#NerdsUnite: The secret life of a veterinary technician

<editorsnote> Nerds, meet my buddy Lindsay. She and I met ... well, somewhere in the social space. I think we might have started talking through this site directly, then through facebook - maybe ... I'm not sure. But she's awesome. I talk to her on twitter almost every day, and she's really rad and TOTALLY a big huge animal lover. Like crazy huge!! In these series of posts she will be talking about her life and random adventures with sometimes more than two legged creatures. I guess there's only one more thing left to say ... HIT IT LINDSAY!! </editorsnote>

#TalkNerdyToMeLover's @TheCraftafarian

Hey nerds, life has been a little crazy lately. Last weekend my foster kitten went off to his new home. He has been named Wesley, sooo cute! His owner sends me pictures every few days, I love it! Work has been a little depressing, we've had several rough cases that ended up being terminal. The biggest issues we are having is at home. The BF and I are good but its his job. A lot of times its difficult to get paid where he works. He's a server at a local italian restaurant. The reason its difficult to get paid is because either the boss doesn't turn in the hours to the payroll company on time (or at all--oh and btw they are supposed to get paid weekly) or if any employees make over 40 hours per week the boss doesn't report that to payroll and they have to hunt him down for cash--which also isn't overtime pay. Which IS ILLEGAL!!

Anyway so we have that bullshit to deal with but thursday night while my boyfriend was at work someone either took or the moron misplaced his and his wife's phones (talking about the boss). My BF ALWAYS gets blamed for stealing which he NEVER EVER does, he's actually the most reliable employee and even though he's a sever he works in the kitchen, answers phones, buses tables, and delivery ALL WHILE SERVING TABLES. So the boss tells my BF that he's not allowed to leave until the phones are found. The guy is a huge asshole and has a really bad temper. My BF admits that he may have grumbled to the other servers or someone else on the staff that he's tired of being blamed for stealing, tired of being screamed at all the time, and maybe he should just quit. So at the end of the night the boss calls everyone together for a meeting and basically tells them all he's tired of their bullshit and wants to start over with new staff. Of course he's not going to do this because that would be stupid at this time of year. 

At this point he dismisses everyone to cash out but calls my BF over and confronts him about what he said. My bf admits that he did say that but he was just frustrated and upset and he couldn't even remember who he said it to. The boss tells him he's being disrespectful and basically tells him to cash his money in and get out. My BF is in shock. He wasn't even sure that he was fired until the boss told another staff member to make sure his shifts are covered. 

So yeah my boyfriend was fired a week before christmas for no real reason. And now we are down half our monthly income. We really don't know how we are going to pay our bills. All I have to say that I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to call this place out on this site but I won't. However if you live in FL and want to find out what restaurant NOT to visit I would be more than happy to tell you. 

This bullshit happened two days before my work christmas party which we all usually spend a little bit of money on for food and gifts so we are a little stressed. Now we have to re-figure out what we want to do for the people we love for christmas. 

So THANKS you FUCKING ASSHOLE for trying to ruin our christmas.  However we will figure this out and WE WILL BE FINE...I'm pretty sure the boss will soon realize all that my boyfriend did for that place.

Keep calm and carry on? Right after I have a hissy fit, curse them out, smoke some weed, then we shall carry on. 

Thanks for reading :) Please reach out!!

#nerdsunite

<3 Lindsay
twitter: @thecraftafarian
blog: craftafarian.blogspot.com
email: craftafarian at gmail d c

#NerdsUnite: The secret life of a veterinary technician (Preparing for & celebrating the holidays with pets)

<editorsnote> Nerds, meet my buddy Lindsay. She and I met ... well, somewhere in the social space. I think we might have started talking through this site directly, then through facebook - maybe ... I'm not sure. But she's awesome. I talk to her on twitter almost every day, and she's really rad and TOTALLY a big huge animal lover. Like crazy huge!! In these series of posts she will be talking about her life and random adventures with sometimes more than two legged creatures. I guess there's only one more thing left to say ... HIT IT LINDSAY!! </editorsnote>

#TalkNerdyToMeLover's @TheCraftafarian

Hey nerds! My little foster kitten inspired this weeks post by being all sorts of crazy and attacking my mini christmas tree (every night...). I'm sure some of this may be common sense but as a vet tech working before, during, and after the holidays I want to share a few precautions to take with your furry babies. Annnnd as a nerd, hopefully some of us get some awesome nerdy goodies for the holidays--how to protect your gifts from your terrible pets ;)

My older pets (really all four of them, the other two are lizards and stay in their enclosures) don't mess with my decorations. When they were younger they did but of course we get used to things and it wasn't until I started decorating for christmas this year that I began to realize I may be in trouble with this rambunctious foster kitten. 

His main focus is my mini tree--thankfully (I guess) the lights died so they aren't on there. Its just cute little ornaments we recieved for christmas last year or the year before and this really pretty red ribbon. Oh and a glow in the dark star--hey I make christmas on a budget!!

Here are my tips!!

1. Absolutely no no no NOOOO tinsel strands!! Cats and dogs may try to eat this and if ingested it can get wrapped up in the intestines and cause serious injury or death. Expensive and major surgery is usually required. Keep this in mind also for yarn, string, thread, and any other linear object (ribbon etc). 

(example of strand tinsel)

The tinsel garland is ok because it breaks off in little pieces but I would still use extreme caution. (click here to view)

2. Always be careful with lights and wires. A little kitten or puppy can easily chew smart phone cords as well as lights and regular electric cords. Most pets learn to ignore it as they aren't really a good source of entertainment but a kitten will likely chew and play with it. They can get a really bad shock from that it they make contact with the actual wires. 

3. As much as you may want to feed them holiday food BE CAREFUL!! Dogs and cats are used to the same diet every day and when you change it they can often get a stomach ache. What is more concerning is pancreatitis. Sometimes when pets eat food that is not their normal diet it can upset the pancreas. The pancreas is the organ that gives off digestive enzymes to digest food and when those enzymes are released early due to inflamed pancreas they can cause serious problems. Those digestive enzymes piss off the already inflamed pancreas and eventually it starts to affect the liver.

I do let my pets have a little bit of turkey, no skin, no fat, no gravy. Just plain turkey meat. Just watch what you give your fur babies and make sure it isn't high in fat and doesn't have much spices on it--those are the things that usually annoy the pancreas more but any food that a pet isn't used to can cause it. Vomiting, diarrhea, lethargic, painful abdomen, and fever are symptoms. They don't all have to happen together. If your pet is vomiting several times in one day I would go to the vet. Vomiting and diarrhea can drastically dehydrate the body.  

4. Chocolate--I think everyone knows chocolate is bad for dogs. And I would avoid it in cats as well. Bakers Chocolate is the absolute worst, then dark chocolate, semi sweet, and milk. If your pet eats any chocolate I would seek immediate veterinary help. They can eat a certain amount of milk chocolate but to be safe I would go to the vet. Theobromine (ingredient that is toxic to dogs) causes some serious gastrointestinal and cardiac issues. (Info on chocolate toxicitiy and toxic doses by weight and type of chocolate)

Anyway--these are just a few things I thought would be helpful for everyone while preparing for the holidays. 

#nerdsunite

<3 Lindsay
twitter: @thecraftafarian
blog: craftafarian.blogspot.com
email: craftafarian at gmail d c

#NerdsUnite: The secret life of a veterinary technician

<editorsnote> Nerds, meet my buddy Lindsay. She and I met ... well, somewhere in the social space. I think we might have started talking through this site directly, then through facebook - maybe ... I'm not sure. But she's awesome. I talk to her on twitter almost every day, and she's really rad and TOTALLY a big huge animal lover. Like crazy huge!! In these series of posts she will be talking about her life and random adventures with sometimes more than two legged creatures. I guess there's only one more thing left to say ... HIT IT LINDSAY!! </editorsnote>

#TalkNerdyToMeLover's @TheCraftafarian

It never gets easier. You think it does because some cases don't hurt you as much. But then you get the one that breaks your heart. It never. gets. easier. 

I started writing my post early this week because I didn't want to try to write this part days after it had happened. Maybe I should be used to this by now, maybe I'm just emotional, maybe I just care too much?

About two weeks ago a favorite patient  was hit by a car in their neighborhood. It didn't appear that bad, as far hit by car injuries go. She ended up with some lacerations on her inner left leg, slight head trauma, and at the time she was not quite paralyzed but couldn't support her weight. Mya (name changed for privacy reasons, seriously there is a HIPAA law for pet patients too) had been coming in for bandage changes and laser therapy. She stayed overnight one night and by the next day she was able to support herself on her front legs, slightly on her injured leg, but her right hind leg just hung there. She still had deep pain and some reflexes. By the second or third bandage change I could tell her owners were considering euthanasia. They felt it wasn't fair to Mya to keep treating her if she didn't have a chance at recovery. To be fair we really didn't know if and/or when she would recover. They were having to help her walk everywhere. She had a special sling they used to carry her about. She started to develop pressure sores from laying on her side all the time. My vet told them if this is how she is going to be from now on he understands euthanasia but if its only a few weeks he thought we should give Mya a chance, she wasn't in much discomfort and certainly wasn't suffering. Mya was shaking it was as if she knew. I hugged her close. Her owners agreed to give her some more time, we felt she was getting a tiny bit better. 

Yesterday (monday) I came in to work and my manager informed me that we had two euthanasias scheduled for the morning. Meh, I hate starting the day out that way but its part of the job. 

Side note: Obviously one of the hardest parts of my job is euthanasia. Sometimes when it is the pets time it isn't all that sad. Its a kind thing we are able to offer our pets when they are suffering or terminal. Another hard part is when clients don't have money and can't afford care for their pets. The worst is when we have to euthanize a pet when it isn't quite their time (I suppose thats my opinion).

The first euthanasia that day was a 17 year old cat named Peanut (named changed). We had been fighting with kidney failure with him for about a month. He hadn't been doing well despite all our treatments. He developed a sinus infection over the weekend and stopped eating. I took one look at him and knew we were doing this pet a service. One difficult situation in euthanasia is when the owners don't want to be present. We feel very sad for the pet and make sure one of us is there holding them and telling them how good they are until the end. Peanut's owners didn't want to be present so I held him. 

I understand why a person would not want to be there or possibly couldn't handle it. However myself and the rest of the team at the clinic feel that it is our responsibility as pet owners and pet parents to be there until the end for our fur babies. I know when my kiddos go I will be holding them and telling them how wonderful they are until their last breath. But I can't blame them for having to leave, its so hard to say goodbye. 

(even now I'm getting teary eyed)

The second euthanasia nearly ripped my heart out. It was my Mya. (Yeah I think I'm crying now a little) Our Doctor carried her into the back so we could place her IV catheter. Mya began shaking again, I held her and told her how good she was. There was a lump in my throat, my eyes burned, my composure dwindled. I was sniffling a little. We were all very upset but she hadn't shown any improvement and we couldn't promise them she would ever recover. Her owners felt it was selfish to keep her going if her life was going to be this way. Who could blame them? I felt I would have given her more time if she were mine, but she wasn't my dog and I didn't have to watch her struggle to move. They knew their baby, they felt it was time. I don't think Mya was ready. She was still so full of life, but who am I to argue? 

We technicians have the option to not go in the exam rooms with the doctor for this procedure. I always do. My boyfriend would probably say I'm torturing myself. I feel that I need to support my clients and patients.

I stroked Mya's fur, it broke my heart that only her dad came but in a way I was glad, if I had to look on any more sad faces (that I knew for sure reflected my own expression) I don't know if I would have been able to hold my composure. Mya's mom wasn't there to hug me, which I know would have sent me into tears.

Doctor asked her owner if he was ready. He nodded. Our vet told her she was such a good girl while he gave her the medicine. Her owner patted her and kissed her. I scratched her ears and told her she was good. And then it was over. Doctor listened to her chest to confirm for a full minute. Mya was gone. We helped carry her back to their truck, they had a special place for her on their property. 

Doctor went into his office (he was upset too) and I went into the surgery room to take some deep breaths.

Then I had to go prep for surgery.

It times like these that make me realize I can still feel this way. Sometimes when you work in this field you wonder if you begin to get desensitized. But I don't think we truly can and if you do you need to get out of the field or take a break. Some patients will affect you more than others for whatever reason. We are conditioned to deal with death on sometimes a daily basis. As unfortunate as that may be it is also an amazing gift of release we are able to offer suffering pets.

Later on in the week doctor and I discussed the cases we had. It helps sometimes to know that other staff members are as upset as you. Even though these pets aren't ours, we all care for them as if they were.   

Disclaimer: I did not know this dog or her owners from anywhere but the clinic. These are pure emotions that I feel for my patients because I love each and every single one of them (ok except maybe the ones that try to eat me, I just like them a little less). Also I don't believe euthanising homeless animals is an act of kindess when there are other life saving alternatives available...this may be a post for next week. I do however believe if they are terminal or suffering and medical hopeless that they should be humanely euthanised. Don't get me started on the gas chambers...yeah they seriously STILL use that outdated horrible inhumane piece of equipment in several states. 

Please reach out to me if you like!

Peace, Love, and Pawprints,

<3 Lindsay

#nerdsunite

Click here to follow Lindsay on Twitter!

#NerdsUnite: The secret life of a veterinary technician

<editorsnote> Nerds, meet my buddy Lindsay. She and I met ... well, somewhere in the social space. I think we might have started talking through this site directly, then through facebook - maybe ... I'm not sure. But she's awesome. I talk to her on twitter almost every day, and she's really rad and TOTALLY a big huge animal lover. Like crazy huge!! In these series of posts she will be talking about her life and random adventures with sometimes more than two legged creatures. I guess there's only one more thing left to say ... HIT IT LINDSAY!! </editorsnote>

#TalkNerdyToMeLover's @TheCraftafarian

Update on my little world...I apologize in advance this may not flow well (aka random possibly run-on sentences) I have a headache :(

Post Thanksgiving--I'm slowly getting out of this rut or bout of depression. I try to keep myself from thinking negatively. I try to use that optimist list I wrote about. I put on positive or upbeat music kinda loud and jam out. Sometimes it really helps, it soothes my soul. Problem is I have a terrible time remembering names of artists and songs, thankfully there is spotify and pandora to help me. Sooo I would totally appreciate if anyone wanted to suggest something on twitter @thecraftafarian for me to listen to. Especially if you have spotify and you already have a playlist to share with me!

On top of my regular work schedule we had the holiday madness of visiting families (mine and davids), ive been pet sitting all week and coming home now and then to check on our pets while david is at work. I feel perpetually exhausted and my time management has gotten even worse.

Getting ready for holiday functions I realized I dont have much clothes to wear and hardly any that fit. I feel unhealthy and I think I look the part although I'm told otherwise. Time to do something about it. Its been a crazy week to start eating better and exercising routinely. I recieved a klout perk for Jillian Michaels fitness web planner and phone app. It seems to make things really easy if you are willing to just follow her meal and exercise plans. It even has shopping lists. Im going to play around with it and use it as a guide but I seriously need to get in shape.

This week our schedule at the clinic is slow. That happens around the holidays especially in lower economy areas. I dont think Ive mentioned it before but I kinda run my clinics social media sites. While I didnt create our facebook account and page I do manage it and update it. I may even start a twitter account but I'm not sure how much that could help a veterinary clinic. Also I spoke with our manager and vet/owner about doing a foursquare check-in special. I love using foursquare to check out places and I always check to see if the location we plan to go to has any specials. Hey I like a good bargain!! I was thinking free nail trim for dogs or cats with check in. Looove social media!

Thanksgiving wasnt so bad. I ended up dragging my friend Myke and my boyfriend along to my parents house. Good food and vodka yay! But I didnt stay too long as I wanted to get home to my pot, pups, and relax before I had to go on to the next obligation.

Do any of you ever feel like you just never get anything done? Its really been bugging me lately, like life is sorta spinning soo slowly out of control. Maybe you just have to go with it or make it what you want.

Well I'm exhausted! Please share any music suggestions, fitness tips or general life-self-help ideas with me!
I could use all the help I can get!

<3 Lindsay
@thecraftafarian
Craftafarian at gmail d c
Http://craftafarian.blogspot.com

#nerdsunite

#NerdsUnite: The secret life of a veterinary technician

<editorsnote> Nerds, meet my buddy Lindsay. She and I met ... well, somewhere in the social space. I think we might have started talking through this site directly, then through facebook - maybe ... I'm not sure. But she's awesome. I talk to her on twitter almost every day, and she's really rad and TOTALLY a big huge animal lover. Like crazy huge!! In these series of posts she will be talking about her life and random adventures with sometimes more than two legged creatures. I guess there's only one more thing left to say ... HIT IT LINDSAY!! </editorsnote>

#TalkNerdyToMeLover's @TheCraftafarian

Holidays....
I love the holidays at my clinic, at home, and with my friends but holidays with my family seriously stress me out. I don't know exactly why but its isn't really all that enjoyable for me. I prefer the company of the family I make for myself: my boyfriend, our pets, me and our close friends.

At the clinic we decorate for christmas/winter holiday. None of us are religious at all but we enjoy celebrating christmas for what it is to us: Spending time with the people you love. We decorate the clinic with a few miniature trees, garlands, and other decorations. It really cheers us up somedays and its fun to do together.

At home I decorate (or attempt to) for halloween/thanksgiving/fall and christmas/winter. Its fun for me to spruce up our little apartment with the limited stuff I have. Halloween is always fun because I have a bunch of black lights and this huge spider web made of lights. Christmas has the traditional mini tree, lights, and random other decorations.

I guess what the problem is that I feel comfortable at all of these places except for my parents house. (As always for identification purposes my parents are my mom and stepdad and my dad is my Dad) I usually get to bring my dogs to my parents house. Even though bringing dogs with you can be kind of like dragging your kids along they make me feel more comfortable and ease my anxiety. Even so I find myself getting annoyed, anxious, and often immediately feeling like I want to leave. Christmas morning is a little easier for me for some reason. Its really not the fact that I get presents but maybe its because everyone else is too. I find that during our traditional christmas morning (while we hand out our gifts and open them one at a time showing them off to one another) I'm not bothered as much. My stepdad isn't yelling at my brothers for some idiotic reason, my step-grandparents aren't asking me stupid (and often the same fucking) questions, my family isn't ignoring the veterinary advice they always ask for, my mom is actually spending time with us instead of only her husband, and their dog is actually behaving because she is sitting near me. Those few hours I watch my family and enjoy being there, regardless of gifts, those few hours make me realize why I actually visit more than once a year. To placate them. So I can tolerate christmas. Ha!

While I love them they completely drive me crazy and our relationship is IMMEASURABLY better when I don't see them often. Maybe it's me, maybe I'm intolerant, but this is how I make it work.

The problem this year is that my mom has asked me to leave the dogs home for thanksgiving. I'm already anxious :( I understand why. There will be 4 people who are unsteady on their feet and my mom already has two large dogs and one hasn't met my dogs yet. I understand leaving them home so we don't have a doggy brawl or someone breaking a hip but they keep me distracted from my anxiety and desire to leave. I don't know what to do if she asks me to leave them home for christmas, they are my kids and I've always had them there. And they love christmas, strictly for their gifts I'm sure!

*Sigh*

Explaining to my mother that I may need to leave early if I get anxious was as difficult as trying to explain to her that I started seeing a psychiatrist and starting taking meds (back in 2003). This year I got the "You just have to breathe speech" regarding anxiety. And back when I started seeking treatment for my mental health I was given the "Its mind over matter." Both times I wanted to scream. Ugh...aren't these supposed to be the people who understand you? I feel like I'm always being told to get over it. Whatever. I see no point in stressing myself out for no reason, if I get anxious and need to leave, I'm going to leave. My sanity must come first.

Other than the obligatory family visits I really love the holidays. What do you all do for the holidays?

#nerdsunite

<3 Lindsay
twitter: @thecraftafarian
blog: craftafarian.blogspot.com
email: craftafarian at gmail d c