ladysprite | Waah

When things go well, I love my job. When things go tragically awry, there's a certain nobility to the suffering and loss that is intrinsic to life. The true problems only arise when things just go yucky.

There's nothing noble or sophisticated about sticking your fingers inside parts of animals that are not normally entrances. There's no honor associated with the battle scars you get when an angry tomcat carves his name across your already unimpressive bosom on the one day you decide not to wear a turtleneck because it's nice out. And it's absolutely impossible to be dignified while doing anything that involves a ferret.

I want to be busy. I want to break even. I want a reminder that people are generally good, and I want to have fun. More than that, I want fun brought to me on a shiny tray with extra raspberries and whipped cream, and maybe a musical crescendo.

I brought a puppy back from the dead this weekend, and all I got was a slightly stale Hostess Sno-Ball. To be honest, I guess he was only mostly dead, but I still think that merits at least a higher quality of mass-produced 'baked' goods....

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I brought a puppy back from the dead this weekend, and all I got was a slightly stale Hostess Sno-Ball.

Sounds like a bad T-shirt slogan! Now you can add that you got some thanks, too.

Thank you for working on that puppy and bringing it back to life! I hope your next case brings you much more gratitude than the going price of one slightly stale Hostess Sno-Ball.

Keeping an animal alive merits far more than a Hostess pastry. Yesterday, my mother and I thought of two absolutely entirely unethical vet procedures that would nonetheless bring in at least enough lunatic owners in wealthy communities to, um, er, well, you figure it out:

botox for Boxers
Lasik for Labradors

Before you reach through that modem to strangle me, think of it from the perspective of those who have seen quite a few owners who view their animals as an extension of their own vanity rather than as pets and moral commitments. Hmmmn, rrrrr, never mind—you've already outcounted us on that score, surely.

Maybe this is evidence that I'm still in the mental-bunnies-overload stage of this cold...

Not to take your satirical post seriously, but what would be so bad about giving a dog Lasik....save for the obscene cost. I've seen dog's eyesight go with old age (or dogs with plain out bad vision) and it seems as practical as helping a dog with arthritis or some other debilitating health problem. Actually Lasik surgery is probably the most logical way to fix an animals messed up eyesight, since you really can't get an animal to wear glasses or contacts.

If you meant the yuppies would get Lasiks on their Labrador so they could see better than normal vision and be a better hunting dog and stuff, then YES that is messed up.

The botox thing is just hysterical (to think about, not actually do!!)!

I've occasionally read your posts while going along for the ride by reading a friend's (

sjo) friends list. As someone who'd never taken care of animals prior to November, it's been interesting for me to read your perspective from the vet side of things. I hate to admit it, but I'd never had much appreciation of what vets do, until these past few months.

Frankly, I now think that vets have it harder than people doctors -- for a whole bunch of reasons, but mostly ... well, because, for me at least, there's something scary about taking care of an animal who's ailing. I've learned, through the nearly month-long ordeal with Radio Rabbit's eye (combination of infection-from-hell that led to ulcerated cornea and my guilt for being unable to see the ulcer developing at home, plus a not-directly-related scratch on her cornea), that a good vet takes care of the animal *and* their person. I've also seen a mostly stoic vet absolutely *beam* at seeing how much RR's eye improved, and understood how much he had been worried, and how much he cares for the animals he treats. That moment was priceless, and has told me that I made the right choice of veterinary practice.

I guess what I'm taking a long time to say is that we don't care if you look undignified, we appreciate every battle scar you get, and that you deserve much better than a slightly stale Sno-Ball (well, unless you go for that sort of thing). Thank you.

Thank you for your comment, and for the appreciation - and you're right, taking care of the people is a major part of veterinary medicine. Most of the time, it's a lot of what I love and why I'm staying in private practice.... there's nothing in the world more rewarding than seeing a happy family put back together again. :)

I'm glad you found a good vet, and that your bunny is doing well! Corneal ulcers are incredibly un-fun, and hard to take care of - you must have really taken good care of her for it to heal so well.

I want a reminder that people are generally good, and I want to have fun. More than that, I want fun brought to me on a shiny tray with extra raspberries and whipped cream, and maybe a musical crescendo.

Intercon will be fun, no? There may even be raspberries and whipped cream. There will certainly be music, and I will dance with you and that will be fun.

As for your bosom... I'm playing your brother in Elfwhere so... no comment.

Dancing will definitely be a goodness. I need to turn off my brain for a little while....

I'm playing your brother in Elfwhere so... no comment.

I was kind of amused by that - apparently you've gone from being my pathologically seelie father to being my pathologically seelie brother. I'm not sure what comes next, though - somehow I doubt you'd be convincing as my pathologically seelie son....

I'll have whipped cream and cherries brought to you on a sliver platter carried by Ferrets :-) I heard others are taking care of the music...

See ya this weekend...

Ooh.... :)

Unfortunately, the chocolate chips that were earmarked for your cookies wound up going to my 12-year-old neighbor - I just learned yesterday that she broke her arm, and I figured she needed the cookies more. Will you ever forgive me?

But of course my dear... :-)

You can also assuage my loss of baked chocolity goodness by dancing with me saturday ;-)

Hehehe (that weasel sublty at work) :-D

Shoot! I never thought of taking baked goods to a vet's office, not even stale ones. Bad pet owner! Would baby carrots or parsley do in an emergency? Niles makes me keep those around the house even if there's no people food, and they seem tasty to me. Or I *could* bake after a crisis is over...

Waah

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Fun!

Re: Fun!

Re: Fun!

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