Just a Typical Day

Not every post can be doom and gloom, so before I continue with my journey posts, let’s look at a typical day.

One thing you can say about Veterinary Medicine is that it is rarely boring. Each day brings in clients of every flavor; anxious (when their pet is ill), excited (about that incredibly cute puppy who has just joined the family) and sometimes, just downright funny.

While getting ready for work this morning, I looked out the window to see rabbits happily munching on grass or running about on the front lawn. Cute, right? Not so much. These weren’t wild rabbits. Some of these guys were orange. Others were black and white and all ranged in size from fitting into the palm of your hand to full sized adults. Well shit. The rabbits dug their way out again. Let me explain….

We live on a small acreage and as veterinarians are wont to do, I sometimes end up bringing home bunnies that people can no longer care for or no longer want. They live the high life in a large insulated shed with access to a huge, glass enclosed and covered outdoor run. My husband dug deep, making sure the sides of the enclosure extended down a couple of feet to keep the rabbits in. Nope. Rabbits will do what rabbits do. They dig. A lot. I’ll be busy when I get home tonight.

Once at work things went as things go until a Good Samaritan brought in a young wild robin with a broken wing and wounds that has been there for some time. The fracture was beyond repair and sadly all I was able to do was to end the bird’s suffering. After she had passed, I noticed the flies that love to lay eggs in dead tissue (aka maggot flies) crawling through the bird’s plumage. Gross. One of those flies decided to vacate its premises and promptly flew down my scrub top into my not insignificant cleavage. Super gross. I’ve had lots of things find their way down there; toenail clippings, feathers, fur, but never anything alive and buzzing.

As the treatment area was busy with animals being prepped for surgery by staff of both sexes, I ran into the nearby storage room. Off came the scrub top. Off came the bra. Slapping at my chest whilst chanting,”Get off. Get off. Get off.”, I fervently prayed that no one would pick that moment to come looking for a bag of dog food. Once my heart rate returned to normal, I put myself back together and headed into my next appointment, a Wellness check on a happy, healthy Cockatiel.

This appointment turned things around and made my day. A father and his two daughters were very proud of their lovely, vocal bird. After finishing my exam, it was time for the big weigh in. “92 Grams”, I told the family. Dad must have been a Chemistry teacher. Without missing a beat he said,”Ok girls, knowing Avogadro’s Constant, and that Sonny weighs 92 grams, how many moles of Cockatiel do we have?” Ok. I freely admit I’m a nerd. I cracked up. Now home to catch me some rabbits.