Positive People
Often it is the people a veterinarian works with that "makes or breaks" his ease of having a good day.
Last weekend I attended the Winchester Bridge rededication with my vet tech CL and her small son. It was great to be there because the bridge is neat and it was an historic event. But we left early on because it wasn't very interesting for the small son. We returned to my abode and had some valuable discussion about the place we work. The small son was much more interested in the keyboard at my apt. and the playground out back. CL is nice to work with.
Sunday evening I was sitting at my table putting a puzzle together, or some such, when the answering service called. There was a horse that needed attention -- the owners were concerned that her gut had become twisted. They found her in a sweat and unwilling to lead.
Prior to my arrival the wife inquired whether my truck has 4WD (Yes), as the horse was out in the pasture and didn't want to come in.
I picked up the wife at the foot of their driveway and she directed me to the field -- a hay field with lush grass and a steep hill. The horse was at the top of the hill, so I popped my trusty Dodge Dakota (er, well, not mine but my company's) into 4 Lo and was soon making my own path curving around and up the hill. The hill provide an exquisite view of the nearby valleys. The weather was pleasant and the lighting idyllic. Aside from the reason for being there, it was a nice setting and good for the soul.
Amid jokes (which are highly accepted by the vet -- makes the job not nearly as tense) offered by the husband (you know, like "Round bales were outlawed in Pennsylvania... because the horses couldn't get a square meal."), I evaluated the horse for lameness and colic. Aside from a high heart rate, I noticed no evidence of the latter. Gut sounds were good, gum color pink and non-toxic, the horse was not trying to roll or go down.
But, she sure did not want to walk. And she kept shifting her weight from foot to foot. I hoof-tested all 4 feet and found a couple sore spots, no obvious toe pain to indicated really bad founder. However, this horse was very sore on her feet -- no matter what the hoof testers "said" -- this horse was sore and took some decidedly lame steps when walking on harder ground.
Turns out she was on lush pasture 2 weeks longer than normal because the owners were preoccupied with some other issues. Tentative, working diagnosis: beginning founder.
I gave her a shot of banamine to ease the inflammation and pain, and they were able to walk her off the hill and down to the barn, away from the instigating lush grass.
The owner apologized for "ruining my evening", apologized for calling me out on a Sunday.
But I assured them they certainly did not ruin my evening. The drive was superb, the countryside picturesque, and the people really good to work with. And their horse wasn't colicking.
Last weekend I attended the Winchester Bridge rededication with my vet tech CL and her small son. It was great to be there because the bridge is neat and it was an historic event. But we left early on because it wasn't very interesting for the small son. We returned to my abode and had some valuable discussion about the place we work. The small son was much more interested in the keyboard at my apt. and the playground out back. CL is nice to work with.
Sunday evening I was sitting at my table putting a puzzle together, or some such, when the answering service called. There was a horse that needed attention -- the owners were concerned that her gut had become twisted. They found her in a sweat and unwilling to lead.
Prior to my arrival the wife inquired whether my truck has 4WD (Yes), as the horse was out in the pasture and didn't want to come in.
I picked up the wife at the foot of their driveway and she directed me to the field -- a hay field with lush grass and a steep hill. The horse was at the top of the hill, so I popped my trusty Dodge Dakota (er, well, not mine but my company's) into 4 Lo and was soon making my own path curving around and up the hill. The hill provide an exquisite view of the nearby valleys. The weather was pleasant and the lighting idyllic. Aside from the reason for being there, it was a nice setting and good for the soul.
Amid jokes (which are highly accepted by the vet -- makes the job not nearly as tense) offered by the husband (you know, like "Round bales were outlawed in Pennsylvania... because the horses couldn't get a square meal."), I evaluated the horse for lameness and colic. Aside from a high heart rate, I noticed no evidence of the latter. Gut sounds were good, gum color pink and non-toxic, the horse was not trying to roll or go down.
But, she sure did not want to walk. And she kept shifting her weight from foot to foot. I hoof-tested all 4 feet and found a couple sore spots, no obvious toe pain to indicated really bad founder. However, this horse was very sore on her feet -- no matter what the hoof testers "said" -- this horse was sore and took some decidedly lame steps when walking on harder ground.
Turns out she was on lush pasture 2 weeks longer than normal because the owners were preoccupied with some other issues. Tentative, working diagnosis: beginning founder.
I gave her a shot of banamine to ease the inflammation and pain, and they were able to walk her off the hill and down to the barn, away from the instigating lush grass.
The owner apologized for "ruining my evening", apologized for calling me out on a Sunday.
But I assured them they certainly did not ruin my evening. The drive was superb, the countryside picturesque, and the people really good to work with. And their horse wasn't colicking.
posted by Claire at 20:34
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