Veterinary practice is a dangerous business.
I've faced very many a growling, snarling, snapping aggressive dog and managed to get a vaccine down its nose. Or look in its eye. Or check its broken leg. Or give it a rectal exam. I've had my hand inside the mouths of more dogs (entirely conscious so I can give it a tablet) than I can even think of counting. Hundreds, maybe.
I've approached many a hissing furious cat that didn't like human contact and somehow managed to stab it with a needle. I'm also allergic to cat saliva, so fun times all around.
I've been trapped between two unhappy extremely large cows while pregnancy testing one (eg rectally, and I'm small so I was in up to my shoulder, and the cow was deeply displeased about this fact) while the other one was standing my foot so I couldn't back off. (Steel toed boots are sturdy, you might notice this when the 600kg cow is crushing the metal plate into your foot).
I've caught, pinned down and jabbed pain relief into a very painful angry snake that had been mauled by a dog.
I've had a penguin lock its jaws on my finger. Before you laugh at the image of a cute penguin trying to hurt anyone, google a picture of a blue penguin and have a good long look at that hooked, razor sharp predatory beak.
I've had many a crushing/tearing/shearing injury from an enraged parrot. I've also had hissing, screaming cockatoos take a lunge for my face. That's never fun.
I've picked up the back leg of a touchy colt that hadn't been exposed to lot of human contact. It tried to double barrel me when I jabbed it in the rump.
I've held down a massive wedge-tailed eagle with a bigger wingspan than my height as it was gassed down for surgery. Its talons were bigger than my hands. And looked like they could crush a skull with ease.
Teeth, claws, beaks, hooves, horns, spurs, even wings and skin and tails - every single animal has some form of self defense and they become more willing to use them the more frightened or painful they are. And at a veterinary clinic, they're often both.
These are the things that go through my head every time a client asks me about the plainly visible scar across my forearm which bisects across one of the prominent veins, the scar that I got from the edge of the consult room table.
I've faced very many a growling, snarling, snapping aggressive dog and managed to get a vaccine down its nose. Or look in its eye. Or check its broken leg. Or give it a rectal exam. I've had my hand inside the mouths of more dogs (entirely conscious so I can give it a tablet) than I can even think of counting. Hundreds, maybe.
I've approached many a hissing furious cat that didn't like human contact and somehow managed to stab it with a needle. I'm also allergic to cat saliva, so fun times all around.
I've been trapped between two unhappy extremely large cows while pregnancy testing one (eg rectally, and I'm small so I was in up to my shoulder, and the cow was deeply displeased about this fact) while the other one was standing my foot so I couldn't back off. (Steel toed boots are sturdy, you might notice this when the 600kg cow is crushing the metal plate into your foot).
I've caught, pinned down and jabbed pain relief into a very painful angry snake that had been mauled by a dog.
I've had a penguin lock its jaws on my finger. Before you laugh at the image of a cute penguin trying to hurt anyone, google a picture of a blue penguin and have a good long look at that hooked, razor sharp predatory beak.
I've had many a crushing/tearing/shearing injury from an enraged parrot. I've also had hissing, screaming cockatoos take a lunge for my face. That's never fun.
I've picked up the back leg of a touchy colt that hadn't been exposed to lot of human contact. It tried to double barrel me when I jabbed it in the rump.
I've held down a massive wedge-tailed eagle with a bigger wingspan than my height as it was gassed down for surgery. Its talons were bigger than my hands. And looked like they could crush a skull with ease.
Teeth, claws, beaks, hooves, horns, spurs, even wings and skin and tails - every single animal has some form of self defense and they become more willing to use them the more frightened or painful they are. And at a veterinary clinic, they're often both.
These are the things that go through my head every time a client asks me about the plainly visible scar across my forearm which bisects across one of the prominent veins, the scar that I got from the edge of the consult room table.
yeah, I know what you mean. Wrestling rottweilers? Pilling Persians? That's child's play... being able to open a door without bashing your head into it... well... that I'm still working on.
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