Partners For Healthy Pets - September Edition

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Moments

From the Editor: I know that so many of us can identify with this. It's moments like Rebecca's that we live for, and that's why we do what we do.

Rebecca Smith - OK State

V51 I1 Experiences 2nd Place

Everyone has bad days. Everything that can go wrong seems to. Every long-term client seems to have a euthanasia appointment. Every client is upset with you because as a technician, veterinarian or receptionist, you just aren’t doing your job well enough because, of course, the client knows how to do your job better than you (never mind that the client is a banker).

Most veterinarians, veterinary students and veterinary technicians will agree that the clients aren’t the primary reason we do the jobs we do. Most would agree that it is the patient, the animal no matter if it has feathers, scales or fur, which is the primary reason we chose our profession, why we continue on through the bad days and the difficult moments.

It was one of those days that I was doubting if I really wanted to put myself through four years of torture and self-imposed social blackout to continue getting bombarded with the emotional difficulties of my chosen profession. I was working as a technician and had just helped the veterinarian euthanize a patient I’d been seeing for a long time. I had been hoping that the patient would make a recovery, but after a brief period of hope, the patient took a bad turn. I had cried a few tears in the privacy of the kennels and erased the evidence as best as possible before returning to appointments.

The next appointment was a simple vaccination and wellness appointment. Nothing was wrong with the patient according to the client and the patient seemed to be the very, very healthy. I did my job. I didn’t do anything special. I did exactly what I had done the entire time I worked at that clinic. I tended to the patient. I smiled at the client and laughed with the client at the patient’s exuberant response to being in the clinic.

For my reward, the client turned to me before leaving the examination room.

“You will make a great vet one day. Keep up the good work. My dog just loves you!”

I nearly cried in front of the client, but it is those moments we live for.

Keep up the good work.

Garbanzo

From the artist: I've attached an image of an original acrylic painting I made this summer and donated to the Turtle Survival Alliance, a turtle conservation organization. It raised $600 in auction to help fund their field programs in Asia, India, South American and Madagascar. The title is "Garbanzo". 

Livvy Jones - Oklahoma State

V51 I1 Creative Corner Winner

 

Priapism in a Thoroughbred gelding associated with metastatic S. equi infection

This was such a unique case study, we just had to give it an award.

Kristina Simmons Baltutis - NC State

V51 I1 Cases/Abstracts Honorable Mention

Priapism in a Thoroughbred gelding associated with metastatic S. equi infection

K. Simmons, E.A. Coffman, T.M. Beachler, K. McKelvey, B. Breuhaus, C.S. Bailey

Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC

A 12-year-old Thoroughbred gelding presented to the NC State College of Veterinary Medicine for acute priapism and weight loss.  A physical exam was unremarkable except for poor body condition (BCS 2/9) and complete protrusion of the erect penis. The penis was reduced into the prepuce following irrigation of the corpus cavernosum with heparinized saline, injection of 10 mg of phenylephrine into the corpus cavernosum, and manual massage using nitrofurazone and DMSO ointment.  A purse string suture and penile sling were placed to assist in penile retention and support.  The erection recurred approximately 8 hours after the procedure, and treatment was repeated. The purse-string was removed after 48 hours due to superficial trauma. The penis remained moderately erect throughout hospitalization and was treated conservatively with a sling to prevent edema, application of tetracycline wound ointment, and hydrotherapy.  Diagnostic procedures to pursue the weight loss included thoracic and abdominal ultrasound, complete blood count and chemistry, urinalysis, urine culture, rectal biopsy, andStreptococcus equi ELISA. Urinalysis revealed 2+ hematuria and pyuria, likely due to preputial inflammation. The serum ELISA assay for S. equi returned strongly positive (1:25,600), consistent with metastatic strangles abscesses. Treatment with trimethoprim sulfamethoxazole (TMS, 30 mg/kg PO BID) and rifampin (5 mg/kg PO BID) was instituted for 8 weeks based on evidence that rifampin may prevent resistance and improve efficacy of the TMS against Streptococcus spp. sequestered in abscesses. At recheck examination seventeen weeks after discharge, the gelding’s BCS was 5/9 and his priapism had improved, although the penis still protruded from the prepuce two inches at most times. Thirty weeks after discharge the animal had returned to a normal weight and the priapism was completely resolved.  Priapism is rare is horses, especially geldings, and there are no reports of priapism secondary to metastatic strangles.

Mime Artistry

A message from Yamamoto Makoto (Tufts) regarding his Creative Corner Award winning submission:

"The link below is the Official music video of the local artist in Boston, Alissa Musto. I starred as the main character who is a mime in the video. The title of this piece is 'Black Flak.'"