Volunteering at my vet's- day 3 on pg. 2

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Aida

Aida

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 26, 2011
Messages
2,323
Location
Florida
Hey all!
This weekend I'm going to start volunteering at my vet's office. :joy: :thumbup:
I'm really excited, I bet it'll be real fun. The vet is mostly an exotic and avian vet, so there's tons of different animals that come in(just from my visits, I've seen macaws, iguanas, chinchillas, tortoises), and there's many that also live there or are up for adoption, so I bet they'll be a lot to do.

I volunteered last year at a hospital, and that was very rewarding and nice too, although quiet at times. However, ever since I came back from a summer trip, they seem to have switched volunteer coordinators and despite my multiple efforts I CANNOT get any word back from them. I haven't even retrieved my volunteer hours that I have completed there. :stickpoke:
Honestly, I called about 5 times, left more than one message. I got one call back, which just promised another call back... grrrr, it's very frustrating.

Anyways, I got my scrubs today, and they have little penguins on them. :giggle: :bunnydance:
 
How exciting! I was offered to shadow at my dogs vet, but never followed through due to anxiety. I'm hoping once leaving the house gets easier, I can do that and get my GED and possibly go to college to be a vet tech (that is, if I still think it's right for me after shadowing).

You will have to tell us how it goes!
 
First day was awesome!
I was there from 7am till 2pm, and we did a lot. First I cleaned some cages and gave food/water to the animals that live or board there- a sugar glider, a family of chinchillas(with little babies!), a toy poodle, a flying squirrel, and about a billion birds including two macaws(one of which is HUGE), african grays, cockatoos, pigeons, the most beautiful loon duck, etc.

Then when patients begun to come in, I was able to watch most of the procedures/visits. There was a rabbit who was getting it's teeth trimmed, multiple birds getting their nails/beaks filed, an african gray who was insanely upset about getting a chew/scratch prevention collar, a heron had to be put down due to a broken wing, a squirrel was brought in for an inflamed amputated tail and backbone laser therapy, a giant pekking duck was getting laser therapy on it's legs too, a big tabby cat had to get a urine sample taken directly from it's bladder, and some other patients were there which I didn't see.

It was really interesting, especially the anesthesia/euthanasia procedures. It was a little sad with the big heron, but he was suffering. A rescue brought him in after taking him off of a road where he was hit by a car. He broke his wing then, and was under their care until it healed. BUt he was so aggressive and jumpy, that he couldn't be calmed in his cage/pen, and actually broke it again like a day after it mended. The man said that he was impossible to care for and that the wing was in extremely bad shape(which he later showed us-- yikes!!!), so they decided to put it down. I can't remember what chemical was used, it was a mixture, but the vet technician injected it into the bird's jugular vein, and within 5 seconds it was gone. Honestly, it was THAT quick- I was amazed. Seconds and it was entirely unresponsive and gone. He didn't fight or flap or anything, so it looked very calm and painless, and that's obviously good.

The anesthesia used to make the squirrel and the rabbit fall asleep was the gas kind, and it too worked quickly. It was a few minutes before the animal fell asleep, but not long. While the vet worked on them the vet technician kept the gas going over it's nose, and then when the vet was finished, they switched the gas to pure oxygen and they were awake, also, in a few minutes- though still pretty sleepy and groggy. It was about 30minutes before they came to entirely, in their cages.

:)
 
I'm glad you enjoyed your first day, sound like they have a vast array of animals to be looked after.
That's a shame about the heron, I probably would have balled my eyes out when the vet put him to sleep.
I hope you continue you enjoy your time there.
 
Wow, it sounds like a great first day! It's sad about the heron, but showing him the kindness of putting him out of his misery is better than keeping him alive at all costs.
It sounds like there are lots of birds in the practice. I have wondered about having birds as pets, but I know nothing about them, so have stayed with mammals.
How often will you be going?
 
Joanne, I will most likely be going on Saturdays. It makes more sense that way, because I don't get home till 3, and the vet closes at 5, so it's pretty impossible for me to go on weekdays. However, Christmas break is two weeks long and it's coming up, so I will probably go more often then.
 
It sounds like you have a awesome first day, and a lucky one at that. My vet is just a regular cat/dog and some small animals (rats). Going to an exotic clinic must be a lot of fun.
 
Yeah Amanda, there is a lot of different animals coming in, keeps stuff interesting. Also, lots of sanctuaries and rescues seem to bring in wild animals that need treatment, too.
 
Today was pretty sad. :(

A man and his wife brought in a lethargic rabbit that wasn't eating much. The vet x-rayed it, and it had an obstruction(most likely carpet) in it's upper, smaller intestine. Because he wasn't eating enough hay or grass, or anything for the matter, the obstruction couldn't pass through-- and mostly wouldn't anyways before it would kill him, because it was so early in the digestive tract and there was so much more to go. The vet explained that rabbits can die very easily with such stresses and obstructions, withing a day even, and there would be pretty much no hope except for surgery.

The vet could do surgery, but no one would be in at the clinic tomorrow(sunday, it's closed) or the christmas days for monitoring. The vet technicians obviously come in to feed/clean/care for the borders that are at the clinic, or the clinic "pets", but no one is there constantly to monitor IVs or watch for emergencies. He called an emergency animal hospital instead. With an emergency exotic surgery on the weekend, and monitoring for a few days afterwards in such a busy time, the surgery came up to about 3000-4000 dollars.

It was really sad, but the owners decided to euthanize the rabbit. :(
I obviously didn't observe this, or most of the case earlier as that would be insensitive-- I wouldn't want students gawking as one of MY babies is being put to sleep. At the very end, though, a vein burst in the rabbit as it was getting sedative from an IV- so it was brought in back to do the final injection, and I was there for that looking at some owls that were also brought in with another vet tech. They said that the rabbit didn't feel pain or anything, however, as it was already on sedatives when the vein accident happened.

It was really sad and I felt bad for the owner, it's upsetting because most of us know what that feels like. Having no idea that it is that serious, getting horrible news, trying to make a surgery vs. euthanization decision(or not having a decision....), and then possibly feeling guilty afterwards. I hope they have other rabbits or pets to snuggle when they get home. :(



The two owls that also came in were saved by a sanctuary that found them somewhere in the wild, the same one that brought in the heron and a flying squirrle last time, I believe. They were small and very cute. One had an eye filled with blood, and the vet couldn't even see past all of it- even after staining it with some chemical to check for scratches, and using different lights to look into it. They put this one on steroids and antibiotics to hopefully get rid of the debris so that the problem can even be diagnosed.

The other owl had a shattered joint that healed, but not correctly. It'll have to be put to sleep. :(
It doesn't hurt and the owl is alive, but it can't fly and it wouldn't even be able to be released. There isn't enough space at the wildlife sanctuary/center, and there isn't anyone that could keep it in captivity.

Both these cases were obviously really sad, but- I don't mean to be a jerk by saying this- interesting, too. I was able to see the x-rays of both, and the vet on duty today explained them really well. I guess that is some plus...
 

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