"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???