Thursday, January 11, 2007

Busy busy busy

Yes there is a foal on the floor here its trying to die from malnutrition (terrible mother) there's a dog trying to die from eclampsia (Stupid owner) someplace there is a rabbit trying to die from fly strike (see above)
Our little friend looks like he wants to sleep for the rest of a very short life but with persuasion


We managed to win and with the aid of a very good team None of the animals actually succeeded in their aim of actually dying, or as i have come to call it living impaired.



Nat is providing scale here as even aussies think this steer is huge!



He's in to get a lump on his face sorted out tomorrow so I get to play with x raying the head and medicating and stuff..... more on the diagnosis later. Just one thing those horns are coming off tomorrow.

Sunday, January 07, 2007

………and salt on the hidden grave

There was a comment on a previous posting that things might be winding down. Not a good thing to say before a weekend on call. I started on Friday night with a cow that had abdominal pain. So once that was sorted out I had a little sleep until 5:30am when a whelping bitch woke me up and I was managing that 'til consults started at 9am. Those finished at 2pm. Then I had a horse with colic that required two visits. An RTA dog and a pup with a suspected broken leg. Then another colic horse 70km away with a friend who managed to cut his shoulder. The evening finished at 10:30 pm with a cat that was dead on arrival. There were a few others in the list, enough so that breakfast was at 4pm as I hadn’t had a chance to stop all day. I entirely blame this on the person who asked if things were winding down. To this end I am going to find said person kill them and bury them in an unmarked grave, I might even pour salt on the ground where I leave them. I am joking about the last bit honestly! (mostly)

No pictures that’s how busy I was!

Veterinary activities!!!

More veterinary activities just in case you thought I was getting slack. Besides there has been a lack of gory photographs in recent posts. You may not think that but I do so there.
Nat hadn’t done a castration so when we had an adoption kitten to be castrated she begged to do it. So I gave a “Master Class” in the art of surgery.


Despite my supervision the surgery went well and the kitten is with a loving family. Though I hear there is a 4 year old living in the house, a new kitten and a youngster, glad I don’t live there!

More gory photographs below you were warned.


A drought means that the animals are on the lean side. As demonstrated by this ewe. though the tick was a little fatter!


The owner was concerned that he was losing a percentage of ewes. So we post mortemed this one. We found liver abscesses and the heart was looking a little flabby.



We also found this passenger.


This is a hyatid cyst on the serosal surface of the rumen. This is a tapeworm just waiting for the sheep to be eaten. Fancy that in your lamb chop? I thought not! (It would look better as a movie as it moves in that fluid) Funnily enough the girls helping me felt like a thorough shower after I found this.

I used the new stable complex for something sensible. Well the sheep pens aren’t ready yet!


The worst thing about this picture is that I was convinced that it was my brother doing the PM, now that is scary!

Caesarean in Australia

I finally got the chance to Caesar a cow in the hot sun. This is novel because it is usually a 3am in the freezing rain job. However I took a few pictures of the area because I still have difficulty believing that people have been farming here for generations and that it is this dry!
It is a beautiful part of the country and world but how people can make a living of the land is amazing. It does rain in this part of the world and when it does it comes down quite hard and suddenly. There can be a dust storm leading the storm edge.





The rain has allowed standing water to accumulate but the timing seems to be a little late to allow significant growth at the moment. We shall see what the next week or so brings.

New Years Day Breakfast




New Years day being a warm and Sunny one as has been most days here in Australia, Breakfast was held outdoors. This is a local custom that I could wholeheartedly embrace.
The man in standing in the middle is the Farmer that I tagged along with for the festive period. I will have to return the favour especially as he has access to the incriminating drunken photos that I am sure you are all surprised not to see. Bear with me as soon as get them they will be posted.