Birthday at the small animal clinic

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As part of 5th year, I've got to complete a number of hours in the small animal clinic (internal diseases), and in the clinic of exotics. The sign up book for the whole year was released a week ago and it's already completely full so I had to take any day I could get! Today, I spent 12 hours in the small animal clinic, on my 26th birthday!

When I got in in the morning, there was already a dog in the hospital - a suspected tetanus case. This was really interesting because I've never seen tetanus before, and by this point it was quite far progressed. Unfortunately the dog was non-ambulatory, and was not interested in eating or drinking. Throughout the day, her neurological function declined (no menace response, no palpebral reflex, pupils did not respond to light). At the end of the day, her pupils were different sizes (anisocoria), the owners were called and she was euthanised. It was a difficult situation because the owners had refused all other diagnostics, so the vets weren't 100% positive that the dog had tetanus. Ideally they would have done an MRI but the nearest veterinary one is in Trenčín. 
 
On the plus side of that whole awful situation, she needed a new IVC placed, and I got a clean stick on my first try. Still feels very satisfying. 

Throughout the day, we saw a rabbit for a nail trim and a collection of feces on his bum (the vet had to shave it off), a cat came in for an antibiotic shot, a dog for her yearly vaccines, a small maltese came in because he'd eaten a scrunchie (we scoped it out, and I monitored the anaesthesia - he had a really weird heart rhythm!). Another dog came in who had been examined a few days ago - they found a mass in his nose, and then when they did an X-ray they found a mass in his abdomen, and mets in his chest. His owner was a human nurse, so he was sent home with some fluids to be monitored at home. There was also a Yorkie who vomited some blood, so he was monitored all day and then sent home, back to the Czech Republic (he was named after Niki Lauda!).

All in all, it was a pretty good birthday!

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