Reflections

Last weekend Matt and I traveled back to Manhattan, KS for K-State's graduation. On Friday, I was able to reconnect with some good friends who live in the area. I spent almost all day just sitting and chatting with people. Food was of course involved! (Chipotle is totally worth the heartburn it gives me) I love being able to hear and share what's going in each other's lives.

From there on the weekend was packed full of graduation events and parties. I can only imagine the number of names I listened to while attending the College of Agriculture and Engineering commencements. We reconnected with our roots down in Aggieville where we celebrated with both of our siblings. We stopped by our favorite bar, chatted with our 3rd roommate (Josh), and realized how much we miss GOOD country music and the dance floor.

On the drive home, I was doing quite a bit of thinking. Yes, the town is still called Manhattan, but lots has changed.... new stores, new restaurants, new bars, ect... The area around the Vet school is being transformed into NBAF (National Bio and Agri-Defense Facility). And I'm sorry to announce that Gumby's no longer exists. RIP Pokey Sticks. But what I came to realize, is that it's not the restaurants, bars, stores, or the classrooms that make a place special. It's the PEOPLE you experienced it all with.

Food for Thought

I've really been struggling alot to come up with veterinary topics to blog about. My new job is very different from my last, and topics/patients don't just present themselves like they used to. Maybe its the clients, maybe its the fact I'm doing very little large animal or equine work, or maybe it's just the fact that I'm working part time still. Who knows... but any input on blog topics or ideas would be great!

Anyhoo- I just stumbled along this blog courtasey of another Beef-lover. Great idea... great information... Great spokesperson for animal agriculture. Check it out!

http://feedyardfoodie.wordpress.com/

The Versatile Blogger

As am I almost the last one to pass it along... here goes the Versatile Blogger. How it works is that I tell 10 things about myself that people may or may not know. Then I pass the award onto bloggers whom I want to participate. So lets go!


1. I'm a vet. If you have read my blog before, I sure hope you had that figured out. I am currently working in a mixed practice where I see dogs, cats, horses, cattle, and goats. I really wish I could be spending more of my time working with cattle and horses, but I am thankful for my current opportunity. Who knows where my career will go from here...



2. I live in a dry county. YES, they do still exist in the year 2011. To buy beer, I have to either drive to Missouri, or 30 mins south into the next county.




3. I really enjoy photography. I took a class in high school, learned the in and outs of a 35mm camera. We developed our own film and did all of our own prints. Ever since then I have loved taking pics, mainly of scenery... I haven't caught the people bug yet. This summer I am planning on taking a class here at a local photo shop to learn more about DSL cameras. Hopefully then I will be able to better use my newest camera!






4. There is a website I visit on a weekly basis ever since undergrad. http://www.postsecret.com/ PostSecret is an ongoing community mail art project, created by Frank Warren, in which people mail their secrets anonymously on a homemade postcard. Select secrets are then posted on the PostSecret website, or used for PostSecret's books or museum exhibits. Check it out sometime!






5. I hate the color pink. End of story.





6. I grew up in a rural community and guns have always been apart of my life. I took hunter's safety in middle school and have been hunting every since. But, back in January, I took a concealed carry weapons class. Handguns are relatively new to me, but it was very interesting to learn about the different types of handguns and all the laws associated with them. Hopefully soon I will be receiving my concealed carry permit in the mail :)


7. I'm not a huge fan of TV. In vet school, I learned to live without it. The news was the highlight of my day. Since graduation and getting married, I have defiantly increased my watching time. My latest favorite show to watch is Psych. I can watch episode after episode on Netflix. It's amazing! So watch a little Psych for me sometime soon :)


8. My feet... yes my feet. 1- They are very small. I wear a size 6.5 in women's. I can fit into little boys shoes, and I have a hard time finding boots that fit... mainly because my feet are so small. Matt had to special order me Muck boots because my feet are so small. 2- My feet are cold... all the time. I love wearing wool socks. Matt complains at night because my feet are like ice cubes.


9. I live in the land of Walmart.... SERIOUSLY. Bentonville Arkansas is where it all started. I have been to the "Walton's 5-10" original store and have seen the begining of the monster franchise. And because of that, everything in our area is related to Walmart. Over 1,300 Walmart vendors have added corporate branches or offices in the area including: Coca-Cola, Procter and Gamble, Motorola, Nestle, Dell, Kellogg, and PepsiCo. I would gather that 75% or more of the employment in our county can be tied to Walmart in some manner.


10. Scoobydoo is my favorite cartoon character hands down. I grew up watching the originals on TV. My parents would tape them while they were on at like 4 am, and then I would watch them all later that day. I have scoobydoo sheets, pillows, a mystery machine alarm clock, bank, and stuffed scooby's. Scooby-dooby-doo!!

And so to pass it along...

TAG JP- you're it!

Update on life!

So long time no post... Lots has changed in my life since my last post. So let's use this one to catch up on things!

1. New Job: I left my job in Greenwood last fall and moved north (although still in Arkansas) to Pea Ridge. Pea Ridge is a town ~3,000 in northwest Arkansas. It is about 15 mins away from the Rodgers/Bentonville metro area. I was able to find part time work at Oak View Animal Clinic here in Pea Ridge. It is a predominately small animal clinic (80%) with the remaining work divided between catlle, horses, and small ruminants.

2. New Name: Approximately 4 months ago, I married my best friend Matt Fry back in Kansas. The legal name change process has taken a long time, and in fact in still in the process. Between driver's liscence, SS #, and the normal stuff- take that times a hundred when you have veterinary liscencing and accrediation to worry about! So, now you can all call me Dr. Fry :)

3. New member of the family: During the move and the wedding, we made an addition to our family. Meet Sadie, a energetic chocolate lab puppy who loves chewing rawhides, playing ball, and sunbathing on out kitchen floor. There's never a dull moment with her around.

I hope to be posting more often. Posts may vary between work and life. So enjoy your Sunday!

Hank

Meet Hank- my Friday night midnight adventure. We are waiting for a referal to a nearby equine hospital on monday, but yes- that is bone... and yes- I can stick my fingers into his sinus. Even better, the pic is after i cleaned the edges, removed the flap of skin, and flushed the sinuses. Let's hope the best for him!

Luna

Meet Luna Alstadt, my miracle kitty. My first meeting with Luna was during her spay back in August of 2009. She is the house cat of one of our purebred Angus cattle breeders, who I do a fair amount of work for.

This past winter, she came into the clinic as a very very VERY sick kitty. She hadn't eaten in a week and was very dehydrated. Her hematocrit (or amount of red blood cells) was very low, less than 5%. Two blood transfusions, antibiotics, and after almost 2 weeks in the hospital, Luna was discharged. She was my miracle kitty. All the doctors at my clinic and even the owner thought she wouldn't make it. She gradually recovered and went back to holding things down at the farm.

Two weeks ago, Luna was back at the clinic. She came in recumbent with a very low body temperature. Blood work was almost normal, just a low blood glucose. I had absolutely no clue what was going on with her. I was sooo frustrated and felt helpless. We hospitalized her and did everything we could for her, and she passed away the next night.

Then, it finally happened.... I cried. It was the first time I cried after loosing a patient. The hardest part was trying to keep it together on the phone to tell the owners. The owner could definitely tell I was torn up. Thank goodness the morning was slow, cause it took me almost half an hour to get it together and go back into the clinic.

My favorite memory of Luna had to be this spring: I was out working cattle and paused for a moment to look up the driveway. There was Luna strolling across the drive. A bird flew by, and wham! Luna was 3 feet in the air doing a flip trying to catch the bird. Such and acrobat! May she rest in peace.

Fences

"Fences are like a person's life. Sometimes it's up and strong, and all theses posts are all the things that keep the life up and strong: a loving spouse and family, health, work, neighbors. You get the idea. Sometimes even dreams make good fence posts......... Your problem, is that you ain't got enough fence posts to hold up your life. And many of the ones that you do got are rotted. You got to get you some fence posts, boy. And if you got a neighbor who wants to help you put them in, by God, you let him. One day he might need help with his own fence, and if helped you, it'll be easier for him to ask for your help. You get it? "

~ Whitey from "Church of the Dog"

Monday's

Monday's are always bad days, that's just the nature of the day. I hate it when I walk in the door in the morning after a weekend off and have absolutely no clue what I'm walking in to (which most of the time is a screaming hurricane of a mess). Even after I have been on call that weekend, I just dread going into work, cause it means another 5 days of work before I am able to escape.





But anyhoo.... here's the summation of how this Monday went:

(Notice the perfect symmetry of the feline canine teeth as they sunk into my arm....)

A lighter note....

After a long day working (complete with a migraine), there's no better way to end the day than by pulling a calf. And the big plus, both mom and calf were alive at the end of it :)

"Forrester"

I first met Forrester on a farm call this fall when I was treating one of his "siblings". His owner owns and operates a very successful small business in the area. She and her "friend" have 3-4 Great Danes that visit our clinic often in one way or another.

One afternoon this winter, Forrester was on the schedule for "diarrhea and making a strange gurgling noise". When I walked into the room I could definitely tell that this big guy was not feeling well at all. On exam, his heart rate was very elevated, his gums were pale, and he was dehydrated. I highly suspected that he had a GDV or "twisted stomach". Blood work was run and I took x-rays of this belly. Everything was normal- no signs of a twisted stomach. I was clueless... trying to figure out what to do next when my boss suggested that he could be an Addisonian. We stabilized Forrester overnight, and waited for the bloodwork to come back. 24 hours later- out suspicions were confirmed.

The most amazing part of this story is the fact that I was actually allowed to work up and diagnose Forrester. Even bigger, was the fact that his owner didn't hesitate when I explained to her that Forrester needed monthly injections for the rest of his life, and because of his large size this would cost ~$250/month just for the medication. I've very thankful Forrester has caring owners who are able to care for him the rest of his life.

At his last recheck, they said that Forrester almost seems like a new dog- running and playing and jumping like a puppy. However, he still gets nervous on his trips to the vet. There's nothing like seeing a ~140 pound dog tremble and shake and he walks through the door like a scared 3YR old.

My favorite phone call of the night:

Word for word as left on my voicemail.....

"Our dog is like going in circles trying to catch her tail or something.... and it's like driving her crazy."

Ever wonder...

Does everyone go through times where they think about a career change??

Could I be happier doing something else??

Was I meant to do this??

Why do I put myself through all of this??

Is it worth it??

I can't even make this stuff up!

So being on call one night, I get a message from the local animal control officer with something involving a bat and a monkey and a lady. I return his call and he proceeded to explain the following:

A lady in a nearby town was bitten (what i thought was bat) by a neighbor's pet monkey. He was calling for a professional opinion about what to recommend to the lady. She had initial refused to get medical attention. I did my duty and stressed the fact that she NEEDED to be seen ASAP by a doctor. Not only can monkey's have things like rabies, but they also carry tons of other nasty diseases they can transmit to humans = NOT COOL.

The best part of the conversation was when he proceeded to tell me that the owner of the monkey had taken the monkey and hidden it from him. He then proceeded to tell the animal control officer that he could go f*(#& himself and he would never find his G@*(! D&^!@ monkey. Needless to say there is a warrant out on the monkey and it's owner right now :)

Somedays- its the simple things in life

Oh the simple joy of a bloated cow! One moment it's walking around looking like a baloon with 4 legs, and with the simple passage of a tube- WHOOSH!!! Back to normal. :) Somedays I actually feel like I get to preform small little miracles....

October Fun

To start off, a small pick me up for everyone out there....
I just got back from picking up the pizza I had ordered for supper. I pull up to the drive through window, gave them my name, and then go to hand them my credit card to pay. The young man shuts the window, walks over the credit card machine, stops..... smiles, and then comes back to the window. At that point I realized I handed him my walmart gift card.... not my VISA card which lives in the same slot of my wallet. We both had a good laugh and I soon left with my pizza in hand. So don't worry- it happens to us all!!!!!!!!!

The last few weeks haven't been very memorable. The routine seems to be busy busy morning, then dead afternoon. I've been enjoying the fall.... which means calf pulls, retained placentas, and processing calves. I never hesitate when I have a chance to escape out to the barn.

My large animal clients come from every spectrum of the rainbow. Just this week, I trimmed feet for a large Angus farm who does lots of embryo transfer work. Followed by a guy who has about a dozen cows that stay in with the bull all year long. Oh- and did I mention they are longhorn cattle??? Latest challenging project has been getting a group of young Angus bulls ready to go to a sale in Oklahoma. Call here and there, and then try to coordinate everyone's schedule to get everything done right. STILL working on the paperwork for that one..... And finally one of my favorite clients- who raises Brahman cattle. Never fails to have a small rodeo when he brings in one of his cows :)

A day never goes by with out seeing a vomiting/diarrhea dog. I love asking the question "What did the vomit look like??" Sometimes I get a play by play description, complete with picturesque visual comparisons. While others just say "It was gross!" Oh how I love metronidazole, cerenia, endosorb, and sucralfate!!!

One of my techs has a annual Halloween party at her house. Apparently it's a BIG deal. They work on it for over a month in advance. Lots of decorations, food, and even a DJ. Since it is a Halloween party, that means I need a costume. After lots of thoughts, research, and careful deliberation Matt and I came up with a fun idea. (Only to be revealed later.... maybe even with a picture). I've spent the last few nights working on them. Finished them all up on my afternoon off yesterday. Hopefully they are a hit!

I've decided to leave my next blog story up to you! Below are 3 stories I could tell.... Pick your favorite and leave me a comment on what you would like to hear next!

1- The sneaky tree
2- A true backwoods Arkansas adventure
3- The lowly bottle calf

Can't help but share this....

My favorite quesiton I was asked today:

Can cows have allergies???

All in 24 hours

First real post.... Yippee Skippy!

Started Friday off with a bunny. Yes, a bunny. I walk in the room expecting a pet rabbit, like 5 pounds, white, fluffy, maybe spotted, ect.... Open the cage and a tiny cottontail that could fit in the palm of your hand jumps out, off the counter, and starts scrambling around the room. The small bunny had caught itself on a nail in the house earlier that morning and had a skin laceration on its back. After anesthetizing it and preforming a good exam, I discovered that the small rabbit had created a degloving injury that covered most of its back (aka it had peeled off most of the skin covering its back). I removed the skin, clipped around the edges, and applied a cream. After the exam, pain meds, antibiotics, probiotics, and almost $100 later I sent the small rabbit home. In any other situation involving myself in a rabbit, I would have been skinning it..... not trying to repair the damage.



That was followed by many vaccinations and I'm sure a vomiting dog or two. The end of the day I was called out to a colicing horse. I grabbed my gear and jumped in the truck and headed out. Get to the horse farm and the 18 YR Arab Gelding is lying in the middle of the sand arena rolling. YES, rolling.... The only thought in my head- B... A... D. According to the barn manager, the horse was fine at noon and colicing at 3pm. Lots of pain medication, sedation, tubing, and placing a IV cathetar I was finally able to get the horse standing and walking for about 10 minutes. Just as we were about to load him in the trailer and send him down the road for surgery, he went down again. He never got up after that. After many phone conversations with the owner and exhausting my options for the horse, the decision was made to euthanized the horse.

I arrived home at 8 pm just in time to grab something to eat and shower before my next emergency was arriving. Smokey the weimaraner got hit by a car and was on his way in. On arrival he was laying on his side unable to walk. After stabilizing him and taking some radiographs (x-rays) I was able to determine he had a fracture of the T13 vertebra- aka a broken back. Very serious and not something you see every day.

One more emergency call (a seizing chihuahua puppy) and I finally got home for the night. The phone didn't stay quiet for long though. One phone call at 3:30 and another ~5am and I had about had enough.......... Enough that is to shut off my alarm the next morning and not remember it. :)

The Begining

Well, thanks to encouragement from numerous people (you know who you are!) Welcome to the first edition of "The Backwoods Arkanasas Veterinary Times." I hope you all can enjoy a few of my stories- laugh and even cry- over what my life looks like. My goal is to post once every 1-2 weeks with a good story or two. I would love to hear what you all think about my "musing" so feel free to leave your thoughts as well!

Blessings-
Jackie