is one of most painful things to go through in your life. But that furry friend of yours knows that you will smile again, and that’s exactly what they want. Remember Pets were put on this earth to teach you how to love, once their job is done they are called home. Never forget that love, and smile…

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Things Vet Techs Don’t Like Volume 12

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It’s me Poetic Ice again, and this volume isn’t like the others. It’s more serious. Every technician has probably been through this and understands what this post is about. With that said, let’s get into it.

Loss of a loved one

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The cute little five year old rug rat pictured above is my own Dachshund named Diva. The queen of cuddles, the craver of chicken, and the  bane of bath time! My dachshund was never a dog, she didn’t get the memo. She was a person who had an enormous amount of hair.

I got her from my sister after my then fiancee begged, pleaded, and finally convinced me to get her. She was the first serious mutual commitment we had together. She meant the world to us. She also came at a time when I was taking vet assistant classes so she was my study buddy/test dummy. I learned a lot with this pup at my side.  After getting into the Veterinary profession and learning a lot about our long friend I took every possible measure to prevent her from having any kind of back issue. I gave her plenty of controlled (safe) exercise, gave her a good diet to prevent excessive weight gain, and TRIED to prevent her from jumping on everything possible. For five years I had this battle won. She was the healthiest little runt around.

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But a couple weeks ago my word changed, as my efforts proved all for naught. I to this day don’t know how my puppy was hurt, but she must have had an accident outside playing because she started showing signs of Intervertebral Disc Disease. Her back was hunched and she couldn’t lift her head up. I took her to my job to get her examined and the diagnosis was made. The normal treatment track was taken then. Muscle relaxers, steroids, and pain medications. Strict cage rest and leash walks only. For the next three weeks we played the awful game of wait and see. Every day she would either scream in pain all day, or seem like she’s getting better. All the while no matter how much pain she was in she would wag her tail and be happy to see my wife and I. No matter how my pup felt she was trying to he happy for us. This made it all the more worse being a Vet Tech. I knew nothing short of a surgery I couldn’t afford would help her, but I’ve seen pets take this route and improve. That just wasn’t the case this time.

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Her condition kept worsening so my wife and I made the hardest decision we’ve ever had to. We brought her to my job to be relieved of her suffering. Thanks to my amazing coworkers this was easier, but it was still hard. It was hard as hell to do. I’ve done this process from the other side for years, and have probably become somewhat desensitized. That scar tissue of desensitization was ripped off and I was a fresh open wound of emotion again. My wife and I are still reeling from the event. I’ve even been affected at work. I witnessed an emergency humane euthanasia, and felt like I was going through it all over again. Whatever edge I had over the years is gone currently. The pit of my stomach held a feeling I couldn’t understand until writing this. It was a feeling of despair from not being able to save my own pet, yet I clock in everyday to do just that for others. But that isn’t it, it’s the despair fighting against my passion for this job, and the love I had for my own lovable Diva.  It’s a moment of intense sadness that’s combating against years of joyful memories and experiences. sadness and despair that will turn to lessons in life, and won’t leave me defeated for too long. My Diva wouldn’t want that, if she found me like this she be busy shoving her wet nose in my face and licking me non-stop.

But it still hurts… and It’s one major thing Vet Techs Don’t Like.

-Poetic Ice

-If you have experienced a loss of a loved one, my heart goes out to you. I pray you get through your dark times, I hope we get through them together.

 

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Animal Theft Via Craigslist

Originally posted here, written by me.

http://thepetdoctormb.com/blog/?p=1165

The world as we know it today is filled with many different kinds of people. Not all of them are good I’m afraid. You may encounter these “bad” people even if you are doing something positive in this world. Just met with a client that went through a terrifying ordeal with their pet who was lost for a little while. In the span of 30 minutes time the dog jumped the fence and was picked up by a good Samaritan in the neighborhood. They could find no identifying tags on the pet so they posted a “Lost dog” ad on Craigslist which as we all know is region specific. This was done in the good faith that maybe their owner would search and find the pet on there. Within a few hours a family comes to claim the pet. This dog is one sweet, loving, gorgeous dog that would go with anyone who beckoned him so naturally the good Samaritan didn’t know better when this family claimed him.

The people who claimed him weren’t his actual owners and they took the dog and did God only knows what to him. He wasn’t neutered so he was possibly going to be used as a stud dog, or possibly as a fighting dog. A sad truth, but people will claim lost dogs online for plenty of nefarious purposes. The actually owner of the dog found the craigslist ad and contacted the lady who found the pet and was horrified to find out that she has given away this woman’s dog. She eagerly gives up all info she had on the person who claimed the pet. The real owner called the police and gave all the info to them so they could retrieve her pet, only for the police to say that there is no way for them to prove that the pet belongs to the owner if they were to go. The owner promptly replied that she has the pet microchipped. They simply, and rudely responded “We don’t carry scanners on us to check.”

The owner was appalled at this fact, because they were going to do nothing to help her retrieve her pet. Luckily she had a friend who was a detective that took it upon themselves to investigate the case. As the pressure mounted against the thieves they arranged an exchange for the pet and the owner got their dog back. Normally this would be a happy ending, but we don’t live in a normal world. The pet was returned with puncture wounds and lacerations all over its body that cost the owner money to repair. Money that 9 times out of 10 a person isn’t prepared to spend at the drop of a hat. It’s shocking that a person can do all they can for their pet and have a microchip put in and still receive no help from the police. In this case the owner was reunited with their pet, but that isn’t always the outcome. some people lose their family member forever sadly.

If a case like this ever occurs to you and you have a microchip implanted in your dog and you call the cops for help, possibly request that animal control go out there with them or instead of them. Animal patrol officers carry scanners, or at least are more likely to than a police officer. Continue to press the issue, especially if you are basically spoon feeding the police all the information they need to retrieve your pet.

Here in Myrtle Beach we can call the Horry County Dispatch, 843-248-1520, and ask to speak with animal control.

Never sit back and think this could never happen to you, it very well could. We pray that it never does, but if it does Hopefully you can have a happy ending like in this case.

-Poetic Ice

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Things Vet Techs Don’t Like Vol. 5

 

This is your local vet tech after a day fool of WTF

This is your local vet tech after a day full of WTF

You see this wolf above… yeah that’s what your vet tech feels like on the inside after some of the foolish things we encounter daily.

1. Could you groom my pet please? Don’t pay the vomiting, diarrhea, random bleeding etc, any mind.

This by far really makes me blood thirsty. When a client is concerned about a few mats on the fur, or nails being too long when their pet is in dire unrelated stress. If your pet is examined and you are told about various masses felt, wounds, and/or their dehydration we aren’t going to be concerned with fluffy’s aesthetics. A nail trim and bath aren’t going to fix said pets tumor growing on their side!

The clock says it all

The clock says it all

2. I’m late for my appointment, but I damn well better be next in line to see the doctor!

Okay first of all… just who the hell do you think you are to show up late and demand immediate service? If you show up late for your pets appointment you need to realize that other appointments were scheduled and since they were here on time they will be seen ahead of you. Just because you have a card saying your appointment was for 9:30am doesn’t mean you get seen first. That becomes null and void once you show up at 10:15am. Please believe being rude about the fact that YOU were late and haven’t been seen doesn’t help you much either. To top it all off when the pet is a straight up hell beast it just makes a vet tech pretty much say fuck it…….

 

EVIL Incarnate

EVIL Incarnate

3. CUTTING PILLS!!!!!!!!

This is in no way shape or form the clients fault. This isn’t the techs fault, and this isn’t the doctors fault. It is just a way of life. A way that everyone in this business hates. WE ALL HATE CUTTING PILLS INTO 1/2 AND GOD FORBID 1/4ths for a patient. If the pills are scored then great. If they aren’t and they are coated it is a little harder. If they are already infinitesimal then you have to cut them they will 9 times out of 10 decided to shatter into oblivion so you now have to adjust your inventory to reflect loss of said pill. Pill dust every where!!!!! Oh and if you have extremely large hands, (or just hands bigger than a toddlers!) you will have a time just positioning the little bugger on a pill cutter in the first place. Now instead of a half a few pills are 2/3 of the dosage…. I hate pill cutters. I hate cutting pills…. I blame chemist and pharmacist for this. (Even though it’s not their fault either I guess.)

Hey fellow members of the veterinary community, what bugs you? comment below.

If you missed my other TVTDL post then check them out please!

Volume 1

https://poeticice.com/2014/09/17/things-vet-techs-dont-like/

volume 2

https://poeticice.com/2014/09/23/things-vet-techs-dont-like-round-2/

volume 3

https://poeticice.com/2014/11/08/things-vet-techs-dont-like-vol-3/

Volume 4

https://poeticice.com/2014/11/10/things-vet-techs-dont-like-4/

 

 

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Things Vet Techs Don’t Like Round 2

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So last week I posted Things Vet Techs Don’t Like and hopefully enlightened the world a bit about the the daily aggravation that comes along beside the daily satisfactions Veterinay Professionals have. It was a short list, and definately not the end. Behold!

My Dog Has A Tiny Boo Boo, KILL IT!
The worst thing to see on your schedule for the day next to inventory day is the word EUTHANASIA. The only thing worse than that is when you see, pet has sprained leg, or a tiny cut, maybe even a mass to be examined, and you go triage the room and the owner jumps right to Euthanasia. WHY ARE YOU THINKING LETS KILL IT FOR GETTING A FIXABLE PROBLEM? Now I’m in no way shape or form saying EUTHANASIA is wrong, I’m saying it’s wrong when your dog can have years left with you if you’re willing to work with them and fix their minor issue. If the pet has malignant tumors throughout their thoracic cavity then I understand, but your dog with a superficial mass that can be removed with no problem that isn’t malignant… give me and the pet a break jeez…

Umm, My Appointment was for 3:30, its 3:32 Why Haven’t I Been Seen?
This particular breed of nonsense has been a plague of every Veterinary clinic at some point. Its apparently genetically coded into about a third of your client population to have no patience whatsoever once they cross the threshold of the animal hospital. Operative word being Hospital. This insinuates that it is a place where medical procedures take place, a medical office, a doctor’s office. Much like a family medical doctors office, where one will experience wait times, sometimes one Helluva wait time. One big difference, OUR PATIENTS CAN’T TELL US WHATS WRONG! This often leads to a battery of tests and detective questions until we solve the problem, SO one may have a wait time if their doctor is doing good medicine and trying to help another patient. You what that kind of diligent work done. So does every one else. Stop complaining about it as soon as a few minutes go by Will ya? Disclaimer for all vet hospitals everywhere: we do not own, ever conceived, or plan to produce a one time instantaneous godlike miracle injection that solves the broad spectrum of animal ailments. Stop acting like we have one and being surprised we don’t

What Do You Mean The Vet Is A Human Being That Requires food?
This client baffles me. Truly does. Evey single job that offers full time employment also offers lunch breaks. Whether it’s service industry, retail, medical, anything that is legal you get a lunch break. HUMANS NEED FOOD. So as per human requirement for life Veterinarians take lunch breaks. Some hospitals even close down for the lunch hours. Some are just opened for over the counter sales. That should be something quite easy to understand since we are human. Yet, some clients come in at these times and demand to be seen by the doctor because little Fluffy has been having diarrhea for 7 days. But today at lunch it’s imperative they be seen. Then they get extremely upset that your human doctor is out obtaining sustenance. For shame on the good doctor for the need to eat and function normally.

I Need A Refill Of (Blank) Right Now! Fetch It
I love this client. They come in when it’s at their leisure and randomly request their medication for their pet be refilled. Most clinics have a Refill policy, you most likely need to call in advance. When this client is told this for the millionth time they instantly grow upset and say they were never told this. It doesn’t help their case now that they are being rude about it, and you have a posted sign about this policy. Now they are passed saying you want their pet to die, and we are evil, yet it’s their own personal responsibility to follow policy. Sigh… life is just peachy when you have clients who don’t see how they are at fault.

That’s just my 2 cents on the fantastic world of Vet Techs. …
Poetic Ice

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Things Vet Techs Don’t Like

Veterinary medicine is a fulfilling field of work. Being a Veterinary Technician is one of the most amazing things I’ve done, and I love my job don’t get me wrong. BUT there are things that really, REALLY just pisses you off or make you say WHAT THE F**K!? I’ve compiled a list.

1.  The He Doesn’t Bite Client/Patient
Everybody in veterinary medicine has come across that client that brings in little Tiffany the designer dog who was bred to be obedient, hypoallergenic, and lack the ability to bite. The visit will then have two phrases said. The first, “My little Tiffany doesn’t bite.” Then after two stitches and a million bloody 4×4’s later the client says “She’s never done that before!” Usually they are shocked that Tiffany was part Cujo, But usually they know their dog has a fear or aggression for strangers or people in Scrubs. WARN A PERSON WILL YA?

2. I Want My Services For Free
This particular client comes sprinkled in with your good, bad, and demonic clients. A client comes in, usually when your vet is at lunch or 2 minutes before your office closes, and they come with a laundry list of issues. First, the have never been there, the pet hasn’t seen a vet in 3 years, he makes aggression sound like cuddle time, he’s had an abscess for 2 weeks, symptoms of a UTI, and they aren’t spayed. To top it all off, they came with barely enough money to cover the exam fee. Mind you, some clinics have payment plans and/it accept care credit, but they don’t want that option. You are to take care of this pet for free out of the goodness of your heart. Why? Because you are in veterinary medicine. It’s not to be considered a business, and we are cruel when we can’t do anything for their pet.

3. So, I Googled (Insert Symptom Here)
Google is a miraculous search engine that has been making everyday life easier. UNLESS you work in veterinary medicine. We have clients that hear their pup or kitten sneeze once and they get on Google to find that their pet now has a Zoonotic parasite that causes various forms of cancer and will begin to bleed from their ears after the 7th sneeze. Oh and vaccines kill so they don’t want them. We as veterinary professionals have to work hard to rewrite the brain of the client who now wholeheartedly believes what they read via Google, and save their pet from its killer cold.

4. Owner Compliance, or Lack Thereof
Surgery, it’s really not cheap. Its not easy, and it is an invasive time consuming process that we take very seriously. Nothing is more irritating than when you educate the owner on the risks of improper post surgical care and they STILL don’t comply. Take a spay surgery on a cat or dog. The pet is left with an incision on their belly that the client is to protect by limiting movement and keeping the cone on the pets head AT ALL TIMES! So when the pet comes in with intestines hanging out and the owner has the “This is your fault” attitude we are already passed. But once we ask why and they say it’s because little Tiffany hates her cone, we go through the roof. Why, Why do you come to us just to not listen and gave to pay more money? Especially if you get mad about the price for repair surgery! Jesus…. veterinary medicine can raise your blood pressure.

That is just the tip of the iceberg,  this list will be revisited. I’m getting to pissed to continue. That’s just my 2 cents on the matter.

Poetic Ice

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Vote For Orangie!!!

I hope that link above works because I would like you all to head over to The Pet Doctor’s Facebook page and vote for this sweet kitten named Orangie White. He is a cat with a few medical problems such as Mega colon and he has a few neurologic issues that make it very hard for him to get around at times, but that doesn’t stop him from being awesome! He’s entered into a cutest pet contest at the Pet Doctor and he needs votes. I implore you to head over to their Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Pet-Doctor/171502329542247) and vote for him by liking his picture, and go to their website http://thepetdoctormb.com/blog/ and vote for him there as well here ->http://www.thepetdoctormb.com/place_your_vote.php

 

He is an awesome cat and he deserves to win!

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