theres this chinese girl in my class who isnt very fluent in english and she asked me if i have a boyfriend and i was like “i dont. i dont like. boys” and she nodded very wisely and went “ah. cooties”
Anonymous said to @ask-drferox: “we’re here just for the vaccines” and then owner mentions some
disturbing anamnestic facts or animal presents with quite
severe/advanced disease that is absolutely normal according to the
owner… Unfortunately, I’ve had quite a few of these lately. It makes
me wonder what are some of your most bizarre pre-vaccination
anamnestic/exam findings? The ones you can share, of course. Also, thank
you for your blog, it is inspiration for animal owners, vet students
and vets alike.
So, I like to be smart, because I’m training clients to appreciate veterinary medicine properly, and emphasize that they are not just here for vaccines, they’re also here for a regular health check and the two do not go hand in hand. This is helped by our reminder letters stating that the pet is due for a health check first and foremost, and may be due for vaccines at the same time.
I start out with our ‘quick health check’, which is not really a quick one, just the easiest things to do while I’m still listening to the client talk, and then go over the identified issues in more detail.
Rotten teeth are the most common accidental finding, but I may also find mysterious lumps or horrific skin and ear infections that the owner has just become used to and considers normal now. Sometimes Cushings Syndrome or Hypothyroidism shows up, both conditions with insidious, slow onsets that the owner may have mistaken for ‘just getting old’.
The most dramatic findings I’ve made in vaccine appointments have been splenic tumors which I can feel, or dogs walking into the consult that looked fine but as soon as you lift their lip they are white as a ghost. Some of these anaemias turned out to be IMHA, one turned out to be leukemia.
I am really glad to do a physical exam before administering a vaccine, because you know 100% that if I had not, those illnesses would have been blamed on the vaccine instead, which is not helpful for anything.
Thank you for your patience. This one had been such an ordeal, so I really hope you guys like this one. Next installment will continue to see who is this ghostly figure before them..
