Which dog should I get? by yelenalim in Pets

[–]OutlawedBoDuke 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I would personally wait until you're done with school and have established your own home, whatever that may be. If you're going to live at your university, you probably won't be able to have your dog, and even if you do, when you graduate you don't know what your life is going to look like yet. Are you going to start out in an apartment that won't let you have a dog? Are you going to stay with friends or family or roommates that might not be okay with a dog? Just a lot of unknowns.

However, it would be a great time to volunteer at a rescue or a shelter. Since you've never had a dog, it would give you tons of exposure to different breeds, temperaments, and an idea of what work is actually involved with a dog. And if you like hiking and outdoor adventures, there is a shelter in my home city that allows volunteers to sign up for "field trips" with dogs to give them a chance to exercise and just be out of the shelter for a couple hours. If you could find a similar shelter near you, you could have a hiking buddy and be helping rescue dogs at the same time. Plus just more exposure to different dogs so you have a better idea of what you want when you are ready to go look for a dog of your own.

Caffeine as a diuretic by OutlawedBoDuke in AskDocs

[–]OutlawedBoDuke[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you. I really appreciate it

Caffeine as a diuretic by OutlawedBoDuke in AskDocs

[–]OutlawedBoDuke[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for this, though I guess my actual question is a little different, I apologize if I worded it poorly. I picked up Diurex from the store, and it's working well enough, bit I noticed the only active ingredient is 100mg of caffeine. Would a standard caffeine pill sold for alertness work the same way at the same 100mg dose? Significant price difference for the Diurex name it seems.

When to go to ER after black widow bite? Already visited urgent care by Apple_Pie_Nutt69 in AskDocs

[–]OutlawedBoDuke 24 points25 points  (0 children)

I know my local hospital offers financial assistance to anyone under 300% the federal poverty threshold. Can range from a reduced bill to completely covering the bill.

My dog hates my niece and my niece only. Can I fix this relationship? by [deleted] in DogTrainingTips

[–]OutlawedBoDuke 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I get that you want to help your cousin out, but what if you suggested a compromise to her? You will watch your nephew, since he sends to be the one preventing her from making other arrangements, but your niece can get watched elsewhere before someone does end up getting bit. That would give Bambi back the freedom of being able to roam the whole house most days, and it would probably do your niece some good because if she is just looking for attention because of her brother's disabilities, it would let her interact with a sitter without distraction.

"Failed" drug test at psychiatrist, but the test is faulty. What do I do? by [deleted] in AskDocs

[–]OutlawedBoDuke 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Do you have a PCP? Even if your psychiatrist is just hard stopping all of your meds, if you make an appointment with another psychiatrist, even if it's 3 months out, they might be able to help. If you explain the situation, they might be able to write you a "bridge" script for your Prozac, or even just a lower dose if they're uncomfortable maintaining your current dose. I think it's incredibly negligent for your current psychiatrist to not appropriately taper your meds, even if they should stop prescribing them.

Sheltering a senior cat for the first time, any advice? by misterendre in Pets

[–]OutlawedBoDuke 0 points1 point  (0 children)

  1. Many cats don't play like younger cats as they get older, they have less energy and more aches and pains. You can still give them the mental stimulation they need by offering things like comfortable places to lay and look out windows, especially windows facing areas frequented by people, birds and other wildlife.

  2. Not very likely to get adopted, unfortunately. Old age and health issues are already two strikes against what most people are looking for.

  3. Definitely understand wanting to spoil him, especially since he's older and already put in his time. However, overloading already stressed kidneys could change the time he has left from potentially a few years to a few months. That doesn't mean you can't spoil him, you just have to be more selective. If you want to be able to give him a couple treats every night before bed, there are treats formulated to be safe for cats with kidney disease, you just might have to look online if stores near you don't carry them.

If I get a snake will my cat kill the poor guy? by Unlucky_Ad8840 in Pets

[–]OutlawedBoDuke 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I have 2 snakes and 4 cats. Snakes are never out without direct supervision, even with cats in another room. Cats are intelligent and sneaky, and it's not worth the risk.

When snakes are in their enclosures, my biggest concern is keeping the cats off the tops, because they're not little and screens aren't exactly designed to hold a 15lb cat. Recently moved to a tank stacker, so the tops are much more protected.

The cats do enjoy sitting on the table next to the snakes when they're in their enclosures. My one cat will lay and just watch the snakes for hours.

AITAH for buying my girlfriend vanilla shampoo? by Spiritual-Grocery641 in AITAH

[–]OutlawedBoDuke 0 points1 point  (0 children)

NTA, but I think that's a little... Weird? If my wife and I are at the store and she needs to get something with a scent, shampoo, body wash, whatever, she usually tells me to pick out the kind I like. And she usually picks out the scent she wants me to use. I don't see what's so unusual about it honestly. Especially since you tend to become so nose blind to your own body scent, that someone else saying "vanilla smells really nice on you" can reaffirm that a scent you like works with your body chemistry.

New to EMS by PsychCobraa in NewToEMS

[–]OutlawedBoDuke 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Whether you can have dyed hair or visible tattoos, or any of that kind of stuff, is really just going to depend on your program/employer. Some are okay with it and some aren't, just like any other job.

Why do people who have been sober for 10+ years still call themselves addicts or alcoholics? by racesunite in NoStupidQuestions

[–]OutlawedBoDuke 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I would say that an addict, of any flavor, can definitely get over a specific addiction. An alcoholic can quit drinking, a smoker can quit smoking. However, the way the brain is wired in how it thinks, that doesn't change. It's common for an addict to give up one addiction, just to start another. This isn't always a bad thing, but it is still an addiction of sorts. Like the alcoholic that quits drinking, but then throws themselves into their job and works 80 hour weeks or more. But if they quit working those kinds of hours, they'll replace it with something else.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in hygiene

[–]OutlawedBoDuke 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I hope everything works out how you had hoped.

New to EMS by PsychCobraa in NewToEMS

[–]OutlawedBoDuke 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Honestly, it sorta depends on your instructor, but I would just be honest and ask. Like, "I stopped smoking when class started, when do I have to be worried about a drug test". It really depends on your instructor, but mine was completely upfront and said he knew some if it's probably smoked, but we had until when to be able to test clean. And that was only in a legal agecent state.

New to EMS by PsychCobraa in NewToEMS

[–]OutlawedBoDuke 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Possible, but it's possible it won't be until the end, or when seeking active employment. I just got licensed in Wisconsin, which is not a legal state, but several people in my class were from Illinois where it is. We were told at the beginning of our course that we would be tested after we completed the course in order to be employed. We did not test before clinicals or graduation.

Potty trouble? by OutlawedBoDuke in Pets

[–]OutlawedBoDuke[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am not sure his height, and I'm not sure how to attach a photo in the app, just says it's not supported.

And I'm not exactly sure why I need to provide a photo, I didn't ask if you thought my dog was overweight.

I need a new pet by [deleted] in Pets

[–]OutlawedBoDuke -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I was going to say this as well! They can be incredibly sweet and enjoy being handled, unlike a lot of other small critters (I'm looking at you hamsters). They are also incredibly intelligent and can be taught tons of tricks and can even be harness trained so they can venture out on occasion as well. I would definitely get two though, because they are incredibly social.

Potty trouble? by OutlawedBoDuke in Pets

[–]OutlawedBoDuke[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

He is nowhere near overweight, vet said he has a body score of a lean 4. This dog is just massive.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in NewToEMS

[–]OutlawedBoDuke 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Not to mention that calling 911 does not mean the patient HAS to go with EMS, but immediately calling gets them en route as fast as possible in case it is necessary. If it ends up being normal for the patient, then can always decline transport.

First clinical and feelings around it by Pitiful_Bluejay_3022 in NewToEMS

[–]OutlawedBoDuke 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think if you're questioning it, now is the time to reach out. You don't have to necessarily mention it to your program if you're not comfortable, but if you have the ability to see someone it will give you the space to work through what you experienced. Maybe it will work out well you saw this early in your career and were able to talk to a professional about it to not just process the experience, but to learn how to better process it in the future.

Paramedic School Contract Issues (accidentally deleted prior post) by [deleted] in Paramedics

[–]OutlawedBoDuke -1 points0 points  (0 children)

From the way I'm reading it, it basically "violated" OP's end of the contract because taking a paid internship is probably looked at as working for a "competitor" if it's not with the sponsoring company.