Mama cat at the clinic…

A pregnant cat was brought into the clinic tonight. She is up for foster placement once her kittens are born and kittens will be available for adoption. She was placed in the medical boarding unit, with food, a warm towel and a litter box. I am scheduled to work tomorrow on a Saturday,filling in for a vet tech on vacation and hopefully will have pictures to post.

Today at the clinic:

Routine exams with vaccines and restraint of fractious-dogs and cats with muzzle for dog and scruffing for cat.

Two dental surgeries-extractions, mole removal and basically a learning experience regarding anasthesia, monitoring and documenting HR, BP. Will need to do observations the following week to familiarize myself with procedures and also different styles of the veterinarians.

Laundry, feeding, pill medication, walking the boarders and cleaning.

No lunch today-worked eight hours straight.

The Clinic

The Clinic

The Clinic is a three-doctor practice on the ground level floor of a limestone building. The clinic also has a basement area where boarders are kept and contains a grooming area for the groomer who works three days a week. Washer and dryer as well as storage are in the basement as well as ‘the morgue’-the freezer for the remains awaiting transport to cremation or labs.

There are two surgery rooms, lab and testing area, pharmacy area, medical boarding kennels as well as two examination rooms and the waiting reception area. At times, the space can be cramped with vet techs, doctors and the resident animals rushing from area to area.

The resident animals

Libby is a tabby cat who was found outside the clinic apparently hit by a car. She has only one eye, cannot relieve herself and must be expressed three times a day. ‘Expressed’ is applying pressure to her bladder for urine to be released as well as feces. She also receives fluids on a daily basis as well as medication. I am not sure of her age but judging from her anger response to receiving fluids and expression, her meow and hiss are definitely worse than the attempts at scratching.

The Senator is a brown Chihuahua who has an allergic reaction of the barking and biting kind for males and people of colour. My first introduction with the Senator resulted in bite marks on my brand new Dansko clogs. He is not nice and unfortunately may spend his days at the clinic as his adoptability is on the very low side. Found with his bed tied to a fire hydrant, he was probably abused by a male of colour.
Stray and abandon cats are welcome at the clinic and receive a full medical check-up prior to adoption and show cased in a giant crate in the reception area.

My Status

I shadowed at the clinic for month of Sundays before my hiring on August 1. I work Sundays only with occasional fill in days. It’s been an exciting journey thus far. I have witnessed three euthanasia’s, one surgery and held a dog as he drew his last breath. I learned to give fluids, subcutaneous injections and cat and dog restraint. I prefer restraining dogs, as there is only the mouth to be weary off whereas a cat has five points of weapons. I’ve been scratched, bled on, peed on, screamed on, bit on…this can continue but it stops here.

Following are some pix’s…

The dishes we wash…

Libby, the ‘expressive’ one…

The Senator…

The Morgue…

Regular borders…