Reason No. 8: Because I think this is cool Part II

No. 1- Learning to scrub
Mollie was a huge English Mastiff. Literally a gentle giant. She was boarding with us once and she got into a fight with the house cat and lost. That's how gentle she is, yet needless to say this dog is easily 185-200lbs of mostly muscle but she's on the older side and thus is afflicted by growths and arthritis. Her owner brought her in because of two cysts on her back that seemed to be infected. The hair was matted over and we had to clip her up. Mollie was an absolute doll and layed down while we clipped them, picked of the sebaceous cysts and scrubbed her up. A sebaceous adenoma is non-cancerous tumor of an oil-producing gland in the skin. When we clipped them up, it was very clear that they had become infected by both the smell of them and the way they looked. They also were apparently itchy because as we literally scrapped the cyst away with our gloved fingers, Mollie groaned and did the Thumper motion with a back foot, all indicators that they itch. Finally we finished, and though intially my stomach was sickened by literally shaving off what looked like flesh, by the end of the process I was confident that I would be able to do this in real life. The best part was, when the vet noticed me being hesitant to pick them off she looked at me and goes, "C'mon, you're going to have to do this in school."

No.2 Learning from the dying
Gabby was a minature schnauzer whose parents were notoriously in love with her. So notorious that they earned a reputation with the girls in the back, and as I am still the new kid and the only official rooms nurse, I took care of the case. She came in for lumps on her neck and under her chin. I asked the father to show them to me, and to my shock I realized they were where the lymphnodes commonly are felt. Not only that, but they felt nothing like fatty tumors that we commonly get questions about. They reminded me of my own lymphnodes when I had mono a few years back. They were firm. When the doctor came in and palpated she confirmed my suspicions. Lymphoma. Cancer. The owner agreed to allow us to aspirate the lumps and send them to the lab to be confirmed. Sadly, they were and the owners elected not to try any clinical trials or chemotherapy or radiation to help extend Gabby's life. Still, when we aspirated the lumps, it was the best way to learn of all the major, palpalable lymph nodes are on a dog. And yes, I am currently practicing on my own dog.

Reason No. 7: The Miracle of Life

There are few things in the world that I love more than puppies. They honestly make a crappy day turn into something wonderful. That's when when Patrice came in with only one puppy born and more than 8 hours since then, we were all a little worried. Patrice was a red pitbull that should of had more than simply one baby. A radiograph was all we needed to confirm what we thought, she still had more puppies in her. The rest of the day went by in a blur with rooms and medications swirling by at a speed that hasn't happened in quite some time. But after we were closed, we did the surgery, and we had a bunch of us there ready to catch puppies. To rub them dry and to suction the fluid out of them with the very big hope that the puppies still in her were alive and well.

The whole treatment area became dedicated to the puppies. We had heating pads ready, we had surgical tools set out and prepped. We had two nurses, plus techs ready with hair bonnets and masks on ready to help these delayed puppies take their first breaths of air. We watched as the only male that worked in the entire hospital cut Patrice open, released her bladder and then began the task of not only giving birth to these puppies, but spaying the female as well.

When the first incision into the uterus happened, there was nothing but green. It was not a good sign. Green means something is wrong, either sepsis or early seperation of the placenta from the uterine wall. We all waited on baited breath. The first puppies to be born was a puppy suffering from Anasarca, otherwise known as Water Puppy Syndrome or Walrus Puppy, and was given to our most experienced nurse. The three subsequent puppies all were born healthy and we given to us to rigorously dry to stimulate them taking a breath and clear their airways of the fluids they had breathed for the past 9 weeks.

While everyones umbilical had been tied off, and they had been initially examined the doctor oversaw the treatment of the Walrus puppy. This included injections of Lasix to try and stimulate urination to relieve the pressure of all the organs. Sadly, despite the attempts at CPR and multiple injections, the puppy had to be humanely euthanized. The retained water is not only on the outside but also on the inside, affecting all organs. Basically, it takes at least double the energy to preform normal life functions such as breathing and keeping the heart beating than in a normal puppy. For more information try here.

Regardless of our one loss, we also had four squealing puppies. We talked about them like they were own babies and the entire mood of the room lifted as we all cooed over the pups. I cannot explain the feeling I had when I was helping out. Nothing was more important that making sure that we keep these puppies alive. Nothing was more thrilling to hear their little, hungry squeals. It was like everything in the world suddenly didn't matter. I had helped to ensure that these puppies stayed alive. There was simply nothing better in the world than that.

I want to be a vet because new life has a profound affect on my life.