unicorntechnician

[unicorntechnician]

This ad??

[unicorntechnician]

Pet peeve: animal rights activists who take advantage of people who aren't aware that pigs will scream bloody murder at literally anything

Sir that could be the most spoiled pig on earth who eats food out of its humans mouth and it will still let out a bloodcurdling squeal if said human were to pick it up, that's just pig antics

[unicorntechnician]

i’ve been inactive here lately due to both autistic & general burnout but i may be coming back. i’m moving in a few weeks and i just interviewed at a small animal practice after working mostly in research for a few years

#if you sent me a correspondence or tagged me in anything i apologize for not responding #i haven’t had the energy or will to run this blog in a while #thank you for sticking around #personal

[unicorntechnician]

I hope this wave of of strikes pushes the veterinary industry to unionise. As corporations like VCA and Banfield (both owned by MARS, yes the chocolate company) continue to buy out independent clinics, the industry is shifting away independent businesses founded and owned by DVMs to corporate franchises.

Working conditions in the industry have been abysmal for years. But everyone working under the same company + significant staff shortages (in canada both DVM and RVT positions typically take 6+ months to fill according to a report by the CVMA) does provide opportunity both for community-building and an advantage for bargaining or, if necessary, striking. Staff are not easily replaced.

We all know we're being overworked and underpayed. It's time to fucking do something about it. Talk about your wages with your coworkers, make sure you're being reimbursed for overtime, see if you're getting enough vacation days. Find out what you want and take it.

Some clinics have already unionized, I hope more will soon.

[unicorntechnician]

ayo i found 2 pages with head angles of humans and animals, could be useful to anyone reading this

hoomans

animals

[unicorntechnician]

[unicorntechnician]

More goodies from my favorite vet-

The filter is broken…today I had a client come in with two Ragdolls with diarrhea and intermittent vomiting. Of course she’s feeding raw. I looked her in the eyes and said…“Your cats are GMOs. They are not leopards hunting impala in the African savanna. They do not need a raw diet. Additionally, they are likely covered in Salmonella. You have two hairy raw chicken breasts wandering your house.”  Bring on the complaint.

[unicorntechnician]

My fellow vet staff....

We have won

[unicorntechnician]

Peppercorn has fallen asleep on me and I'm busy being dead from maternal hormone overload.

He's 5 days old and a whopping 0.18 pounds now, which is still smaller than normal for a literal newborn kitten. He drank an entire 5cc this last meal which is a huge amount. That's 6% of his weight. In comparison, a day old kitten will normal drink 1 to 3 cc of milk per feed.

We might get a visit from the eyeball fairy as early as monday, but I think Wednesday is more likely.

#baby

[unicorntechnician]

[unicorntechnician]

I think one of my favourite things about interacting with human doctors is when they’re kinda impressed and horrified at the same time at fairly routine things in veterinary medicine.

Like endotracheal tubes. I fondly remember a bunch of human anaesthetists having a tour of the university veterinary hospital, and all posing for photos with an equine endotracheal tube, trying to convey just how long and wide it was.

(So if there’s a vetling out there on equine wards at the moment, feel like grabbing a photo of a horse ET tube to show medblr?)

And on the other end of the spectrum it’s like “Yeah, if you don’t have an ET tube small enough, you could consider an intravenous catheter…”

[unicorntechnician]

Reminder that if you are located in any of the areas with a dot, especially green or yellow, you need to take your bird feeders and bird baths down. If you have cats and dogs, watch them closely while they play outside to ensure they don’t find and eat a sick/dead bird in your backyard as this is fatal to furry friends as well. If you have pet birds or poultry, take extreme caution to wear different shoes between each bird area, don’t get any new birds until the virus burns itself out, and disinfect or discard any potential fomites any time they come into contact with one of your birds or anywhere outside that could be contaminated by wild bird feces.

[unicorntechnician]

Kitten ages!

#good sponsored post

[unicorntechnician]

for ask meme: "top" 5 most off the wall bonkers things you've heard people think about your profession.

1. "You do post mortems on animals? Why on earth would you do that?" Said by an actual human doctor as he was suturing up my finger.

2. The disbelief in the length, depth and breadth of our studies. Also, "you do CPR on animals?"

3. "Dogs have livers? I thought only people had livers." I wish I was kidding.

4. The suicide rate. People always get quiet when it comes up.

5. And last but not least, "vets just play with puppies and kittens all day, your life isn't that hard."

#omf

[unicorntechnician]

Embark results came back for Basil, the foster pup. Cattleyoteahoula hound, lol.

Basil likes to to play fetch, loves all other dogs from papillons to wolfdogs, is a full time house dog, crate trained, fine on a leash, loves to learn new things, and is incredibly sweet and affectionate once he warms up. Overall very much a pet quality boy, and I'm glad he didn't end up stuck in a sanctuary where he'd have been treated as a hands-off enclosure animal just because of his breed mix.

#i love the way coydogs and wolfdogs look #the general public shouldn’t generally own them #and there’s a whole line of questioning to put into the ethics of purposefully breeding them #but dang they’re fascinating animals #i think they would be interesting to work with #just phenotyping and genetics of domestic & wild canines in general is cool to me

[unicorntechnician]

The Livestock Born Different group had a recent post of a lamb born completely without limbs, not even little nubbins. It’s very sad as the lamb was otherwise bright and alert. The owner, thankfully, had it humanely euthanised.

The number of people, however, in the comments saying that the lamb should be ‘given a chance’ is frankly appalling. A couple people suggested a wheelchair but… there were no legs. The lamb would just be hanging suspended, unable to move. It would need to be pulled around by a human. It could never join a flock which would be very stressful for a herding animal. As it cannot right itself, it would very quickly develop pressure sores from being stuck on one side. As it cannot move, it would be unable to get away from its own excrement and would quickly develop urine scalding. Its whole short life would be nothing but misery and confusion.

Sheep are not people. Trying to keep this lamb alive would be an act of cruelty.

[unicorntechnician]

“In a decade, the percentage of hens in cage-free housing has soared from 4% in 2010 to 28% in 2020, and that figure is expected to more than double to about 70% in the next four years. 

The change marks one of the animal welfare movement’s biggest successes after years of battles with the food industry. The transition has cost billions of dollars for producers who initially resisted calls for more humane treatment of chickens but have since fully embraced the new reality. Pushed by voter initiatives in California and other states as well as pressure from fast food restaurant chains and major grocers, egg producers are freeing chickens from cages and letting them move throughout hen houses…

Beginning in about 2015, McDonald’s, Burger King and other national restaurant chains as well as dozens of grocers and food manufacturers responded to pressure from animal welfare groups by announcing their commitment to cage-free eggs. That was followed by laws requiring cage-free housing in California and similar rules in at least seven other states — Colorado, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Washington.

McDonald’s, which buys about 2 billion eggs annually, said it gradually shifted to cage-free after concluding it was desired by customers. Many companies widely promoted their move to cage-free as good for their brand’s image.”