Funniest thing is she really doesn't, I honestly forget about the time I get bit because it wasn't vicious or malicious. Just a scared dog hanging off a table by her limbs.
I got bit by the sweetest shepherd mix. One of my favorite patients. She was in a lot of pain and scared. I would have bit someone too if I was in her situation. Still one of my favorite patients!
They were pretty shocked but it's crazy because it wasn't bleeding. The Dr at the urgent care took time to ensure it was sanitized and closed properly though. Mostly because I think he hadn't seen such a thing before, but that's neither here nor there. I remember him repositioning the steri-strip once to be sure it was going to remain closed.
It kills me because every time we bring it up they just go “but it’s for your safety” ignoring that they’re essentially exchanging one risk for another in some cases.
I am all for hands free when it’s appropriate, but not all situations are. I can’t even imagine in a shelter environment how bad those odds stack against you!
yeah at our shelter at least our medical specific management gets it because they used to be techs. they cant make a department wide change of all rads being sedated because of all the other administrative bodies in the shelter but if I tell them "hey, we cant do this patient awake for xyz reasons, they need sedation" and they dont second guess it. so could be much worse! specially since almost all our animals come with zero medical or behavior history beyond vaccination status (sometimes)
Ugh I’m sorry this happened to you. I don’t understand why getting vets to do sedation before large dog x rays is like pulling teeth. I wanted to scream when a vet at my clinic said “130 lbs is 130 lbs whether the dog is sedated or not” 😭
As a vet assistant in the US, I was surprised to learn recently that patients who need radiographs in the UK \*must\* be sedated unless there is a valid health-related reason to avoid it. Regulations in the US really need to change for employee safety :')
Awesome! I'm glad you aren't as headstrong as some of our peers and refuse medical treatment! Hopefully it heals up quick for you, looks awful! Hands free rads are great until you see a post like this!
This was a few years ago, everything's healed, I'm at a new clinic that's basically my unicorn. 4 day weeks, off every Friday Saturday Sunday, no boarding, house calls mostly with some in clinic appointments, and the doctor gives us a lot of discretion with unruly clients.
Haha, here you are making us worry a vampire gored you today! Maybe I didn't read the full post I'm oblivious to a lot.
That does sound ideal! I love asking unruly clients where they want there records sent. In my old age I have 0 patience. I left the clinic setting in October and work from home making veterinary records now. Boring, but I'm in my gym shorts. My dogs are my company, and I can roll out of bed and walk 20 feet to work 5 minutes before my shift.
Oh yea no I could've been clearer, I just saw that other dog bite post and was like oh I've got a story to tell.
That sounds amazing too, you sound further into the career than I. I'm still trying for my CVT and degree, but working technically as a tech because state laws. I'm a baby more or less lol 30 years old with tons of outside experience and only 3 in Vet Med. I always thought eventually though I'd like to switch to the administrative and save my body some pain.
Oh noo don't make me scroll and find it! I miss the patient care aspect, I love a good ER case or being elbow deep in a major surgery.. this April was my 20 year mark in the field. I definitely reached my burnout years ago but didn't know what other avenue to go. I'm 38 and have been in this field since halfway through my senior year of high school. So I've felt stuck. I did manage a local GP place for 3m5 years but the stress of that was also killer! Made my way to corporate and was climbing that ladder but our one and only doctor quit. Also due to burnout.. so we had to merge with an existing clinic. They really didn't need us, several of us left immediately. I tried it for 4 months but driving 300+ miles a week, being bitten, scratched and covered in bodily substances finally cracked me. Found this position applied for it, accepted the job the same week and never looked back!
Florida has no laws for being a CVT and the pay wasn't worth the workload and drive. This pays well, saving on gas, food and coffee.. so it's been a nice mental break. But I haven't placed an IVC in 7 months or hit any veins! I'm dying for a good stick lol. But I love when I close the laptop, work is done. No on call, no sick patients riding my heart strings the whole drive home, no fussy coworkers or irate clients. It isn't my forever job but for now I'm content! Maybe when I'm 40 I'll know what I want to do with my life lol.
Glad that you are ok all things considered 😅 maybe your workplace can use this as a learning opportunity to introduce sedation for X-rays, no animal should be consciously tied down.
7, there was the time I was skateboarding and sacrificed my elbow for my skull. One broken elbow and 6 months of PT later I was all good, but it was so close to a fractured skull and dying on the streets of Manhattan.
That's wild to me since California generally seems to be ahead of the curve with laws when compared to other states. I haven't worked vet med in CA though.
How is hands-free radiography *not* ahead of the curve? Whilst manual restraint isn’t forbidden, the practice act states that we should use primarily use chemical and mechanical restraint and use manual restraint as a last resort.
Is this written down somewhere? I live in CA and while we try to do hands free and they teach the tying and whatnot, I've never heard that it's the LAW.
It’s *sort of* the law. It states that we should use primarily use chemical and mechanical restraint and use manual restraint as a last resort. But manual restraint isn’t forbidden.
In UK we are trained to use only tape and/or sandbags if there is any chance the patient could move. We are also not allowed to be present in the room whilst xrays are being taken. Your patient could have injured themselves flailing around with their limbs tied up, but instead it injured you! Hope you're doing OK.
Yikes. Where are you going to school that they’re not teaching that hands-free is the standard and manual restraint should be avoided as much as possible?
Yikes! I was holding a sweet pitty in VD for x-rays 20ish years back, and she very gently grazed just the front of my throat with her teeth (a warning, I assume). Left just a small scratch but a good reminder of what could have happened.
Glad you were OK!
I do not understand the hands free rads thing. I feel like you can never rely on sedation 100%. I’ve had dogs jump and panic even sedated. Tying them down and hoping for the best seems like it’s massively putting their safety at risk, and clearly the humans’ as well.
Also, how do you monitor sedated patients if you’re not in the room? What do you do when you have a patient who can’t be sedated due to other health issues? Do yall tie them down awake??
So i was at a place that did full hands on with no sedation no matter what(no longer work there) and at my new place(been here a year) its 100% hands free with usually 50/50 for sedation. Sometimes I wish I cld just throw a gown on and hold them down cuz it wld be easier for some but other times im happy with being able to sedate and leave them on the table for a few seconds alone. If we can’t sedate and they are not cooperating with being tied down(who can blame them tho) the doctor will then have to gown up, use the shots we already have and stop trying(usually lat is fine but VD is a nightmare) or sedate them. There’s pros and cons to each but as a 23yr old women I prefer not being in there just cuz I’d like to have kids one day I think and I don’t wanna cook my eggs 🍳
I once had a doc refuse to sedate a patient, he said he would help restrain because my coworker and I clearly weren't doing things right. Doc let go of the dog and it grabbed my thyroid shield and wouldn't let go.
I'm so glad my current docs are very pro sedation.
In the UK we aren't allowed to tie down a non-sedated patient and it makes absolutely no sense that people do it? Like the risk of injury to the patient is ridiculously high.
Sandbags etc are fine, a towel around the neck with sandbags on either side so the towel is essentially restraining the animal... There's so many ways to do it but this is so unsafe for the patient. And of course... Us.
Oh and when I saw her next mom was like, "This is Sophie remember???" I'm like lady, I will never forget Sophie.
Hahaha “Ma’am, Sophie haunts my nightmares. Yes I recall”
Funniest thing is she really doesn't, I honestly forget about the time I get bit because it wasn't vicious or malicious. Just a scared dog hanging off a table by her limbs.
Spoken like the true professional that you are, OP. Kudos.
I got bit by the sweetest shepherd mix. One of my favorite patients. She was in a lot of pain and scared. I would have bit someone too if I was in her situation. Still one of my favorite patients!
You are lucky my guy,holy crap
I know... if she actually bit down or was a centimeter off I'd be dead.
Hey I have to ask what did the nurses at the er or urgent care say when they say your neck?
They were pretty shocked but it's crazy because it wasn't bleeding. The Dr at the urgent care took time to ensure it was sanitized and closed properly though. Mostly because I think he hadn't seen such a thing before, but that's neither here nor there. I remember him repositioning the steri-strip once to be sure it was going to remain closed.
Wild hahaha
So close to your jugular omg :3 Was the dog sedated at all?!
Nope, sandbags and ties.
Man how I want to email this to our director who insists that’s all we need for all dogs “if we just do it right”.
I work shelter med and we sedate maybe 1/2 of the patients we need rads on.. I wish it was all of them 🥲
It kills me because every time we bring it up they just go “but it’s for your safety” ignoring that they’re essentially exchanging one risk for another in some cases. I am all for hands free when it’s appropriate, but not all situations are. I can’t even imagine in a shelter environment how bad those odds stack against you!
yeah at our shelter at least our medical specific management gets it because they used to be techs. they cant make a department wide change of all rads being sedated because of all the other administrative bodies in the shelter but if I tell them "hey, we cant do this patient awake for xyz reasons, they need sedation" and they dont second guess it. so could be much worse! specially since almost all our animals come with zero medical or behavior history beyond vaccination status (sometimes)
When they ask “why do you need sedation?” just show them this picture
I work at a vet hospital & for whatever reason, we don’t sedate ANY unless absolutely necessary like a fractious cat or really aggressive dog. 😩
As a vet rad tech, same.
Ugh I’m sorry this happened to you. I don’t understand why getting vets to do sedation before large dog x rays is like pulling teeth. I wanted to scream when a vet at my clinic said “130 lbs is 130 lbs whether the dog is sedated or not” 😭
[удалено]
As a vet assistant in the US, I was surprised to learn recently that patients who need radiographs in the UK \*must\* be sedated unless there is a valid health-related reason to avoid it. Regulations in the US really need to change for employee safety :')
That thing almost wants a drain!
Oh no I'm sorry! I hope you went to get that treated!
Yup right away went to an urgent care to get it cleaned and steri-stripped.
Awesome! I'm glad you aren't as headstrong as some of our peers and refuse medical treatment! Hopefully it heals up quick for you, looks awful! Hands free rads are great until you see a post like this!
This was a few years ago, everything's healed, I'm at a new clinic that's basically my unicorn. 4 day weeks, off every Friday Saturday Sunday, no boarding, house calls mostly with some in clinic appointments, and the doctor gives us a lot of discretion with unruly clients.
Haha, here you are making us worry a vampire gored you today! Maybe I didn't read the full post I'm oblivious to a lot. That does sound ideal! I love asking unruly clients where they want there records sent. In my old age I have 0 patience. I left the clinic setting in October and work from home making veterinary records now. Boring, but I'm in my gym shorts. My dogs are my company, and I can roll out of bed and walk 20 feet to work 5 minutes before my shift.
Oh yea no I could've been clearer, I just saw that other dog bite post and was like oh I've got a story to tell. That sounds amazing too, you sound further into the career than I. I'm still trying for my CVT and degree, but working technically as a tech because state laws. I'm a baby more or less lol 30 years old with tons of outside experience and only 3 in Vet Med. I always thought eventually though I'd like to switch to the administrative and save my body some pain.
Oh noo don't make me scroll and find it! I miss the patient care aspect, I love a good ER case or being elbow deep in a major surgery.. this April was my 20 year mark in the field. I definitely reached my burnout years ago but didn't know what other avenue to go. I'm 38 and have been in this field since halfway through my senior year of high school. So I've felt stuck. I did manage a local GP place for 3m5 years but the stress of that was also killer! Made my way to corporate and was climbing that ladder but our one and only doctor quit. Also due to burnout.. so we had to merge with an existing clinic. They really didn't need us, several of us left immediately. I tried it for 4 months but driving 300+ miles a week, being bitten, scratched and covered in bodily substances finally cracked me. Found this position applied for it, accepted the job the same week and never looked back! Florida has no laws for being a CVT and the pay wasn't worth the workload and drive. This pays well, saving on gas, food and coffee.. so it's been a nice mental break. But I haven't placed an IVC in 7 months or hit any veins! I'm dying for a good stick lol. But I love when I close the laptop, work is done. No on call, no sick patients riding my heart strings the whole drive home, no fussy coworkers or irate clients. It isn't my forever job but for now I'm content! Maybe when I'm 40 I'll know what I want to do with my life lol.
Can you tell us more about your wfh job?
OMG. !! You were so fucking lucky! Holey fuck! (Yes, I used to spelling I meant to. You’re welcome)
OMG!!! 😱
“🧛🏻” -The Labrador, probably
Glad that you are ok all things considered 😅 maybe your workplace can use this as a learning opportunity to introduce sedation for X-rays, no animal should be consciously tied down.
Oh I don't work there anymore.
When did this happen?
A few years back now, believe it or not I actually loved that clinic and only left because I moved out of state.
I’m glad.
I feel like this was your 1 free
I'm a cat, I've got 9...
8 now
7, there was the time I was skateboarding and sacrificed my elbow for my skull. One broken elbow and 6 months of PT later I was all good, but it was so close to a fractured skull and dying on the streets of Manhattan.
And that's why sedated or conscious animals shouldn't be tied downfor xray 😆
What do you suggest? Because in our state is law to do hands free sedation by tying down.
What state is that, if you don't mind sharing? It seems extremely unsafe to not be sedating patients like this.
CA
That's wild to me since California generally seems to be ahead of the curve with laws when compared to other states. I haven't worked vet med in CA though.
I was in New York. Ahead of the curve as someone else in this thread said is sometimes more trading one issue for another.
How is hands-free radiography *not* ahead of the curve? Whilst manual restraint isn’t forbidden, the practice act states that we should use primarily use chemical and mechanical restraint and use manual restraint as a last resort.
Is this written down somewhere? I live in CA and while we try to do hands free and they teach the tying and whatnot, I've never heard that it's the LAW.
It’s *sort of* the law. It states that we should use primarily use chemical and mechanical restraint and use manual restraint as a last resort. But manual restraint isn’t forbidden.
In UK we are trained to use only tape and/or sandbags if there is any chance the patient could move. We are also not allowed to be present in the room whilst xrays are being taken. Your patient could have injured themselves flailing around with their limbs tied up, but instead it injured you! Hope you're doing OK.
Oh, I’m NOT OP
Sorry loooog day/week! Yay for Friday tomorrow 🙌
I feel you!
sedation
We do sedate…
i’m sorry i misread!
Don't do hands free..
Yikes. Where are you going to school that they’re not teaching that hands-free is the standard and manual restraint should be avoided as much as possible?
Many clinics in my area don’t do hands free but also aren’t sedating. It’s kinda 50/50 where I am. I’m in Canada. 🥴
Pray tell, WHAT is Sophie?
A super cute 2+ year old lab mix.
A lab mix? I'm surprised!
Not vicious or malicious in anyway, just scared.
Ah. A scared dog is always more dangerous than an aggressive dog. As you know
Yikes! I was holding a sweet pitty in VD for x-rays 20ish years back, and she very gently grazed just the front of my throat with her teeth (a warning, I assume). Left just a small scratch but a good reminder of what could have happened. Glad you were OK!
Hell nah dawg drugs
And this is why hands free needs to equal sedation 100% of the time
oh my…. O_O
Good LORD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I’m glad that’s it and I hope y’all do more sedated rads instead.
I do not understand the hands free rads thing. I feel like you can never rely on sedation 100%. I’ve had dogs jump and panic even sedated. Tying them down and hoping for the best seems like it’s massively putting their safety at risk, and clearly the humans’ as well. Also, how do you monitor sedated patients if you’re not in the room? What do you do when you have a patient who can’t be sedated due to other health issues? Do yall tie them down awake??
So i was at a place that did full hands on with no sedation no matter what(no longer work there) and at my new place(been here a year) its 100% hands free with usually 50/50 for sedation. Sometimes I wish I cld just throw a gown on and hold them down cuz it wld be easier for some but other times im happy with being able to sedate and leave them on the table for a few seconds alone. If we can’t sedate and they are not cooperating with being tied down(who can blame them tho) the doctor will then have to gown up, use the shots we already have and stop trying(usually lat is fine but VD is a nightmare) or sedate them. There’s pros and cons to each but as a 23yr old women I prefer not being in there just cuz I’d like to have kids one day I think and I don’t wanna cook my eggs 🍳
Muzzle. For. Every. X-ray. It’s a lifesaving practice that I LIVE by! Glad you aren’t dead.
Oh gosh. I hope you’re alright
NICE 😅
Wow!!
I once had a doc refuse to sedate a patient, he said he would help restrain because my coworker and I clearly weren't doing things right. Doc let go of the dog and it grabbed my thyroid shield and wouldn't let go. I'm so glad my current docs are very pro sedation.
You know you need to really keep an eye on the wound care and finish a round of ABs right?
Omg. Glad you’re ok!! That’s a close one
She wanted to kill you.
Jesus H Roosevelt Christ
My lip looked like that not too long ago! Thanks Lola 🫤👍🏼
Holy crap!
Oh I’m so sorry!
That looks nasty
Jesus. You good!?! I mean obviously you didn’t bleed out or anything but are you good?
Can't complain, this was a few years back now. I moved so I'm at a new clinic and living life.
day-um. poor dog, AND poor vet! props to you!
Holy shit!!!! We all know this is a dangerous job, but I don’t think we’ve ever thought of it as *that* level of dangerous! Glad you’re ok!
In the UK we aren't allowed to tie down a non-sedated patient and it makes absolutely no sense that people do it? Like the risk of injury to the patient is ridiculously high. Sandbags etc are fine, a towel around the neck with sandbags on either side so the towel is essentially restraining the animal... There's so many ways to do it but this is so unsafe for the patient. And of course... Us.
Daaayum!
This could have been my exact worst fear come to life. A patient getting my jugular, specifically a cat.
What is with all the injury pictures?
Why not?