Weekly Reflection #3

Friday, May 22, 2009
Weekly Reflection #3

This final week of senior project I learned many interesting things. I especially enjoyed observing a few more surgeries. The surgeries did make me feel a bit sick though this time. I learned that one should not eat a lot right before they observe surgeries. The neuter that I saw was the surgery that made me feel most sick. This is probably because it looks the most violent. You first drug the animal, and then the surgeon cuts the testicle sack and just pulls out the testes. It seems like that might be painful. Then the surgeon cuts the cord that connects the testes to the body, ties off that cord, and it is done. What is really funny is when the animal begins to wake up; it acts really drunk.
The spaying seemed more clean-cut. Once the animal is put out, a slit is made with a scalpel on the animal’s stomach. Then the doctor uses this special shaped tool that dips into the now open body cavity and pulls out the ovaries and Fallopian tubes. All of that is then cut out, tied off, and then the slit is sewed up.
I really enjoyed all the new things I was able to learn this week. I also enjoyed learning more about how to deal with people who bring in their pets. I also learned that I was supposed to speak up if I was feeling sick during surgery because it would become unsanitary if I were to throw up while they were performing the surgery. It surprised me how much harder it was to perform the spaying surgery just because the animal was in heat. I have benefited from this week of senior project by knowing more about how an animal’s reproductive system works and how to remove that reproductive system.

Friday, May 22, 2009

1:30-4:30pm

Today when I got to Avalon Animal Hospital it started off rather sad.  A woman came in with her cat to find out what was wrong with it and found out that it had to be put down.  Today there was a big problem with people not wanting to pay their bills.  They wanted Avalon to take on feeding and caring for animals without being paid for the services.  Unfortunately, Avalon can not do this without going bankrupt, these people could not understand this.  A few animals also came in.  A dog with severe ear problems.  Also a cat came in that hadn't been properly taken care of.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

9:25am-12:25pm

I arrived at Avalon Animal Hospital to a relatively slow day.  A lot of cleaning was going on.  Everything had to be cleaned to make sure it was sanitary enough to treat patients and such.  Also, we had to check and make sure there were no bugs or pests.  One of the women who works here had their dog here today to!  He was so cute!  I think he is a saint bernard?  Or, just one of those big, furry dogs that are black with white under bellies and brown and white around the face.  Also the mother cat was let out of her cage today to get a little break from her kittens and get some exercise by walking around.  Since her back leg is so damaged, she had to limp around on three legs.  Also, two little, toy dogs came in today.  One was incredibly annoying.  Apparently the flap at the back of its throat was extra long, and so this made its breathing sound like a trucker snoring the whole time.  It was so loud!

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

1:30-4:30pm

I arrived at Avalon Animal Hospital as usual today.  A woman was here who was talking to Doctor Gaff and the other workers here a bout new medicine to stock.  They were mostly medicines given to animals who have allergic reactions to other medicines.  They were also medicines that have less side effects, so they are safer for the animals.  She also offered to help Avalon stock Frontline, flea-tick medicine (here they stock K9 Advantix).  A few animals came in today, though there were none in the back because I believe there were no surgeries this morning.  All the dogs that came in were scarredy-cats today!  Especially a grey hound and collie that came in.  Surprisingly, no cats came in today (quite the opposite happened yesterday)!

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

8:00-11:00am

I arrived at Avalon and an exciting morning began!  I first saw the mother cat.  She had to get the rest of the stitches out of her stump of a right-back-leg.  She was hissing the entire time; it looked painful.  The stitches and the scabs over them had to be taken out and off so that the scar tissue underneath could heal better.  Next, I observed a cat neuter.  I think cat neuters creep me out the most because they look the most painful, even though they really are not.  First, the hair on the male cat's testicles has to be pulled out (not shaved because they will get razor burn); then the vet makes an incision on the sack and just pulls the testes out, and ties off!  It is really odd to watch!  Then, we had a dog spaying.  It was a little difficult since the dog was in heat.  This causes the ovaries to be engorged and more fragile.  It all turned out okay, but the smell of the dog's insides was burning my nose.  A day full of surgeries... it was really cool.

Monday, May 18, 2009

1:30-4:30pm

Today I arrived to start a brand new week at the Avalon Animal Hospital.  Today, I spent a lot of time with the kittens and mother cat.  The kittens have completely doubled since they first got here!!!  Also, their eyes are now completely open.  The kittens also have more energy now, they play and explore their crate now.  Also, they have started grooming themselves.  They still start whining when they are taking away from their mother, but, they can now crawl back over to her on their own.  The mother cat is also extraordinarily sweet.  I don't think I have ever met a cat so nice as her.  She loves to just be pet and purr.  We were brought mostly cats today.  Two were sick and throwing up so they had to be given antibiotics (I hope they don't throw those up)!  Also a little baby, puppy pit-bull came in for its first veterinarian appointment.

Weekly Reflection #2

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Weekly Reflection

 

            As I had gotten used to being around a veterinary hospital the first week, this second week I learned more about how to deal with the people coming for appointments, as well as how to care for the animals.  It was hard to deal with people who were not exactly the best people to own a pet, for instance, when people would bring in a dog that was so untrained it would snap at the vet or the assistant.  The owners, a lot of the time, would just laugh off the dog’s biting as if it was not serious, when in reality, a dog bite can be very serious and is nothing to laugh at. 

This week I also learned more about taking care of the baby kittens and their mother who had been abandoned and were now in the Avalon Animal Hospital’s care.  One of the kittens was much smaller than the others, and because of this, it did not get as much food (mother’s milk) as it needed.  We tried everything we could to get it to put on weight.  We separated it from its mother and siblings and put it in its own crate with warming blankets and a feeding tube so that it could put on more weight.  In the end, nothing worked and it passed away, leaving us with only four kittens.

            This week I really enjoyed what we were doing.  I loved meeting all the new animals in appointments.  Also, it was especially fun taking care of the kittens and their mother.  I realize I was especially asked to help keep the company of the mother cat  because she had just gone through so much and deserved a little pampering.  It really surprised me when a dog was brought in one day to be put to sleep; I forgot that vets also have to do jobs like that.  I have benefited from this week by knowing more about how to interact with patients, both the animals and the humans that bring them.

Friday, May 15, 2009

1:00-4:00pm

I got to Avalon Animal Hospital and everything seemed to be going well.  It was a really slow day as one of the veterinary assistants was off that day so there were less appointments.  A few dogs came in all for routine appointments which the other veterinary assistant handled.  Also there were a lot of phone calls made to the office and so we had to help them with their pet problems.  A few more animals came in to have the nails clipped as well.  I also played with the baby kittens for a while and the mother cat.  The mother cats mangled foot it getting better everyday, and the wrappings have even been taken of as well.  The kittens are incredibly cute, though, they always seem to be crying for feeding time.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

1:30-4:30pm

I arrived at Avalon ANimal Hospital and everything seemed to be going well.  There was a black cat named Sabrina in the back who was biting and hissing a bit.  This was the second time she was brought to Avalon for a spaying.  The first time she was brought, she had to be sent home because she bit her owner really badly and it is the law that the Vet has to wait ten days before she can perform any procedure on the animal.  So she was back again, and still not a very nice cat.  The kittens are growing bigger everyday, and now they are trying to walk around a bit (I feel like they keep doubling in size!).  A small dog was also brought in because it had bad diarrhea (I feel like I am really working with people because of the multitude of problems animals can actually have!), Dr. Gaff gave the owner some medicine, so the dog should be okay.  Next we saw two incredibly nice australian shepherds!  They were only in for regular appointments, but they screamed like banshees just when they were getting their nails clipped!  They were such babies, but very cute.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

1:35-4:35pm

Today just seemed to be a sad day at Avalon Animal Hospital.  A woman brought in her dog which had been sick.  Dr. Gaff said it had a blood engorged tumor in its stomach and it was leaking blood.  The dog was so sick that Dr. Gaff had to put the dog to sleep.  Also, the baby, orange kitten that had been on the feeding tube died last night.  It was almost half the size of the other kittens and it just wasn't eating.  This means that we only have four kittens left with the mother.  Next we met with a big, reddish golden retriever named Beckett.  He was incredibly sweet, but, very energetic.  He just had routine appointment, and tried to hide under a tiny chair just when he was going to get a shot!  We saw a few other people, but otherwise it was pretty slow.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

9:00am-12:00pm

Today I arrived early at Avalon Animal Hospital.  It was a rather slow day.  A cat was neutered this morning.  Also the baby kittens are still doing well, except for the little orange kitten who keeps getting put into a different cage with a feeding tube to help him eat more and become more healthy.  We only have a couple of cats in the back kennels right now.  We saw a big yellow labrador in an appointment, and then a chocolate labrador in the next appointment.  A german shepherd came in that had a bruise that was filled with fluid.  It was a bit touchy because the bruise hurt so much.  A few cats came in for routine appointments.  Mostly to check on whether the cats had lime disease or any other diseases, this was checked by examining the stool.

Monday, May 11, 2009

1:40-4:40pm

I arrived at Avalon Animal Hospital to begin a new week of senior project.  The first pets that can in were two pugs.  After that I went in the back to see which animals were there.  A cat had been brought in that had been wobbling while it walked.  It was blind in at least one eye.  Dr. Gaff thinks it might be because the cat has a brain tumor.  Also back there was a little dog who had been spayed that morning, it is a yappy little thing.  Also the mother cat and her five kittens were there.  Four of the kittens are doing great, but one of the orange ones hasn't been eating and so it has been moved to a different cage with a feeding tube to hopefully make it eat more and get more healthy.  The other four kittens are doing great and are getting bigger by the day, also now all their eyes are completely open!  The mother cat with her mangled leg has also had her bandages removed.  You can see the stitches, it looks weird seeing part of her foot missing.  Next, we saw a huge collie mix.  Jethro had hotspots that needed to be taken care of.  Then, a couple of dogs came for nail clippings.

Weekly Reflection #1

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Weekly Reflection #1

           

            This was the first week of my senior project shadowing the veterinarian Kristi Gaff at the Avalon Animal Hospital in Franklin, New Hampshire.  I learned many things about animals.  I observed animal appointments, both routine appointments and those that were scheduled because the animal was sick.  I learned how to tell certain diseases from blood tests.  Those included were Lyme disease, heartworm, leukemia in cats, and feline HIV.  I learned how to handle dogs that were more vicious and untrained, and how to avoid scratches and bites from both cats and dogs.  I also learned about neutering and spaying surgeries.  I learned that spayings are more dangerous, as you actually have to make an incision to go inside the cat or dog to spay them.  I also learned a lot about broken bones in animals and the different ways to treat them.  I learned about young kittens and how long it takes them to grow, open their eyes, and how long until they can be separated from their mother. 

I really enjoyed working with the animals and learning little “tidbit” facts about them.  Observing appointments was also pleasant because I could learn about the specific needs of that animal.  Sometimes I was asked to not attend certain appointments.  This is understandable, because Dr. Gaff doesn’t want me to get hurt by particularly dangerous animals.  The biggest surprise I had this week was when a litter of kittens and their mother was abandoned and Avalon took them in and is currently taking care of them.  I have benefited a lot from this experience so far by being able to understand more about animals’ personalities.

Friday, May 8, 2009

1:40-4:40pm

I arrived at Avalon Animal Hospital, and everything was pretty normal.  I pet the mother cat and her kittens a lot.  Three of the kittens are orange, one is dark with undertones of other colors, and one is completely black.  one of the orange kittens is a runt.  He is slightly smaller and always seems to be beneath one of the other kittens!  The mother cat is as sweet as ever.  She loves to just be rubbed on the head and purr.  The first appointment we had was with two smaller dogs.  They just had their nails clipped and the older of the two had a very serious ear infection that had to be treated.  I saw a few more animals and then left.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

1:40-4:40pm

Today started off really cool, in a sad way.  I arrived at Avalon and they told me how they had found a box left outside the door of Avalon Animal Hospital.  Inside they found a mother cat and five kittens only ten old!!!  They are tiny and so cute!  The mother cat had a paw that was only connected to her body by a few threads.  Dr. Gaff had to fix it in surgery!  I can't believe someone just abandoned these little kittens and their mother!  Next a woman brought in a gray cat that she found a few days ago.  She couldn't tell if the cat was pregnant or not.  Tis the season for kittens I guess!  It was so fun getting to pet the mother cat and kittens all day!!!

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

8:10-11:10pm

When I arrived at Avalon today some pets were just getting checked in for surgeries later that day.  We first say a tiny, little chihuahua named Mya who was just getting a few tests done, she shivered throughout the whole process.  Next, we saw Anubis, a big, black cat.  He was in to be neutered.  I observed the process seeing exactly how a cat neutering is carried out.  I also was able to feel the sutures done on his left hind-leg from when he broke his leg in an accident.  Next I observed a spaying done on 24 week old black dog, Star.  I was able to observe the procedure and see how the sexual organs are pulled out and tied off.  I also was told how a breathing tube it used in spayings.  After the surgeries, a smaller dog came in so that Dr. Gaff could remove stitches.  The dog had had a couple of skin cysts that had been removed and stitched up and so now the stitches were removed.  Next, we saw Ruby, a big golden retriever.  She was just in for a routine  appointment.  Then I saw a dog (Heidi) and a cat (Inky)  for their routine appointments.  I finished off the day by seeing the ex-rays of Anubis, the black cat that broke its hind-leg.

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

1:49-4:55pm

I arrived at Avalon Animal Hospital at 1:49pm.  They had just finished a spaying surgery and told me how it was pretty difficult since the dog was older, this made her cords more slippery.  Since her cords were slippery the knot wouldn't hold as well.  Eventually the surgery finished and as I arrived they were waking the dog up; she was a bit stand offish.  The first appointment I observed had a very shy dog.  The dog was trembling the whole time.  She only needed some shots and then the appointment was done.  The second dog we saw was a bit more aggressive.  The dog's ears hurt and so she would snap and bite at anyone who tried to touch them, she would not even let the vets put a muzzle on her.  The dog was eventually sent home with some drugs that would help her relax for her next appointment so a muzzle could be put on at that appointment.  Next, a cat came in for a regular appointment.  Then, a blind, diabetic chocolate labrador came in.  His eye was a little infected so it got checked out.  We then checked out a little black kitten.  A test was done on the kitten that unfortunately came back saying the cat was positive for leukemia.  We ended the day with a regular appointment from a yellow lab.  It was so nice and loved to be pet!

Monday, May 4th, 2009

1:30-4:30pm

Today my senior project officially began and I left at around 1:00pm to reach the Avalon Animal Hospital.  I met with Kristi, the vet I would be somewhat shadowing.  I also met Ronda and Rebecca who also work at Avalon.  I got a tour of Avalon and then was shown a bit about the files on the animals.  I was able to observe pet appointments, including taking out the stitches in a dog from a previous appointment.  I hung out a lot and got used to be around a vet.  I learned about dog breeds as well as Heart-worm disease and Lime disease, which are prominent in this season.  I am excited to go back and learn more.