Merry Christmas!!

It's been a long time, and this will be brief. Last night I worked my first ever emergency shift. I had 2 patients. One isn't doind too well, but the other went home! He was a gorgeous lab that was left on a chain and ended up with lacerations on his neck. We don't know if it was a dog or the chain, but we cleaned him up and sent him home. Here is the gross picture...

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Horse Dentals

Here is the other thing I have been doing for the last week. Horse Dentals!! It is very different from anything I have ever done. You use power tools and large files to file down ("float") a horse's teeth. They get very sharp from the repetitive motion of chewing and they need a dental every year. They are sedated and a speculum is placed in the mouth to keep it open- they can still bite you though!

Jesse's Surgery

Jesse has finally experienced that right of passage into adult "dogdom." He was neutered on Thursday by the best student in our class, Ashley Brown. I can say that because she will never read this! (hehe) Surgery went excellently. He was on his best behavior and everyone told me I was nuts- he would never try and hurt a fly... we'll see about that. He did eat a roach this morning..... I digress. He is officially the heapest drunk and biggest cry baby every. The drugs that were suppose to relax him, knocked him out; and we only needed 1/4 the drugs we calculated to knock him out. Now he is in an e-colar again and EVERYTHING makes him cry. He can't lick- he cries; he can't scratch- he cries; he can't get through a doorway- he cries; you get the idea. Now for my job as a veterinarian. I have included not a cute picture of Jesse pouting, but a lovely illustration of why everyone should get their dog neutered if they can only feel one testicle. The abdominal/inguinal one has 13.6 times higher chance of becoming cancerous. It is small, soft, and has increased blood supply- a nidus for displastic, cancerous cells. It was fun to watch. And not that 2 of his brains have been removed, maybe the 1/2 he has left will function a little better! Love you guys. See you in a month or so!

The second week of TDCJ...

So here is the picture to encapsulate the second week of TDCJ. Naturally, if you are preg cheking cows, you need to fertility test the bulls. So, well, I think the picture speaks for itself. If youahve any questions on how we exactly get the bull to deposit it in the little condem thingy, google "bull breeding soundness exam" and pick the first one that comes up. Or, you can ask me about it!

How can you NOT want one??

How can you not want one of these little bundles of joy!! His name is Murphy and Aunt Coco's friend calls nim Smurf!

The most interesting week of vet school...

Well, this was definitely the craziest week of vet school yet. I am on the TDCJ (Texas Department of Criminal Justice) rotation and I spent the last week at a trailer in Sugarland. We (me, Rocky, and Abby) would meet Doc (that is, Dr. Dinges) out front between 5:45- 6:00 am and he would take us to various Units (prison units) and we would work cattle. Well, if we are being honest, the trustees (non-violent offenders) worked the cattle and we spent all day with our arm up a cow's butt. I can now tell you if a cow is pregnant just be reaching up her rectum and feeling around- great parlor trick, huh?! It is a nasty, dirty job and I really hated it at first (I think, because I had NO idea what I was doing) but towards the end of the week we were all having fun. You have to be careful, but you really forget you are working with convicts after a couple days (especially the ones that are good with cattle) and it's like working with any other livestock folks. I can't say I want to do this again (maybe on a weekend for an extra thousand bucks) but I am really glad I can say I know how to do it (and am pretty good!).

So everyone is griping at me...

Just because I haven't up-dated my blog in a few weeks. I am home from Florida. Nice place to visit. Cardiology was a blast. It was really nice to remember how much I love it! If only there weren't 4 more years of school... that is less than exciting. It is nice to be back home. T-minus 8 days until I get to see all the new places for internships. Well, nothing very interesting here. Jesse may get "tutored" in a few weeks. Oh, one fun thing. Kevin and I are having a competition. We saw a video on YouTube and I bet him that he could do it better (it was of an Aussie). But when he started talkign about how he would make one, I had different ideas... so.... we are both making a video of the dogs and then we will show them to each other! Mabe the loser will have to buy dinner... ha. Well let you know how they turn out.

Still in Gaineville

Nothing much happening here. Finished my first location and moving on to the second for the last 2 weeks of my externship. It was refreshing to get out in the "real world" again and I realized that at the right practice, private general practice isn't so bad. Good techs are worth their weight in gold. Everyone said to call them if I end up in Gainesville and want to do general practice! That was a nice gesture. I am nervous about the next 2 weeks, but I think I know my cardio stuff better than most. Guess we'll see! TTFN

New Adventures

Well, here I am. Gainesville, Florida. I am here doing a 4 week externship. For those that don't know, it is just a period of time A&M require we go and learn from some one else so we aren't 100% brainwashed by Aggies! Kevin's boss knew a really nice family that use to live in College Station and they have so graciously invited me into their home. On the way down here Kevin and I stopped at Panama City Beach. The weather was gorgeous and we didn't want to go! Gaineville is a pretty city. Lots of green, lot of State Parks, and a very liberal feel. I haven't been down town, but I hear it is artsy. There is a young married group that meets here every Tuesday and they have been very open to me joining them for outings. It is the rainy season here and it rains every day, without warning, and lasts for hours!

Oh! For those of you that don't know, I managed to fracture my fifth metacarpal in my hand (the bone that connects your pinky to your wrist) the Wednesday before we left for vaccation- great huh? The best part is, it is the second time I have gotten better care from the (free) Quack Shack on campus than I have gotten from any (expensive) specialty doctor. Go figure.

Finally, I have finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and I was underwhelmed. I may have expected too much and the second read will be better. Oh well. I look forward to her next publication!

14 hours and counting!

I feel like a little kid on Christmas Eve! I can hardly wait until tonight! For those less informed people, Harry Potter 7 is released at midnight! Woohoo!!! You may think I am silly, but YOU read them... then you will understand the mystery and suspense we have all endured for the last 10 years!

~P.S. Kevin's not really that excited about the whole thing!

Not one, but two!

Allow me to toot my own horn, so to speak. I received 2, that's right, 2 scholarships this year. I don't know what I have done to deserve this recognition, but I sure feels great.

Izzy come home...

Yesterday was so sad. When I came home fron school I didn't notice anything weird. Then, after Jesse had been chewing on his bone for a while, he kept looking up at the ledge where Izzy lays and whould whimper. I started looking for her. I tried feeding her, lingling bells... everything. She was gone. I don't know how she got out. I could have been during my morning walk with the dogs. Or it could have been while we were getting inspected by the apartment people. I have food on the porch and I have searched the complex. No sign of Izzy. Izzy come home!

JK Rowling rocks

That's all. Just thought I should mention that.She didn't write a sequel, she didn't write a trilogy... she wrote a septology and each one is better than the previous one. We have no idea how it will end. None. 6 year olds and 56 year olds are debating it. It has gotten America's youth to read again. Genius. Sheer genius.

Never fear!

They have been found! For all of those individuals that have contacted me to help, thank you so much! I have located them in Tokyo where they are hiding from the law... just kidding. They are in Tokyo and Tyler says it is great, highly recommends it. Thanks again!

My family has abandoned me...

That's right. They are all gone. I have, let me think... at least 5 numbers I should, in theory, be able to reach them on and 2 e-mails. No. Nothing. Left 2 messages on dad's phones, realized I don't have mom's number, Tyler's doesn't work, and the house number connects me to some one- not my mom! Tyler won't return my e-mails they are never on Skype and I don't know what to do! So, where ever you are... please call me! Til then...

Meeting went well

So today I I woke up at noon (after 4 hours of sleep) and met with the head of the internship selection committee here at A&M. He was very helpful, but made my life more confusing. There is no problem staying here, but as far as "life experiences" I may learn more somewhere else. But Kevin has a job here. Oh decisions... The only reason is it hard is because the way the internship match works is your first choice is the most likely one you'll get. It's confusing, but suffice to say, if I rank A&M first, it will be harder to get another location I want if A&M rejects me.

It's 3am and I am still awake...

...and not a happy camper. I get to sit up here and feed other people's horses all night and wait for an emergency to get here... So I get to ponder Harry Potter all night and study for the board exam next November. I'll be sitting here as the minutes go ticking along.

So I'm a copycat...

Maybe I can actually keep this up! I have tried for 25 years (well maybe 18) to keep a diary, and it has never happened. Not that this is a "diary" per say, but it is writing. Well, I am busy in year four of vet school and right now I am working nights. 6pm-6am- be proud Tyler. Last night we had a little 2 week old goat come in. He was attacked by dogs. Didn't turn out so well. Oh well. The picture is from surgery a few weeks ago. We did a permanent tracheostomy on a horse that had scarring of his arytenoid cartilages. You sit under the incision site. Messy. Well, maybe something interesting will happen and I can tell everyone about it. Until then, I will be dreaming of going to bed at 8pm...