RANT HERE thread

Started by flyhi
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Due to budget cuts, not everyone who applied got hired for extra summer work. I found out on Friday that I didn’t get a position. This is the first time in at least 20 years that this has happened according to some older coworkers. I do it every year and I really need the extra $1200.

I have some seniority, but I also may be getting laid off at the end of the calendar year because of those same budget cuts. It took me so long for my savings to bounce back after my savings were drained by an unexpected medical bill over a year ago.

I probably didn’t get one because of my running and lifting restrictions, which makes me feel crappy. I am also having a hard time with my hearing, which I am praying is just them being a little clogged and not the genetic hearing loss that runs on my mom’s side of the family.
 
ali9280 said:
I have been SO blessed to start my 4th year with ECC (is the universe trying to tell me something??), and I am one of the few who get to start rotations a day early!! 12 more days to go. I am scared lol
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WSU grad here - I did ECC as my 1st rotation and it was the BEST possible scenario - they don't expect you to know anything and you will be in/out of the ICU for the entire year on other rotations so you will already know how everything works in there which will make your life 10000x easier as the year goes on. I had my little request to have ICU first the next year and she was glad she did! You got this!
 
Was supposed to have a tune up race as a benchmark before my last half Ironman before school. Instead it ended up being my fist dnf with a cancelled swim and a very near miss being mauled by 5 dogs on the bike. Had a lot of tears and some wine so I feel marginally better but this was actually a terrifying experience if and if any of the pack of 4 had decided to bite me it would have been over. Like, I was by myself and screaming for help as they surrounded my bike and there was no one to save me if they had attacked

Genuinely, how do people in clinics trust dogs to not bite them? Like, I grew up with dogs. But I absolutely do not trust dogs I don’t know after seeing so many piss poor owners and badly behaved animals. I was so scared today
 
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kitzsuna said:
Genuinely, how do people in clinics trust dogs to not bite them?
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I don’t. I trust the people restraining them to keep me from getting bitten. And I trust my own hold on the animal to protect me.

I had a recent situation where a loose dog charged me from behind. It scared the poop out of me and has made me much more nervous in clinic, which is frustrating. It’s not “nice” to have a near miss, but I think it is a good reminder not to get overly confident; animals are still animals no matter how good we are at our jobs.
 
kitzsuna said:
Genuinely, how do people in clinics trust dogs to not bite them? Like, I grew up with dogs. But I absolutely do not trust dogs I don’t know after seeing so many piss poor owners and badly behaved animals. I was so scared today
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Agree with rae, I don't. The policy of the hospital I worked at was to assume every dog has the potential to bite (and these days that's a pretty safe assumption tbh) and restrain them accordingly. Then we muzzle and/or sedate at the first sign of teeth or a growl, and/or send home with premeds.

I'm not afraid of dogs, but I've seen enough at this point that it's not worth taking chances, especially with how many reactive/unsocialized dogs come in each day. And this is coming from someone who used to handle half-feral horses on a regular basis 😅
 
_rae_ said:
It scared the poop out of me and has made me much more nervous in clinic, which is frustrating. It’s not “nice” to have a near miss, but I think it is a good reminder not to get overly confident; animals are still animals no matter how good we are at our jobs.
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apoptosis09 said:
Agree with rae, I don't. The policy of the hospital I worked at was to assume every dog has the potential to bite (and these days that's a pretty safe assumption tbh) and restrain them accordingly. Then we muzzle and/or sedate at the first sign of teeth or a growl, and/or send home with premeds.

I'm not afraid of dogs, but I've seen enough at this point that it's not worth taking chances, especially with how many reactive/unsocialized dogs come in each day. And this is coming from someone who used to handle half-feral horses on a regular basis 😅
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Thanks yall. Yeah, the first one was a white German shepherd that crossed the road to try and get me, but thankfully I was in an area where I could sprint and a car came to drive it off. Still caused a full blown panic attack, like scream crying and gasping for breath while trying to maintain aero downhill lol. The second instance was a pack of four when I was on a very windy and semi uphill section, and on a ****ass Texas country road. Like, there was NO one around and I absolutely would have been ****ed if they had decided to make contact.

It’s good to know that there are protections in place for working around them etc. Definitely a humbling experience but I’m glad that it’s not just me that’s had some not great experiences and doesn’t trust dogs
 
_rae_ said:
Everyone is always shook when I say I’d rather work with a feral cat than an aggressive dog.

I think I’ll take both over a horse though 😂
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I am not ashamed to say I am a little afraid of dogs and will take a horse over a dog any day. Horses, as prey animals, are very rarely on attack mode… they’re often just afraid (speaking as someone who has been bitten, kicked, stepped on, and bucked off many times). I’ve only been bitten by a dog once but it made me generally fearful. Horses can hurt me as much as they want and I’ll still be there 😂 (I do ride with a helmet always and vest most of the time though).
 
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kitzsuna said:
Genuinely, how do people in clinics trust dogs to not bite them?
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Geez, glad you are okay. That must have been terrifying.

But Yeah, you don’t trust dogs (or any animal for that matter). Obviously give every animal a chance when appropriate and cuddle the nice ones, but trust the vibes and your gut. Have confidence in your restrainers, but also don’t be shy when you don’t trust someone’s skills. Never hesitate to use drugs. And never, ever trust a Rottweiler. IMO maybe the only breed that will reliably not utilize the usual body language warnings prior to trying to kill you. I don’t hate on rotties, I just have only met one in my life that didn’t try something with me.

After a while, you can just look at a dog from across the room and you’ll know that they're going to try something lol
 
HorseObsessed said:
I am not ashamed to say I am a little afraid of dogs and will take a horse over a dog any day. Horses, as prey animals, are very rarely on attack mode… they’re often just afraid (speaking as someone who has been bitten, kicked, stepped on, and bucked off many times). I’ve only been bitten by a dog once but it made me generally fearful. Horses can hurt me as much as they want and I’ll still be there 😂 (I do ride with a helmet always and vest most of the time though).
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Honestly, most dogs are also just afraid. Yes, they’re predators and yes, some of them do indeed just hate you, but I approach most animals as if they’re scared and not mean and it works pretty well.
 
couldhavebeenme said:
WSU grad here - I did ECC as my 1st rotation and it was the BEST possible scenario - they don't expect you to know anything and you will be in/out of the ICU for the entire year on other rotations so you will already know how everything works in there which will make your life 10000x easier as the year goes on. I had my little request to have ICU first the next year and she was glad she did! You got this!
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That makes me feel much better, thank you!! and go cougs 🤩
 
genny said:
Amen.
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When I was still in small animal, I’d get judged by greener staff for auto-muzzling anything that looked like it could even be a rottie mix lol. Eventually they got it when they would randomly get snapped at.

It doesn’t help that it’s usually a specific type of person that owns a rottie. Out of all the ‘sketchy’ breeds (pittie types, Dobermans, Great danes, chows, etc) a Rottweiler is almost always owned by some dingus with tiny dick energy. Meanwhile everyone else has a pittie and 98% of them do nothing wrong ever
 
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genny said:
The only bad time to get out a muzzle is AFTER the dog has already bitten someone. I keep telling the staff this, but they seem to think it's like a badge of honor to restrain an iffy dog without a muzzle. Nope, that's how people get bitten.
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I worked with a vet once who just did not care if her patients bit or scratched her. Her personal philosophy is that if you don't give a dang about getting hurt, the animal won't try anything because they know it won't deter you. She's an amazing vet and I learned a lot from her, but you bet I had back-up with me whenever I was with her on a case. ESPICALLY if it was a reactive/scared dog.
 
pp9 said:
When I was still in small animal, I’d get judged by greener staff for auto-muzzling anything that looked like it could even be a rottie mix lol. Eventually they got it when they would randomly get snapped at.

It doesn’t help that it’s usually a specific type of person that owns a rottie. Out of all the ‘sketchy’ breeds (pittie types, Dobermans, Great danes, chows, etc) a Rottweiler is almost always owned by some dingus with tiny dick energy. Meanwhile everyone else has a pittie and 98% of them do nothing wrong ever
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Exactly. People who should not own Rottweilers = people who seek out and get a Rottweiler.

I have known two very nice rotties, but they were both owned by people with a lot of dog experience who really valued training.
 
CeeGee14 said:
I worked with a vet once who just did not care if her patients bit or scratched her. Her personal philosophy is that if you don't give a dang about getting hurt, the animal won't try anything because they know it won't deter you. She's an amazing vet and I learned a lot from her, but you bet I had back-up with me whenever I was with her on a case. ESPICALLY if it was a reactive/scared dog.
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That’s so scary. Yes there are some nervous dogs who do better if you act confident, but it’s not for every dog. And it can make some of them worse if they think you’re not getting their message that they’re scared.

Plus appointments are a team effort and it’s not great if you put the rest of your team at risk just because you’re not the one getting hurt.
 
@kitzsuna
I'm so sorry that happened to you, how awful! IMO there needs to start being legal consequences or something for woefully inadequate dog training (especially in large breeds who can do more damage) because it's a public safety issue. A child in my province was recently killed while riding his bike by a Rottweiler and two Cane Corsos.

I regularly work with species like cougars and bears and I'm more scared of the untrained clinic dogs... I went through a period as a teenager where I felt repelled by most dogs for a while and wanted nothing to do with them because my shihtzu was mauled on a walk together by a roaming large dog. I try to remember when in clinics it's usually a fear response so I try fear-free handling as much as possible, but I also won't hesitate to muzzle or ask for additional restraint if the dog sketches me out.
 
genny said:
That’s so scary. Yes there are some nervous dogs who do better if you act confident, but it’s not for every dog. And it can make some of them worse if they think you’re not getting their message that they’re scared.

Plus appointments are a team effort and it’s not great if you put the rest of your team at risk just because you’re not the one getting hurt.
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My least favorite owner phrase is “oh they’ve never bitten anyone”
GREAT LET’S NOT START NOW

The owners with high FAS dogs who understand them and come prepared with muzzles and know how to help us handle them are some of my favorite clients.
 
pp9 said:
When I was still in small animal, I’d get judged by greener staff for auto-muzzling anything that looked like it could even be a rottie mix lol. Eventually they got it when they would randomly get snapped at.

It doesn’t help that it’s usually a specific type of person that owns a rottie. Out of all the ‘sketchy’ breeds (pittie types, Dobermans, Great danes, chows, etc) a Rottweiler is almost always owned by some dingus with tiny dick energy. Meanwhile everyone else has a pittie and 98% of them do nothing wrong ever
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so true ugh. there are a handful of good rottie owners i have had and usually they are super forward with and agreeable to muzzling— even if the dog is well-trained. because they have an understanding that it’s in NONE of out interests to take the risk.

what annoys me is the aforementioned typical owners who take it as some moral judgement against them for you wanting to muzzle. oh and then they will be incapable of putting the muzzle on their own dog :|
 
HorseObsessed said:
I am not ashamed to say I am a little afraid of dogs and will take a horse over a dog any day. Horses, as prey animals, are very rarely on attack mode… they’re often just afraid (speaking as someone who has been bitten, kicked, stepped on, and bucked off many times). I’ve only been bitten by a dog once but it made me generally fearful. Horses can hurt me as much as they want and I’ll still be there 😂 (I do ride with a helmet always and vest most of the time though).
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Me too. I'm a little scared of dogs but I can handle a rowdy horse any day
 
kitzsuna said:
Genuinely, how do people in clinics trust dogs to not bite them?
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I don't trust none of the creatures. Guilty until innocent. I'm so allergic to cats, I'm going to the ER if I'm bit. Dogs do toouch damage to trust.

I do so much in the room with clients and they get to see how their animal behaves when I palpate a torn CCL or a belly mass. A 13 year old greyhound with belly pain nipped at me, shocking his dad. Yeah, my guy. Anything with teeth can bite.
 
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battie said:
I don't trust none of the creatures. Guilty until innocent. I'm so allergic to cats, I'm going to the ER if I'm bit. Dogs do toouch damage to trust.

I do so much in the room with clients and they get to see how their animal behaves when I palpate a torn CCL or a belly mass. A 13 year old greyhound with belly pain nipped at me, shocking his dad. Yeah, my guy. Anything with teeth can bite.
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Especially anything with teeth in pain! People just don't think about it that way
 
battie said:
I don't trust none of the creatures. Guilty until innocent. I'm so allergic to cats, I'm going to the ER if I'm bit. Dogs do toouch damage to trust.

I do so much in the room with clients and they get to see how their animal behaves when I palpate a torn CCL or a belly mass. A 13 year old greyhound with belly pain nipped at me, shocking his dad. Yeah, my guy. Anything with teeth can bite.
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A Cavalier bit me in the face once and those are some of the nicest dogs on the planet. It's easy to underestimate what animals in pain will do because SO many of them are incredibly tolerant of painful things.
 
soupshark said:
Especially anything with teeth in pain! People just don't think about it that way
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Especially if they see you as the reason for the pain. The last two cat bites i received were from pain. One kitty had an osteosarcoma on his hock, and I didn't know that's what it was when i applied what I thought was gentle pressure while doing my exam. He disagreed. And the second kitty needed his AGs expressed. He waited until I accidentally moved closer to the table several minutes after the deed was done, and he jumped and bit me on the shoulder. He really thought about that one and took his time to make sure I got the message.
 
soupshark said:
Yea I guess that's the real problem lol. Most people don't know what pain in an animal looks like
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This is so true. The number of people who bring in 3-legged lame animals and go "I don't think it's bothering him at all" because they think that not vocalizing means not painful...
 
supershorty said:
This is so true. The number of people who bring in 3-legged lame animals and go "I don't think it's bothering him at all" because they think that not vocalizing means not painful...
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Yes, for some reason this is a lot of people's default. My mom thinks this way too and will say the cat isn't in pain because she isn't crying, even tho she was in pain for a long time (is now treated thankfully). I remind people that humans don't cry and scream the entire time they are in pain either, only in extreme circumstances. If your knee is bugging you are you just walking around yelling all day?? Probably not
 
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trying to find affordable housing is soooo hard. I’ve been very fortunate enough to never have to do this before, and now i’m like… i don’t even know what to look for in an apartment or what to put down if i apply like i wont have an income in school??…. I found a very inexpensive one but like its website is soo outdated and im scared its going to be bad or something and then if i find a fair priced one thats not like $1500+ a month they’re unavailable. I can’t even tour because im like 3+ hours away until I graduate. I feel like a fake adult sigh this is so hard
 
ririzzyroo said:
trying to find affordable housing is soooo hard. I’ve been very fortunate enough to never have to do this before, and now i’m like… i don’t even know what to look for in an apartment or what to put down if i apply like i wont have an income in school??…. I found a very inexpensive one but like its website is soo outdated and im scared its going to be bad or something and then if i find a fair priced one thats not like $1500+ a month they’re unavailable. I can’t even tour because im like 3+ hours away until I graduate. I feel like a fake adult sigh this is so hard
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I saw you're going to VMCVM (congrats!) And gotta say Blacksburg is especially bad with price gouging for student friendly housing.

The good news is you don't have to live close until clinical year, and towns farther away tend to be cheaper.
I would also highly recommend asking around the student group chats to see if there's a 4th year leaving whose lease you can take over and skip the apartment shopping process altogether 😅. If you're not opposed to roommates you can also see if a current student has a room coming open.

As for income, landlords/property managers will consider loans for income, and many are happy to rent to graduate/professional students who tend to be more responsible.

Good luck!
 
EDIT: baby has come out of it, is eating and just took a drink, and is back to hopping and flying around the cage and has his balance back. Phew, I’m relieved! This bird will be the death of me

I think my little dude just had another seizure 🙁 I can never seem to catch when they happened and he has been doing so well that my vet said we could wean him off his anticonvulsants but I guess a big storm that rolled through must have triggered something cause now he’s dumpy and looks similar to post-ictal stage I’ve seen from him in the past. Gave him a dose of keppra and will probably give another dose in a bit if he doesn’t perk up.

At the risk of getting near asking for medical advice, can any bird people tell me what a focal seizure looks like? I dont think he has ever had any of the massive grand mal seizures but I wonder if I’m missing the actual events occurring because I don’t know what I’m looking for. Just now I found him at the bottom of the cage puffed and sluggish and he let me pick him up for his meds but had a pretty weak grip on my finger and didn’t step right off onto a perch like he normally does.

Sad little nugget is eating seeds though so that’s good
IMG_6153.jpeg
 
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kitzsuna said:
EDIT: baby has come out of it, is eating and just took a drink, and is back to hopping and flying around the cage and has his balance back. Phew, I’m relieved! This bird will be the death of me

I think my little dude just had another seizure 🙁 I can never seem to catch when they happened and he has been doing so well that my vet said we could wean him off his anticonvulsants but I guess a big storm that rolled through must have triggered something cause now he’s dumpy and looks similar to post-ictal stage I’ve seen from him in the past. Gave him a dose of keppra and will probably give another dose in a bit if he doesn’t perk up.

At the risk of getting near asking for medical advice, can any bird people tell me what a focal seizure looks like? I dont think he has ever had any of the massive grand mal seizures but I wonder if I’m missing the actual events occurring because I don’t know what I’m looking for. Just now I found him at the bottom of the cage puffed and sluggish and he let me pick him up for his meds but had a pretty weak grip on my finger and didn’t step right off onto a perch like he normally does.

Sad little nugget is eating seeds though so that’s good View attachment 418260
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Are you able to get a cheap camera that can record and then you playback the feed when you see him seeming post ictal? I’m glad he’s back to feeling a bit more like himself🩷
 
SkiOtter said:
Are you able to get a cheap camera that can record and then you playback the feed when you see him seeming post ictal? I’m glad he’s back to feeling a bit more like himself🩷
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I’d have to do some research, since I would need it recording 24/7 because he doesn’t have seizures very frequently (I don’t think at least). Would definitely quickly become a memory slog. I do have a mini camera that I use to keep watch on them and check in on them during work at least
 
kitzsuna said:
I’d have to do some research, since I would need it recording 24/7 because he doesn’t have seizures very frequently (I don’t think at least). Would definitely quickly become a memory slog. I do have a mini camera that I use to keep watch on them and check in on them during work at least
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I know with my Wyze camera you can get a cloud subscription for something like $5 a month and I think it allows you to continuously record and store the videos for 14 days, so that may be a decent option at least to see *what* he’s doing and then cancel the subscription. You can record locally onto a microSD, so it’s not ONLY subscription based, but as you said it’d become a memory slog.
 
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