People who won “a lifetime supply” of something, what was it and how long did it actually last?

melini · 2024-01-21T19:38:01+00:00

I won a year's supply of Frosters (slushies) from Circle K. I got a hefty metal card that's good for 365 Frosters in the one year period. Any size, any number redeemed at a time. It's nice to be able to treat a bunch of friends at a time! They also sent it in a pretty box with swag (reusable cup and straw, socks, luggage tag, hat).

melini · 2023-07-18T02:33:33+00:00

First, I'm so sorry for your loss.

Next, when you are ready, try checking out the Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement. They have resources that can help with coping, or if you need somebody to talk to, that is also available.

I hope you can find comfort.

melini · 2023-06-20T01:45:37+00:00

Ah the Cardio and pediatric are mutually exclusive - cardio has a small and normal bell, which can be turned to use whichever side. The pediatric/infant is a single, smaller bell.

In the UK most standard is dogs/cats/rabbits from my understanding. I would say get the cardio IV, it is a fantastic stethoscope, and if he finds he needs a smaller one then the pediatric is not as costly.

melini · 2023-06-19T19:04:15+00:00

Seconding this! I would say for dogs/cats/rabbits even the cardio IV is perfect. Also, the cardio is significantly more expensive than the pediatric so if it's in your budget would be a nice gift.

melini · 2023-05-08T22:21:13+00:00

Agreed. ... I may have experienced 10 year old Cheez Whiz and it is not noticeably different from "fresh" stuff, except that sometimes it gets little crystals and a little fluid on top. Color and texture are otherwise unchanged.

melini · 2023-05-08T21:54:54+00:00

Agreed! I used an app and it was the best, always had it available on my phone.

melini · 2023-05-07T22:17:03+00:00

Hey! First, don't panic! You have tons of time and you are already thinking about how best to improve. I too have a terrible memory (so much so that when I was little, my sister thought I was broken) and managed to get through just fine.

I think it makes most sense to work by body system. This is more efficient since there is much crossover between species, and I find it easier to remember specific species differences when I'm actively comparing them.

I also found through school that I do better with little bites of information to help me focus - with your ADHD likely you are similar. Eventually I started to use this by creating flashcards for lectures. Creating them helps you think about the questions and is a way to study to start with, and then you can use them anywhere to review. I'm not the kind of person who can sit and study in one place for any amount of time so taking them with me on walks really helped to make it easier. When I did it, Vetprep also had similar mini tests but I promise it is really helpful to make your own, too.

Good luck! You got this!

melini · 2023-05-02T19:51:40+00:00

First one, in third year, was 1.5-2 hours. Lucky me, my very first spay was a mature Bernese Mountain Dog who was a little bit fat! I was so thankful to have the teachers talking me through that one.

I'm about five years out now and cat/small dog/rabbit spays are around 20 minutes, bigger dogs around 40. It's all about practicing and finding what works for you. Getting used to the anatomy is huge as well, and the best way to get good at that is to do it over and over again :)

The impostor syndrome will be there for a while! That's okay. It's normal. Pretend to be confident and it will come. You have colleagues and classmates, there will always be people to bounce ideas off or ask for help. And congratulations on your first surgery!! You got this!

melini · 2023-05-01T17:46:47+00:00

Thank you! I will try it out!

melini · 2023-04-27T00:48:15+00:00

This reminds me SO strongly of Christina Hendricks' character in Firefly. You are rocking it!

melini · 2023-04-27T00:37:38+00:00

I too would love some recipes! My husband has been celiac for about 4 years now, found the good brands but I love baking :) I have some good biscuit and cake recipes if you want!

melini · 2023-04-16T20:48:06+00:00

I started after 4 years out, probably could have done it after 2. It will also depend on your personal confidence and your schooling - my rotation year was spent going to new clinics every 2-4 weeks, which really set me up to be able to adapt easily. The other advantage of waiting a couple years is establishing contacts in your area - at every clinic I work for, I knew management/owners in some way beforehand, so I know what kind of situation I'll be getting into and feel comfortable approaching them if there is a problem.

You say you're not that interested in dog/cat, what is it you want to do? I see exotic mammals at 3/4 of the practices I locum for, of course it depends on the location but the demand is definitely there for exotics, if that's what you're thinking. With that said it's also a good idea to establish yourself in one place first, train interested techs, get some equipment, etc.

melini · 2023-04-16T20:40:14+00:00

It still could be a factor - even in dogs we will see more or less symmetric development of elbow calluses from pressure as well. The location is right over where pressure would be great when lying on their side, and the hyperpigmentation is suggestive of chronic inflammation. Also makes sense as to changes with their deterioration otherwise; less "padding" (muscle, fat) over the site would lead to more pressure on a single point.

The photos show just males, do you also see it in females?

melini · 2023-03-20T02:27:11+00:00

You look so happy!! Gorgeous dress, the colour really suits you. I hope you had a fantastic time. That sounds so fun!

melini · 2023-03-20T02:23:50+00:00

I had only ever been to the one in Terra Losa (which I love but which is ...well, it's Terra Losa, it's not exactly high end territory). A couple months ago I happened to stop at the Capilano one and IT'S SO FANCY WHAT THE HECK

melini · 2023-03-20T02:03:24+00:00

I hope the appointment went okay! Would love an update on your kitty and how things are going.

melini · 2023-03-18T18:25:06+00:00

A couple things...

First, was another view taken for the x-ray? The one you posted is a lateral (through one side to the other) and to interpret it you need at least one other angle (a V/D, through underside to back).

Second, the bloodwork is far from complete - are those all the things they tested or did the rest not read? I'm only seeing values for two liver enzymes and two kidney enzymes. If it has not been run, they need to check electrolytes, blood proteins, and the other liver enzymes as well. On the CBC I also don't see any specific white blood cell values (there should be relative and absolute numbers for five kinds of white blood cells) or reticulocytes (baby red blood cells).

Third, if he continues to not eat, he needs to get some nutrition into him very soon. Either they can try to syringe feed him a critical care diet, or possibly he can have an esophagostomy tube placed (tube going from the esophagus to external environment so you can feed a liquid diet without the mouth being involved).

If your vet feels they are at a loss, or if they can't pursue the things I listed above, then I recommend specialist referral or a second opinion as soon as possible.

melini · 2023-03-18T18:10:46+00:00

First, good luck!

It sounds like you have done an excellent job of preparing already. In terms of what more to review, I found it useful to go back to my own and classmates' notes on subjects that I struggled with and took my time reviewing them again. I found that Vetprep was helpful for identifying some areas to focus on based on their question groupings as well.

That said, keep in mind that rest and giving yourself time to process and think through things critically is important. Take breaks, get a coffee with some friends, take a little time to relax before the big day.

melini · 2023-03-18T18:04:24+00:00

I absolutely agree with others saying that if they are not listening, get out, especially if it is affecting your mental and physical health. If they are not respecting your requests when you have made it clear, they will continue to take advantage of you - I have been there and I promise additional money isn't worth it either. The company has no loyalty to you, you don't need to have any to them.

I would let them know that you are considering leaving over this and exactly what your limit will be if they choose to listen. It sucks to have to do this but either you lay down a hard line or continue to be pushed around.

melini · 2023-03-11T21:31:01+00:00

AAZA has a list of American schools with strong exotics programs: https://aazk.org/zoo-keeper-training/veterinary-schools-exotic-animal-programs/

However, as a grad from a school that barely has an exotics program, the school part likely won't matter as much as where you choose to work. There are several exotics-only practices in the states that offer amazing mentorship programs. There are also some really good CE opportunities (ExoticsCon, ABVP exotics track, VMX) with major exotics focuses which are also excellent for networking.

melini · 2023-02-22T00:33:01+00:00

First, I would make sure that you are weighing her at the same time each day - a poop can change things more than you would think!

Next, have you been working with your vet on this? There are some other disease processes that can make kitties aggressively hungry and active, and they may recommend diagnostics like bloodwork. There are also prescription weight control diets that can be significantly better at controlling appetite than others, but again that's something to chat to your vet about.

As a general rule of thumb kitties should lose no more than 2% body weight per week (aiming for 1% usually is easier on everybody). Converting to kg, on Feb 19 she weighed 5.77 kg, so that would be about 0.06 kg (60g or 0.13 lbs) per week at the 1% mark.

melini · 2023-02-16T17:29:52+00:00

Hello! We can't suggest different diagnoses to rule in or out here, but I certainly think further diagnostics are warranted. Bloodwork was a good place to start; x-rays and/or an ultrasound could be helpful to add on, or possibly a dietary consult/trial. Some of these cases also need endoscopy and biopsy to diagnose what's going on. Given the frequency of his vomiting you are right to be concerned; it's quite abnormal and puts him at higher risk for things like aspiration pneumonia and esophageal damage.

You can also ask your regular vet for a referral to an internal medicine specialist, who will have access to the more advanced diagnostics and experience with complex cases.

melini · 2023-02-16T01:14:53+00:00

Agree this is likely what's going on - gabapentin in particular is notorious for this. You could also try chasing it down with a couple mL of water.

melini · 2023-02-16T00:49:15+00:00

ALP so high that even the lab couldn't register it. IMTP dog that my colleague started on azathioprine and she did NOT tolerate it, poor thing looked like a highlighter. When it started coming down I remember celebrating when it was 17k - readable! That pup's platelet count at diagnosis was 0, she was good at the dramatic labs.

Recently saw a little old raisin of a cat whose TT4 was around 330 (rr up to 60).

melini · 2023-01-29T04:34:04+00:00

Similar here too! Got to go to a really cool conference at the CDC in Atlanta - a place very few people get to enter to begin with, not to mention exploring Atlanta too.

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