draggonlaady

Really, it was. Right up until 3:00. When I was unloading hay for my horses to eat this winter--I should never try to do a semi-major project on a weekend that I'm on-call. In the midst of the unloading, the phone started ringing. And it just. keeps. on. ringing!

Call #1: Colicky mare. Rush through the rest of the hay, drive back to town like a bat out of hell, but they still beat me to the clinic. That's ok though, because the horse is doing better on her own--therapeutic trailer ride is the way to go.

Call #2: Family that I saw a week ago, 11 year old dog that started seizing last weekend. Went over all the nasty things that can cause seizures, given the dog's age and sudden onset of multiple seizures there's nothing good in the dog's future, but MRI and surgery aren't options due to financial constraints. So we started him on anti-seizure meds and warned them that it won't make the underlying problem go away.
Tonight they call (talked to both mother and daughter), dog's had 11 seizures since last night, gums are pale, abdomen is swelling up. I'm figuring dog's ruptured something and is bleeding internally, but they won't bring him in for me to look at. Discussed IV cath and fluids, blood transfusion, see if the bleeding stops, valium drip to control seizures--they want to know if there's anything they can do at home. Be proud, I did NOT say "dig a grave". But I'm betting that if the dog is still alive tomorrow morning, my first appointment will be a euthanasia.

Call #3: 3 day old foal, bloody diarrhea and too weak to rise. They'll load mom and baby up and head in, but it'll take about 45 minutes. From the owner's description, half expecting the foal to be dead before they get here.

Call #4: While waiting for the foal, I get a call from a woman with an elderly labrador. Woman says the dog's passed a couple bladder stones earlier in the week, but been fine since then. Now she's straining and not urinating, is there anything she can do at home? Well, no, not really. Probably has an infection, either causing the stones or because of irritation from them. So we should see the dog and check the urine, maybe do a couple x-rays to check for stones too big to pass, which we'd have to go in and get surgically. So at home, about all you can do is watch her. If she absolutely can't urinate, you better bring her in first thing in the morning though, because if the bladder gets too full it'll rupture.

Call #3 continued: Mare and foal get to the clinic, accompanied by mr and mrs owner and about a bazillion very very chipper and helpful kids who want to know what everything is and how everything works and can we hold that and carry that and what can we do to help and what are you doing now and is blood supposed to be that color and can we look through the microscope and how do you make stitches and....
right. so iv catheter and fluids and some antibiotics and the foal is still breathing, but seems to have a lovely infection going on...hopefully she'll still be breathing when i go in to check on her in another hour.

Call #5: Wrong number, sorry.

Call #6: The boyfriend or husband (not sure which he is) of the mother in call #2 calls. Wants to know if giving an extra dose of the anti-seizure med will help. Tell him no, it takes too long to change levels in the blood. Repeat to him the option of hospitalizing the dog. He says wifey never told him that. He hangs up. About 3 minutes later, wifey calls back-now they want to bring the dog in. So I call a tech in to help catheterize the potentially seizing dog, and go meet them at the clinic. Dog has slight abdominal distension but not enough free fluid to tap, gums are not only not pale, they're bright pink with great re-fill time. Catheter and valium drip going, we'll see how he is when I go back at midnight to check.

Meanwhile, the check on the foal from call #3 isn't looking so great. She's colicky now, and has managed to pull her catheter out (thankfully she pulled the whole thing, didn't just break the cap and start bleeding all over. So anti-spasmodics and painkillers for her, and we'll see how she is when I go back at midnight to check.