I start the spring semester on Tuesday.  This semester is going to be
difficult.  We'll be focusing on surgery and pharmacology.  On top of
this I'll be practicing and competing with the college swim and dive
team.  Hope I'll be able to to keep on top of homework and stuff.

I'll be only working at the clinic about twice a week, but I still plan
on keeping up with these journals, since I know there are a few of you
that like to read them.

I learned a few new things today.

We have a cat named Jody staying with us for most of February, and Jody
needs to have her asthma inhalers twice a day.

I carry my inhaler with me at work, so I found it funny that one of
Jody's inhalers was the exact same as mine!  I got a chance to hold
Jody and try to keep her head still while the aerochamber mask was held
up to her face for her medication.

The other thing I learned today was that cats with chin acne tend to be
VERY CRANKY!!!

Okay, this cat is a tuxedo named Oogie. (Think Oogie Boogie from
Nightmare before Xmas).  Oogie needs a tapazol pill, some clavamox
liquid and also needs to have his chin washed with some medicated
shampoo.

My co-worker Julie scruffed him and held him on the water table and I
had the pill. she tilted his head back and I opened his mouth to drop
the pill in....

"MEOOOOOWWWWW!!!!!"  I managed to pull my hand back in time for it to
be missed by flailing front claws.  Time to get the pill gun.  After a
few tries, I got it behind his throat and he swallowed it. Whew!

Now time for the Clavamox liquid.  With liquid meds you're supposed to
work the syring in at the corner of the mouth and go a little at a
time.  At least that is how they taught us in class.

With Oogie, I stuck it in his mouth, squirted and got out of there
before he could nail me.

THen I took a gauze pad with some of the medicated shampoo and began to
wash his chin, keeping a close eye on those front claws.  Meanwhile I'm
hearing growls and other sounds of feline discontent.  When I'm done I
take a wet rag and reach to wipe his chin.

"REEOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWW!!!!!!!!!"

Okay, that time I almost lost my fingers and now Oogie has the rag in
his mouth and is growling at me.

So I get Julie to flip him around so his head is facing the water
faucet.  I turn on the water, reach for the hose and aimed it at his
face.

Okay okay, I didn't hit him FULL in the face.  I should have, since he
was being such a brat.  But I rinsed off his chin and we were done.
Sheesh!!

So that was my kitty experience for the day.

But I did learn one more thing.  I learned that a kitten with an
e-collar is FUNNY AS HELL!!!  Poor Solomon had a testicle that had not
descended so Dr. C had to cut him open to remove it.  If Solomon wasn't
rolling around trying to get the E-collar off, he was staring with
these BIG kitten eyes and purring loudly at anyone who passed by.  He
was trying to look as pitiful as possible in hopes that someone would
take pity on him and get the %&*&^$ off his neck.  hehehehehehe.....

Take care,

Kristi