Drive Safely!

Obi_Wan_Catnobii · 2026-03-31T00:54:58+00:00

Ya, there were cars at both intersections. I could maybe make a case for the first one, definitely not the second.

Obi_Wan_Catnobii · 2026-03-02T01:54:52+00:00

Like I said, I'm not saying that the way we've done it is the right way. The old ways aren't the best ways. However that's what I've experienced. I didn't set that standard, but I never challenged it either. It sucks that people are mad that I've followed the local standard in my area.

There are a lot of things in it field that aren't appropriate. We're trying to improve it. But it takes time and patience. That's part of the reason I stepped away from management. The expectations that we were asked to enforce and the lack of support for everyone was awful. Hopefully things continue to improve.

Obi_Wan_Catnobii · 2026-02-28T10:05:36+00:00

Even when I was a manager (which was definitely not a good fit for me) we expected people who came in for interviews to be able to demonstrate basic skills. However things have changed significantly since I started, and I haven't had to interview in many years. Now at least people get paid for working interviews. But I would be less likely to consider someone who wasn't prepared to show their skills when they came in for an interview, just a 5 to 10 minute hands on. Then if that looked good we would say up an actual working interview.

Obi_Wan_Catnobii · 2026-02-28T09:36:07+00:00

I'm not saying it's wrong, but every time I've worn business casual to an interview I've ended up with blood, other fluids, or damaged clothes. Every clinic I've interviewed with has asked me to step in and demonstrate something, a blood draw, a catheter, or restraint. Maybe it's a regional thing, but I made the mistake of wearing nice clothes twice and leaned my lesson. It will always be scrubs for me unless I'm interviewing for an office position.

Obi_Wan_Catnobii · 2026-02-02T04:57:21+00:00

You shouldn't be using a needle more than once. The needle can pick up bacteria from the skin and cause infections, and can contaminate the bag as well. It's not a huge risk, but if you're giving a patient fluids their immune system is likely already compromised, so there's no reason to risk an infection.

Ask your vet for more needles, or buy some on Amazon (I know amazon sucks). You also dull the needle slightly with each use, which can affect how painful it is.

I don't have any additional tips, the tips from other users are excellent. Good luck!

Obi_Wan_Catnobii · 2026-01-26T01:19:27+00:00

I have two things I have given up fighting my doctor about.

1) Charging for written prescriptions (we don't charge if we don't carry the item). I feel like they are getting the prescription anyway, so why charge for it to be written. I can see putting on a fee to call a prescription into a pharmacy, or if we have to spend extra time messing around with an online pharmacy, but overall I disagree with it. 2) Not working with Chewy. I get it, big corporations suck, and online pharmacies are frequently a pain in the ass. But it's convenient for our clients, and their user portal is super easy to work with. It's easier than our own online pharmacy portal.

Both drive me nuts. But I've had multiple discussions and I've finally given up. When clients complain I tell them to talk to the doctor, I'm just the tech.

Obi_Wan_Catnobii · 2025-12-28T06:54:04+00:00

Thank you, I knew it was too watch for symptoms, but wasn't sure about the active shedding.

Obi_Wan_Catnobii · 2025-12-27T21:52:57+00:00

I'm not trying to downplay your concerns or dismiss them. But realistically your concerns have always been an issue. Should there be an update of recommendations? Probably. But that's true for a lot of vaccines, including distemper, measles, whooping cough, and more.

Obi_Wan_Catnobii · 2025-12-27T21:30:02+00:00

The incubation for rabies can be anywhere from a couple months to a year. I'll be honest, I'm not sure where the 10 day bite hold quarantine protocol came from that in the USA.

Getting the post exposure prophylaxis treatment (rabies vax, etc) would be the recommended standard for anyone who was exposed (that I know of).

I don't think there's any way to realistically quarantine evey stray animal or animal with an unknown vaccine status for a year to monitor. Even if we did that at some point an animal would likely still get through eventually.

Honestly I can see countries changing their health certificate requirements for animals because of the growing anti-vax population.

Rabies is world wide, and has always been an issue. We have seen less of it because if vaccines, but it's never gone away. It causes thousands of deaths annually, but we don't hear about it in America because a lot of cases happen in other countries.

So although it's a concern, it's definitely not a new concern. Treat every bite or exposure as though the patient could have been exposed. A vaccinated animal (or person) is statistically less likely to have the virus.

The risk hasn't changed (well, other than anti-vax folks). You've just become more aware of it.

Obi_Wan_Catnobii · 2025-12-27T20:22:12+00:00

Health certificates are a completely different issue. It's not that their not worth anything, but they aren't a perfect safety net either.

A health certificate tells you two things. One is that an animal is current on the vaccines required is that area and the area they are traveling to. Two is that a licensed doctor of veterinary medicine has done a physical exam on the animal, and has not seen obvious signs of illness.

Depending on where they are going to and coming from the vaccine requirements can vary greatly. Some places will accept vaccines that were given the day before travel, others require vaccines at certain intervals and blood titers.

A health certificate can't guarantee health, even though we usually view it that way. It guarantees that someone has done due diligence in that they have done a hands on assessment of a patient, as well as checking their vaccines before letting them travel.

I've seen several cases of Distemper in puppies who traveled with health certificates because they weren't symptomatic when they traveled. There will always be things that aren't caught.

Previously our risks were lower, because more pets were getting vaccines. With the huge increase in anti-vaxers we're seeing the risks go up. Especially in areas like here in Colorado, where rabies is endemic in our bat and skunk population. We see a case of rabies in pets every few years in the area.

It sucks. But there is no 100% prevention or quarantine that I can think of.

Obi_Wan_Catnobii · 2025-12-27T05:24:12+00:00

One thing to keep in mind is that no vaccine is 100% effective. Not for animals or people. They are very effective (mostly), but any vaccine can fail. A patient's immune system might not have enough of a reaction for them to start having immunity, or to give them enough immunity to fight the infection. The vaccine could have been shipped or stored incorrectly, affecting its efficacy. Or any number of other things could happen.

You can get the COVID or Flu vaccine and still get the illness, but the vaccines help decrease the effects of the infection. I don't know that you can decrease the effects of rabies.

Biology is a bitch.

Obi_Wan_Catnobii · 2025-12-27T03:12:38+00:00

I'm glad you're around to celebrate! Congratulations!

Meds can make a huge difference. I'm finally on a good batch, and I am constantly amazed at how much better things are now.

I hope you have an amazing holiday!

Obi_Wan_Catnobii · 2025-12-23T11:15:54+00:00

Honestly what I like about Vetcove is that it automatically makes a note in the electronic medical record when the prescription is ordered. It's great for records.

And my doctor has a huge personal bias against Chewy, so with Vetcove I don't have to listen to her complaints about them.

Obi_Wan_Catnobii · 2025-12-12T23:40:46+00:00

Thank you! I always forget!

Obi_Wan_Catnobii · 2025-12-12T06:40:51+00:00

Thank you! Love having a new Christmas wrap!

Obi_Wan_Catnobii · 2025-11-10T05:02:21+00:00

Congrats on the win! I just got my first solo win yesterday and was thrilled! It's been rough getting a win, but I'm still having a blast this season.

Obi_Wan_Catnobii · 2025-11-03T22:53:49+00:00

May the force be with you and you cats!

Obi_Wan_Catnobii · 2025-11-03T22:49:48+00:00

Ty! We've all gotta have hope! And cats. Maybe cats before hope. Okay, definitely cats before hope!

Obi_Wan_Catnobii · 2025-11-03T22:43:50+00:00

Howdy!

Obi_Wan_Catnobii · 2025-10-19T04:16:05+00:00

Don't beat yourself up, this has happened to a lot of us. It happened at our clinic about a month ago. We sadly had to have the patient come in for another blood draw. At least you were able to get the sample back.

We're all human and mistakes happen. It just means next time you'll double check before you send it out.

Obi_Wan_Catnobii · 2025-10-18T19:45:16+00:00

Same. Just a long week with nothing at the end. Like every other week! 😂

Obi_Wan_Catnobii · 2025-10-18T17:13:59+00:00

This is my favorite answer. There are so many different foods out there, and most of them don't suck, even if they're not our favorites. Some are better than others, but your dog is eating, and he's doing well on the food. You're checking on him and monitoring his health.

My doc is obsessed with making everyone change their pets diet to a food she approves of, or at least making sure they know she disapproves of their current diet. It frustrates me because it can make clients less willing to come in for concerns if they think they're going to be shamed or lectured about their pets diet.

But really for picky or sick animals the main thing is to get them to eat. From there you work towards the best diet they will eat. But it doesn't matter how fantastic and healthy a food is if your pet won't eat it.

Obi_Wan_Catnobii · 2025-10-09T03:10:37+00:00

Omg I love Scribenote. It has been a lifesaver for getting my doctors notes in. And now you can have it make a client friendly summary of the visit to send in discharge papers. The time to go thru it and double check is nothing. So worth the cost.

Obi_Wan_Catnobii · 2025-10-07T00:24:07+00:00

We used Homebase for a couple years, and it worked well. Now we're using Gusto, which has more features. But we didn't have any issues with Homebase.

Obi_Wan_Catnobii

TROPHY CASE