#NerdsUnite: The secret life of a veterinary technician (depressed)

<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

Yeah, thats me this week.  Anxious, tired, and depressed. I mean I' having good moments and joking with my coworkers/friends but I know I'm having a little trouble lately. (I'm fine, just feeling down, promise!)

To be honest I havent been as strict about taking my medication lately and I KNOW that is contributing. I'm using my phone now to help me remember. I think it's so hard to remember because I really don't have a set routine for the morning--that's something I've been working on. It's so hard to think when I feel anxious all the time. I just feel

like there is always so much thats needs to be done at home or at work. My apartment is a complete mess right now: Trash needs to be taken out, dishes, pets need food/meds/attention, cleaning to be done. My boyfriend works all the damn time and is too tired to do much when he gets home (literally working like 50+ hours per week and they sometimes pay partial overtime...if he's lucky). And since he just had dental surgery which placed a screw implant thing into his jaw bone so they can put a permanent tooth on it--I really feel like I can't ask him to help me. At work we've been busy lately and so some days I am in a constant state of overdrive trying to get work done. I need a vacation and ours has been postponed to this summer, I may have to take an extra day off  here and there before I get too over-stressed. We've had so many patients pass away the last two weeks its as if the entire staff is in a perpetual state of depression. Bleh!

Well since I can't bitch about being depressed and just leave it at that...a previous employee (and good friend of everyone's) is going to vet school at the end of April and we are having a goodbye dinner at Bucca Italian Restaurant. So that will be fun and cheer us all up. As far as the craziness that is my house--I'm going to take care of the animals, relax a bit, and then tackle the most important chores. After that I plan to slowly catch up over the next week by selecting certain things to be done on certain days so that way I'm not trying to do a bunch of things at one time--which stresses me out. This weekend I have kennel duty but I get to play with kittens (we still have 5!) then probably have breakfast with my Dad. I'm also going to do a little bit of shopping, I still have some gift cards left over from the holidays!!

So I started my post off by being extremely stressed out.  But writing it out helped me come up with ideas to manage what needs to be done as well as making sure I do some fun/relaxing things.

Ok I feel better. I'm gonna watch tv for a little bit and then give my bearded dragon a bath. Thanks nerds :)

#nerdsunite

Click here to follow Lindsay on Twitter!

#NerdsUnite: The secret life of a veterinary technician (What do veterinary techs do?)

<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 :) I'm sure many of you have pets and have been to the veterinarian's office. Do you ever wonder what the veterinary technicians do besides hold the pet for the doctor? This is what most vet techs do around the clinic; keep in mind--not all clinics have "techs" (they have assistants which don't do as much medical stuff) and some just may not have all the skills below. Also for legality purposes all skills described in this post are performed under the direct supervision of the veterinarian on staff. 

Appointments: We take all the history and vitals including weight, temperature, and heart rate. We draw any blood or take samples that are needed as well as go over any estimates for recommended procedures/treatments/services. Prescriptions are filled at the clinic or called into pharmacies. If there is only one of us scheduled for the day the doctor helps us with radiographs (xrays) but generally we do those without assistance. 

Surgery: In preparation for surgical procedures blood work is performed to ensure the patient has no problems that would complicate surgery, an IV catheter is placed for IV fluids and for emergency venous access, drugs are calculated based on dosages the doctor provides. We prepare the surgical room for the patient, get all the necessary instruments and supplies, and set up the anesthesia machine. After the doctor performs a pre-op exam we are then able to induce anesthesia and prep the patient for the procedure. Sometimes the doctor helps shave and scrub if I'm busy setting up the monitors for heart rate, blood pressure, pulse oximeter (measures oxygenation), temperature, and depth of anesthesia. Once the doctor starts surgery we record vitals every 5-10 minutes (from the monitors as well as manually) and run the anesthesia. Based on vital signs I increase or decrease amount of anesthesia the pet is getting as well as administer additional pain medications or other drugs as instructed by the doctor. Once surgery is over we assist the doctor in discharging the pet at the end of the day by going over medications and home care instructions. OH! And sometimes in surgery if the doctor needs an extra hand (or two) I get to scrub and glove in!! So so so cool. I'd totally share photos if I wasn't worried some people would freak out over blood and such. 

Hospitalized Patients: Cared for by techs from doctor's orders. We do all of the treatments throughout the day. 

Emergencies: When they come the doctor performs the initial assessment and if the patient is stable he will go talk to the owners while we take vitals, place catheter, and start treatments. In cases of arrest CPR is started  the doctor is needed to access the patient and call out orders while one tech does chest compressions and the other is breathing for the patient.  

Dental Cleaning: This is the part that surprises everyone--and the inspiration for the post. Technicians perform dental cleanings!!! Yes that's right, when the pet is under anesthesia I get to clean and polish their teeth. If there are any extractions or dental procedures required the doctor does that, but yeah I clean their teeth. It's fun! Teeth are cleaned on all sides (which is why anesthesia is important and necessary--also all the tartar, bacteria etc should not be swallowed-so my stance on non-anesthetic dental procedures is NO), polished, fluoride foam is applied, and then if the owner wants we also apply a barrier gel which helps protect the teeth from build up of plaque and bacteria.

Besides the skills above I also discuss medical decisions with owners, end of life care, puppy training, food questions, behavior questions, and pretty much anything under the sun that an owner can think of and ask. If I don't know I ask the doctor. We take 99.5% of all the calls for the clinic and answer any questions, with the help of our veterinarian. Never EVER underestimate the power of veterinary support staff. And hey, thank your vet tech next time you are in the office--it means sooo much to us. (Seriously, I get so super excited when people genuinely appreciate what I do at work, so so so happy)

 I plan to further my veterinary education soon, details to come next week! :)

#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

Hey there! It's been one of those weeks for me. Just kinda crummy. No real reason, just life is getting to me. Don't get me wrong, life is actually good. I've been walking the dogs more, trying to do more yoga, eating better. The most frustrating thing is when I'm sad or bummed out for no apparent reason. This is something I've been dealing with for almost 15 years.

Let me give you a bit of a back story. 

I have been dealing with depression/chemical imbalance/whatever they feel like calling it that year since I was a kid. My parents and I weren't aware of it at the time. I thought what I was feeling was normal. My parents (when I say my parents that means my Mom and Step dad, my Dad is referred to as my Dad. Even though he is just as much of a parent and perhaps more supportive but this is how I refer to them) just thought I was being a teenager and going through a long angry phase. It's hard to remember a lot from back then, I remember having strange thoughts when I was or young as 11 or 12.  Things like it wouldn't really matter if I were gone and I wish it would all just be over. I remember having such a difficult time dealing with any emotions. Things that were just crummy became devastating. Empathy was extremely difficult to deal with at this time. I would cry for no reason, tears would just well up in my eyes as a knot would catch my throat. I remember screaming at my mother I didn't know why I acted and felt this way. I would be sent to my room in which I would sit on my bed and cry and remind myself why I needed to stay in this world. My dad needed me, my brothers, the pets. That was all I needed sometimes to pull back from the brink. 

I believe part of the reason my Dad and I never really fought (oh PS-It's hereditary, I'm like this weird little female copy of my dad, less cynical and more squishy, but we can finish each others sentences sometimes, its creepy) anymore was he sat me down after a big screaming match when I was like 11 and reasoned with me. He said since we didn't get to spend much time together (joint custody) that its silly to fight and argue and we should just enjoy the time we have together, we never fought again. EVER. But see, its like he knew/knows how to get through to me. Because I'm a mini-me, er him. Whatever. 

Flash forward to high school. Still having issues with parents. At this point my Dad and I lost touch (he moved out of state due to financial reasons). I started dating. God that was horrible. Haha. Massive mood swings and major depression disorder is not a good time for high school. Especially when you work two jobs to keep yourself out of the house AND go to school in a different city for a magnet program. That was lame but some of the experiences I wouldn't give up. 

The guy I'm dating Senior year of high school I am still sorta seeing on and off first year of college. I have a major nervous breakdown and he tells me that he thinks I need help. I agree to go see the school shrink and personal counselor. Around this time I found my dad and we got back in touch. This is 2003, I am prescribed effexor and trazadone. Throughout the few years I was seeing a psychiatrist I was put on a number of drugs in combination with one another. Here's the list and I was not on all these at the same time but a few were prescribed as a "cocktail". Effexor, Risperdall, trazadone, prozac, abilify, zoloft, xanax. Weeee. Gosh there was another one, surprised I can't remember?

Currently I only take Prozac (generic) and that was finally by my request. I have no idea if this is the correct medication but its the one I've had the least amount of lasting side effects from and I wasn't getting much help from my doctors at the time. I've spent parts of my life staring into space as my body adjusted to the medications, sleeping for hours upon hours, puking my guts out due to drug combos, and god knows what else. This stuff can be really strong. The reason they first started playing with my drug cocktail was when I maxed out on effexor dose. 

I gave up talking to counselors and shrinks. It doesn't work for me. But I will say however that I absolutely need to be on medication for the rest of my life. I have tried to wean off them and its just not worth it. At this point I truly believe I have a chemical imbalance that needs to be regulated with my meds. I still have bad days and good days, but so does everyone. Granted my bad days may be worse than some I haven't found myself thinking those terrible thoughts in many many years. Currently I just have my prozac filled by my general doctor and I don't have to see a psychiatrist, if I ever need my medication changed or increased I will probably have to go through all that bullshit. 

It was a long journey and its something that I will always have to battle but staying positive is one of the most important ways to combat it. Another big part for me was my pets, they needed me to be ok to take care of them. And in turn they kept me company and made me smile. 

Just because my experience with therapy, medications, and this medical condition were less than ideal doesn't mean that everyone's experience will be the same. I highly encourage you to seek out help if you feel you may need it. Research all your medications, their interactions with one another, and get a second opinion if you are able. If you are a student and your college has a student health center you may be able to get very affordable mental health care. Please please please seek out help if at least to get you started. 

Some people need medications and some don't, part of the problem is some doctors push drugs without diagnosing. 

And if anyone ever needed to talk please please reach out, believe me, I have been there. I know and understand the feeling. 

<3 Lindsay @thecraftafarian

blog: http://craftafarian.blogspot.com

email: craftafarian@gmail.com

PS--One super cute thing I get to deal with lately is this cuddly almost 7 week old kitten!! He brings a smile to my face, when he's not trying to climb up my leg like I'm a tree.... 

#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

It was just another Saturday night at the clinic. I tend to go down there later then the other technician. I'm a little OCD about certain things. I don't want the boarders to have to wait longer than 12 hours to eat or go out. I always try to do 9am and 9pm. The other tech will go at 9am and 5:30pm. Being 9pm it was very dark outside. I was letting the dogs that were boarding for the weekend out, checking on the cats, feeding and medicating everyone. I always have my dogs with me when I go to the kennel. They really enjoy going for the ride and visiting with the other pets. They love the fenced in yard too. The main reason I take them with me is because the my veterinary clinic is in a kinda sketchy part of town. We have special alarm codes to alert police if needed as well as a panic button. I also always carry pepper spray and my two large 60 lb shepherd mixes. Sometimes I have a knife, depending, because I don't want to get in trouble for a concealed weapon. 

As I was finished for the night I set the alarm, the dogs and I walked outside, and then locked the door behind me. They are sniffing the bushes and plants near the clinics door and suddenly I heard the cry of a kitten. 

Meeewwwww!!

Dammit. DAMMIT. I thought to myself. I called the dogs over (who for some reason didn't seem to notice the noise) and put Wynnie in the car. She's great with other animals but she is more excitable and I didn't know what exactly I would be dealing with. I couldn't really tell from the cry what age it was and I have in the past had to capture a feral kitten. Not the most fun thing to do. Leaving Wynnie in the car, I put River on a leash and told her to heel. I wanted to bring the dog with me to look around because the noise wasn't coming from the bushes right next to us it was coming from the other side of the driveway, bordering the neighboring business's property. And I didn't want to be abducted off the side of the road.

River and I begin walking towards the mews. I used my phone as a light because in my panic that there was a little kitten outside I didn't remember I had a flashlight in the car somewhere. The clinic is right off of a major road so the panic was justified. I would be completely devastated if the little kitten ran out into the road. I was able to see movement in the bushes and the little guy kept crying out to me. I tried to grab him but the bushes were thick and he wiggled out of my hand. I felt how small his tail was and the adrenaline kicked in. I. WILL. GET. THIS. KITTEN. I realize that it may be afraid of the dog so I made River lay down and stay. I starting talking to the kitten hoping it would come to my voice. He kept mewing to me when I talked. Once River was a few feet away he realized that the dog wasn't going to get him and he was more concerned with crying out for help. He crawled into a clear part of the bushes so I was able to reach my arm down inside the brush and lift him out. I had no idea how big he was until I had him in my arms.  

I pull him from the bushes and immediately hug him to my chest not caring if he is dirty or full of fleas (which he was...YUCK!). It wasn't that cold outside but he was tiny. As soon as I held him against me I felt him nuzzle into me, poor baby. So he doesn't seem feral, the last kitten I found outside was feral and not friendly (she's good now with people she knows, we ended up keeping her, its hard to find them homes when they aren't friendly and sweet). 

Leaving the dogs in the car, I took him inside and treated him for fleas, grabbed some canned food from the back and a cat carrier. I weighed him and assessed his health and age. A little dirty but looks pretty good over than the fleas. Small but eyes are open and he has teeth. Weighed in at 1 lb 1oz. He's probably about 5 weeks old. 

He's a lucky kitten! At this age and as a stray if he were taken to a county shelter he may have been euthanized for being too young. Certainly if he were any younger, they don't even give them a chance.  Also, the other tech and I were thinking about switching weekends and since she  comes a lot earlier he may never have been rescued. I didn't hear him crying when I got there. Who knows...

Well I've had him now for a week. So he's about 6 weeks old. Definitely a little boy and such a monkey! In a week or two he will be ready to be adopted. I've already dewormed him and treated for fleas. He's had a bath and ear cleaning. I may have to pay for his first set of vaccines myself but we'll see. The hardest part is finding a good home. I'm very particular who adopts my foster pets. It has to be someone who trusts their vet, understands that pets require time and money, and doesn't see him at "just a cat". Pets are worth every bit of time, effort, and money but you have to understand sometimes you have to do a lot and spend a lot. There are also ways of doing things a little inexpensively.

If anyone is looking to adopt a kitty and understands that he will need vaccines every 3 weeks until he's 16 weeks old. Also needs monthly flea/Heartworm prevention as well as a good balanced high quality cat food and yearly check ups at the veterinarian.  I love this little guy already and it's only been a week but that's how I do my job. I love each and every patient. That's why I'm so good at what I do, I put my heart and soul into it. 

 

PS-Dude! I was SOOO happy to find out that the little guy was past bottle age. That is some serious shit! Feeding every 2 hours...glad I don't have to do that again!

-Lindsay @thecraftafarian

#nerdsunite

click here to follow Lindsay on the 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

Hey Nerds!! What's shakin??

Today I wanted to talk to you guys about something that is VERY important to me. Animal rescue!! This past month I have attended three adoption events. The first two were with my clinic and only Orange County (FL) Animal Services (OCAS) as a rescue at Martin Federal Credit Union. My clinic was there to give freebies to anyone who adopted that day. I gave them bags of treats, free flea prevention, and then a voucher to go to our clinic for their first exam and first dose of flea and heartworm prevention for free! This last one I went to today. It was put together by OCAS but there were 12 or 13 other rescue groups there today as well as other animal type vendors. My clinic was there to give out the above mentioned goodies as well as leashes, more treat bags, shampoo samples, and free medical advice from me! I really enjoy being at these events and I get to take my dog River!!

Anyway, my point of this post is to share a little bit about myself -actually this is something I'm kind of ashamed to admit, until about 6 months or so ago I was of the belief (as well as many other animal people) that we shouldn't worry too much because you can't save them all (and that doesn't mean don't try, it just means to me that myself and other fellow vet staff shouldn't be upset about every pet we can't save or rescue). Which is ridiculous that I've actually said that in the past (partially to console a fellow tech who was devastated that we had to euthanize a sick kitty) because I have taken in day old kittens and nursed them back to health only to turn around and find them homes.

I could have taken them to the local county shelter which would euthanize them for being too young (that's fucked up right? You get to die because you're a baby, fuck that shit--that's me now talking).

I have personally gotten up EVERY TWO HOURS to bottle feed and stimulate a homeless orphaned kitten. I'm talking one day old to maybe five days old tops (I've done it a few times aka It's not my first rodeo..haha I love that line!), when they are that young its similar to having a newborn child (so I am told, I have no freaking clue!). When I say I feed them every 2 hours that doesn't mean I get to sleep for two hours and get up. That means I get to sleep for an hour and 15 mins to maybe an hour and a half. Because you have to get up, make the formula, heat the formula, stimulate before and after eating, reheat the warm water bottles to keep said baby warm...this can all take up to 45 minutes FOR ONE KITTEN. Holy crap I can't imagine taking care of an entire litter, I don't know how other kitten raisers do it!

Anyway--the thing that actually shocked my soul into realizing that it IS important to at least try a little in saving each and every one (not necessarily by taking them in yourself but networking to find a foster home, rescue, or even funds to get the little orphan some help-another reason why social networking is AMAZING) is a video called Shelter and the quote toward the end.

Here is the video:

Shelter from Kelly Sloan on Vimeo.

This is the blog post that goes with the video

I found these links when I began researching the No Kill Advocacy Movement. I truly truly believe in this No Kill idea. Please look into the links I have provided. Adopt a Shelter Pet. Don't buy! 30% of shelter pets are PUREBRED dogs or cats. And anywhere from 30-70% (90% in some places) of shelter pets that are healthy and adoptable are euthanized due to space limitations or other reasons.

Recently I made this to remind myself of my passion. It's a photo I actually took at the shelter (its was a kill shelter, sorry I had to tell you). This poor little (big) guy was so depressed he woudn't even come to the front of the kennel to say hi. The blurred gray in the photo are the bars of his kennel. This dog is a purebred St. bernard. He completely broke my heart. This quote is my mission statement and when I heard it on the video I wanted to cry. I wanted to take back all the times that I said don't worry we can't save them all. And maybe we can't, but we damn sure better try.

Please remember, that we are their voice. They are helpless and need us. Adopt. Report animal abuse. Rescue. CARE.

Every. Life. Counts.

And if it doesn't matter to you, it does to me, and the ones I save.

Peace.Love.Pawprints

<3 Lindsay @thecraftafarian

#nerdsunite