Almost Xmas!

Hi-lo! Hmm... I haven't written in a little while. I recently got a another part-time job working at another hospital in an upscale area of St. Louis. It's a little vet hospital but it's quite busy. I mostly help prep for surgery, do dental cleaning, and answer lots of phone calls. It gets a little confusing sometimes working everyday between this new animal hospital and the animal ER--I have to remind myself to say the right hospital when answering the phone. Anyways, that was the boring intro part of this blog entry.

Some interesting ER cases:

Did you know that grapes and raisins are poisonous to dogs? The answer is a resounding yes! A vizla/lab mix came in yesterday for ingesting raisins. The number or amount of raisins that cause toxicity is unclear however. So what do we do in the case of toxic ingestion? First, induce vomiting, then get the toxin out of the system by pouring activated charcoal down the dog's throat. Literally. We stuck a tube down her throat down into her stomach and poured down about 250 ml of activated charcoal. Some dogs will lap it up (though I've never seen it) and others we can force down with a syringe. But since this dog spit out the hydrogen peroxide to induce vomiting, we had to tube her. Then we put the dog on fluids for about 48 hours. The dog's doing really well, very sweet.

It's been a long time since I've written on my blog. I have seen a lot of interesting stuff in the ER. Some memorable moments are usually the ones that are the most shocking or gruesome. (Close your eyes or skim over quickly if you're squirmish with blood and guts.) The most gruesome case I've seen so far is this cat that accidentally got run over by its owner. The poor owner was hysterical. Unfortunately, the damage was done: the cat had an eyeball literally hanging by a thread and its jaw was broken causing massive bleeding from the mouth. Of course, we had to euthanize the cat since it was unconscious and brain damaged. That was a pretty sad case. Another gruesome case: a young min pin was attacked by its housemate, a Rottweiler and its intestines were literally falling out of its belly. The damage was irreparable and the pup was put to sleep.

(Okay you can open your eyes now.) A lot of cases come into the ER of the 'big dog little dog' type. My dog, Angel, was a patient of this case when she got attacked by a neighbor's dog. But surprisingly many of these K-9 victims are attacked by a housemate. Like the aforementioned min pin. Poor thing, it was so cute. Also, another case: a maltese, only 2 years old, was badly attacked by its Rottweiler housemate--the maltese had to undergo surgery to suture up internal damage. What is it with Rottweilers being paired with small dogs?! It's the worst idea ever! Some people think they 'know' their dogs, but all they know is how the dog interacts with them, but not with other dogs. Dogs act very different to other dogs. For example, if you were to meet my dog, Angel, you'd think she was the sweetest pup in the whole world. But at home, she is very possessive over treats and toys and will attack my other dog, Niko, if he tries to take something that is 'hers.' Fortunately Angel doesn't bite hard enough to warrant a trip to the ER.

I've been doing some thinking in terms of the future. After taking a year break from 18 years of consecutive schooling, I think I may go back to school for veterinary medicine. Since I'm a MO resident now, I'd probably apply/go to Mizzou, though I'd probably apply to a few other places just in case. I haven't carved it in stone yet, but I'm leaning towards it. But it would be two years before I can matriculate in vet school if I were to get accepted next year. But I really enjoy my jobs right now. It's busy, it's dirty work, and it requires a lot of physical work. It's not at all like working an office job and that's what I like about it. Probably the thing I like doing most is drawing blood and putting IV catheters in veins. It's funny because back in college when I did a vet internship, I was so nauseous in the sight of blood and I dismissed the idea of going to vet school. But now, I enjoy the challenge of aiming and inserting a needle into a vein. So I think I'm ready now.

more ER stories!

Hi! Sorry I haven't written in a while! Today and tomorrow are my days off. What have I done today on my day off? Not too much really, but it was nice to sleep in! And guess what I'm going to do tomorrow on my second day off? Nothing! :D Anyways, last week at the ER clinic was the worst: we had 40 animals (which exceeded the number of kennels/cages and IV pumps in the clinic) and only a few technicians. Fortunately for me and my trainer, Ruth, we weren't working those few hectic days--we were really, really lucky. Although we would have helped if they contacted us.

I worked yesterday--it was not too bad. Ooh, here's an interesting case: a white Himalayan/persian cat that came with liver and renal failure and respiratory problems. The owners refused to euthanize despite the cat's suffering. To be honest, I didn't think the cat was going to make it--he was panting (which is a bad sign for cats), he had icteric (bile/yellow) urine, he had no appetite for food or water, he was depressed, lethargic, etc.--in other words, he looked like he was close to death. An interesting tidbit we learned about the cat was the he liked to eat rabbits. Not many cats do, but there is a particular disease called touleria that can be passed from rabbits to cats. This illness, caused by a gram-negative bacteria, can cause organ failure and eventual death and may be passed to immunosuppressant humans--but it is a treatable disease. A test confirmed that the cat had touleria--which, btw, is a rare illness in cats--and within days we witnessed the cat's revival. Yesterday, the cat was finally able to go home. His grateful owner bought us a whole vatful of Ted Drewes' frozen custard--nice lady. :) I like stories like this where the animal surpasses our expectations.

A few weeks ago, I witnessed my first real euthanasia. It was with a pug that had such terrible seizures, it was constantly sedated. The doctor called me over--since I was the only one available at the time--and asked me to pet and talk to the little pug. When I realized it was to be euthanized, my first reaction was, "oh no, maybe you can get someone else..." But nothing came out of my mouth, because I knew it would be futile--I'd have to face euthanasia sometime and then was the time. So I pet the pug but found it difficult to console with words--I didn't know what to say. When the pug stopped breathing, it really looked like it was still sleeping. In my experience at the clinic, all euthanized patients look like they are sleeping, because the euthanasia solution is just an overdose of an anesthetic agent. So I'm not so freaked out about euthanizing patients anymore. But I do get upset when an owner comes in to euthanize a patient that has a treatable condition. Unfortunately, the clinic cannot refuse euthanasia due to legistic reasons. I remember one case--a beautiful St. Bernard--that had to be euthanized because it had trouble walking and the owner couldn't take care of it. The day she was to be euthanized, I thought she looked better than she did before and she was such a sweet dog. I was very sad to see her pass away--that was a particularly sad moment for me.

Another day in the job of being a ER vet tech...

On Saturday, I worked like any other weekday (but I get a weekday off). One case we got was a baby pom that accidentally swallowed some Adderol, which is medication for attention-deficit disorder. While Adderol might be good for ADH ppl, it can make non-ADH people and animals wacky--and I guess the little pup was having seizures as well. But nonetheless, after some activated charcoal administration, the pup was back to normal and ready to go home. It was so cute!

Today, one of the employee's dogs had to get his nails cut, but boy, it sure sounded like he was dying! He was making all kinds of sad moaning noises--poor thing. :( This dog was a pretty big dog--90 lbs--but there was an even bigger dog: a 150-lbs St. Bernard. Luckily, this 'giant' was very sweet, though impossible for for me to walk her by myself.

Let's see, there were some other patients. There was an old min pin that had cardiac myopathy, so he had to 'live' in this little incubator with oxygen. There are currently 3 hit-and-run patients, but they seem to be doing well. The American Eskimo--with the tampon taken out--has gone home to its owners today. In the last two days, two stray dogs (both with owners) and stray cats have visited the ER--nice samaritans brought them in. There was a rather big 'pom' (I think it was a mix) that swallowed some carpet, so the carpet was excised via surgery (I didn't get to witness it) and the dog is doing well. A sharpei was also there post-operation--it had to get a mass removed from its head, along with an eyeball (poor thing).

Although I haven't witnessed the process of euthanasia yet, I have seen a German Shepherd post-euthanasia--it really did look asleep. I don't know if people want to know this info about euthanasia patients--so look away at this point--but the bodies are frozen and later incinerated. But owners always have the option to take the body if they want to bury it themselves. A funny story (though they are scarce esp. dealing with euthanasia): a new tech, like me, was told to freeze a passed-away camaleon (one of those color-changing lizards). Confused, the tech put it in the fridge, but today we found out that she put it in the fridge with all our food instead of the one for veterinary stuff. I just thought it was so funny--what if someone opened the bag and found out they had a lizard for lunch? Ha, ha, ha! I just couldn't stop laughing!

Anyways, the job is going well--high job satisfaction--although it takes time to learn everything. Furthermore, this so-called 'Bill' guy has my procedures manual so I can't read it yet. :P Anyways, more stories from the animal ER to come...

first few days on the new job!

Hey everyone!

I thought that I would blog about my new job working at a 24-hr. ER animal clinic. It's been really good for far. On the first day, I learned a lot of basic stuff, such as taking pulse rate, respiration rate, temperature (via rectum :P), administering medication, hooking up IV lines to an automatic pump, and a lot of paperwork type stuff. I got to witness a surgery on a fluffy, white American Eskimo dog--really sweet, smiling all the time. Right before surgery, the vet gave her a shot of sedative and within three seconds, boom, she was out on the table. Sonogram and x-rays showed the presence of a foreign body in her intestine. Indeed, there was a foreign body that was found--a tampon--and it was promptly taken out. Within 24 hours, Star was back to her normal, sweet, smiling self.

There's another little pup--a pom puppy--so cute and adorable. Unfortunately, this little pup unknowingly consumed some rat poison. So the vet induced vomiting and then we had to give the pup doses of activated charcoal in order to eliminate the poison out of his system. (Otherwise, the liver would recycle the poison in the body.) But he looks well--though he doesn't like eating charcoal--and he'll be going home soon.

I was quite amazed at how similar the animal ER is to a regular human ER. Both have triages so more serious cases are taken first. Both have similar procedures, such as getting x-rays, blood/urine/fecal tests, ekg, IV cath, and vitals. There is a chart on a whiteboard with a schedule of procedures for each patient, and I believe it's the same for a human hospital as well. I guess one difference is that pets (dogs) have to be muzzled for any type of procedure and I know they don't do that in human hospitals (though I bet some nurses wish they could muzzle a few! J/K ;).

Work so far has been good. It's very fast-paced at times, but it makes it nonetheless more exciting. It's like a shot of adrenaline every day I go to work. But at the same time, seeing all those cute, furry animals is a shot of fuzzy-wuzzy warm feelings. But then again, when an animal is very sick, I get a shot of sad compassion. So far, I haven't had to witness euthanasia, but I don't doubt I will soon. I used to think that euthanasia was bad, but when the quality of life is deteriorated to lying all day on the ground incapacitated and in pain... it's just so sad to watch. It's sadder for me to see owners come into the ER to see their sick pet and they're obviously grieving for the pet. I can definitely see how pets can become family--after all, I have two 'kids' of my own (Niko and Angel, my poms). After working for two days in the animal ER, I am much more appreciative of the fact that my pets are healthy, even if it means yappiness, waking me up in the middle of the night, and chewing up things. :P

More stories from the animal ER to come!

The Art of Flirting ;)

Flirting seems to be an inherent part of interaction, particularly between the opposite sexes. But what's the fine line between friendliness and flirtiness? Is there a line? I've done some research on flirting and found that a majority of men find friendliness from women to be interpreted as interest or flirting. I've always considered myself to be a friendly person, not really flirty. But even slightly prolonged eye contact, open body language, and laughing/smiling are all signs of flirting as I found out. Where should we draw the line with flirting and what is the purpose of flirting??

Personally, I think eye contact is an essential aspect of conversing with someone. People may not agree, because it can become quite intimate especially if eye contact is prolonged for over a second. Furthermore, eye contact can be considered an initial move of flirtiness between the opposite sex. My research suggests that eye contact should be maintained while listening but eye contact may be averted while speaking. However, locked eyes for more than a second is not advised unless you purposely want to flirt.

Second, I think smiling and laughter are also essential components of conversation. What's the point of enjoying one's company when there is no smiling or laughter? In this case, I'd rather be mistakenly viewed as flirting rather than keep serious lest they might think I'm flirting (does this make any sense?). Anyways, in my humble opinion, I think eye contact, smiling, and laughter are all good things to have when conversing with anyone, because it makes one good company.

However, there are other flirting signals that should be avoided if you have no interest in the other person. One is winking--winking suggests something being shared exclusively between the two persons. Winking is fine in the case of sharing a secret or a joke between friends, but not when meeting someone for the first time. Second is touching--touching is one way of 'reaching out' to someone. I strongly feel that touching should not occur between men and women, even if they are only friends, with the exception of hand shaking. The reason I feel this is because touching can ellicit confused reactions in women (and men?), particularly one of interest. Third is overt checking out--you know when a guy looks you up and down right in front of you? I've only experienced this usually with complete strangers and I always think "sketchy!" Ugh. And last of course is to avoid calling chicks with various 'cute' names, such as honey, baby, sugar, cutie, etc. Not only do women find these names to be derogatory, but it suggests that they see women as objects not real people.

So what's the point of flirting? I guess the original purpose of flirting is to find a suitable mate for procreation. Also, since flirting can be subtle, men and women can play a coy game of cat and mouse chase. But in this age where there is prevalent doubt about marriage, high divorce rates, high numbers of working women, postponement of raising a family, etc., the original intent of flirting has evolved. Flirting can still be used to seek out potential long-term mates, but in these days, flirting seems like prequel to a quick date. After a bout of flirting, one person can suggest a drink with ease. But flirting can also be used as a quick boost to the ego. Who doesn't like it when a person of the opposite sex thinks you're attractive and/or interesting? One has to remember that if a person of the opposite sex can flirt with you, he/she can flirt with any number of people. Therefore, I would advise against being flattered by another's flirting.

In conclusion, flirting can be a useful devise in finding a potential mate. Flirting can be fun and ego-boosting. But a better idea is to be yourself with everyone and show not only your good side, but some aspects of your bad side as well. After all, no one is perfect and everyone is human--we all have good qualities and flaws and we will never live up to the perfection in Jesus. Thus, by laying your cards on the table, a potential mate knows beforehand what to expect of you.

Re: survey

I'm going to answer the survey with movie questions because I honestly haven't read that many books, unless you count "Calvin & Hobbes"... So here it goes:

1) What is a movie that changed the way you think and act? Or just got you thinking, if the first question is too intimidating.
I remember watching a French movie called "Serendipity" where a man and woman go through all these seemingly 'random' events that lead them to each other. I began to think that things happen for a reason, instead of random coincidence.

2) It's a late autumn evening and rainy and cold? What do you have for dinner/snack?
decaf coffee with hazelnut creamer and soup

3) You are off to wee Himalayan hamlet for a year, your laptop hard drive can hold one film. What will it be?
TV series "Felicity" Season One

4) What movie made you laugh the hardest? What movie made you cry?
Movie that laughed hardest: "Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star"--David Spade is hilarious!
Movies that made me cry: "Lion King," "Narnia," "LOTR:II, III," Ponette," and others.

5) Favorite actor (female, male)?
Actress: I have no idea
Actor: Johnny Depp

6) What book or story would you like to see made into a film or what book do you love that could never be made into a film?
"City of Joy" would be awesome.

7) What is a movie that immediately after you watched it, you wish you hadn't?
"Picture Bride"--should've been a made-for-tv movie instead

8) Do you read movie reviews? Before, after, never? Whose reviews do you find the best? Are you an analyzer?
I read movie reviews for the movies I'm ambivalent about. However, with movies I want to see no matter what, I read reviews afterwards. I read reviews from anonymous people on Yahoo! and I'd rather not analyze movies, except ones based on true stories. I assume most movies are for entertainment purposes, however the following movies are exceptions: "Schindler's List," "Roger and Me," "Fahrenheit 9/11" (any movies from Roger Moore), "Super Size Me,"--basically documentaries or historical reenactments.

9) What movie do you think is a must see, but that you can only recommend with caveats? What movie do you really like, but can only recommend with caveats?
"The Usual Suspects"
"Lovely and Amazing"

10) What movie do you most wish to share with your friends?
"Bride and Prejudice"

awww... look at those eyes and ears! 

so... you still think my dogs are spoiled? ;) 

caught in the act! :P 

honk, honk 

at the stroke of midnight, puppy vampire shall rise... 

this is what heaven looks like...  

The New MacDonald hot dog! 

Princess Puppy! 

hi again!

Hi again!

I don't know if anyone's been reading my blog, but I haven't been taking good care keeping it up to date! But I'm going to try to write at least once a month... I found a fantastic website--you all should check it out. It's called: cuteoverload.com. It has all these really cute pictures of all kinds of animals.

Let's see... what have I been up to lately? I watched the last episode of American Idol and was quite surprised with the pop and rock icons who showed up. (Never knew Prince was a fan of AI--maybe they paid him a lot of dinero...) Anyone watch America's Next Top Model? I know, it's a cheesy and vain show, but it can be entertaining. But this last season was pretty much a disappointment--pretty boring, though I watched every episode. It was a nice surprise that Danielle won at the end. I didn't watch The Apprentice, which is a little surprising for me, since I sometimes have workaholic tendencies. But I think it stressed me out watching the show. Watched Family Guy, too, which is always funny--I wish I saw Seth MacFarland last year when he came to Wash U to talk. :P I watched my first episode of "My Name is Earl"--it really is funny! That Jason Lee guy is funny!

Not to say that all I've been up to is watching tv... in all honesty, I turn on the tv four times a week. Now that it's summer, I barely turn on my tv--no shows interest me. But I have, like, 5 magazine subscriptions which keep me busy: Cosmo, Marie Claire, Psychology Today (a great mag), Entertainment Weekly (Xmas gift from bro), Self. I actually feel pressured to read through each magazine--it can be a little overwhelming!

So Amber--who I think everyone knows--is going to Germany this fall to study for a year abroad. I might visit her there in the fall--that'd be fun, since the last time I went to Europe was in 2001 for study abroad semester in Prague (a beautiful city). I still remember Czech phrases like: "Kde je pivo?" (pronounced "gde ye peevo") = "where's the beer?" Honestly, beer is way cheaper than water--it's no joke. Plus, they don't put ice in your beverages.

Yup, lots going on in my life. Niko, Angel, and Seven are doing well. I shaved Niko and Angel for the summer weather--they look like little rats now. But very cute rats. Well, I guess I'm gonna go now. I'm going to try to put up some pictures from that website--we'll see if I succeed...