February 2018

Month

Wed
28 ^th

A Moment In The Life (or Skaa)

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[A very talented friend of mine drew this picture of me after I came home from my second trip to volunteer in wildlife rehab in Thailand. It’s true that raising wild babies (in this case, civets) is one of the highlights of wildlife medicine — but the lowlights exist all the same.]

My time volunteering and working with wildlife — both in Canada and Thailand — was some of the most rewarding work I’ve done in the veterinary field. I saw some very amazing and special things, experiencing the joy of successful rehabilitation and release in both countries. But wildlife rehab is not without its low points and certainly some days were worse than other in the amount of pain and suffering we saw and did our best to treat. Often, the only option was a quick and painless end. Veterinary medicine is a turning coin of life and death at the best of times, euthanasia and recovery, and wildlife medicine is no different. And just like my time in ‘traditional’ vet med, some cases stick with me.

Wed
21 ^st

A Leg To Stand On

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[Punch (brindle male, right front lower limb gangrene) and Zuka (Boerboel female, severe compound fracture of lower right hind leg), two of my Botswana amputations. Both of these pictures were taken at less than 24 hours after surgery — although Punch was pretty sulky about the leash, Zuka wasn’t shy about giving us a smile!]

Limb amputations are a relatively common surgery both in my current practice and during my volunteer trips. There are many reasons why a vet may wish to remove a leg; the presence of a tumor, a break which cannot be fixed for whatever reason physical or financial, nerve damage, severe soft tissue damage, infection…the list goes on. But amputations are one of my favorite surgeries to participate in for the simple reason of just how successful they can be at restoring life and removing pain. Read on for a glimpse into the life of just a couple of the amputation cases I’ve been privileged enough to work with.

Wed
14 ^th

Dear Clients: Please Vaccinate Your Pets (Part 5)

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[Manning the Vaccination Station on a spay/neuter trip with CAAT! This anesthetized little pup was just spayed and sleeping off the last of her drugs, not even feeling the quick pokes of her DAP and rabies vaccines. I feel very lucky to be a part of reducing preventable diseases in small communities!]

In the last part of our vaccine series, we’ll discuss the final four important myths and concerns surrounding vaccination. Read on to learn the truth about ‘vaccine overload’, toxins in vaccines, adverse reactions to vaccines, and whether or not vets recommend vaccines just for the money (spoiler: no!). Feel free to catch up on Part One, Part Two, Part Three, and Part Four of the series and be sure to join me next week for a return to creative nonfiction!

Wed
07 ^th

Dear Clients: Please Vaccinate Your Pets (Part 4)

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[This lil kitten really wants to make sure he does his research before getting vaccinated (and not just because he hates needles!). But does he know the difference between vaccine fact and vaccine myth? Do you?]

Vaccine myths and misconceptions are running rampant in this age of easily accessed but poorly researched information. This week and next we’ll be discussing the top 8 most common myths I hear in the veterinary clinic (and which have some truth behind them!). Missed the previous posts in this series? Check out Part One for an overview of vaccines and why I care so much about them, Part Two for a quick dive into the immune system and how it works to protect us with the help of vaccines, and Part Three for exactly which vaccines we recommend for dogs and cats (and why!).