tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6589783647802842771.post2671749002729577178..comments2023-09-02T03:03:26.994-07:00Comments on Vet On The Edge: The Glamorous World Of Veterinary MedicineAKDDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10533003137934379516noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6589783647802842771.post-84787743687768132952009-01-15T12:25:00.000-08:002009-01-15T12:25:00.000-08:00As someone who's devored the James Herriot's books...As someone who's devored the James Herriot's books, David Taylor's book Zoo Vet, and had some experience in the back as a tech assistant, I have to say this not only reminds me of the days were we'd walk to unlock the doors and there would be the first emergency of the day, and then 12 or 14 hours later we'd finally stumble out to our cars as the last emergency either went home or was stabilized and headed to the emergency clinic for over night work.<BR/>I'd say you have an interesting subject matter to begin with, but it's your writing that makes this blog such a joy to read.Flohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02985619413600423292noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6589783647802842771.post-63689980077510506892009-01-15T11:44:00.000-08:002009-01-15T11:44:00.000-08:00Christy - no charge! All part of the service here ...Christy - no charge! All part of the service here at the blog! :D Not sure just how good my vaccine voodoo is, but I've certainly had enough practice tht I OUGHT to have some by now...!<BR/><BR/>Wendy - Thanks! That's especially flattering coming from someone for whom this isn't the standard fare. Glad you're enjoying it, and stop by any time!<BR/><BR/>Della, thx for safe travel wishes; I'll try to blog whilst on the road, but no guarantees. <BR/><BR/>Mm and KK... there may be some future stories in that.... but probably not til I at least make it to my destination and sleep off the jet lag, and maybe not til I get back. Gonna be a buuuusy trip!AKDDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10533003137934379516noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6589783647802842771.post-46919725745473536612009-01-15T09:46:00.000-08:002009-01-15T09:46:00.000-08:00Hi ADKK,I've been lurking here ever since Hedra li...Hi ADKK,<BR/><BR/>I've been lurking here ever since Hedra linked to you a while back, just loving the stories! A vet blog is not the usual sort of thing I'd read, but you've got a real gift for telling a story, and I'm just loving it :)Today Wendyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03583682201977382593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6589783647802842771.post-65754606133272789882009-01-15T07:36:00.000-08:002009-01-15T07:36:00.000-08:00As I read I could smell the pungent aroma of block...As I read I could smell the pungent aroma of blocked tom cat lingering in my nose...thanks. :) lol It's been awhile.<BR/><BR/>"Grab 'em and stab 'em." You must have some real 'vaccination voo-doo' goin' on! :)Christyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09656091953558584001noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6589783647802842771.post-66294786456425767532009-01-15T04:28:00.000-08:002009-01-15T04:28:00.000-08:00@Karl;A LOT of Alaska is completely unknown to out...@Karl;<BR/>A LOT of Alaska is completely unknown to outsiders. Partly, its because Alaska really *is* remote; Partly because there really aren't all that many people in Alaska, and partly because a lot of the people whom might be writing such entries in places like the Wiki simply are either too busy or are not connected to internet. Alaskan infrastructure is rather limited, away from the larger cities and towns. As an example, Charlie Boulding, the unofficial 'Face of Alaska,' lives in a place that can only be reached by boat, aircraft, ATV, or dogsled. Nor is he the only one... <I>No</I> roads, for another instance, lead to Nome. Not a single one - You simply cannot drive there from anywhere.<BR/><BR/>Maybe we can get AKDD to discuss the issue of people who live in the bush, and get into town maybe once a quarter?<BR/><BR/>Anyway, the end result is that much of Alaska is a well-kept secret. But Alaska isn't the only place - Try a Wiki search on pretty much any town or event in, say, the Yukon Territory, and see how much you get - Most events will generate a stub, at best.MaskedManhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01847118110075039840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6589783647802842771.post-64857384499601366582009-01-14T23:47:00.000-08:002009-01-14T23:47:00.000-08:00Don't apologize for old stories. We'll be missing...Don't apologize for old stories. We'll be missing out on Great stories if you never tell the old ones.<BR/>I hope your travels are smooth and safe!Dellahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17603123973631131775noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6589783647802842771.post-48191434228771519482009-01-14T23:42:00.000-08:002009-01-14T23:42:00.000-08:00It's funny to realize that there's such a broad ra...It's funny to realize that there's such a broad range of passions and activities out there that some of us don't even have <I>exposure</I> to... And there's always someone who knows every last inch, tale, and story. The internet's kinda cool, ain't it? <BR/><BR/>Speaking of the internet -- My usual approach when I see something that I've never seen before is to hit Wikipedia for the basics. Not only is there no mention of the Knik 200, there isn't even a mention of Knik 'cept for KNIK-FM in Anchorage.Karl Katzkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15657143496506662902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6589783647802842771.post-82219408114887424752009-01-14T23:27:00.000-08:002009-01-14T23:27:00.000-08:00Dragon - gee, thanks! [blushing and digging toe in...Dragon - gee, thanks! [blushing and digging toe into sand.] I think you should just fly up with them, possibly around the time of the Talkeetna Bluegrass Festival (which is in the summer and therefore in better weather.)<BR/><BR/>MM - I knew you'd know if Dee Dee had scratched other times! :)AKDDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10533003137934379516noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6589783647802842771.post-34962077600590581182009-01-14T23:03:00.000-08:002009-01-14T23:03:00.000-08:00Dee Dee has scratched for personal health reasons ...Dee Dee has scratched for personal health reasons before (her race was eaten by the dreadful Happy River Steps*); I only know of one team-related scratch for her though, and that was after she had to drop both her leaders. With no strong leader left, her team wallowed from fiasco to disaster to... Well, scratched.<BR/>It's axiomatic: No leader, no team.<BR/><BR/>*Descending into the Happy River Valley, the teams drop five hundred feet down a near-sheer canyon wall in a series of extremely steep switchbacks. The trail there is notoriously difficult, and it's usually hit on the second day, while the teams are still full, and the dogs are amped-up, hyper, and in all other ways extremely energetic. Imagine slaloming down a double black diamond mogul hill whilst being dragged by a runaway frieght train - That's less frightening than the typical musher experience on the Steps. Every year, without fail, the Steps eat someone's dream - Usually four or five dreams. Bad years have seen as many as ten scratches after transiting the Steps. In some cases, the Steps have reached four days and five hundred miles to eat a dream, as equipment damage and lingering injuries sustained in transit force a scratch. Even <I>That Man</I> (aka Doug Swingley) had to admit mortality after the Happy River Valley fed him to a tree.MaskedManhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01847118110075039840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6589783647802842771.post-32842637250695358462009-01-14T22:53:00.000-08:002009-01-14T22:53:00.000-08:00Can we Fed-Ex our critters to you for their vet ne...Can we Fed-Ex our critters to you for their vet needs? I am sure you are worth it... Takes the right stuff to be a GREAT vet and you have it......Dragon43https://www.blogger.com/profile/10300731439715496511noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6589783647802842771.post-86046714397575873742009-01-14T20:20:00.000-08:002009-01-14T20:20:00.000-08:00MM: Awww, shucks! [blushes] Thanks!Too right on th...MM: Awww, shucks! [blushes] Thanks!<BR/><BR/>Too right on the value of leaders: if you have no leader, your team lacks purpose, direction and drive. A good leader can keep the team going when they're flagging, and a poor one can demoralize and sink your team even if the dogs all have plenty in the tank. Dee Dee scratched one year as a consequence of not having a strong enough leader. That might be the only time she's ever scratched, actually; not sure on that.AKDDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10533003137934379516noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6589783647802842771.post-71357878236804107682009-01-14T19:30:00.000-08:002009-01-14T19:30:00.000-08:00Just a note on the lead dog: Lead dogs are worth (...Just a note on the lead dog: Lead dogs are worth (in some cases literally) their weight in gold; A good leader wins races and purses for their musher; they generate stud fees, or deliver litters of prized pups; and they're usually very, very close companions to their musher. A small laceration is generally pretty small potatoes to a dog, so long as it can be closed and kept sterile. But a patch of bare flesh on the trail, in typical Iditarod conditions? <I>NOT</I> happening. Hence, the great care in suturing without shaving.<BR/><BR/>Oh, and immunizing 18 sled dogs isn't just your typical day in the office, despite my sister's nonchalance... "Grab and stab" sounds all nice and easy, but sled dogs are as muscular as any olympic athelete, with better reaction times. They're more slippery than eels, smarter than your typical mutt, and more 'squirmy' than a three year old child hyped-up one pixie stix. They don't like needles any more than the next dog, either. "Grab and stab" on a sled dog means 'no hesitation, no flinching."<BR/><BR/>Processing 18 sled dogs in short order really is a mark of skill and efficiency.MaskedManhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01847118110075039840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6589783647802842771.post-91160950658109837642009-01-14T17:36:00.000-08:002009-01-14T17:36:00.000-08:00No problemo with the archives - it's all interesti...No problemo with the archives - it's all interesting reading.toastyyakhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15636200069245353809noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6589783647802842771.post-57853993263175193442009-01-14T17:12:00.000-08:002009-01-14T17:12:00.000-08:00Thanks! It's good to be forgiven! :DThat Knik ser...Thanks! It's good to be forgiven! :D<BR/><BR/>That Knik series was 2003.AKDDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10533003137934379516noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6589783647802842771.post-3546862779958524262009-01-14T17:07:00.000-08:002009-01-14T17:07:00.000-08:00It's OK, I figured it out back during the Run to K...It's OK, I figured it out back during the Run to Knik series, when the 2009 names didn't match. What year was that from, anyway? 03? 06? You're forgiven -- final proof that being good can get you a lot of latitude!Karl Katzkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15657143496506662902noreply@blogger.com