RANT HERE thread

Veterinary School Application Advising Ad
This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
I've had one intermittently in my upper right eye for the past ~week and a half. I assumed it was stress from driving the dog up, getting him settled in, and starting school again

Definitely weird and annoying though
 
Stroganoff said:
Probably just Naegleria swimming around, don't worry.
Click to expand...
You stop that right now. I'm secretly terrified of naegleria lol

I went to the baths in Bath over the summer and some dude went in the water where it was clearly marked not to, and in my head I was like "welp, let's hope the amoeba is more merciful than you are smart"
 
Speaking of eye-related woes...

Being between jobs and different insurance plans, etc., it’d been something like three years since I’ve gotten into an optometrist. I finally saw one yesterday, and am I glad that I did.

Apparently, not only did my prescription change a lot in those three years, but I have astigmatism, a couple of what looks to be juvenile cataracts, and a retinal hole/tear all in my left eye. I’m especially concerned about the latter because that could obviously lead to a retinal detachment and potentially blindness down the line. Thankfully, the optometrist said that it’s small enough at this point that we will just monitor over the next 6 months and, if I start having any signs and symptoms and/or I need an ophthalmologist referral for surgery or whatever, then we will do that.

On the plus side, I’m glad to have finally gotten the astigmatism diagnosis because it explains a lot (why focus in the left eye is so much worse even with glasses on, nearly constant headaches, halos/streaking of light). She had me try out the new prescription while I was there and it was a world of difference, so I’m really excited to get my new glasses in a couple of weeks.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
FedEx “attempted” delivery on the second of the two days I was available for this package (which was supposed to be delivered next business day). By attempted, I mean drove by and claimed they knocked. There’s no way to reroute it or pick it up so I’m just going to have to wait out the next two attempts. Despite saying “next business day” the ETA is listed as Tuesday (when no one will be likely home) instead of Monday (when humans will actually be home). Wednesday MIGHT work but if they are waiting an extra day between delivery attempts then they’ll do Thursday - which won’t.
 
somebun said:
By attempted, I mean drove by and claimed they knocked.
Click to expand...
That's BS! It sucks that FedEx drivers would do something like that, since they're the last bastion of delivery people that haven't been dishonest or nasty or lazy with me so I hold them in high esteem. Also read somewhere that FedEx Home drivers are independent contractors but I'll have to fact check that. Sorry for your crap experience though.
 
So I’m cat sitting for a friend for 6 weeks. It’s been 11 hours and the cat has knocked over most of the things that I own (including a massive candle that i figured no cat could ever knock over), hisses and tries to bite every time you go near him, jumps into and down from anything that is even remotely reachable including my 55” tv that’s an inch thick, and is yowling incessantly in the middle of the night (hence why I’m awake right now). She said he can be vocal, but this is really a problem. I live in an apartment complex and I’d be surprised if neighbors don’t complain after just tonight, let alone 6 weeks. And I physically can’t sleep. I’ve owned cats my whole life and have never experienced anything like this.

So basically, what the hell do I do? I’m really at a loss here. He has toys all over the place, food puzzles to keep him occupied, I played with him for at least an hour earlier, and he just won’t stop. I feel like I’m going insane.
 
Stroganoff said:
That's BS! It sucks that FedEx drivers would do something like that, since they're the last bastion of delivery people that haven't been dishonest or nasty or lazy with me so I hold them in high esteem. Also read somewhere that FedEx Home drivers are independent contractors but I'll have to fact check that. Sorry for your crap experience though.
Click to expand...
Yeah it really depends on the drivers. We have a different driver for work and they’re great. Unfortunately this was a home delivery...
 
Fedex has been the worst for me, though the Chicago post office is vying for that position. I love our UPS delivery guys though, they have been so helpful here and even lugging in giant bags of dog food for me 🙂

@ajs513 is it an option/would you want to watch the cat at his own house? I think cats sometimes have rough transitions to new places and that might just be what's going on. Maybe more structured playtime with you right before bed to try to wear him out for the night? Is it an indoor/outdoor cat that just needs to burn more energy? Idk I'm just throwing stuff out there.
 
@kcoughli he’s way too high maintenance to be left alone at his house unfortunately. I could definitely try more structured play. I also wonder if feliway would help. As of right now his mom is trying to figure stuff out if it’s an adjustment thing or if he just specifically hates my apartment. It’s just such a frustrating situation.
 
ajs513 said:
@kcoughli he’s way too high maintenance to be left alone at his house unfortunately. I could definitely try more structured play. I also wonder if feliway would help. As of right now his mom is trying to figure stuff out if it’s an adjustment thing or if he just specifically hates my apartment. It’s just such a frustrating situation.
Click to expand...
Maybe drugs should be in the discussion :hungover:
 
CoffeeQuestionMark said:
Maybe drugs should be in the discussion :hungover:
Click to expand...
So he’s actually on gabapentin as needed. However, I can’t physically touch him to give it to him and he’s not a ravenous eater so giving it in the food isn’t an option either...
 
ajs513 said:
So he’s actually on gabapentin as needed. However, I can’t physically touch him to give it to him and he’s not a ravenous eater so giving it in the food isn’t an option either...
Click to expand...
Enlist a friend who loves cats + gloves or towel? Should be easier to re-medicate after the first dose. Maybe coax with a toy into a smaller room first? (Or confine him to a smaller room with less breakable stuff to begin with)

Sounds like a good candidate for a behavior consult when his mom gets back though. If he's on gaba PRN regularly, that's not a great long term fix imo 😕

Sorry he's destroying your house in the meantime. My own 6 month old kitten is pretty darn destructive (just sent a bowl full of onions & shallots flying across our kitchen actually), but not to that level. I can understand how someone would go crazy with what you're describing.
 
ajs513 sending virtual hugs (if you are ok with that). Cats are weird. love them to pieces, but man, they can be such a cross between a tired toddler and a hormonal 12 year old girl. I do know that they often do not do well with location changes...so that might be fueling it. Maybe a couple of days and he will settle down...I have also heard good things about the scentsy/wall plugin type things with the lavender stuff (I can't recall the name of it, sorry) I have a friend who swears by it, tho...
 
PippyPony said:
Enlist a friend who loves cats + gloves or towel? Should be easier to re-medicate after the first dose. Maybe coax with a toy into a smaller room first? (Or confine him to a smaller room with less breakable stuff to begin with)

Sounds like a good candidate for a behavior consult when his mom gets back though. If he's on gaba PRN regularly, that's not a great long term fix imo 😕

Sorry he's destroying your house in the meantime. My own 6 month old kitten is pretty darn destructive (just sent a bowl full of onions & shallots flying across our kitchen actually), but not to that level. I can understand how someone would go crazy with what you're describing.
Click to expand...
So the thing is, he’s fine at home. He’s young so he’s rambunctious, but aside from that he’s okay. The gabapentin was really just for if I needed to trim his nails or something. It’s just a really bad situation for him (and me). His mom is really surprised and upset that he’s acting like this. He’s a needy cat in general but that neediness usually applies to everyone and doesn’t translate to fear and aggression with others.
 
@ajs513 yikes! I think closing him in one room, getting the Feliway going and then enlisting a friend or classmate to help drug him would be a good start. If not, I think you need to have a conversation with Mom and let her know this isn’t reasonable for six weeks and you’d be happy to drop him off at the boarding location of her choice...
 
@killerleaf thank you. I really appreciate it. It’s definitely a location thing at least as of now. My concern is if it doesn’t get better in the next day or two, my neighbors will probably be on my butt for the noise. Especially since it’s in the middle of the night and he yowls into the front door.
 
ajs513 said:
@that redhead luckily there are already backup sitters in mind in case he became too much. However, the expected situation was that I might get annoyed by constant need for petting and cuddling (which is how he usually is). Not aggression and murder mittens.
Click to expand...

I would definitely hold off on any physical attention (aside from toy-based play time) for a while.

Had you met this cat before? Are there other animals in your house?
 
that redhead said:
I would definitely hold off on any physical attention (aside from toy-based play time) for a while.

Had you met this cat before? Are there other animals in your house?
Click to expand...
I hadn’t met him, no. My classmate did when she pet sat for him for two weeks. He was totally fine with it, slept in her bed with her, chilled on the couch, etc. But I’m an unfamiliar person in an unfamiliar house as well, and I’m sure the yowling and aggression is a combination of it.

There are not any other animals. The only thing I can think of is that I pet sat for my sister’s two cats for 10 days a week before this. So maybe some pheromones spreading some bad cat juju?
 
Give him some time. My cat adjusts really well to new places, actually just took her on vacation with me to Vegas. She still spent 3 days being all up in everything figuring out what is where she is. Heck she even investigated the pictures on the walls. She got stuck behind a dresser. He's probably stressed, dumped in unfamiliar territory to a person he doesn't know.

For getting the gabapentin, try a different flavor of food to mix it in, something enticing...don't offer more than 1/4 tsp of that food with the gabapentin mixed in, makes it more likely he eats it all. Or can try human baby food.

He needs time to settle and get to know you. Give him only 1 room with feliway, ask mom if she has a t-shirt or sweater of hers that she doesn't need that you can put into that room. Or a blanket she uses. Something that smells like her and smells like him so kitty has a familiar scent to help adjust.
 
Or the classic "now see here!"

giphy (54).gif
 
Update: I got together with mom today and we talked about everything and how to keep his stress low. She spoke with a clinician at school who recommended adding trazodone with the gabapentin. The gabapentin alone has almost no effect on him and he’s a very healthy young cat so giving both together wasn’t a concern. We have him both at 4:30 and since he hadn’t eaten in around 24 hours (he’s that anxious) it hit him fast and hard. So he’s just chilling on the couch with me while I watch tv. For now we’re going to try the drugs and see how he adjusts with tinkering the dose to relieve the anxiety but not knock him out completely. Of course this isn’t a long term solution, but just something to take the massive edge off. It was so bad that he was pacing the apartment all night nonstop. Didn’t sleep, eat, drink, anything. In the meantime, I’m trying combinations of everyone’s recommendations to hopefully relieve his anxiety and get out his energy moving forward.
 
ajs513 said:
Update: I got together with mom today and we talked about everything and how to keep his stress low. She spoke with a clinician at school who recommended adding trazodone with the gabapentin. The gabapentin alone has almost no effect on him and he’s a very healthy young cat so giving both together wasn’t a concern. We have him both at 4:30 and since he hadn’t eaten in around 24 hours (he’s that anxious) it hit him fast and hard. So he’s just chilling on the couch with me while I watch tv. For now we’re going to try the drugs and see how he adjusts with tinkering the dose to relieve the anxiety but not knock him out completely. Of course this isn’t a long term solution, but just something to take the massive edge off. It was so bad that he was pacing the apartment all night nonstop. Didn’t sleep, eat, drink, anything. In the meantime, I’m trying combinations of everyone’s recommendations to hopefully relieve his anxiety and get out his energy moving forward.
Click to expand...

you‘re a really good friend!
 
When transitioning cats to new places I've had good success with keeping them in one room like a bathroom or bedroom while they get used to the general smell of the house and things. It sounds like you're trying a lot of other strategies as well but I'd really recommend adding that in
 
Last edited:
When we moved to our current house we locked all the cats in a room with feliway diffusers and cat nip sprinkled darn near everywhere. Cats did pretty well but may have just been stoned for the first week. So maybe try some cat nip?

Sent from my phone using the mobile app because I bought it and I'm stubborn
 
I think I've mentioned before that I have a progressive hereditary tremor. It's autosomal dominant and I've been able to see how it's affected my Dad as it's gotten worse over the years. His whole body shakes... looks like Parkinson's.

I usually just have a subtle hand vibration. It starts out as a fine motor intention tremor, so it's very rare that you'd see it at the stage I'm at if I just hold my hand out. But it's exacerbated by stress and fatigue. Yesterday I was stressed and exhausted.

Yesterday, I was my Dad. My whole body was tremoring, and it got worse as the day went on. I had huge trouble writing all day, and the day started out with a midterm. I spent my whole 3 hour afternoon lab rigid, trying to hide it, so I got home so sore! It's better today, but still increased compared to how it normally is. I know this is a glimpse of what's coming for me.

I don't want this future!
 
Squeaksmom said:
I think I've mentioned before that I have a progressive hereditary tremor. It's autosomal dominant and I've been able to see how it's affected my Dad as it's gotten worse over the years. His whole body shakes... looks like Parkinson's.

I usually just have a subtle hand vibration. It starts out as a fine motor intention tremor, so it's very rare that you'd see it at the stage I'm at if I just hold my hand out. But it's exacerbated by stress and fatigue. Yesterday I was stressed and exhausted.

Yesterday, I was my Dad. My whole body was tremoring, and it got worse as the day went on. I had huge trouble writing all day, and the day started out with a midterm. I spent my whole 3 hour afternoon lab rigid, trying to hide it, so I got home so sore! It's better today, but still increased compared to how it normally is. I know this is a glimpse of what's coming for me.

I don't want this future!
Click to expand...
I'm sorry Squeaks! I have no sage advice or anything at all except hugs and support. All the hugs and support
 
Cat update: seems like that pet adoption rule of three that I always thought was a little ridiculous actually was true in this case. He’s not overwhelmed anymore, is letting me pet him, slept through the night, and actually slept in my bed with me. I also paid a little more attention to his behavior and tried to pinpoint exactly what was freaking him out. We have a fan directly above our bed and we keep it on most of the day. Turns out he was a little terrified of it and so we turned it off. We also leave his carrier with his blanket out and open so he has something to hide in that feels a little more his. During the night we’ve also been keeping our door shut so he isn’t roaming around and getting overwhelmed at night.

Let me just say, to my credit, that he’s one of the smartest cats I’ve ever met. I tried every method ever invented to hide a pill. I even got creative and did some pseudo-compounding. This cat could basically tell I had done something to his food or to a treat and wouldn’t even touch it. Luckily he ended up not needing any medication. So yay! Thanks for everyone’s help. It’s been extremely helpful, and I really feel like I learned a lot about behavior from this.
 
I hate grad school. I literally corresponded with one awhile back and they made me so hopeful for applying in the future. And now that I’m actually ready and asked some more questions she basically just told me this whole program only really takes people that faculty individually seek out so don’t even bother emailing for an advisor because they won’t accept it until they see a full application. And if you haven’t been recruited in you won’t get it. Like okay cool, freaking love that this is my instate school telling me this
 
dolphin106258 said:
I hate grad school. I literally corresponded with one awhile back and they made me so hopeful for applying in the future. And now that I’m actually ready and asked some more questions she basically just told me this whole program only really takes people that faculty individually seek out so don’t even bother emailing for an advisor because they won’t accept it until they see a full application. And if you haven’t been recruited in you won’t get it. Like okay cool, freaking love that this is my instate school telling me this
Click to expand...
ALSO THIS ISNT EVEN VET SCHOOL WHY ARE THINGS LIKE THIS.
 
Maintenance came by to install a new fire alarm system for our building while I was at school today. They neglected to tell me that they needed access to my closet (which is where I was hiding my laundry pile of shame...) and then they didn't put the cat litter back inside the closet when they left. My cat ripped open the bag and had a cat litter party in my absence. A strongly worded email was sent, litter was vacuumed from every crevice of my apartment, and now I really need a glass of wine.
 
Luckily for me, my taxes are simple enough that I can sit down and do them in an hour or two while watching TV. So yesterday after my W-2 came in the mail (the last tax document I was waiting on), that's what I did. I like to be on top of it.

(Side rave: last year, I made the most income I've ever had in one year, and this year gave me the biggest refund I've ever had, so I'm pretty stoked about that.)

I've used TurboTax every year since I started doing taxes and never had an issue with it. It's a little pushy to try and get you to give them money, but you just have to be equally pushy in saying "no thanks."

If you're not already aware, this is the first year the IRS has FreeFile, which links you to third party sites which will let you file taxes for free. You have to meet some eligibility criteria, such as age and income, but it'll also let you filter by ones you're eligible for. Pretty neat. When this came out I tried it out for fun and TurboTax was one of the options that came up.

So back to filing my taxes, I got to the end and suddenly I can't continue without upgrading/giving them money. Forty dollars! On the page they say that I have a Schedule 1 form in my taxes, which makes me ineligible for their free version. I go back to the IRS tool and click on the link to file with TT, and ~magically~ it has all my info saved and doesn't cost anything anymore. It's so scummy.

So shout out to the IRS for being a bro.
 
A rant from Diego: “Weather changes make my tummy hurt and then I scare mom by playing dead but then I’m basically fine by the time the vet comes because I am a butthead horse. And then mom locked me in PRISON with no FOOD overnight which is certified pony abuse and I am very angry about it so I screamed at her all morning because I am a butthead horse.” :laugh:

Thankfully he's feeling better this morning but man he made me worry :bang: This is the third year in a row he's colicked in the spring so I guess this is just something we do now :shrug:

IMG_1438.JPG
 
capri1722 said:
So shout out to the IRS for being a bro.
Click to expand...

The IRS already has all our info but makes us file anyway, whereas other countries just have their taxes automatically done for them. So... not really a bro. TurboTax (and all the tax lobbyists who are actively working to keep the system the way it is, with us doing all the legwork) are the true bad guys, but yeah.
 
Questions that can be very open to interpretation are the worst. Sorry you're going through that Coop 🙁

As an amusing related anecdote, someone in my class (who may or may not be on this forum 😉) had a really funny fill in the blank answer on an equine exam... the question was something like "The blood supply to the large intestine is _________" and my classmate put "present" :laugh: Technically correct, but sadly did not get a mark haha
 
awesomenessity said:
Questions that can be very open to interpretation are the worst. Sorry you're going through that Coop 🙁

As an amusing related anecdote, someone in my class (who may or may not be on this forum 😉) had a really funny fill in the blank answer on an equine exam... the question was something like "The blood supply to the large intestine is _________" and my classmate put "present" :laugh: Technically correct, but sadly did not get a mark haha
Click to expand...
It's been very consistent throughout the years I'm not sure why I'm getting all worked up now :laugh:
 
awesomenessity said:
Questions that can be very open to interpretation are the worst. Sorry you're going through that Coop 🙁

As an amusing related anecdote, someone in my class (who may or may not be on this forum 😉) had a really funny fill in the blank answer on an equine exam... the question was something like "The blood supply to the large intestine is _________" and my classmate put "present" :laugh: Technically correct, but sadly did not get a mark haha
Click to expand...

Full disclosure, this was me. 🤣

I even tried to argue that point but unfortunately while the professor thought I was hilarious, he would not give me the mark.

But like, was I wrong tho?

Also Coop that sucks and I'm grumpy on your behalf because none of those sound like legitimate things to cause you to lose marks for.
 
@Coopah I’ve found you’ll almost never get points off for being too specific. When you read over questions, think to yourself “can I be any more specific than I already am?” If the answer is yes, and you KNOW that what you’re saying is also going to be right, then put it. This is something that we were grilled about in anatomy because it’s a very easy way to lost points on a practical. If they asked us to name a muscle that extends the stifle, we couldn’t say quadriceps because it’s made up of four muscles. We’d have to specifically name one of the four. Try thinking of it in sequence. In your case, what would you give? ACE inhibitors. But if you were to then treat the patient, you wouldn’t reach into a grab bag of ACE inhibitors and throw a bunch at it (or maybe you could. Science). You’d specifically give Enalapril. On an exam, you could probably say “enalapril, an ACE inhibitor.” That way you’re super right. You told the professor which drug to give and said what class it’s in to demonstrate that you totally know the answer.

I’m only going this in depth with a solution because I absolutely had this problem for a long time. And it’s frustrating. Your answer was right. It just wasn’t the “right” that the professor was looking for. Eventually I just said screw it, I’ll give them everything I know. And it actually worked. Of course your mileage may vary, but I’ve found that unless a professor specifically says “in three words or less,” they won’t take off for giving them a couple sentences for an answer if everything in that answer is right.
 
@Coopah I feel that so much, and I'm sorry 🙁

I'm increasingly of the opinion that after a certain point in vet school, the typical exam formats are not always the best way of assessing a student's level of understanding. There have been a bunch of times on multiple choice exams recently where I have been looking at two+ "correct" answer choices, wishing I could pick both (and maybe rank them), explain to the professor why I would consider both options, and describe what I would prioritize for next steps if it were an actual case. But it comes down to picking one or the other, and I'm not always great at deciding what an individual professor wants as the answer -- it varies a lot based on who is writing the test questions. I've also recently noticed that some questions are formatted in ways that are overly sneaky or picky, imo -- almost as if they are running out of ways to make something harder other than resorting to kinda cheap tricks (switching one word in a paragraph, having answer choices for prognosis that are like: a. 8 months MST; b. 6-7 months MST; c. 9-12 months MST. Like...come on. That is something that could change with a JAVMA paper tomorrow & is something I'm going to look up anyways before talking to a client.)

Very frustrating because I feel like it starts to test how well students can take tests >> how well students can use clinical reasoning skills and work through a case.

(Before someone pushes back to say choosing the "most" correct answer is arguably one of the most important clinical reasoning skills...I don't disagree, and I've gotten almost perfect scores on those kinds of exercises when they are outside of an exam context. The disparity in performance makes me feel like there is disconnect in the testing process itself. Probably a "me" problem since lots of other people still do ok...but regardless, I cannot WAIT for clinics to officially start.)
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

supershorty
GGoats ThWWee: Here It GGoats Again - GAME THREAD
93 94 95 96 97
Replies
5K
Views
79K
vampyrica
vampyrica
supershorty
Here It GGOATS Again (GGOATS ThWWee) - Sign Up Thread - Sign Ups CLOSED
2
Replies
68
Views
4K
SARdoghandler
SARdoghandler
Animal Midwife
Death Nommy - Game Thread
83 84 85 86 87
Replies
4K
Views
74K
Animal Midwife
Animal Midwife
WildZoo
  • Poll Poll
Mission ImpoWWssible Game Thread
46 47 48 49 50
Replies
2K
Views
53K
chicandtoughness
chicandtoughness
WildZoo
Supernatural: Angels & Demons WW Game Thread
121 122 123 124 125
Replies
6K
Views
91K
GoSpursGo
GoSpursGo
Top