A day at the clinic

Today's HBC is probably going to make it. (HBC = "Hit By Car", and this one is badly messed up but has not only a good chance of survival but also a chance of recovery.) I am very glad it wasn't my job to sit out in the lobby where the family waited, nor to duck into the back occasionally to come bring the family a status report. Young girl: devastated, crying. Father: annoyed that his day was derailed, snarky to staff, scolding daughter. That poor kid.

My incontinent kitty is probably really incontinent. Culture hasn't run its full time yet but as of yesterday it "looks like it's going to come back negative". X-rays don't seem to show stones, though we'll be more certain after the radiology specialist comes by. Good news = back legs are strong and reliable. That's good because the nerve damage version of this problem has no workaround. Next step is probably one of the medications that strengthens the urinary sphincter.

I "checked in" several patients today & even got a good heart rate and respiration rate on one. (The others were either wriggling or purring. Stethoscopes no work good then.) I got LOTS of puppy kisses and some nice vigorous puppy gnaws. I saw the cutest Lab puppy in the world (until the next one, of course) and the most elegant Sheltie. I got hissed at repeatedly by a cat who was missing both of his fangs on top. I cleaned a whiteboard that had been used as an impromptu stretcher, and I got to help tie down my own cat for X-rays. Even learned a good trick for giving liquid medication by mouth to a very angry cat: put a gloved hand in the cage with him, and when he hisses at it, squirt with the other hand.

I fall down go boom now.