Success!

Wahoo! We successfully spayed Malibu (who I decided looks more like a Panda than a Malibu) today!

She was a bit of a challenge, since she's so little, and she really scared us by getting pale during the surgery over and over. Even the anesthesiologists couldn't figure out what was wrong with her, except that she's a little girl. She lost a bit of blood, but overall the surgery itself was pretty uneventful. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, so here's the day in photo form...

"I don't think I trust you guys..."

Getting nervous before surgery (both me and Malibu)

Look, a uterus! I am smiling, you just can't tell...

Check out those lovely cruciate sutures

Warming up under a heat lamp after surgery

Malibu recovering

Patient #2

We met our second surgery patient today- a tiny little Shih-tzu/poodle cross (or Shitz-a-poo, as it were). Someone brought her to the shelter after witnessing her getting thrown out of a van, poor girl. She's pretty homely, but will probably be lots cuter after her fur grows back in. She is the quintessential lap dog, happy to be in your arms, and a little scared of the rest of the world.

I am the surgeon tomorrow! Wish me luck!!

Edit by Chris: Everything was a success!  The patient is recovering now. More from Megan later. Thats 1 surgery down, a lifetime to go! 

(Image credit to "dive into mark." All images are CC free from Flicker)

Josh Marshall Sounding Bitter

As things in the primary continue to spiral out of control, Josh Marshall of Talking Points Memo has been a steady journalist laying down what has been a tremendous track record for insightful analysis through out this campaign. Well today he wrote this piece on "bittergate" that is just brutal to Hillary Clinton who has been banging the "Obama is elitist" drum relentlessly since Friday. Many pieces like this have been written, but coming from someone like Marshall who is first and foremost an activist for the Democratic party is certainly not a good sign for Hillary. Keep in mind she is trying to win the Democratic nomination first, and she needs movement Democrats to get behind her to do so.

... So speaking for myself I've spent too much time over, what, 15 years now? ... defending both Clintons from similarly ginned up nonsense to have much energy left to help out as they pull the same puffed up outrage act against another Democrat. I guess I'm just not feeling it.

With the Wright business and now with this, the more nuanced version of the Clinton line has been that what 'we' think is not really the point. It's what Republicans will do with it in the fall. And that's a real concern that I definitely have. I won't deny it. I've never thought Obama was a perfect candidate. But as we get deeper into the primary calendar, increasingly so, this 'what the Republicans will do' line has become more of a simulacrum, or a license, if you will, to do what Republicans actually do do. That is to say, to grab for political advantage by peddling stereotypes about Democrats and liberals that are really no less offensive than the ones we're talking about about Americans from small town and rural America.

And seeing Hillary go on about how Obama has contempt for folks in small town America, how he's elitist, well ... no, it's not because I think she's either. I never have. But after seeing her hit unfairly with just the same stuff for years, it just encapsulates the last three-plus months of her campaign which I can only describe as a furious descent into nonsense and self-parody. Part of it makes me want to cry. But at this point all I can really do is laugh.

Nice article about holistic medicine

PetConnection had a great article today that echoes the message about holistic medicine that I've been trying to promote through the Holistic Club. Not sure how successful I've been, but I try....

Holistic Care: 22 years in 500 words

By Christie Keith

April 12, 2008

Once upon a time, I had a cat who suffered from flea allergies. He’d been on steroids for ten years, had tumors in his ears, and spent the late summer hairless and covered in scabs.

I was browsing in the book section of a pet supply store, and opened Dr. Pictairn’s Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats. “We need to look at the whole picture of an illness and find therapies that will work with the whole body – not against it – in the healing process,” I read. “To me, that is what constitutes a true cure. I often use the term ‘holistic’ to describe this approach to medicine. Unlike many who use the word, I do not equate it with ‘natural’, for it is certainly possible to use natural methods such as herbs, vitamins, and exercise but still fail to see the overall picture of what is happening.”

What is needed, he said, “Is an entirely new understanding, not just the substitution of a vitamin for an antibiotic, or a mineral for a hormone.”

I changed my cat’s diet to one of the homemade recipes in Dr. Pitcairn’s book, and he never itched again. Then I switched my other cats, and began an exploration of natural and holistic medicine that’s lasted until today.

Which is why it comes as such a shock to so many of my holistic brethren when I go on one of my semi-patented diatribes against people who won’t do diagnostic testing or use antibiotics. “Christie,” they mutter darkly, “isn’t holistic enough.”

But you know what? I think I’m more holistic than they are. Because holistic isn’t about the substances you use; it’s about how you think.

It’s about looking at the whole animal and his or her whole environment, genetics, and lifestyle. It’s about making the best, most informed decision possible using all available resources, the one that relieves suffering and illness without doing harm. Balancing risk and benefit. Not seeing the animal as a collection of parts, but as a living creature in a dynamic environment.

And no, it’s not always easy, but with practice and knowledge it becomes easier. You learn to stretch your mind and stop mindlessly applying band aids to gaping wounds, be those band aids an herb or an antibiotic. You learn to stop dismissing a modality out of hand just because it doesn’t fit in with your preconceived notions.

Don’t get me wrong. Skepticism is good. In fact, when you start talking to the snake oil salesmen from Big Pharma and the herbal supplement industry, I’d say it’s essential. But knee-jerk skepticism is bad. Making your mind up and shutting out new information, new evidence, and facts you don’t like? Very, very bad.

Herbert Spencer once said, “There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance – that principle is contempt prior to investigation.”

That principle works both ways.

*note the Holistic Club's fancy new logo, created by a fantastic local designer- but hey, I'm biased ;-)

Mystery

I got this fun little note in my mailbox at school last week:

There weren't any other details, like why I'm getting an award, or whether it's just an award or if it's a scholarship. Not that I'd thumb my nose at an award, but a scholarship would be pretty nice...

I know the top ten percent of the class gets awards, but I also know I'm definitely not in that academic category. So what could it be for? Stay tuned.

Or, how I learned to stop worrying and love the STI

Ok, I must be a sucker for marketing so I am posting this mostly for my own benefit.

Last March I wrote that that Subaru killed my favorite car with the 2008 impreza redesign but since that post there have been scores of actual people reviewing it saying that it is the best car Subaru has ever made, and after seeing a few base imprezas in the parking lot at work, it really isn't that bad looking in person. It is a Subaru I guess, it is supposed to be ugly! Of course every single car in in this video in just a shell of an STI with over a million bucks of rally parts inside. But look at em go! 

Ok carry on, nothing to see here...

Dog-Cat-Mouse!

Wow. This is mythic for me. My mentor in College mentioned Dog-Cat-Mouse once but I have never found anything more about it. All I knew was that he was from Colorado. Well, via Cute Overload here he is, Greg Pike now in Bisbee Arizona:

Surgery!

As Chris wrote yesterday, our surgery was a success! My group's surgeon did a fantastic job neutering our little puppy, and I think we worked well as a team. It took me a while to get into the swing of things as the anesthetist, and even when I was finally in a groove I was still a little stressed out. Since you need to monitor the patient's parameters every five minutes, it seemed like as soon as I was done checking everything it was already time to check it all again.

The whole process took us about 5 hours, which is significantly longer than it takes real vets to do (usually about half an hour or so). We'll get better with practice and as we gain confidence, I'm sure. Everyone's surgeries went well and all our patients were perky this morning. Hooray!

I finally remembered to bring the camera today... Meet Kiba! Can you believe this little guy was homeless? You can find lots more just like him on Petfinder....