The above picture demonstrates a cat about to have an endotracheal tube placed to for surgery in order to allow her airway to be protected (remain open) and to administer oxygen and inhalation anethesia.  I’ve been doing a lot of this this summer, probably over 100 cats by now.  (Thanks Roxanne, for your intubation lessons– they have come in handy!).

So I wasn’t too apprehensive about intubating cats since I’ve already done it many times.  But this past Tuesday I was informed that I’d be filling in for the regular technician and running (not just helping out at but actually calling the shots) a dog neuter day in Milwaukee: 24 dogs.  I’ve only intubated 2 dogs before, and that was over a year ago.  To add to that, I was also required to inject anethestics into the veins of the dogs in order to sedate them enough to allow intubation.  I’ve never done that on a dog before, but I have drawn blood on dogs.  So I’m scared about both of those things, and to add to that I’ve got to direct the surgeon (ha ha!) AND 6 to 8 volunteers who are helping with recovery, induction (holding the dogs for me while I inject and intubate them), monitoring anesthesia, and discharges.  The night before this was all supposed to happen I was kinda freaking out.

Well I shouldn’t have worried because everything went just fine (we even had 3 cryptorchids– where one of the testicles is still in th abdomen instead of descending into the scrotal sac– that went smoothly).  I intubated 23 of the 24 dogs sucessfully; one I didn’t place correctly and we didn’t figure that out until he was prepped and on the table so we just masked him until the surgery was finished.  Everyone got neutered, everyone recovered and went home with wagging tales.  Yay!

It was a 12-hour work day for me and I was EXHAUSTED the next day but I felt good that everything had gone fine.  Maybe I’ll make a good Vet Tech after all!

Pet Population Statistics

Since I’ve been talking about the pet population this week and my job at the humane society, I thought I share some information.  The following figures should be considered “ballpark” figures, as they contain data from studies done both within the animal welfare field and by independent study.  Many of these studies were national, and there is a lot of variety from region to region so these may not accurately represent your area.   I hope these figures will sway you into choosing your next pet from a shelter or rescue group rather than a breeder or pet store!

Animal Shelters 

• Approximately eight to 12 million companion animals enter animal shelters nationwide every year and approximately five to nine million are euthanized due to a lack of space or resources to adequately care for them (60 percent of dogs and 70 percent of cats). Shelter intakes are about evenly divided between those relinquished by owners and those picked up by animal control. These are national estimates; the percentage of euthanasia may vary from state to state.

• Less than two percent of cats and only 15 to 20 percent of dogs are returned to their owners.* Most of these were identified with tags, tattoos or microchips.

• Twenty five percent of dogs that enter local shelters are purebred.*

• Only 10 percent of the animals received by shelters have been spayed or neutered. Seventy five percent of owned pets are neutered.

Pet Overpopulation

• The average number of litters a fertile cat produces is one to two a year; the average number of kittens in litters is between four and six.

• The average number of litters a fertile dog produces is one a year; the average number of puppies in litters is between four and six.

• It is impossible to determine how many stray dogs and cats live in the US; estimates for cats alone range up to 70 million.

• Owned cats and dogs generally live longer, healthier lives than strays.

• Many strays are lost pets that were not kept properly indoors or provided with identification.

Pet Ownership

• About 63 percent of all households in the United States have a pet.+

• About 60 million dogs and about 75 million cats are owned in the United States.++

• About 65 percent of pet owners acquire their pets free or at low cost. *

• The majority of pets are obtained from acquaintances and family members. Fifteen to 20 percent of dogs are purchased from breeders, 10 to 20 percent of cats and dogs are adopted from shelters and rescues, and two to 10 percent are purchased from pet shops.+++

• At least 20 percent of cats are acquired as strays.*

• More than 20 percent of people who leave dogs in shelters adopted them from a shelter.*

• The cost of spaying or neutering a pet is less than the cost of raising puppies or kittens for one year.

• The average cost of basic food, supplies, and medical care and training for a dog or cat is $400 to $700 annually.

All data are ASPCA estimates unless otherwise indicated.
+  Source:  2005/2006 APPMA (American Pet Products Manufacturers Association) National Pet Owners Survey.
++ Source:  The Pet Food Institute.
* Source:   The National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy (NCPPSP).
+++ Source:  Ralston Purina and NCPPSP.

[Copied from the MADACC website]

So as those of you who weren’t there may have gathered, I spent last weekend meeting up with friends in Kentucky who I first met in Michigan 4 years ago.  Our excuse was we were there to help our friend Nate build his house/future resident art program housing/community arts center which you can see the plans for and materials used here: http://www.nlzart.com/architecture.html  We are very proud of Nate!

It was a fun trip, and I was really glad because this year it seemed that everyone brought their girlfriend/fiancee so the ratio of male/female was just about even.  Not that I mind being one of the boys… in fact I have to say I still prefer that.  I’m just not a girly-girl :)  Still I really enjoyed meeting the significant others, some of whom I felt I already knew from their blogs or from second-hand information.   I liked each and every one of them and have to say the guys have good taste! 

It was a little wierd somehow because in the last year three couples got engaged and one had a baby.  Definately signaling changing times ahead.  I was really worried about the trip beforehand because I’m just not happy with myself, and knowing there would be so many other girls there made it even worse.  I feel like I’m just now starting to get in better shape after 3 years of getting worse and worse, but the truth is, I’m fat.  Really fat.  And I’m not happy about it.  So I’m doing something about it (biking, eating better, aerobic excersize), but you can’t really tell.  And I was really sad that I don’t look any better this year than I did last year, and that made me feel really uptight and insecure around all these new people that were meeting me for the first time.  It doesn’t help when people joke about “No Fat Chicks” but hey I am what I am and I can’t be a baby about it, right?

The good news is I’m down to only 2 or 3 migraines a month still, and they are getting shorter and less intense overall, which gives me more time to get up and be active and do something with myself.  On another positive note, I really love what I do, working at a humane society and putting animals under anesthesia in order to spay/neuter them, give them vaccines, and other procedures they may need.  I’m helping animals and I’m helping the community, and when I’m done with the day (sometimes a 10 hour day!) no matter how tired I feel I feel good about what I’ve done. 

Hopefully as I get in better shape (noticeably) and continue to thrive on being a Spay/Neuter Technician my self-confidence will improve and I won’t feel so scared/nervous/insecure when meeting new people.  I feel like I was kind of a wierdo to a lot of people last weekend just becuase I felt so out of place and awkward, and it was mostly all just in my head (I say mostly, because there are people who judge you on how you look, and who think less of you if you are overwieght — just a fact of life).  I felt like I couldn’t just join in the crowd, that people didn’t want to talk with me or hang out, that I drove people away with my abrupt manner sometimes.  I just couldn’t help it, I couldn’t really relax because my weight/appearance was just always on my mind.  I felt like a stupid insecure teenage nerd, just like back in high school. 

Sorry if I offended anyone.

I don’t want this to sound like the trip was all horrible, because it wasn’t at all; I had a lot of fun, and it was SOOO nice to see people who I hadn’t seen in some cases for a year.  I just need to keep working on myself and to relax a little so that these things aren’t so difficult for me.

That’s all for now folks.

Well I don’t have as many pics since I didn’t shoot much, so I developed some pics that others took on our camera and a couple of my own.  You can click on any of these pictures to go to my Flickr website (my online photography portfolio).

We’ll miss you, Campy Girl!

I think I took this picture!

Ben and Emily, remember those crazy beetles we saw when we first got to the campsite?

Cindy took this picture of my Sleeping Bear James. Nice shot Cindy!

Ben Fisher took this one of James, and a few others that I’ll try and develop later.

Not sure who took this one of James, Jason, and Tony, but I developed it!

If anyone else has some linky-dinks to pics from the trip, please share! Also, please forward a link to Cindy, Rachael, and Angela since I don’t have their email addresses.