Happy National Vet Tech Week! (A week behind but its ok)

Note: Vet Tech Week WAS last week Oct 14-20th but I'm behind on my posts so I wanted to share anyway :)

 

I finished setting up the website/blog for the rescue group my clinic works with: Faith Hope and Love Rescue. The webpage they currently use is the basic info page shelters get when they sign up with PetFinder.com and its really simple.

http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/FL785.html

The one I set up for them is also basic but its more pleasing to the eye and I think more user friendly. I set it up through my blogger account, currently it will just be informative but if they would like to use it for posts and updates I'll help with that as well. Here's the new one:

http://faithhopeloverescue.blogspot.com/

 

They were really excited to see it and I'm hoping that the next step will be to purchase a domain name so its easier to find them. The big plans in process for the rescue is trying to get funding to open up a shelter. I really want to help  them get started with that. I gave them my email and phone number in case they want to ask me for help with anything.

 

Another animal advocacy group I'm involved in is the No Kill shelter movement. (http://www.nokilladvocacycenter.org/ and http://www.thenokillnation.org/)  I've also given them my contact info because there is going to be very important animal advocacy legislation coming next year. January is when they are planning to reach out to us for help. Here's a few links about the group, and this isn't a new idea. The first no kill open admission shelter celebrated it's 10th year of saving 90% or more of pets. The average in regular shelters is about 50%, some better, some worse(*coughPETAcough* http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/douglas-anthony-cooper/peta-fighting-for-the-rig_b_1598530.html).

 

And in awesome news:

 

David and I have planned our weekend getaway to Miami! Yay :) Going to see a comedy show, lay on the beach, shop a little, and just have fun. I can't freaking wait! We are driving down in my pretty car and I just know we will have a blast.

 

Starting today is National Veterinary Technician Appreciation week. We are often an under-appreciated profession, by our bosses, coworkers, and customers. (Not at my place though! Our group is great together.) Take a moment this week to give them/us a special thanks :) I can't wait to get my two fellow techs little gifts. Also one of the techs is our manager and boss's day is Tuesday so we are going to make sure she and our vet get something nice.

 

Here's what I wrote on facebook about it:

Lindsay Wagner

October 14

National Vet Tech Appreciation week starts today! 

Just remember when we are at work taking care of your pets, we are missing our own. We help new owners with puppies and kittens start off life right, we advocate for highest quality medicine

we can achieve, we help animals and their owners when their precious pets are sick or injured, we stand by your pets side when you are unable to be there for their euthanasia; often holding them, kissing them, and telling them how good they are and how much they are loved; often crying ourselves during or after. 

Please know we are not in this business for the money, but because we truly care for animals. The world would be so very empty without our pets.

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Police Shenanigans

Wednesday night I was on my way to the place I was pet sitting for with my dogs. I noticed a car following closely and sure enough I was getting pulled over by the police. It was pretty late at night, probably almost 1 am, I was a little high, and really exhausted. I had no idea why I was getting pulled over. Since it was so late I decided to pull over on the road we were already on under a street lamp (you never know!) so we had some light.

The officer gets on the PA speaker thing and instructs me to pull up to the next cross street and turn down it. Of course it's dark but I realize there are three squad cars so there is plenty of light with all their flashing ones. I stop the car, put my hands on the wheel, and wait. I'm expecting an officer to come up to the window but that doesn't happen.

Then the voice on the speaker says, "Roll up your windows, turn off the car, come out with your drivers license and your hands visible."

Now I'm freaking the fuck out. The only thing saving me from getting hysterical is knowing I hadn't done anything wrong. In my head I was thinking am I getting arrested for something? Did someone switch my tags? What. The. Fuck.

I do exactly as instructed and carefully walk over to the 3 visible officers and 3 police vehicles. I walk carefully so they can see I'm not drunk and won't be doing anything stupid. Once I'm over to the officer that pulled me over the third car departs leaving me with two squad cars and three officers that I was aware of.

Note: It is hard as fuck to see anything when there is one car with flashing lights let alone two or three!! I kept squinting and shading my eyes with my hands.

They ask me to stand over off to the side kind of in between them and my car. I asked if I could sit down and I could see my dogs watching me, probably wondering what they hell was going on. They didn't bark or growl once. The second vehicle was an SUV which was driven by their corporal--the boss I was informed.

Apparently they pulled me over for having a headlight out--which I was unaware of. They told me they would run my license and as long as that was fine then I would be ok to go with just a citation.

As they were running my license the younger officer asked the corporal how he was doing and he replied, "I'm doing fine as long as those dogs don't come out of that car." He was watching my dogs very intently.

That's when it all made sense and I felt a tiny bit more comfortable. They were doing all this "criminal" shit to protect themselves and protect my dogs from being in a bad situation. I told the corporal they are friendly but I totally understand.

The corporal left after my license checked out clean. They handed me back my license and I put it in my pocket--then they asked me to keep my hands out of my pockets. I apologized but they explained that one was in training and was being graded so he had to go exactly by the book. I told them while alarming, I appreciated the way they completely avoided confrontation with the dogs, even though they are sweet, you never know what could happen. I also told them about a few stories where pets were shot without taking preventative measures first (ie. have owner remove dog, taser, pepper spray). The officer grading the other said he's only had to shoot one once and it made him very upset but the dog was latched onto his arm and wouldn't let go. I told him about when I was bitten in the face by a big husky and that I understand accidents happen (and it sucks!).

All said and done, they decided to not give me a $140 citation for my headlight but we decided "I failed to show my insurance card" which is a $10 fee when I bring it in to thr clerk of the court. If he wasnt training/grading they wouldn't have given me anything, damn!

Oh well, I learned from that experience and it's nice to know there really are officers who take precautions with dogs. I also learned how to replace a headlight bulb...it wasn’t as easy as it sounds. But my friend and I did it!

Pet Food Industry: Recalls & Warnings

1. Diamond Dog Food – Naturals Lamb Meal and Rice: Voluntary recall by the company due to potential salmonella contamination. No illnesses have been reported, the food was distributed only to 12 states and is for this specific formula only.
2. Yam Jerky Treats from China potentially causing illness with same symptoms as those that consumed potentially contaminated Chicken Jerky.
3. FDA sent health officials to Pet food manufacturers to inspect jerky treat production in China.
4. Whistleblowers targeted at FDA after food safety concerns are dismissed and investigation is launched: many food safety officials contacted private sectors after their safety concerns were dismissed by agency management. Upon doing so the FDA began spying on their employees by means of “target monitoring”—which was intercepting personal communications from the whistleblowers to Senator Grassley’s staff. Senator Grassley enraged at the audacity of the FDA launched an investigation while the six whistleblowers filed lawsuit against the FDA for targeting them.
5. Retailers pull “pink slime” but continue to sell chicken jerky treats. It’s been in our food for years and so far hasn’t had any complaints through the FDA—chicken jerky treats made from china however have over 600 complaints to the FDA.
Be careful what you purchase for your furry friends, always read the label, and use caution when purchasing imported products as they may not have been put up to as rigorous standards as products produced here. Report any illnesses associated with any foods or treats immediately to your veterinarian and the FDA. http://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/SafetyHealth/ReportaProblem/ucm182403.htm


PS—Florida residents (Orlando area) we have kittens for adoption at my veterinary clinic! Contact me for details!

Jury Duty—My experience

*Disclaimer--I have finished serving jury duty and have been discharged by the judge. I am now legally allowed to share information regarding the case if I desire.*

Last week I had to go for a jury summons. You know-- that civic duty anyone registered to vote is required to perform. Many of you probably have never even received a jury summons. Lucky bastards. I have received FOUR jury summons. Thankfully I never actually had to go until this last one. The first two were while I was in school and I was excused (both Orange County, FL). The third I think I was eligible to be excused but I must have procrastinated and/or forgotten about it until right before and I had to call to see if I was called. To get excused or have your jury duty postponed you MUST submit your form at least 10 days before the day you are required to come for selection. They may or may not excuse you. There is a list of mandatory and optional reasons that would enable you to not have to serve but you can also try to be excused if you are facing hardship. So on the third jury summons I had to call the night before and see if my number was called, it was not! Woo, score three for Orange County. 

Well now I'm living in Seminole County, FL and at the end of February I received my fourth summons. Dammit! I informed my job and sent in my form to be excused stating that taking time off work would put a financial hardship on me and the $15 per day compensation would not be sufficient to cover bills. (Yeeeah so in FL they pay you $15 per day for the first 3 days and then $30 per day for each thereafter...lame!) I also stated that my job would be short handed if I wasn't there. The clerks office called my job to speak with me and told me they were not able to excuse me for my listed reasons but when I came in for selection I could try to discuss it with the judge and see if she excuses me. Not a good sign I thought. Apparently seminole county isn't as laid back as orange. 

We were required to report to the Seminole County courthouse at 8am on Monday. After some instructions by the clerk the judge came out to hear who needed to be excused and why. I figured out veerrrry quickly that my reasons were not going to fly with this judge. As other people who seemed to have much more legitimate reasons than I were denied to leave, I realized that there was a really good chance I would be selected based on the age demographic in the room: AKA not that many under 35 people. I'm 26 soon to be 27 but I know some 30somethings that I wouldn't have guessed there were over 30. 

Being trapped in a room with other people who dislike being there just as much as you really helps to build camaraderie. A small group of us quickly formed as we were the goofy, cynical, and oddly enough the only ones with electronic devices other than cell phones. (Nerds always unite!) We had a good time joking around for about 3 hours. Unfortunately the clerks were actually kind of rude to us. I accidentally left my phone in my car and we weren't allowed to leave the room at one point. Finally I got so annoyed that I just told them I was going to get my phone from my car--and I went. It wasn't until after lunch that I was called for selection. It was around 1:30pm. Thankfully when you call the number that night you are supposed to report for the summons the message tells you to prepare to be there all day and bring books, games, laptops, etc. I brought the second book of the Hunger Games series, Catching Fire and my laptop. 

When we went upstairs we had to sit inside a courtroom with the judge, lawyers, and defendant. The whole thing made me nervous for some reason, but the judge and lawyers were SOOO nice and SO much nicer than the courthouse staff we were with downstairs. (Oh the deputies were very nice as well) The three of them thanked us for coming in and told us how much they appreciated our time. The judge told us the case was a criminal charge of battery and we were asked if we knew any parties involved. The judge read off a list of people including a few police officers. We were asked to say our name, occupation, marital status, if we had children, if we had ever served as a juror before, if we had any court experience, and if we knew anyone who was a victim or charged with battery or had any experience with the charge of battery. They asked us if any of that experience would alter our ability to have an unbiased opinion on the case. We were not given any other details except that it was a criminal charge of battery, the name of the defendant, and the witnesses involved.

Then the state attorney and the defense attorney asked us questions about when it is and is not appropriate to hit someone; what our feelings were regarding seeing someone in the police car and if that would make us assume immediately that they were guilty. They asked us if we were peaceful or more likely to react if someone got in our face. They also asked us on a scale of one to ten, how much each of us wanted to be there. After they finished with their questions we were asked to sit outside the courtroom while the attorneys decided which jurors they wanted. I had this feeling from the very beginning that I was going to get picked. And I was. The judge informed us that we were under court order not to discuss the case or trial with anyone and not to research it. I knew I would honor this no problem. 

The trial was Friday. We had to go to the courthouse at 9am. I was late...of course. And of course they were waiting for me!! (omg! so embarassing!) We were given some instructions and then we were led into the courtroom. We had to leave our belongings (even my phone, booo!) in the jury room which was locked while we weren't in there. We listened to all the testimony and the lawyers questioning. 

Basically the story was: A group of parents and kids were waiting on the sidewalk at a school bus stop. The defendant was driving along the road at what appeared to be too fast for one parent who stepped out partially into the road to wave and shout "slow down." The driver gave the parent the finger. Allegedly the driver fake swerved at the parent and the parent slapped or possibly punched the car trunk or hood. The driver stopped almost immediately, checked his car (which was a rental), and confronted the parent. Both exchanged heated words. Allegedly the driver swung at the parent. The driver decided to go back to his car. He handed his passenger his phone because he saw another parent come up and was supposedly unsure what would happen next. (Both parents were fathers as was the driver) At that point they exchanged more curses and insults. Allegedly the driver then pushed the parent but in court and on his written testimony he stated he never touched him and left after they exchanged more words. The witnesses written testimonies except for the man who was supposedly pushed all differed from their responses in court). After deliberating (when we did this the deputy took our phones!! AHH!) which took about 30 minutes we decided on not guilty due to reasonable doubt. You are not allowed to find a verdict of guilty if there is reasonable doubt. We were there from 9am to 4:15pm. We each will earn $30, which will come by mail...at some point.

So, once it was all over, I appreciated the experience. It was interesting to see how our court system works from the inside, by actually being a part of it. I still don't ever WANT to do it again, but if I HAVE to I won't be as pissed off =^.^=

It wasn't so bad I guess, other than being stuck and "wasting" two days. If you get summoned make sure to bring stuff to do!!! If you go to trial you will be busy most of the time listening to testimonies, but bring snacks if you are allowed.

Animal Kingdom!!! (#yaylife)

Well I've had some highs and lows last week for sure! 
Thursday my awesome boyfriend took me to Disney's Animal Kingdom!  

It was kind of funny when he asked me because for some reason I was expecting him to tell me that his family wanted to go or something and he just wasn't telling me. I kept trying to ask questions via text to figure out what the catch was. I finally just asked if it would just be us and he said yes! Cool! I mean I like his family but I also REALLY enjoy spending time just us. Animal Kingdom is by far my favorite park at Disney (are you surprised?) and I haven't been since just shortly after they opened. The last time I went they didn't have any rides except for the Safari but there wasn't much else to see. They hadn't completed Africa and Asia wasn't even built yet. I was in such a bad mood after work I almost told him that I didn't want to go. Once I calmed down I went online and started looking at all the exhibits and what there was to do and I got soooooo freaking excited. I boycott most zoos and captive animal exhibits unless its a refuge of some kind. The reason for this is because usually the animals seem fairly stressed out to me in their very small enclosures. The thing I love about animal kingdom is that their habitats are quite large. Animal Kingdom is the biggest park at Disney in Florida but most of the landscape is used as habitats for the animals. I am always rather impressed by the amount of space and care that goes into these animals. 

There are several "walks" where you can view animals in their habitats playing or doing whatever they do naturally. I took soooo many photos! I had my camera (although I didn't bring fresh batteries and its a 7.1 megapixel but has better zoom than my 8 megapixel iphone 4s) and my iphone--both of which died by the end of the day. The only animals I missed out on photos were the lions and cheetahs which only came out around 6pm. I will be uploading all my photos and videos to my facebook account if anyone wanted to see more. You may have to friend me, I can't remember what settings I have for photos. Here's the link to my facebook account:  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=57208657
So I really don't have a favorite part of the day, the whole day was amazing!! One of the really cool parts was going to their "Conservation Station" where you can meet some animal handlers and get behind the scene views of their laboratory and some of their veterinary areas. So total eye candy for me. hehe. You didn't actually get to go into their hospital but some of the walls are actually glass so you can see them working in their diagnostic lab and they also have cameras to show the holding pens where they do treatments. We hopped on the last Safari of the day hoping to see the rest of the animals that were hiding from the heat (BTW--if you go make sure you go early as there is a lot to do and the animals won't come out or be active when its super hot) which was awesome because we did get to see them, the only thing that sucks is that the park closes early so they can start feeding before dark. While we were on the last safari all the giraffes were gathered by their gate where I can only assume they are let in to be fed. By the end of the day my boyfriend was feeling a little crummy as he has a toothache and also some trouble with one of his crowns. 
This actually leads me into the low for my week and as I don't want to dwell on it I'm going to keep it short; my boyfriend may need to have surgery to have an implant (tooth) placed into his jaw bone as the crown (or whatever it is) won't stay in because the tooth root is fractured. This may cost us in the upwards of $3000 and we have no idea how we are going to pay for it. This weekend I may be in over-drive trying to create crafty gifts to stock my etsy shop, I may even have to create a chip-in account. We shall see, there's a small possibility that we can get his dad to cosign for a medical credit card called care credit (www.carecredit.com) so that we can make monthly payments (FYI--it can also be used for your pets in certain vet offices!!). Whatever has to happen we'll make it work but wish us luck!!! 
I hope everyone is doing well and a huge thanks to my BF (who doesn't read this site..I think) for giving me a much needed animal filled day of fun, even though we walked for almost 8 hours straight. OH and those Rhinos in the photo...there are only about 5000 left on earth. They are highly endangered and killed for their horns :(
peace, love, and pawprints

Crashing a National Conference {TNTML}

So I'm gonna crash a national conference.
Yeaaah! Here's the scoop:
Every January the North American Veterinary Conference (NAVC) takes place in Orlando, FL and it usually costs at least $100 to go for one day. The conference lasts about 4 days and has awesome lectures, vendor exhibits, free goodies, parties, and a great way to make contacts in the veterinary world. Even just a guest badge which gives you access to the exhibit halls and everything except lectures and labs is about $45. Parking is $10 (or more, I don't know the cost this year) per location per day. So all said and done it can be super expensive to go. Annnd for the last few years I lose track of time during the holidays and suddenly its January and damnit I'm not going AGAIN. (My boss is going which is good but the clinic can't afford to send anyone else this year--at least he'll go and learn new stuff for us)
However one of our vendor reps was telling me that he was going to be down at the conference during most of it and when I mentioned that I wasn't going again (and most likely I said it rather pathetically) he told me he could get me into the exhibit hall. SWEET!!
So I'm still going to have to pay for parking but since I'm on kennel duty this weekend and our clinic is relatively close to the convention center I won't be spending much more in gas (I'll go when I'm planning to travel to the clinic). So excited!! I haven't been to the conference in years!!! Two years ago I went with a friend to an event that was sponsored by the conference but we didn't get to go into the exhibit hall (which is so fun). The event we went to in 2010 was a lecture about the future of a veterinary company but they also opened up SeaWorld just for those attending to ride the rides, they had an open beer/wine bar (OMG WTF!!!), a special night time Shamu Show, and we all also got these cute stuffed dogs.

Hopefully I'll be able to report back with some new and exciting pet products or information. Often times we can get awesome free stuff for attending.
Anyway, in other news: I've been a terrible blogger and social media friend lately. Work has been particularly rough lately with sick patients and dealing with my sick kitty just leaves me exhausted at the end of the day. I think I have over 300 blogs to read. I desperately want to redo my blog banner and tweak the layout as well as catch up on my writing. My 12 things for 2012 really hasn't been going as planned but the good thing about that is its for myself. And since its for myself I can pull myself back up and start again.
My kitty is doing pretty well. She's eating and seems to be in good spirits so we are continuing her trial treatments and will reevaluate once they are finished.
Update: Yeah so that didn’t work out so well. The vendor was going to be able to get me into the exhibit hall for only like two hours and then I was already spending like $25 in gas and parking. I checked to see if my friends (vets) who were attending could sign me up as a guest as the website stated guests were able to go to evening lecture sessions—so I figured it would be worth my time. The lady at the desk told them guests can’t go to any lectures so we decided to call it quits. But I plan on starting a little fund so I can go next year. If I’m a vet tech student I can get in really cheap—something I’ve been considering. I want to start little funds for: NAVC (conference), a Spirit Hood, and my kitty’s vet bill/ongoing medications. I have no idea how to do that, I mean I expect to pay for all these things myself but it someone wanted to chip in how would that work? By the way—all etsy and pet sitting profits are going to pay my kitty’s vet bill. We still owe $150—it was $260 and that was just what was put on payment plan. I gave up getting a new iphone so my dad would pay for my cat’s ultrasound instead ($230). Mind you these prices are heavily discounted due to my work in the field.

Exotic Animals {posted on TNTML}

I wanted to share my latest post over at http://talknerdytomelover.com (TNTML) in case you don’t read over there. My series is posted every Saturday after Jen edits it. She’s entitled the series: The secret life of a veterinary technician. It’s just my take on life, heavy in animals since that’s my passion but I will also share just whatever is on my mind. Lately I’ve been talking about animal rescue and shelters but it was getting a little sad so the next few posts will be about past experience with exotic/zoo animals.
This is last saturday’s post :) It’s a bit wordy, sorry.
So most of this takes place at the University of Florida. I worked in their Veterinary Medical Center, Small Animal Hospital ICU/CC (intensive care unit/critical care) for almost 2 years. Although much of the experience I had with their management was abso-fucking-lutely horrible, the medical experience I gained far out weighed the emotional and mental trauma I endured. Now most of my direct patients were only dogs and cats but sometimes Zoological Medicine/Exotics would either have a patient in ICU (for better care then the zoo ward-no overnight care) or I would end up in Zoo med because they didn't have any overnight technicians to help them. 
Some of the most memorable cases were: the kangaroo in ICU, the wild doe in the zoo ward, the white bengal tiger in zoo ward, and the cougar in ICU. 

(that’s me up there!)
The kangaroo was in ICU because he needed to get fluids, plasma, and other medications usually all at the same time. So we had to place a central line which is a special intravenous catheter that is placed in the jugular vein. It has multiple ports that empty into the vein separately so the solutions are not mixed.  
The deer was a wild doe that was hit by a car. A good Samaritan (its what we call them in the vet world, and originally it is a bible reference) saw her get hit and brought her into the hospital on emergency. The driver of the car that hit the doe drove away. The man who brought her in also saw her fawn so he went back to find the baby who was hiding at the time. The veterinarian on call for zoo med came down to ICU to get some help. I volunteered. (I like doing different things) The vet asked the vet student (always a vet student on call during the weekend as well as vet) to put in a jugular catheter but she was unable to do so. He asked me to.
At this time in my career I had never placed a jugular catheter, tons of regular IV catheters in the legs and even ears. Yes, ears. Some dogs like basset hounds have big floppy ears which also have a nice little vein that can be used if needed. Well I figured it would be just like the other catheters only a much larger target. I never told the vet or the vet student that I hadn't done this before, because essentially I have, just not in this vessel. And I was successful! Unfortunately the doe had to be euthanized as she was fatally injured. The nice man who saved her from suffering was able to save her fawn. 
There's always happy and sad times in my job. 
FYI I only have one actual picture from this time to share currently but next week I should have more. My old laptop is not charged and like a very very bad nerd I didn't not back up any of my files so they are currently trapped on a computer that I cannot turn on. Annnnd the charger is MIA. I'm pretty sure someone borrowed it....like a while ago....ALSO I contacted my Senior Vet Tech/good friend (she was the lead tech on our shift until she went on maternity leave and then I became lead tech) and asked her to email me any photos she has from when we worked together. 
Anyway, the big cats will be next time! I MUST have photos of the kitties to show you with the post. Otherwise it wouldn't be fair :)
OMG! And let us never forget how AMAZING social media is because I posted on twitter and facebook that I needed to borrow a charger for an old compaq presario V5000 model--low and behold help has arrived!!! It isn't in the form of a charger but a facebook/IRL friend from high school contacted me and let me know that he has a compTIA A+ certification. So basically he's going to pull all the data off my old laptop for me even if we can't turn it on. Will only take about 30 minutes and he said NO CHARGE!! AMAZING! Do you know how much this usually costs? To copy over a hard drive? Its apparently called data recovery. I did a quick check online and it can cost up to $350. I may have to buy this dude some starbucks!
Yaaay!! Peace. Love. Pawprints.
-Lindsay @thecraftafarian

I'm still here

So in case anyone thinks I'm completely bonkers or forgot about you--its not the case. My AC crapped out yet again and so I really can't do much else than watch tv/play on comp while sitting in front of a bunch of fans. I live in FL if you didn't know.

The fabric has been cut, it is a cute little zippered pouch about 8x4 inches. I just can't muster up the strength to get out my machine and sew. Its too hot and I feel like poo. I should post the finishing touches of my 26 things today. If my new AC unit comes today I will take out my sewing machine, but more likely I will sew it up saturday and post the giveaway. Thanks for being so patients my great followers (for those of you that actually read--I dont blame you sometimes if you don't, I can ramble on and on).

It was my birthday yesterday and my lovely friends took me out to dinner and I got a little chocolate wasted if you will. Great night, slow morning + no ac = absolutely no productivity.

I hope you understand. :)

ps- I forgot to eat so now my blood sugar is wacky (I have the opposite of diabetes--hypoglycemia) So I have to get dressed and I'm gonna go to my amazing boyfriends work and let him buy my dinner of delicious pizza. That would be why I'm super out of shape, I eat too much pizza :)