3 posts tagged “animal emergency”
This is a true story, it happened yesterday. A group of construction workers were getting ready to pour concrete into 20 foot deep holes they had dug the previous day. For whatever reason there was a few moments of silence, all machines had stopped running simultaneously and the men heard a faint meow. Barely audible but they all agreed they heard it and started to look around and follow the sound. The search narrowed to the hole in the ground, someone pointed a flashlight down into the hole. There it was........a baby kitten, screaming and trying desperately to climb out. The men were not only shocked but also shaken because within just a few minutes they would have poured to fill that 20 foot hole. Then the ideas for rescue started to pass among them. The first attempt was a success, a line was dropped into the hole with a piece of wood attached. The kitten imediately grabed on to the wood piece and was raised up and out of his living hell. The next step was to get him wrapped up and warmed. He was wet, cold and covered with concrete and dirt.
It's the middle of the afternoon at the animal hospital and because Dr Boss is on va/ca in Portuagal, we're pretty slow. We have a fill in Vet there to pick up a few appts and sort of hang out while our other Dr does her surgeries. So, I'm stocking exam rooms and hear a mans voice in the lobby saying something like "Please help him". Unlike last weeks kitty emergency which came in sceaming and crying and sent the whole staff into instant emergency mode, this big construction guy comes strolling into the room I'm stocking with the receptionist who tells me to get fill in Dr. Which I really didn't need to because she heard some of what was going on and imediately left the newspaper she was reading and came. The guy, Evan, gently hands kitten off to Dr and Tech. He's visibly shaken but not hysterical, eyes a bit red, hands steady. He says to staff "Can you please help him, he wants to live." We all sort of looked at him...what an odd statement. But then he tells us the story of rescue.
Sometimes I wonder how many times a heart can break. Like what's the limit? Is there one? But back to the task at hand....we run warm tap water in the sink and Tech & I try to get him both warmed and rinsed of the amazing amount of concrete and dirt covering his tiny body. The calls come from Dr; Crash Kit, warmy socks, towels, cold tray, eye clean solution, IV and LRS and so on. What are the chances that Bonnie just took a full load of clean towels out of the dryer?! Now we wrap kitten in warm towels and start the accessment of his condition. Heart and lungs good. Hydration a bit ify but not critical. The eyes, well there's the main problem. He had so much grit inside his eyes that it scratched both his cornea's. It took us a good half hour to clean that crud out of his tiny eyeballs. Fill in Dr had Evan (kittens savior) get info about the chemical make up of the concrete. It wasn't dreadful but risky. So, while Tech and I comence to start a second bath, and feed this now better but very hungry kitten, fill in Dr sets to putting up meds for his eyes and pain. About an hour later Evan walks out of the hospital with a mostly clean, no longer starving and cold kitten. He is keeping the kitten. Names got mentioned but I think he settled on Mason.
I think about the "what ifs" and cringe. Then I think about this tiny little baby, feral no doubt, in the wrong place at the wrong time, screaming literally for his life. Cry? Oh yeah, all the way home last night. But tears of happiness and some of sadness because I just can't imagine being in his situation.
Ok, ok, ok so I cried about being way too old for the construction guy 'cause he was smokin' hot! And him being so kind and gentle to a baby kitten upped that by many notches! Great catch for a 20 something.
We at the Hospital have been dealing with one emergency after another. Oh yes, we still have our daily functions; Appointments, Procedures etc. But we have also added a number of crazy emergencies. To top it all off we had to euthanize our darling little patient Jordan yesterday. We've been treating him since November for Diabetes, on Thursday he went into Renal Failure and yesterday we lost him. Jordan was a wonderful little patient, easy to treat and take care of. I was there with him in his final moments along with Dr and Tech. We talked to him and pet him until he slipped away.
Last week we got a call from an owner about her Pit Bull that was at Animal Control. He was being held for Rabies Quarantine as his owner had not vaccinated him in 3 years! Stupid. He bites people and the most recent victim was her brother. Sent him to the hospital. The story is that he got Parvo while at AC. Hm. Anyway, he was dying. We were asked if we could save him. (why?) So she could take him back home and put him back in the yard on a tie-out? Wow, what a life! And they wonder why he bites. Anyway, I was asked to help with treatment. He was brought to us by Animal Control Officers, carried in so as to not even remotely give any chance of Parvo hitting the ground or our floors. Muzzled and on the exam table he let us give him IV fluids, IV meds and AC was told that we would not keep him in Quarantine because Dr would not risk staff getting injured trying to treat him. AC didn't want him back because of the Parvo threat. What a mess. And to think that ALL OF THIS COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED for a lousy few bucks of vaccinations. As of yesterday, they've spent over $1,000 keeping this animal alive. So they can take him home and tie him up in the yard and show everyone how tough they are because they have a Pit Bull. I can't wait for the day that this breed is no longer a status symbol or "fashion statement".
Monday a staff member, BJ I'll call her, brought in her German Shepherd because she had been vomitting. Dr. and BJ suspected an obstruction. Xray confirmed. She had a belly full of stones. Seriously, stones lots of 'em just packed into her stomach. The film showed them all packed in there with no way to pass. So, in they went and a couple of hours later had removed a good pound or so.
Yesterday another staff member, KH, brought her Bulldog in for a possible obstruction. Again, Xray's confimed a mass in the belly. In they went to surgery AGAIN and a couple of hours later had her dog in recovery and the Victoria's Secret Thong removed. I wasn't there for that surgery as Tuesday is my only short (6 hr) day. I was there in Xray when Dr read the film, he told me that he was going to make all staff ship their dogs out of town until our other Dr got back from her mediacal leave!
On a side note, we have done these types of surgeries often and most live. However, some die on the table. At the point of near closing they can go into Cardiac Arrest. I have yet to see one saved once that happens. And they try, they try HARD to save them. Just like you see on TV. These are not easy surgeries. They are stressful and lengthy and recovery is hard.
I'm off to get ready to see what today brings. I groom this morning then am in the back of the hospital til close.
This months Harvest Moon is my absolute favorite! We were lucky enough here in Western NY to have clear night skies and warm enough nights to stand outside and really view it. I live in the city now but when I was on the Mountain it was even more beautiful because there were no lights to detract it's glow. And though I was in bad shape with money then, I'd go through my woods and scavange up enough wood to fill my fire ring and cook up something either from the land or a hot dog or two and just sit in the vast darkness and enjoy the breathtaking night sky. I didn't ever for one moment take that for granted. Some of the best things in life are free afterall.
With that full moon came a curse; we had seven emergencies yesterday! S-E-V-E-N. One of our receptionists kept saying "it's the full moon" over and over again. I kept thinking "Please don't make me hate full moons!" It was just absolute crazieness there and by the time I got home I was so exhausted I could barely think.
So, we had a cute little Beagle with a foot injury, easy enough; clean wound, bandage, give "happy hat" to keep her from chewing the bandage and sent them on their way. Actually most of the emergencies went like that yesterday. All but one were treated in between appointments. The thing is you don't know until they get there what the extent of the "damage" is. The worst one yesterday forced us to cancel the rest of the afternoon appts. and grab every available set of competent hands on deck.
I will tell you ahead of time that she lives. She survived the surgery that her brother did not. A sweet 150 lb Mastiff whom I will call Luna. And this is where my anger to owners comes in; this is their THIRD dog that has eaten something stupid enough to get an obstruction and required emergency surgery. How many times do you have to spend $1200+ and put a dogs life at risk before you figure out you have to keep s*&t away from them?!!!! Last time Luna's brother ate the Mr's underwear and died on the table. (they waited a full week before they decided he wasn't gonna pass it!) This time Luna ate a car chamios cloth plus a dishtowel. We weighed the said material at 2.5 lbs. This is not an easy surgery, it is very difficult and intense. I'll keep it at that. But Luna was alive and out of anesthsia at 6 last night. So I can't wait to get there today to see her. One last thing I'd like you to know; she out weighs me by about 40 lbs, I sat with her while she laid on the xray table, I held her during prep, held her for the input of the IV and never once did she so much put up any kind of resistance. At one point she gently put her face to mine and ever so softly gave me a very nice lick on my face. No words for how that feels.
