I tired. I fall down go boom.

Recipe for a hectic day at the clinic:

1) Double the number of doctors on staff (and thus the number of appointments), but don't increase any of the support staff.

2) Have every single appointment booked.

3) Before any scheduled appointment can be seen, have the first emergency show up. I won't get too graphic here; I'll just reassure everyone that the dog will be fine, and I'll casually mention in an offhand tone that I have never had to clean WALLS before.

4) Have a panicked owner open a conversation by stridently making sure everyone knows she's a lawyer.

5) Make sure to have another emergency right around closing, one that looks an awful lot like respiratory arrest (and therefore takes a lot of people for about an hour). That dog will be fine too, but the owners were pretty worried.

I've listed about half the highlights of the day. Seriously. I'm also learning the finer points of clinic etiquette, like what to do with the collar worn by a dog who was DOA and whose owner has already left the building (answer: you'd better wash it, trust me on this).

Heck of a day.