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My friend asked me a good gift to give a vets office aside from food. She moved out of state and is going back for a visit, she loved them and wanted to thank them for the great care they gave her fur-children. For some reason I drew a blank, anyone out there have any good suggestions?


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My favourite thing to get was always edible arrangements or other fruit salad-y things. Not as horrible for me, really yummy, and if you have a vegan (I feel like a lot of clinics do) they can actually eat it. I genuinely think the chocolate dipped pineapples may have crack cocaine sprinkled on them, so addictive and delicious.
 
My favourite thing to get was always edible arrangements or other fruit salad-y things. Not as horrible for me, really yummy, and if you have a vegan (I feel like a lot of clinics do) they can actually eat it. I genuinely think the chocolate dipped pineapples may have crack cocaine sprinkled on them, so addictive and delicious.
I was just about to say that edible arrangements are my FAV! This one lady used to bring us homemade rum cake, literally soaked in alcohol. I couldn't eat it because it was too strong and gross but everyone else went to town after closing 😛
 
People, what are your thoughts on compassion fatigue? Does it affect you?How does it affect you? How do you combat it? (You would be helping a very tired 4th student getting 16h days in ortho right now and she (me) would be eternally grateful if you gave me your thoughts!!!)
I spent the last several months bouncing back and forth between ER and shelter med. 11 years in as a vet tech and sometimes, I am tired enough that the puppies and kitties just aren't cute because there are SO MANY! and it is just another dog or cat. Another client who can't afford care comes into the ER, crying and desperate for help, and I almost don't feel that triple thick steel door slam shut so I don't hate myself for not doing everything I can for free and whining about the unfairness... while I listen to the creaky hinges on the other techs make noises that sound like "oh, she should never have gotten a dog if she didn't have the ability to drop $3,000 at a moments notice. I mean even though her husband just died and her kid is in the middle of leukemia treatment she should have had it ready for the dog. I mean, she sold the house to pay for her husband's funeral, there ought to be money somewhere..."

Luckily, every now and again, that desperate ER case turns out to be a pyometra. The lady broke her leg, lost her job and got placed on Medicaid! I can do something! I can knock that vault door open wide enough to let pride stroll through. I can explain that locally, there is a rescue/shelter that has a low cost spay/neuter clinic and a community funded program that will pay for her dog to get emergency surgery in their clinic, but will also pay for up to $250 for the dog to get post op care at the ER. Everybody wins, especially if the dog survives, and the owner and all involved can breath a sigh of relief.

Finally, puppies can be cute again, at least until a vaccine clinic, when the better part of 80 chihuahuas, 50 pit bulls, 20 huskies, 40 cats, 12 mastiffs, 16 American bulldogs, and 30 other terrier mixes of unspecified origin all try to eat my face or the vets for the better part of 7 hours. (It really does help when the owners come back, without Fido, and congratulate you for vaccinating a dog in an open field, surrounded only by more bitey dogs and owners, who has been banned from at least 3 vet clinics. The appreciation is palpable.)
 
I spent the last several months bouncing back and forth between ER and shelter med. 11 years in as a vet tech and sometimes, I am tired enough that the puppies and kitties just aren't cute because there are SO MANY! and it is just another dog or cat. Another client who can't afford care comes into the ER, crying and desperate for help, and I almost don't feel that triple thick steel door slam shut so I don't hate myself for not doing everything I can for free and whining about the unfairness... while I listen to the creaky hinges on the other techs make noises that sound like "oh, she should never have gotten a dog if she didn't have the ability to drop $3,000 at a moments notice. I mean even though her husband just died and her kid is in the middle of leukemia treatment she should have had it ready for the dog. I mean, she sold the house to pay for her husband's funeral, there ought to be money somewhere..."

Luckily, every now and again, that desperate ER case turns out to be a pyometra. The lady broke her leg, lost her job and got placed on Medicaid! I can do something! I can knock that vault door open wide enough to let pride stroll through. I can explain that locally, there is a rescue/shelter that has a low cost spay/neuter clinic and a community funded program that will pay for her dog to get emergency surgery in their clinic, but will also pay for up to $250 for the dog to get post op care at the ER. Everybody wins, especially if the dog survives, and the owner and all involved can breath a sigh of relief.

Finally, puppies can be cute again, at least until a vaccine clinic, when the better part of 80 chihuahuas, 50 pit bulls, 20 huskies, 40 cats, 12 mastiffs, 16 American bulldogs, and 30 other terrier mixes of unspecified origin all try to eat my face or the vets for the better part of 7 hours. (It really does help when the owners come back, without Fido, and congratulate you for vaccinating a dog in an open field, surrounded only by more bitey dogs and owners, who has been banned from at least 3 vet clinics. The appreciation is palpable.)
This is the exact message I'm trying to portray in my paper. Thank you
 
Poll: Do you guys more often see/perform scrotal or prescrotal dog neuters? Apparently a perineal approach is also a thing but I've never seen anyone do that. I saw almost entirely scrotal approaches in shelter med, but at my current job they only do prescrotal.

ETA: Question prompted by this article:
Scrotal Approach to Canine Orchiectomy
 
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Poll: Do you guys more often see/perform scrotal or prescrotal dog neuters? Apparently a perineal approach is also a thing but I've never seen anyone do that. I saw almost entirely scrotal approaches in shelter med, but at my current job they only do prescrotal.
Prescrotal for anything that isn't itty bitty or getting a scrotal ablation. I've heard some people talk about doing scrotal and auto-ligation in tiny puppies like you do with cats, but I haven't tried that yet.
 
Poll: Do you guys more often see/perform scrotal or prescrotal dog neuters? Apparently a perineal approach is also a thing but I've never seen anyone do that. I saw almost entirely scrotal approaches in shelter med, but at my current job they only do prescrotal.
I've seen mostly scrotal in high volume situations, including doing autoligation on young/tiny pups. Pretty much all pre-scrotal in private practice even in tiny dogs where it's a pain in the butt (imo).
 
Poll: Do you guys more often see/perform scrotal or prescrotal dog neuters? Apparently a perineal approach is also a thing but I've never seen anyone do that. I saw almost entirely scrotal approaches in shelter med, but at my current job they only do prescrotal.

Prescrotal for anything that isn't itty bitty or getting a scrotal ablation. I've heard some people talk about doing scrotal and auto-ligation in tiny puppies like you do with cats, but I haven't tried that yet.
Our faster doctor was talked into entirely scrotal a few years ago. She already performed them on cats and small pups, so it was just changing approaches on the large dogs. She also does auto-ligation on small puppy testicles. Most of the high volume docs I've worked with have gone scrotal.
Our other vet does more cats and also performs autos on small pups and every few months reads an article or talks to another shelter vet about the benefits of scrotal approaches on even the largest dog. She then announces to the staff that soon she will start scrotal instead of prescrotal, but this is year 3...
 
Poll: Do you guys more often see/perform scrotal or prescrotal dog neuters? Apparently a perineal approach is also a thing but I've never seen anyone do that. I saw almost entirely scrotal approaches in shelter med, but at my current job they only do prescrotal.
Sounds like my experiences were similar to everyone else's. At the shelters I observed at, neuters were pretty much exclusively scrotal with autoligation on puppies, whereas private practices tended towards prescrotal.
 
It's interesting, I figure there must be a reason that prescrotal is done in private practices rather than scrotal, and that article only really talked about the benefits of doing scrotal instead. Any insight into that? I figure it's not just because they want to take longer 😉
 
It's interesting, I figure there must be a reason that prescrotal is done in private practices rather than scrotal, and that article only really talked about the benefits of doing scrotal instead. Any insight into that? I figure it's not just because they want to take longer 😉
All the vets I knew who performed prescrotal had either been taught that way or had read their own article, back in the day, that talked about decreased irritation and decreased risk of bleeding and better look for the client. (Decreased risk of a scrotal bleeder filling the sack and making it look giant and red)

All of those complications seem to occur less often (at least in my experience) with scrotal, but that was the argument I used to hear. Now it seems like every vet I know who isn't doing scrotal approaches is trying to change approaches, with varying success based on how ingrained prescrotal is on their mind and muscle memory.
 
All the vets I knew who performed prescrotal had either been taught that way or had read their own article, back in the day, that talked about decreased irritation and decreased risk of bleeding and better look for the client. (Decreased risk of a scrotal bleeder filling the sack and making it look giant and red)

All of those complications seem to occur less often (at least in my experience) with scrotal, but that was the argument I used to hear. Now it seems like every vet I know who isn't doing scrotal approaches is trying to change approaches, with varying success based on how ingrained prescrotal is on their mind and muscle memory.
Yeah, these are exactly the reasons I've heard in favour of a prescrotal approach. I think it's easier to suture a prescrotal incision than a saggy, now empty scrotum (in the case of a larger, older dog) but maybe someone more experienced can chime in.
I did a shelter rotation last year and we did prescrotals on the dogs, but maybe it'll be different at my shelter rotation in January.
 
Shelter I was at did prescrotal. I've seen only prescrotal in private practice. I saw one scrotal in shelter in a tiny chihuahua puppy. Otherwise I've only ever seen prescrotal.

The complication with scrotal hematoma I've only seen with large, adult dogs and I'd imagine that if it is going to happen, it will despite the approach. A giant empty scrotal sac is still present in both approaches. That's why scrotal ablation is recommended by some vets in large breed adult dogs.
 
I shouldn't be surprised that I might need to talk to a certain administrator to get approval to begin a new Master's at my alma mater, but that doesn't mean I want to actually talk to that person. Internal dialogue, "Just be your normal friendly self, Jess. If he gets all condescending or spirals off into one of his 'real talks' just wait for him to swing back around to the actual conversation at hand. All you need is his signature."

I really liked this person for a few years and then my periodic talks with him got very demotivational especially six months to a year after I was pretty seriously injured collecting data for my grad project. There were a couple times when I wondered if he thought I should just quit grad school (despite the fact that I wasn't doing poorly and was still making satisfactory academic progress, just not fast or good enough progress for him). He's not a very direct person, so he would never actually come out and say certain things and that adds a frustrating dimension to our conversations. I don't dislike him today, but my feelings have definitely moved into neutral territory and I don't have high expectations of my interactions with him... so I'm not exactly eager to go knock on his door and ask for a favor.
 
People, what are your thoughts on compassion fatigue? Does it affect you?How does it affect you? How do you combat it? (You would be helping a very tired 4th student getting 16h days in ortho right now and she (me) would be eternally grateful if you gave me your thoughts!!!)
So, small animal surgery was about the only rotation that I absolutely hated. I don't like surgery to begin with, and the long days, and boring (to me) procedures and the disorganization, etc, just made me miserable for the full 3 weeks. That said, I don't suffer (right now) from compassion fatigue. I try not to get emotionally involved with cases, I try to focus on the good I can do, and I try not to blame myself for what owners can't/aren't willing to do. Maybe this makes me a horrible, unfeeling monster of a vet, I don't know. But it keeps me sane. I keep work at work and I take every opportunity to not work. Yes, I am a veterinarian, but that's only part of my life. I'm also a horseback rider, an otaku, a hockey fan, etc.
 
Poll: Do you guys more often see/perform scrotal or prescrotal dog neuters? Apparently a perineal approach is also a thing but I've never seen anyone do that. I saw almost entirely scrotal approaches in shelter med, but at my current job they only do prescrotal.

ETA: Question prompted by this article:
Scrotal Approach to Canine Orchiectomy

I've only done scrotal in small dogs/puppies and I'll autoligate those. Anything older or larger, I've been taught to do them pre-scrotal.
 
Scrotal vs pre-scrotal is one of those forever unanswerable questions like one ligation or two, miller's or circumferential, plasmalyte or normosol....

It all depends on your experience and the patient, and you do whatever is appropriate for that moment, and most of the time it won't matter.

(But to answer, I do pre scrotal except for little and young patients.)
 
I almost always do scrotal. I see very few post op problems. I always double or triple ligate, no auto. Usually Millers plus transfixing. Always close the incision with suture (a single buried stitch, usually tacked to underlying tissue to minimize dead space) plus glue. keep pressure on for five minutes post op and slather on panalog on any clipped areas- which are very minimal. I've done more rechecks on my boss' prescrotal neuter complications than I have on my own, knock wood. .
 
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I think it's easier to suture a prescrotal incision than a saggy, now empty scrotum (in the case of a larger, older dog) .

Prescrotal is closing two layers- subq and skin. Even connecting the layers takes me 3x as long as scrotal. I can close a scrotal with a single buried stitch. Incision usually way less than a centimeter. Takes five seconds.
 
At school and on our shelter rotation we did mostly pre-scrotal unless they were pretty tiny. Double ligation, no auto for dogs. Simple continuous on the sub q and buried intradermal on the skin
 
Prescrotal is closing two layers- subq and skin. Even connecting the layers takes me 3x as long as scrotal. I can close a scrotal with a single buried stitch. Incision usually way less than a centimeter. Takes five seconds.
I just know I've had an easier time closing prescrotals. I can still chalk it up to inexperience, though 🙂
 
I just personally use lasers that come from my eyes to disintegrate the testicles... seems to work very well.. have had zero complications... 😉

smart-cats-pics-0113.jpg
 
I almost always do scrotal. I see very few post op problems. I always double or triple ligate, no auto. Usually Millers plus transfixing. Always close the incision with suture (a single buried stitch, usually tacked to underlying tissue to minimize dead space) plus glue. keep pressure on for five minutes post op and slather on panalog on any clipped areas- which are very minimal. I've done more rechecks on my boss' prescrotal neuter complications than I have on my own, knock wood. .


See, that is exactly what I mean. I do 90% pre-scrotal and have never had an adverse problem. But then, I've never had a problem with my scrotals either.

I don't think it matters.

Of course, I don't do a huge number. I do one shelter day/month, definitely not a ton.
 
Appreciate everyone's input 😀 it's definitely interesting to learn about all these things that people do one way or the other, often with the same reasoning for either method!

That's real world medicine. People do what works for them and being human they feel like they have to justify why it is "better" and the next thing you know they start calling it the "best" way to do it.

Just ask ER docs about how they like to unblock cats or what u-cath to leave in there. 4 ER docs, 5 opinions.....
 
I'm guessing you are the indecisive one with two opinions.... 😉

Oh no. I have an opinion - I don't give a rip. I put in red rubbers at one hospital because the techs suture them in and they swear that the red rubbers stay in better. At another I put in slippery sams because with a little herbert attachment the techs THERE swear that THOSE stay in better.

Since I'm not the one suturing it in I do whatever keeps the techs happy since I don't have any reason to prefer one or the other.

Happy techs. Key.
 
Oh no. I have an opinion - I don't give a rip. I put in red rubbers at one hospital because the techs suture them in and they swear that the red rubbers stay in better. At another I put in slippery sams because with a little herbert attachment the techs THERE swear that THOSE stay in better.

Since I'm not the one suturing it in I do whatever keeps the techs happy since I don't have any reason to prefer one or the other.

Happy techs. Key.

I have an opinion about this too.
I prefer whichever one happens to be in stock...
It seems to change weekly.
 
Oh no. I have an opinion - I don't give a rip. I put in red rubbers at one hospital because the techs suture them in and they swear that the red rubbers stay in better. At another I put in slippery sams because with a little herbert attachment the techs THERE swear that THOSE stay in better.

Since I'm not the one suturing it in I do whatever keeps the techs happy since I don't have any reason to prefer one or the other.

Happy techs. Key.
I know what this all was about but every single time all I hear or read is condoms for cats. Red rubber condoms, slippery Sam condoms (now with extra lube!).
Guess who has a focus in repro?
 
My cable and internet were out for hours. I subsequently missed watching Aliens. To pass the time, I reformatted my resume and played my show tunes. While I didn't blast the music I do wonder if my neighbors are wondering what the hell is wrong with the female hermit next door who stays up listening to the soundtrack to Cats at 3am.

Well, Jellicles can and Jellicles do, ****ers.

(I could have gone for a Little Shop of Horrors reference, but no. I'll stick with Cats for this one. I do identify a lot with Seymour Krelborn though.)
 
Oh no. I have an opinion - I don't give a rip. I put in red rubbers at one hospital because the techs suture them in and they swear that the red rubbers stay in better. At another I put in slippery sams because with a little herbert attachment the techs THERE swear that THOSE stay in better.

Since I'm not the one suturing it in I do whatever keeps the techs happy since I don't have any reason to prefer one or the other.

Happy techs. Key.

I have an opinion about this too.
I prefer whichever one happens to be in stock...
It seems to change weekly.

this has little to do with much, but a criticalist made me read this article recently so i'll just leave the abstract here for everyone 🙂 the consensus at our hospital seems to mostly be slipper sam followed by red rubber, but a vast majority pick the larger size, and the techs will even complain about the 3.5Fr because they have a harder time managing the catheter during hospitalization. science is weird.

J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2013 Aug 15;243(4):512-9. doi: 10.2460/javma.243.4.512.
Initial treatment factors associated with feline urethral obstruction recurrence rate: 192 cases (2004-2010).
Hetrick PF1, Davidow EB.
Author information

Abstract
OBJECTIVE:
To evaluate the association of treatment factors during initial urinary catheterization (IUC) of cats with recurrence of urethral obstruction at 24 hours and 30 days after catheter removal.

DESIGN:
Retrospective case series.

ANIMALS:
192 male cats with urethral obstruction that were treated at an emergency and specialty center from 2004 through 2010.

PROCEDURES:
Data were obtained from the cats' medical records. Duration of indwelling catheterization, catheterization with a 5F versus 3.5Furinary catheter, treatment with phenoxybenzamine versus prazosin, consistent administration of pain medication, and treatment with meloxicam or antimicrobials during IUC were reviewed for association with rate of recurrent urethral obstruction (rUO).

RESULTS:
Overall rUO rates were 10.94% (21/192 cats) at 24 hours and 23.57% (37/157 cats) at 30 days after IUC. At 24 hours and 30 days after IUC, rUO developed in 10 of 140 (7.14%) and 20 of 110 (18.18%) prazosin-treated cats, respectively, compared with 10 of 46 (21.74%) and 16 of 41 (39.02%) phenoxybenzamine-treated cats, respectively. Reobstruction developed following use of a 5F or 3.5F urinary catheter in 11 of 58 (18.97%) and 7 of 105 (6.67%) cats, respectively, through 24 hours. There was no association between rUO and duration of urinarycatheterization, administration of antimicrobials or meloxicam, or consistent administration of pain medication during IUC.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE:
At 24 hours and 30 days after IUC, rUO rates in prazosin-treated cats were significantly lower than rates in phenoxybenzamine-treated cats. Reobstruction rate at 24 hours was significantly lower when a 3.5F versus 5F urinary catheter was used.
 
Anime alert: I'm loving 'Bungou Stray Dogs'. The pace slower, but it's still interesting enough to keep me checking for new episodes. One of the correspondents for Crunchyroll does campanion clips for each episode that give background on the character inspirations.
 
this has little to do with much, but a criticalist made me read this article recently so i'll just leave the abstract here for everyone 🙂 the consensus at our hospital seems to mostly be slipper sam followed by red rubber, but a vast majority pick the larger size, and the techs will even complain about the 3.5Fr because they have a harder time managing the catheter during hospitalization. science is weird.

J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2013 Aug 15;243(4):512-9. doi: 10.2460/javma.243.4.512.
Initial treatment factors associated with feline urethral obstruction recurrence rate: 192 cases (2004-2010).
Hetrick PF1, Davidow EB.
Author information

Abstract
OBJECTIVE:
To evaluate the association of treatment factors during initial urinary catheterization (IUC) of cats with recurrence of urethral obstruction at 24 hours and 30 days after catheter removal.

DESIGN:
Retrospective case series.

ANIMALS:
192 male cats with urethral obstruction that were treated at an emergency and specialty center from 2004 through 2010.

PROCEDURES:
Data were obtained from the cats' medical records. Duration of indwelling catheterization, catheterization with a 5F versus 3.5Furinary catheter, treatment with phenoxybenzamine versus prazosin, consistent administration of pain medication, and treatment with meloxicam or antimicrobials during IUC were reviewed for association with rate of recurrent urethral obstruction (rUO).

RESULTS:
Overall rUO rates were 10.94% (21/192 cats) at 24 hours and 23.57% (37/157 cats) at 30 days after IUC. At 24 hours and 30 days after IUC, rUO developed in 10 of 140 (7.14%) and 20 of 110 (18.18%) prazosin-treated cats, respectively, compared with 10 of 46 (21.74%) and 16 of 41 (39.02%) phenoxybenzamine-treated cats, respectively. Reobstruction developed following use of a 5F or 3.5F urinary catheter in 11 of 58 (18.97%) and 7 of 105 (6.67%) cats, respectively, through 24 hours. There was no association between rUO and duration of urinarycatheterization, administration of antimicrobials or meloxicam, or consistent administration of pain medication during IUC.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE:
At 24 hours and 30 days after IUC, rUO rates in prazosin-treated cats were significantly lower than rates in phenoxybenzamine-treated cats. Reobstruction rate at 24 hours was significantly lower when a 3.5F versus 5F urinary catheter was used.

Yay for not changing my therapy.

Interesting that most docs at your practice pick the 5Fr. I almost exclusively use a 3.5Fr.
 
My cat brought me a kiwi in bed just now. My mom bought a pack of them, and they weren't ripe yet. She left them on the counter in a bowl, and my cat brought me one all the way upstairs :laugh:😍 I'd rather have a kiwi than the usual dish sponge or mysterious small object that I have never seen before, though.
 
My cat brought me a kiwi in bed just now. My mom bought a pack of them, and they weren't ripe yet. She left them on the counter in a bowl, and my cat brought me one all the way upstairs :laugh:😍 I'd rather have a kiwi than the usual dish sponge or mysterious small object that I have never seen before, though.
That is so sweet!
 
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http://www.lsu.edu/miketiger/

Mike vi, LSU's live tiger, has been diagnosed with spindle cell sarcoma. He has a year to live with radiation, and maybe a month without it. It happened so fast! 🙁
 
LSU has a live tiger? 😱

Yep! His habitat is HUGE. vet students take care of him. On game days, he gets meat in the shape of the opposing team logo. He goes to the games, until he's a certain age. I believe this guy is too old to make appearances now.
 

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Yep! His habitat is HUGE. vet students take care of him. On game days, he gets meat in the shape of the opposing team logo. He goes to the games, until he's a certain age. I believe this guy is too old to make appearances now.
A friend of mine is/was one of his caretakers. She's really bummed
 
A friend of mine is/was one of his caretakers. She's really bummed

He's such a beautiful big cat. I really wish I would have stopped by to see him when I was there for my interview.
 
Anyone have good suggestions for a collar color that would look good on an orange/white cat? Everything I can think of is a little too Halloween-y.
 
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