#veterinary referral

[ask-a-vetblr]

How often do you find yourself consulted as a second opinion for a case? And how often does that result in you giving a different opinion than the first vet gave?

Sueanoi here,

Considering that I am an ophthalmology-focused vet (Unable to call myself a "specialist" due to technicalities.), about 20% of my cases are referred from general vet, and about 10% are without the primary vet's acknowledgement (AKA they weren't referred but the owner decided on their own to come see me). The rest of them started with me.

Most of the times, the initial care was correct, but the disease was progressing to where they would need specialized tests and adjust the medication (or recommend surgery). This is not due to negligence, even if they started with me, the care plan would look similar to what they came with. Which means the decision to refer was correct.

Some of the time, the primary care was incorrect, but it is due to lack of specialized tools to recognize the nuances of the issue, and they made an educated guess based on statistics (See hoof print? Think horse, not zebra. You will be 99% correct.). Unfortunately, sometimes the animal was having an issue that are not so common (it actually was zebra. Wow, 1% SSR rank gashapon surprise!). Which means the decision to refer was correct, again.

It is very rare that the initial care was incorrect from the start. Perhaps like, 1-2 cases during my entire career. Actually, I see this type of issue happen due to the poor client compliance (for example, owner bought medicine without bringing the animal to their primary vet, then complain that the vet guessed wrong).

Another very rare case would be when the case was already under a specialist care (My teacher's, for example), but decided to follow up with me instead because it's more convenient. In this case I usually will communicate with the specialist who was taking care of them for continued advise. There are times that I would send back too, if it looked like it was getting out of hand.

And a few times that client would come to see me to "recheck" if their general vet was giving the correct care plan without being referred. And for those times all of them so far, the general vet was correct and the animal was healing nicely.

There is this one time, one single time, that a client came to me as a FIFTH opinion. And I looked at their previous care plan, and agreed with them all, but the client wasn't happy with how long it took. In the end they went for a sixth and I never see them again.

All in all, if you feel like you want a second opinion for whatever reason at all, it is always okay to do so. Please communicate with the primary vet for a referral letter, so the progress would be smooth. Ideally, you want the second opinion to be a specialized vet for your pet's specific issue, not another general vet. Don't go for 6+ vets. That's too many. It would interrupt care plans and make it heal even slower than before.

I hope this helps

[aspiringhorrorauthor]

Still utterly baffled by the complaint my coworker got that basically boils down to “how DARE this vet not work 24/7? How DARE she have to go home and take care of herself???”

[unpopularvetopinions]

Family veterinarians, primary care veterinarians, veterinary general practitioners all, two things

1. Prognostication is within your scope of practice. Please stop sending terminally ill and geriatric patients to emergency with the hope that we can do something.

2.

Euthanize your own fucking cases.

[simplykaren]

Hm. I have a new 3rd worst skin sloughing case in my time as a vet tech. At first it looked like some sort of burn on the Pekingese's flanks and lower back, but the more we looked, the more little spots of erythema, necrosis, and sloughing. But they're all on the dorsal half of the dog, absolutely nothing abnormal on the belly, ventral chest, or feet. And half of the lymph nodes I shouldn't be able to feel are palpable and enlarged. The owner first noticed the dog itching a week ago.

Lots of rule outs, but it doesn't quite match any of the diseases or conditions Dr. looked up. Bloodwork is pending, so...🤞

[wolfchanw]

The most maddening part of my job is how many general practice vet clinics will refer a patient out to a veterinary dentist due to something they found on X-ray, then make it almost impossible for us to get the x-rays.

Every week I wind up calling clinics repeatedly, begging them to send us dental radiographs they took which prompted a dental referral. “I don’t have access to those” “I don’t know how to send those” “They’re really hard and slow to access” or just saying they’ll send them and then blowing me off completely. How are ANY of those things my problem? Figure. It. Out.

Today’s special fun was brought to me by Banfield and a cat with stomatitis. I called the Banfield where kitty had the x-rays taken, and was told that since the owner has moved, all of kitty’s records are now at this other Banfield. I called Banfield #2 who told me to call #1 back because the rads were taken there and are stored there.

This was the FIFTH set of rads (out of twelve patients) that I had to chase down this week so I am afraid I lost my patience a bit and demanded that both clinics send me the rads or I would reach out to corporate.

Bloody unprofessional, unbelievable, and absurd.

[fushipurro]

Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy

Chapter 3 - Malevolent Desire

<- Previous Chapter | Masterlist | Next Chapter ->

☆ Content: 18+ MDNI, cowboy!au, darker themes, yandereish!sukuna, sukuna is bad at feelings, brief mention of an implied kidnapping/murders, brat taming, orgasm denial, vaginal/nipple foreplay, cunnilingus, creampie, sukuna calls you a slut (affectionate), biting/small blood mentions

☆ Word Count: 5.9k

Never in your life did you think one town could look as good as it does right now. It’s like a desert mirage that calls your name, urging you closer with the promise of rest.

After reclaiming your fateful bay mare, the trip home felt greater in lengths, heightened by the midday rays of the hot sun down the back of your neck. Now, the city of Valentine sits ahead of you, basked in rich golden hues.

It’s been a long time since you’ve felt the levels of exhaustion you face now. It pulls on your mind, body, and soul alike ─ demanding everything you’re able to give.

Upon your return with the empty-handed lawmen, Satoru offers a not-so-subtle notion that if you’re sore or injured after any “strenuous activities” to stop in at the neighboring doctor’s office for some care.

You decide to take him up on it, hoping to find some sort of reprieve, at least from the warm sensations where clothes couldn’t protect you from the harsh touch of sunlight. There, you find a woman by the name of Shoko Ieiri ─ an old friend of the two you had spent your day with, and the resident physician.

She proves especially helpful in restocking whatever medical supplies you needed, and even more understanding with any matters relating to ones with Satoru’s involvement. In fact, all you had to do was mention his name and referral, and it was as though you gave her the key to a closet full of tonics dedicated in his name.

During your time shopping, a man clad in dark jeans, a purple button up, and a black vest steps into the office. Just like you, he’s here to restock, claiming to be on the hunt of a local predator who recently claimed another victim.

Turns out, the man you had a shootout with went missing sometime late last night, leaving behind a trail of blood that didn’t go far. The modus operandi matches that of the killer he and his partner are after. Whether they’re alive still or not is unknown, but it won’t be long before a decaying body surfaces with a cryptic message to follow.

You’ve always been intrigued with bounty hunters, at times becoming one yourself to make a few extra bucks if need be. It was something your father had done on the side to put food on the table considering how picky businesses can get with new hires.

In your discussion with Shoko and the man called Choso, you made a mention to your little adventure with Satoru and what all your poor Valentine has been through. Surprisingly, Choso claims to have some veterinary knowledge, offering to look her over for any potential injuries, free of charge.

You accept of course, her health is of the upmost importance to you. Even if you don’t believe Suguru would have purposely harmed her, you can’t say the same for his crew. That, and how she was in the middle of an ongoing robbery. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.

Choso not only ensures that Valentine’s in tip top form, but also checks over Clementine. You appreciate it, knowing how much you’d hate yourself if something were to happen before she’s reunited with Kento.

The two of you are joined by his partner, Yuki, who had been resupplying at the weapon’s shop across the street. She reminds you a lot of yourself, perhaps even cut from the same cloth. It’s always a pleasure to meet another woman on the frontier that can hold her own, and you hope to run into her again someday ─ maybe while hunting a bounty to compare skills.

In the meantime, she can’t help but swoon over the two mares in your care, even showing off her own that she raised from a filly ─ a silver turkoman dubbed Garuda. Choso’s steed on the other hand is a leopard appaloosa gelding by the name of Nova.

When everything’s said and done and the hunters take their leave, dusk has settled over Valentine with a thick blanket of stars. All that’s left for you to do now is to get your meat and you can be on your way for some food and rest.

…so long as the butcher’s stall is actually open, which in this case ─ it’s not.

Tough luck.

So much for getting your dinner now, guess you’ll be going to bed hungry. You opt to head for the hotel, which only serves to sour your mood further as the clerk tells you your stay is up and there’s no other rooms left to rent out. At the very least, you’re still able to pay for a bath to wash off the various dirt, grime, and other slick stuck to your body.

Now you could head off into the nearby prairie, or down by the Dakota River to camp, but as highlighted earlier, you’re exhausted. With two horses under your care and all your worldly possessions, you need to be extra careful what you do and where you go as a woman in this wild age.

Luckily, there’s a dozen barns to choose from in town, and even more available stalls to sneak into. At this point, straw poking your back is the least of your problems if it means getting a night of rest.

You lead the two mares over to an empty corral behind one such stable, freeing them from their tack and hiding the evidence under a pile of alfalfa bales. Save for the saloon, the rest of town has quieted down as others have now retreated to their homes and families.

That used to be you once when you were younger, now here you are sneaking inside a barn to get some shuteye. Oh, how your father would be so proud.

There’s just one problem.

You’re not alone.

As soon as you enter through the barn doors, you’re met with a few lit lanterns and a huge horse on the crossties. We’re talking the definition of a war horse here, with a blood bay coat to match. Their feathering is light, and you wouldn’t be surprised to find out there’s some warmblood mixed in with some draft breed. At the sound of their deep, echoing neigh, a head pops up from between their hindquarters.

“Who the fuck ─ ahh, it’s you,” the voice remarks, and it’s one you remember quite well.

The Butcher.

“Come to finally collect what’s yours?” he asks, a tinge of playful annoyance lacing in his words.

You approach the man, narrowing your eyes. He spares you his own sharp look before resuming his work clipping the giant’s hoof.

“Since when does Valentine’s butcher do farrier work?” you question, admiring the look of dark chaps around his beefy legs. It pairs nicely with his black pants and the red shirt he has on.

He snorts, “I do a lot of different work ‘round here, sweetheart.” His nickname falls short when paired with sarcasm. “Whatever pays the bills while I’m here, and besides, this is my own mare so it’s not like I’m being paid.”

“Leave it to a bloodied man to ride a red mare,” you mutter under your tongue, hearing him huff anyways. “Can’t lie though, she’s a beauty.” You reach out to pet the girl, only to retract your hand the second her ears pin backwards and she about bites your hand off.

“That she is,” he chuckles lowly, uncaring to what almost occurred, “Calamity here is loyal and obedient, just how I like it.”

You scowl in response, ultimately realizing any interactions with this man require a level of caution to be taken. He’s not to be trifled with.

Then again, Daddy didn’t raise no coward.

“You sure you’re not compensating for something?”

Not that he needs to. Appearance wise, he’s very attractive, even if he waves enough red flags at you to be called a matador. You are a stubborn bull at times, so it may be a fair tradeoff. Being tired and hungry don’t mix well for any wicked cowgirl.

“Please,” the butcher scoffs. “I have no reason to need to. Why, you interested in taking me on?” He throws a smirk at you from over his shoulder, grabbing a large file in the process to shave down the mare’s hoof.

You roll your eyes, leaning up against a wooden post to admire his workmanship. “Please,” you mock, “I think you’re exactly the type of man my father would tell me to put a bullet into and call it a day.”

“If you think my ‘services’ are inadequate, then you’re more than welcome to,” he retorts, finishing up the hoof with a beautifully crafted horseshoe nailed perfectly on. He stands up after, dusting off his hands and turning to you in full. He certainly has a height advantage on you amongst other things.

You don’t back down, not even when you’re at the disadvantage. “We’re still talking about work, right? ‘Cause you have something of mine.”

The butcher steps forward into your space, like a predator stalking its prey into a corner, only you don’t move. “Is that really why you came creeping in here? Or maybe you’ve been following me,” he muses with sultry words.

“I’m not here for you, your highness.” Those choice words deepen his annoying grin. “But since you are here, then I’d like to get my meat and go. I’ve had quite a long day.”

His eyes darken as a thought crosses his mind. “I think I can help with that… if you’ll give in to me,” he says, moving one hand to brush a strand of hair from your face. You slap him away, earning a click of his tongue, “Don’t be a tease.”

You ignore his accusation. “What exactly are you offering here?”

“Instead of sleeping in a stall full of shit…” he pauses, letting his words register that yes ─ he knew exactly why you were here to begin with. He’s as smart as he is cocky, that’s for sure. Not a bad combination, but only if you can back it up. “…why don’t you come back home with me, and I’ll treat you to some care?”

A tempting offer, but full of risk.

“And how am I supposed to believe you aren’t planning on robbing or gutting me the moment we’re alone?”

He laughs again, only this time it resembles some cackling coyote in the dead of night. “Guess you’ll just have to be good and trust me.”

“Howreassuring of you,” you reply sarcastically.

“It’s up to you, brat.” He shrugs nonchalantly, picking up his heavy western saddle. “Whether you want it or not, make your choice now or forever hold your peace.”

You keep a horse-length behind the man, Sukuna, atop your mare; your eyes are glued to the back of his head with one hand close to your iron if the situation warrants the need. The environment around you both is eerily calm ─ as if nature knows something about a potential threat that you don’t.

Perhaps your foremost thought about him being a serial killer on the side wasn’t too far off.

It doesn’t help your nerves either or his case for that matter when his home happens to be a cabin in the woods. There’s a set of storm doors that immediately catch your eyes upon arrival. They’re tightly bound and sealed with the use of heavy chains but at this point, would it really surprise you if there’s something down there he doesn’t want others to see?

Rationally, it could just be where he stores excess meats and other parts of his work, and that the chains are only there to keep predators out. He is a butcher after all, that would be the safest option.

…Unless of course the seal exists to prevent anything from escaping.

You decide to push those thoughts away for now. You’ve wrestled with bears numerous times after all; if Sukuna decides to betray the trust you’re giving him, then you won’t be going down easily.

Sukuna rides up to the pasture gate, hitching Calamity up to a post to untack her. You join him near his side with both Valentine and Clementine to do the same. Hopefully his mare’s temperament doesn’t affect either of your girls in the field after Choso gave them the okay. Explaining any new injuries to Kento would not be easy after he’s already gone out on a limb for you.

You’re then led up into his cabin, where the interior is surprisingly clean. For a butcher, he seems careful enough about it, as nothing you see has a speck of blood staining it.

“Take a seat,” he practically demands, pulling out one of his dining chairs for you on his way into the kitchen. You oblige, choosing not to comment on his tone.

You watch him from afar as he cooks, to which it appears to be yet another skill he excels in. His precision with a knife also tells you that in the event of any fights to the death, you’re gonna need a gun to win. He spares you a few glances here and there, but otherwise his focus is kept solely on the stovetop until he’s walking back into the room with dishes in hand.

You can honestly say that Sukuna’s cooking is one of, if not, the best you’ve had the privilege to eat. He’s prepared a selection of different meats paired with fresh vegetables and is eager for you to try everything he’s whipped up.

Conversation is kept to a minimum, not that you can complain. His earlier attitude seems to have softened after a good meal, yet the tension still hasn’t let up. After dinner, you offer to help clean up as thanks, but he shuts you down, even taking your plate straight from your hands.

There’s a look of mischief that plays across his crimson eyes as you’re turning back to the table. Now there’s one thing to always be cautious of when sharing company with a predator, and that’s to never turn your back on one.

A full belly must’ve dulled your senses, subsequently lowering your guard to forget that rule. Your mistake comes with a consequence, or maybe a blessing ─ Sukuna now caging you between himself and the dinner table.

His voice, deep and velvety, murmurs in your ear, “Ready to discuss payment?”

It makes your body shiver, and you hope it wasn’t too obvious. He chuckles, so you know that was a bust. Good thing you’ve still got some sass in you.

“You’re telling me you didn’t do this out of the kindness of your heart?” you tease with the man.

“Fuck no.” Sukuna inhales your scent, making your eyes flutter shut. “I’m not about to let some other maggot get in my way,” he says, brushing the hair off the side of your neck, revealing splotches of red and purple bruising. “This time…you’re mine.”

“I don’t belong to anyone,” you tell him, but your efforts to remain in control are in vain.

Sukuna starts to pepper kisses across every discoloration his eyes can find, his other hand now pulling you closer to his body.

He’s hard, and nor was he lying either when he said he has nothing to compensate for.

With one hand placed inches above your needy core, he encourages you to grind against his own. It’s an action so specific, you can’t help but wonder if there’s some hidden meaning to it. Either way, Sukuna knows right where to get you along your neck until you’re weak in the knees and grasping the edge of the table for stability.

“What’s the matter?” he asks between kisses. “No more bratty comments?” You can feel his lips hovering over your carotid artery, smiling against the flesh as your heartbeat quickens in response.

“Fuck you,” you spit in a low volume, your grip on the table growing stronger as Sukuna’s hand moves fast to cup your sex.

“There’s plenty of time for that,” he muses. “I intend to enjoy every minute of this.” He lifts his hand upwards, pulling you off your feet for a hot second causing a gasp to leave your mouth. He then lets go of your body, backing away a few steps.

“Strip,” he commands, and you find yourself throwing caution to the wind. As you start to unbutton your shirt, he stops you, “Aht aht, turn around.” He motions with his finger almost impatiently so.

You roll your eyes before doing so, continuing where you left off. “Better, my lord?”

“That’s it,” he drawls, ignoring your snarky tone in favor of the new title of worship. “You’ll do well to listen and take orders.”

“You know, maybe I should put a bullet in you if you think I’m gonna sit back and become one of your pets. Better yet, I could always just cut your dick right off or maybe gelding would be more fun,” you warn him with an amused smile.

“Your words only arouse me, brat.” He stalks closer, baring his canines towards you with a similar, more salacious grin. “Stick around long enough with me and I’ll show you the best way how to do all of those things.”

Unlike you, you don’t believe he’s joking.

Sukuna takes a moment to admire your body, feeling his own cock strain in his pants. He leans his head down, taking you by your mouth in a ravenous embrace. He roughly bites your bottom lip, making you gasp yet again. Sukuna uses this chance to slip his tongue past your teeth, savoring the metallic flavor all while a free hand slips between your thighs.

He spreads you open, prodding his middle finger against your opening. “My… so wet already? I’ve hardly touched you.”

For how much you hate him for his arrogance, he certainly knows how to make a gal feel oh so aroused. You’re enjoying this more than you had expected to.

Without warning, he thrusts his finger upwards, lifting your body to rest atop the dining table. “Fuck!” you shriek, the pain turning to pleasure when his thumb coos your throbbing clit. With deft motions, he pumps his finger in and out.

Sukuna laughs in an almost sadistic manner, thoroughly enjoying the reactions you’re giving him. It’s always more fun when his prey has some fire that makes his efforts to break them all the more satisfying. Pretty soon, you’re rolling your hips against his knuckles on your own, aiding his motions.

“Look at you, slut,” his voice, full of sin, whispers in your ear. He bites the sides of your neck overtop the pre-existing marks, thus overriding the claims. “So desperate. You want to cum, don’t you? I can feel it.”

You nod your head, unable to hold back your noises as you grow closer to that sweet release. His touch is like wildfire against your body, igniting you with otherworldly passion.

“I wonder, what would happen if I were to deny you?” His grin widens and he retracts his hand from your body.

“Asshole!” you hiss breathlessly, groaning from the loss.

Sukuna loves how easy it is to push your buttons. Each action serving to intoxicate you under his full control. If one simple finger of his could do all of this for you, then he can’t waitto impale you with his cock.

“Such a bad girl,” he purrs against your ear once again. Both of Sukuna’s hands hold you at the hip while he rubs his clothed self against you. “Tell me you’re mine and I’ll please you over and over again until all you can think about is me.”

“I’m starting to think it was love at first sight with you,” you chuckle through a moan, “Can’t ask a girl out like a normal person?” That remark earns you another reprimand as he suddenly pushes himself hard against you, forcing you back onto your forearms.

“Last I checked, I already made you dinner and offered you my home. If you’re having second thoughts then I’ll gladly let you go,” he states, but you can tell that’s a lie.

Sukuna would much rather you stay and give in to his desires. The offer is quite tempting to, as with any deal with a devil. It proves even harder to deny the effects Sukuna has on you, your stomach endlessly performing flips with emotions.

His whole domineering self is a forbidden type of decadence that draws you in, hypnotizingly so. There’s a lot you don’t know yet about him, and if one thing is obvious, it’s that the longer you stay at his side, the more you want to slip into depravity with Sukuna.

It might even help you become a better version of yourself. No longer would you be alone trying to survive in a world pitted against you.

Then again, your feisty nature is what got you here to begin with. Where’s the fun in letting that go now when you have someone that can keep up with you, with plenty to offer if he stays true to his word.

With a devious grin of your own, you tell him, “Fuck. You.” Emphasizing each word to better toy with him.

He laughs again, louder, and more boastful this time. He knew you would continue to deny yourself, punishing yourself in the process. You’re only making this easier for him to have his way.

“You won’t say it?” He stares down at you with a darkened expression, flashing those wolfish fangs again. One of his hands swoops up to cup your breast, pinching the bud as he makes you lie flat for him. “Oh, I’ll make you say it.”

In the blink of an eye, his mouth latches onto your swollen pearl, sucking with an intense force that leaves you writhing beneath him. One way or another, he’ll shatter your will. He knows it’s just a matter of time before you admit what you already know to be true.

Sukuna’s tongue swipes upwards once before pushing inside. He licks up every last drop of your arousal, feeding into his own animalistic desire to claim you.

To ruin you.

He moans at this thought, savoring your delectable taste like it’s his last meal on earth. The sweet flavoring pairs perfectly the way you cry his name out. One of your hands even holds the table in a white-knuckle grip, with the other struggling against his head. You can’t escape his touch, even if you tried. His own hands brandish your hips tight enough to bruise ─ making you in his name.

“S’kuna,” you groan, feeling your mind reaching a state where it has no choice but to unravel.

“Just say those three words,” Sukuna insists, spelling it out for you with the tip of his tongue. He’s edging you a second time now, knowing all too well how close you are. “Three words, and I’m all yours,” he urges.

“Fuck! Please, please, let me cum!” you beg the man, rocking yourself against his mouth for the needed stimulation. Sukuna clicks his tongue but doesn’t let up, sucking more vigorously now. Your eyes practically roll into the back of your head, your spine arching off the table from the force your climax hits you with. “Sukun-aah!” you cry out in pleasure.

Your mouth falls agape with a silent scream, falling limp against the wood. It takes a minute to come down off the high, but when your vision clears, you look to Sukuna whose shirt has been discarded. Now, you can clearly see his sculpted chest and all the black ink that adorns his body.

The sound of metal teeth fills your ears, and his jeans are the next to go. He doesn’t even give you a chance to see the rest of him in his full glory before you’re scooped into his arms, forced to wrap your tired legs around his waist. Contrary to his abrasive personality, he holds you with a lot of care, and you think you if this goes on, you could fall asleep just like this.

Sukuna lowers himself onto his bed, and in the process forces you into a straddling position. He briefly kisses your lips ─ another sweet act ─ and then leans back, tucking his hands behind his head.

“Ride me,” he commands. You shoot him a questioning glare in response. “What, you thought I was going to do all the work tonight?” he scoffs, “I told you already what I want to hear.”

You sigh, lips stretching into a fine line. It doesn’t seem like any amount of begging will save you from those three words he wants you to say, but are you ready to admit it?

“Come on, cowgirl.” Both his tone and expression carry a hint of mocking, albeit playful as part of his nature. “Let’s see some bareback riding… I want to watch you make yourself cum on my cock.” Sukuna pats your thigh before pulling it back behind his head.

You lift upwards, feeling a burn in your legs as you do so. Between days of being on the saddle and Sukuna marking the fourth man in your unintentional conquest of the city of Valentine, you ought to get a medal for how hard you’re working. At this rate, you may as well embrace the buckle bunny trope.

Reaching between your thighs, you take his cock in hand. The size is bigger than you imagined, even after feeling it through his denim. He’s no doubt the biggest you’ve taken thus far, and you can’t even feel the tips of your fingers around his girth.

There’s a bit of uncertainty that starts to bubble up, but as the famous saying goes ─ country girls make do.

And so, you line him up, rolling the fat mushroom tip across your slit to gather the necessary lubricant before even attempting to sit over this monster. You wince at the first stretch, your insides burning unimaginably so.

Sukuna wants to laugh. He’d love to keep teasing you but even he’s having trouble forming words in this situation. It’s hard enough resisting the urge to go all in and get it over with, but that won’t end well for him.

He wants you to trust him after all.

He wants you to be his.

After what feels like a century, you finally bottom out, hips kissing his pelvis in full with a deep, guttural moan to follow. Any slight movement on either of your parts sends shockwaves heavier than his heavyweight draft.

In this moment, Sukuna decides to play nice. His hands move from his head down to the dips of your hips, helping you through the motions with a gentle touch. It’s mostly an excuse to get you moving already, but also due to how deeply he wants to feel every bit of you.

Pretty soon he lets you take over, as he originally planned. At first, your pace is agonizingly slow, fueled from your exhausted state much to his discontent. Despite this being his way of tormenting you, it affects him equally so. Sukuna’s also punishing himself for not making his move earlier when he had the chance.

“Is that all you got? Here I thought you wanted to cum,” he teases. “You look so pretty with my cock buried in you, slut.”

The degrading term aside, his sudden compliment has you moaning a saccharine tune. Your body hunches forward, curving his length to reach greater depths you didn’t think possible.

“Oh?” Sukuna groans deeply. “Does someone enjoy being praised?”

“Y-yes, ‘Kuna.”

“Good girl,” he hisses with lustful joy, clenching his teeth together. Sukuna wasn’t prepared for the feeling you created by saying his name in such a delectable way.

He could eat you right up for that.

“My dove is doing so well,” he murmurs against your ear, pulling the lobe between his teeth. “Now if only you’ll say those three words already,” he urges you once more, wishing for you to give into him.

You huff, “What haa-happened to saying please?”

“Tch.” The palm of his hand meets your ass. You gasp into a cry, clenching around his length. “Don’t be a brat after I’ve been nice and complimenting you.”

Fresh tears gloss your eyes but are quickly soothed by him rubbing circles over the forming red handprint. That hand then moves deftly over your stomach to where it had rested earlier. Sukuna pushes with his palm slightly, feeling himself deep within you.

Fuck, it feels good, but it’s not enough.

Your pace begins to slow as your body tries desperately to balance exhaustion with your building orgasm. Sukuna’s breathing turns disheveled, a sign that even he’s losing his patience ─ ready to fill you to the brim with his seed.

Nearing the precipice of your release, you finally come to terms with your inner turmoil. You’re here now, you may as well make the most of it. As downright intimidating as Sukuna can be, he just wants to please you in his twisted sort of way.

It’s not easy to admit, but in a way, he reminds you of your father ─ always pushing you past pain to grow stronger. It’s what made you into a rattlesnake in a world full of predators. Sukuna brings out that venomous side of you but also rewards you with subtle soft touches.

One might argue that your affection for Sukuna could be the result of losing your father years ago. On the other hand, this possessiveness Sukuna shows might be his own way of dealing with issues from his past. Whatever the case may be, you hope the lengths he’d go to protect what he deems his isn’t anything too maniacal in nature.

Maybe for the first time in your life, you will let go of control ─ let someone else carry your burden without always needing to put up a strong front.

“’Kuna,” you whine, leaning down in front of his face, cupping both sides of his jaw. A bead of sweat falls from a strand of your hair, disappearing in an instant from his hot flesh.

His eyes narrow in your hold, obsidian swallowing garnet. “Say it.”

And you finally do.

“I’m yours, Sukuna. All yours.”

That’s all he needed to hear for everything to snap into place. Sukuna’s arms reach around your torso, holding you tight to thrust himself into a brutal pace. His cabin now but a domain of lust, fueled by a cadence of sounds as body and souls unite as one.

“’Bout time,” he growls, the pitch of his voice noticeably lower. “I was just gonna mess with ya at first, tease you a bit ─ see how far I could back you into a corner,” Sukuna starts to reveal, his pace unrelenting. “Then I saw you showin’ off at the bar, fucking that bastard’s hand up without breaking a sweat. Hell, I don’t think I’ve ever been more turned on in my life.”

The two of you bury your faces in each other’s neck, your hands struggling to find a grip anywhere to provide relief from the mounting state of rapture. The knot in your abdomen growing tighter and tighter by the second.

“Had to watch that blond fuck get to you before I could, and then,” he growls, “you ran off with that white-haired freak of a sheriff this morning.” His arms coil around you with more force. “Don’t think I’m not aware these marks are from him.”

“’Kuna, please,” you whimper into his collar.

“That’s right, tell the world who you belong to ─ who’s ruining you,” Sukuna’s laugh mixes with deep, groaning exhales. “Fuck, you feel so good wrapped around my fat cock. You better be proud of yourself for what you’re doing to me.”

You cry out his name a dozen more times as he ravishes you, no sooner reaching the plateau of an ecstasy that unravels every fiber of your being. Your only thoughts now are of the man beneath you, drunk off his cock now shooting thick ropes of cum deep inside you.

The stimulation gets to be too much that you feel the overwhelming desire to bite down on his neck. Sukuna revels in this, spilling out every last drop he can manage until it overflows from within you and around the base of him.

You relinquish your hold on him, allowing your body to slump against his. “You’re mine now,” Sukuna declares with your name following his words. He moves one hand up and down your back, reminding you of his softer side, all before flipping your positions, still nestled within your body.

“Suku–“ You’re cut short by his lips pressing against yours in a warm embrace.

He kisses every tear down your face, and even the drool that trails the sides of your mouth before returning to your lips. Amongst everything else, you can still taste yourself on his tongue, paired perfectly with his own like seasoning on the finest of meals.

“Did you think we were done?” One hand moves to hook the backing of your knee, lifting it up to grant him better access. “I said I’d take good care of you, and all you had to do was submit your trust to me.”

You might’ve just created a monster without realizing.

“Take every bit of me now… you’ve earned it.”

You have no memory of when sleep overtook you. Sunlight peeks through the curtains now, illuminating the cabin in warm, rich tones. Your body, while sore and aching, feels renewed in all aspects ─ mind, body, and soul.

Sukuna’s arm is wrapped around your waist, with his other acting as a pillow beneath your head. Feeling you stirring, his eyes flutter open, glaring at you with his own tired expression.

“Mornin’, dove,” he greets, voice thick with sleep.

You stretch in his arms, moaning slightly as you wiggle closer for comfort and warmth. Sukuna smiles against your forehead, tightening his arms around you like he’s afraid you’ll fly away if he lets go. It’s fine for now. After all, you made your choice to give in and it’s one you don’t regret.

He may joke about “fucking the brat out of you”, but let’s face it ─ Sukuna had plenty of frustrations of his own to get out. Now, you get to experience his softer side. While Sukuna will never admit he has one, he is glad you’re here and wants to keep it that way.

After another bout of sleep, he prepares a nice, fulfilling breakfast for you. It’s quiet as the two of you eat, both knowing full well you weren’t going to be staying for another night.

The fact remains that Sukuna has some unfinished business to attend to, and you yourself must return Clementine to Kento before making any lifechanging decisions in your journey of life.

On your way out the door, Sukuna grabs your wrist, spinning you back and up against the door. His knee wedges between your legs, one hand holding your jaw up for him to claim your lips in a fervent kiss goodbye.

“Come back to me soon, dove. I’m not finished with you.” He smiles, but it lacks the malicious intent he held earlier.

You think.

“See you around, cowboy.” You tap the back of your hand to his chest when he releases you, walking off from the porch and over to the pasture. “Oh, and by the way,” you call out from over your shoulder, “I give you five stars for your excellent service.” You wink, licking your lips.

Sukuna smirks from afar, remaining by his doorstep until you’re nothing but a shadow in the distance. His eyes pan over in the direction of his cellar, eager to pass the time until your hopeful return.

…but will you?

☆ Notes: I got stuck on this for a while during my writing slump as I’ve come to realize I’m not all that big on smut writing, tbh. It’s not something I feel confident with, nor is it something I actively seek out to read.

But god, writing Sukuna was a BLAST and a nice start for me cause I have several ideas I want to do for him in the future <3 I hope you guys enjoyed how I wrote him though; I tried to balance all my favorite aspects his personality and my own little headcanons.

Also had to throw in my own choso & yuki cowboy headcanons… originally I was gonna have choso working in the office with shoko, but I ship him with yuki hard and really wanted to include them one way or another in the series. blood manip just screams doctor AUs to me, and I think he’d be an awesome vet or peds doctor!!

For all the red dead 2 players though… do you recognize what house we’re in? :3

[3liza]

after my post yesterday about not sharing viral videos of "dancing dogs" because they're just videos of animals dying slowly of agonizing neurological disease I tried typing "canine distemper" into tumblr search and discovered another one of those weird little heatsinks of tumblr spam. 99% of the posts in the tag/search category (the latter actually, the tag itself doesn't seem to work/is blocked) were spam, mostly 0-note chatGPT rambling with unclear goals either for SEO or for sales. a lot of Indian spam in particular is on Tumblr, as well as either fake or real veterinary clinics posting filler articles about pet topics. none of this stuff gets any engagement and most of it seems to be referral dead ends, eg, it doesn't have any links out that are being clicked by either humans or crawlers, but I find it everywhere.

porn spam is very straightforward by comparison, porn bots are trying to farm leads in the form of live men who reply to them and can be added to databases of live leads, or they want conversions into account signups or sales off-site. sometimes actual adult content creators are doing their own marketing here and again the goals of their advertising is normal, and other times porn ads are malware or social account hijacking bait etc. but the generic marketing slop spam that comes up for terms like "canine distemper" is a little more puzzling.

I think some of these blogs are probably being used inside web templates off Tumblr to just host content elsewhere on the web, but as far as I'm aware thats not really a standard website building technique, most people just use a blog template or WordPress or something. if you go on the Black Hat World forum you'll find plenty of buying and selling of established accounts in good standing on various socials, either through hacked accounts or accounts that have been deliberately created and then farmed over months or years to look as real as possible, but Tumblr accounts aren't really in demand as far as I'm aware

I don't think it's particularly interesting and definitely not sinister, it's likely a case of lost automated processes or some sort of testing of marketing generators that's just using Tumblr as the planting bed.

[todaysbird]

Final answers in regards to oversold pet brands like Hill’s science diet etc in vet offices. I’ve seen what I’ve said being misinterpreted + the ‘opinions’ I had (again mostly misinterpreted) being responded to as if I’m demonizing vets/encouraging vet suicides/ a variety of awful things.

My point is NOT that veterinarians are bad. However, a lot of big brands DO give large donations to vet schools/work their way into vet school trainings so vets are instructed to recommend them.

Initially I mentioned payoffs for veterinary offices by pet brands. This was something I experienced in the vet office I worked at - boarding kennel + veterinary workers received a heavy discount along with small compensation by the vet clinic for a certain amount of brand referrals. This led to all staff recommending certain brands even when it wasn’t necessary for the pet. However, the brands also weren’t Harmful for the pets, and I don’t think anybody acted with intent to harm any pets. It just made me distrust the intentions of the brand. I’m not sure where anyone got the idea that I was saying vets are receiving large checks from Big Evil Co. They aren’t. Brands just suck. My phrasing was bad here, though. I apologize for insinuating that vets frequently take payoffs as individuals. It really doesn’t work like that, and my intent isn’t to sound like your local vet office is trying to harm your pet for profit.

Worming your way into the vet industry for profit is an insidious move on the part of brands. I don’t believe this makes vets bad. Vets do have your pet’s best interest at heart! I just believe that you should do your part to inform yourself on your pet’s individual needs as well. For example, most vets will recommend against grain free food, but if grain upsets your pet’s stomach, you should take that into account when receiving recommendations.

That’s all! All my respect to veterinarians.

[contentment-of-cats]

*deep breath*

Beanie has a mammary tumor, ductal carcinoma in situ. No obvious mets. I thought that this was an abscess yesterday morning when I took her in. Surgery is Wednesday, and I have a referral to a veterinary oncologist. I'll set up a recovery room for her here at home.

Cancer changes you. I'm okay, but not okay. My headspace is clear about Next Steps and procedure. I'm in a strange, liminal space between What Was and What Is Yet To Be. I have jumped out of the plane, but have not yet hit the ground of deployed the parachute. I cry in short little bursts, letting off the pressure. At the same time, I'm doing what I did when I was diagnosed and making final arrangements.

I'm in pain, but it's at a remove. It only hurts when I look at it.

[petspeopletogether]

Two veterinary hospitals teamed up to get pet supplies to hurricane-ravaged areas of North Carolina. ❤️ https://www.wect.com/2024/10/01/eastern-carolina-veterinary-referral-collecting-donations-displaced-animals-asheville/

[twosheepandagoat]

This is primarily for any friends/family in Colorado. However, it applies to any pet owner in the U.S., because what's happening in Colorado will happen in your state sooner or later, guaranteed. It is very long, but if you have a pet, this should matter to you.

Coloradans are being asked in this year's election to vote on Proposition 129, which would establish a mid-level veterinary position (Veterinary Professional Associate, or VPA). Think of this like a Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant, positioned between the veterinarian and the veterinary technician.

I know it sounds good, but I would very strongly encourage you to vote against this if you live in Colorado.

It is being proposed as a way to relieve a hypothetical veterinarian shortage by creating a position that could perform all the functions of a veterinarian (except, currently, prescribing medication due to FDA restrictions) - but with far less training. And yes, they explicitly would be allowed to perform complex surgical procedures. The argument in favor generally posits that by reducing the training requirement, the cost of education will be lower. This will make it a more financially bearable choice, enticing people into the field, and thus relieving the (hypothetical) shortage of veterinarians by providing an alternative care-giver to the veterinarian. They also argue that it 'frees up' the veterinarian to focus on more complex cases by offloading more commonplace responsibilities, which they claim will reduce veterinarian burnout by lightening our load. The cost of care will go down, they say, because VPAs don't need to be compensated like a veterinarian.

All sounds great, right? Who wouldn't vote for something whose promoters are promising quicker and cheaper access to veterinary care?

But it's a sham. A complete, utter, disingenuous sham driven by greed.

IT WILL NOT REDUCE THE COST OF CARE:

1) Don't kid yourself - the corporations that have largely taken over veterinary medicine are not going to reduce the cost of an appointment and cut into their profit just to make it more affordable to you. They're going to hire VPAs that they pay less to replace veterinarians, and pocket the difference in salaries.

2) The cost of the consultation is a relatively small percentage of the overall bill. The remainder of the bill would be unchanged, regardless of whether you see a veterinarian or a VPA.

3) There is good data in human medicine to suggest that NPs and PAs increase the cost of care (though it is somewhat dependent on the area of practice, to be fair) through excessive use of diagnostic testing, over-referral to specialists, and potentially by increasing follow-up visits when they fail to address a problem correctly on the first interaction. There is no reason to think it would be any different with VPAs.

4) Did your cost of health care go down as NPs and PAs have expanded their role? Mine sure didn't. Corporations - especially insurance providers - have simply increased their profit.

THIS WILL NOT REDUCE VETERINARIAN BURNOUT:

1) Dealing with only complex cases is not what most general practice vets want. They enjoy some of the 'easier' cases - it's a chance to take a breath during their day and potentially bond with an owner when they see a healthy kitten for vaccines. It gives them a break between tough cases. Dealing with only complex, sicker patients is what we do in emergency medicine - and it is taxing and definitely not for everyone and the burnout rate is high. Specialists also only deal with more complex patients - but they deal with far fewer patients per day than a typical general practitioner.

2) A veterinarian would be required (by law) to oversee a VPA. So the workload reduction by transferring cases to a VPA is a wash, because now the veterinarian who would have had to see those has to review the cases from the VPA anyway. Instead of staying late to write your own charts, you get to stay late reviewing the VPA's charts!

THIS WILL BE DANGEROUS FOR PETS:

1) The master's degree required for this (created by Colorado State University, which deserves censure within the veterinary community for this - shame on you, CSU) is almost entirely online, and is highly abbreviated. There is one 2-credit course (online) on surgery, and one 2-credit lab. That's it. Four credits for surgery, and then turned loose to cut! Other areas of practice have similarly limited training.

2) VPAs would be allowed to perform surgery, including open abdominal procedures, amputations, etc. I realize that to most owners a 'spay' sounds like a very easy procedure, but it's actually not. You are removing an entire organ system from within the abdomen. Do not confuse 'routine' with 'easy'. There are many GPs who do not like to perform the procedure, and there are many patients (especially older overweight dogs) for whom it is a very difficult procedure. I have seen a third year surgery resident - i.e. someone at the end of very extensive surgical training - sweat and swear and struggle to perform a spay. Do you want someone with almost entirely online training cutting your dog? Do you think they'll know how to handle it if something goes wrong? Because things go wrong - more often than you might suspect. But trained veterinarians just adjust, deal with the problem, and move on. A VPA? Good luck!

3) Other procedures are not as easy as the supporters of VPAs are making it seem. They have specifically mentioned splenectomies, for instance. In dogs, the most common indication for a splenectomy is due to a ruptured mass where the abdomen is full of blood. These are often unstable patients who are literally bleeding out, and it is a race against time to stabilize them, open them up, stop the bleeding, and extract the spleen. It's not just about cutting the spleen out - it's about managing a patient who is bleeding to death with an elevated heart rate, decreased blood pressure, and poor oxygen perfusion: these are patients who are trying to die. Do you really want someone whose training is abbreviated and online doing that with YOUR dog? There are many, many veterinarians who don't even want to perform that procedure - it's absolutely absurd to think someone with half the training could be considered competent to do it.

4) The timeline for dealing with pet problems is often much quicker than humans. It is very easy to miss critical problems in pets because they can't talk to us and because they hide signs of illness - often by the time you realize something is wrong they are in distress. Do you trust someone trained largely online to correctly assess your pet? I don't.

5) The proposed training for a VPA consists of 65 credits, most of which is online. (I had to have 60 credits just as pre-requisites to get INTO vet school.) Vet school itself was around 200 credits plus electives (I forget how many I took, but it probably added 10-20 credits.) I have seen comments that VPAs would receive "half" the education of a veterinarian. In truth, it is actually less. So why should they be doing a veterinarian's job? Common sense says that it's silly.

THIS IS NO VETERINARIAN SHORTAGE:

1) A recent study commissioned by the AVMA concluded that there is no veterinary shortage. The perception of shortage arose during COVID when a surplus of money (and, perhaps, time) due to federal government stimulus caused a dramatic increase in veterinary visits. Those visit numbers are on the way back down. There are some veterinarians who still report excessive load, but there are many discussing how their caseload has dropped significantly. The study concluded that because of the addition of around 15 veterinary schools in the U.S. (at varying stages currently) there is likely to be an OVERSUPPLY of veterinarians within 10 years. So the the VPA proposal is solving a problem that doesn't likely exist.

2) It's true that there is a deficit of veterinary services in many rural areas. But this will not fix it because the shortage isn't from not having veterinarians interested in those locations - it's because the economics don't support a veterinarian. Since a VPA requires oversight by a veterinarian, it's a moot point - you can't have a VPA in rural Montana taking care of cattle unless there's a veterinarian already there doing it. You can't just graduate VPAs and send them to rural areas - it won't happen any more than NPs and PAs "flocked" to rural areas to solve the same problem in human medicine (free pro tip: they didn't).

3) There IS a veterinary technician shortage, which is interesting for two reasons. First, technicians are likely to be a sizable percentage of VPAs. So VPAs are likely to exacerbate the veterinarian technician shortage. And we can't function without our techs - they are the lifeblood of the hospital. Second, VPAs will need techs, too. So if there are already too few technicians - just who is going to do the tech work for VPAs? It doesn't matter how many veterinarians (or VPAs) you have - if you haven't fixed the tech shortage, you haven't increased access to care.

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS

1) It's very telling that the proponents of this are almost entirely veterinary corporate groups. Think about that. Think really hard about that. Why would it be that a very large majority of private practitioners oppose it, but corporate interests promote it? Money. They want more. That is literally the only reason they are pushing for this - so they can reduce the number of veterinarians they employ, replace some with mid-levels, and pocket the difference in human resources costs. Do not believe them when they say that you - the pet owner - will see some of that money. When was the last time a corporation, out of the goodness of its 'heart', cut back its profit margin?

2) It's also very telling that the supporters initially tried to gain support within the industry - and failed. Then they tried a legislative approach - and failed. So now they utilized Colorado's constitution, which allows for it to be put to popular vote. In other words - experts understood it to be bad for pet and pet owners and rejected it. The legislature understood it. So they went to the public, where they can create deceitful propaganda to convince you it's in your best interests. After all, it's easy to ask leading questions like "wouldn't you like the cost of care to be cheaper?"

3) Note that the American Veterinary Medical Association opposes this. As does the American College of Veterinary Surgeons. As does the Colorado Veterinary Medical Association. As do 75% of veterinarians in Colorado. As does almost every other expert organization that has stated their position.

4) There are some excellent NPs and PAs in human medicine. And there likely would be some excellent VPAs in veterinary medicine. But it is really, really crucial to separate out anecdotal ("but I've had a great experience with my PA!") information from large-scale data. And the data doesn't lie with regard to the negative impact of NPs and PAs in human medicine. There are pockets where these 'physician extenders' have benefited health care, but overall the impact has been negative.

5) It's also important to remember that the scope of care for a typical small animal veterinarian is much larger than a typical MD, where hyper-specialization is routine. A typical small animal veterinarian functions as internal medicine doctor, anesthesiologist, surgeon, geriatrician, pediatrician, dentist, etc. Replacing that with a VPA is simply impossible without the same training.

6) As a "this would be funny if it weren't so terrifying" footnote: one of the supporters of VPAs recently suggested that the VPA position would be great for people who were unsuccessful getting into vet school. Stop and think about that for a moment - he is literally saying that someone who didn't meet the criteria to be a doctor ... should be allowed to doctor things. It's utterly insane.

This proposal will not help your pet. It will not lower your costs. It will not increase your access to care. It WILL increase the risk to your pet. It WILL increase profit for large corporations.

Vote against it.

*copied from a colleague, but I agree wholeheartedly*

[nerdierholler]

Just got back from the e-vet and it looks like Skeeter might need eye surgery. Waiting on a referral to the veterinary ophthalmologist.

[hasufin]

Shiro, a cloud that purrs, 2009-2024

In August of 2009, my then-girlfriend and I had been discussing getting a third cat. We had one cat - Maurice - who was an older tabby with a heart condition. And we had a younger tortoiseshell, Ashes, who was kind of rambunctious and kept pestering Maurice. So we thought it might be nice to have another younger cat to keep Ashes occupied and let Maurice have a peaceful retirement.

A friend of my girlfriend heard about someone who found some kittens, and we pretty spontaneously said "sure!". My girlfriend departed from a party we were having at our house with a cat carrier, and returned with this little ball of fluff.

He was a handful. And so, so so energetic. At the time my girlfriend was playing the video game "Prince of Persia", which lets your character run on vertical surfaces if you're going fast enough.

Shiro would do that.

Now, the original plan pretty much completely failed to pan out: Ashes hated Shiro; she saw him as a replacement for her. Andfor his part Shiro - who was actually sweet to every other cat he met, including on one occasion a bobcat, was hostile to Ashes.

But, that said, they did tolerate each other and Shiro grew into a handsome long-haired cat.

With a tail that was bigger than him.

Shiro was, I must emphasize, a "back porch special". But in every respect he was a Turkish Angora. He had the soft, kittenish coat. The smart, curious demeanor. The odd-colored eyes. The love of high places. The friendliness but close bonding with a chosen human. If I didn't know he wasn't a purebred, I'd think he might be.

He was always there to greet me at the door, and he if I sat down, there he would be.

I knew he was getting older, but this all started in mid-October when I noticed him wheezing.

Wheezing is Very Bad for cats.

I took him into to the emergency vet. They found he had fluid in his lung cavity. Their tentative diagnosis was congestive heart failure, which causes fluid buildup in the chest. This gets a lot of cats, and he had dealt with it before: it's what took Maurice. So I didn't panic. This is treatable, and while it's fatal it would be a couple of years down the road. They drained the fluid and sent me off with some drugs and a referral to a cardiologist.

That weekend, he was wheezing again, and just wasn't any more energetic. I went to take him in again, but my usual vet was full and could not take in any more patients with lung issues. I took him to another veterinary hospital, VCA Southpaws. That was, it turns out, a very good call.

They determined he did not have CHF, but rather the fluid buildup was due to a twisted lung lobe (cats have 7 lobes in each lung). It had twisted and was impinging on another lobe. This was terribly rare, and required immediate surgery. Fortunately, we had him insured and once that was approved, we had a very long night waiting to hear the outcome of the surgery.

Aside from being expensive and rare, that was one of the best possible major medical issues: treatable with a single surgery, no ongoing medication, no special concerns in the future.

But.

Because VCA Southpaws is a specialist hospital, and frankly has a higher standard of care than the majority of human hospitals I've visited, I also had them look into an ongoing issue we'd had which our regular vet had brushed off: for the past year Shiro had a massively increased appetite and concurrent weight loss. We were feeding him about 3x as much food as normal and he was only maintaining weight.

Well, the truth is, we never really found out for sure what caused that. But what we did find was lymphoma. That is, cancer.

Now, without going into too many details, there were many junctures in which it might have been one thing which wasn't so bad, or another thing which was very bad. In Shiro's case, at every juncture it was the worse possibility, and it was - as befits a cat who is an incredible statistical rarity in every other respect - the rarest version. As I understand, the body of work for his particular kind of cancer in cats - high grade, non-localized lymphoma with no specific tumors - is basically Shiro. A non-specialist would not even have had the tools to diagnose it. Moreover his presentation was "highly atypical".

Unfortunately, the weirder the cancer, the harder it is to treat. I knew some about cancer, but I learned more. Cancer is all about statistics. And here's a statistic for you: 50% of all feline lymphomas are resistant to treatment. That means you can give them the best care possible, and in about half of cases that will just not mean a thing.

The first chemo protocol didn't help. The second chemo protocol didn't help. We got to the third chemo protocol - a particularly nasty synthetic form of what is known as "The Red Devil" but actually broader and more cytotoxic - but his hematocrit was dropping. He'd been losing weight since October, and having a hard time eating, but at that point his hematocrit was only 14% (a healthy cat's should be in the 30s). We authorized a transfusion, which got it up to 22%, and then he began the third chemo fallback.

Unfortunately, on Tuesday he only ate a very little of his breakfast, and nothing after that. By evening I was deeply worried and we took him back to the hospital. His hematocrit had in five days fallen to 17%. This was incredibly bad; it meant that the cancer had infiltrated his bone marrow and he could not rebuild his blood supply.

At that point we only had bad options.

We could have him given another transfusion and a feeding tube. However, that would only buy him a few days and he would be utterly miserable.

We could take him home, where he would die within a day or so.

We opted to not prolong his misery.

Shiro died in my arms, purring, shortly after 10:30 pm on January 2nd, 2024.

Goodbye, Shiro. You were a better kitty than I ever dreamed I could have.

[merelygifted]

Cases of mysterious, potentially fatal dog illness on the rise; Colorado Springs vets on 'high alert' | Pets | gazette.com

The veterinary community in Colorado Springs is urging caution since an unknown respiratory illness has been found to be spreading in dogs, leading to hospitalization and death in some.

Fox Run Veterinary Hospital in Monument sent out an email to customers warning about the "new and sometimes quite severe respiratory illness" that has been presenting in dogs.

"Dogs present to us with cough, fever, and sometimes pneumonia. Many of them are not responding to typical treatment for respiratory illness in dogs and are even progressing to needing hospitalization in the ICU on oxygen and IV antibiotics. We have seen a couple patients where it has become fatal due to hemorrhagic pneumonia — even in younger pets. Pets that are older or have other systemic disease seem to get sicker much faster," the email said.

Dr. Lindsey Ganzer, veterinarian and owner of North Springs Veterinary Referral Center, said that area hospitals and clinics are on "high alert" as new cases present. She said that her hospital has seen at least 30 cases so far of the unknown illness.

Ganzer said dogs develop a cough typically after having been in contact with other dogs at places like dog parks. She said that some have then developed acute pneumonia that does not respond well to common antibiotics. The difficult-to-treat pneumonia has made the illness more concerning to Ganzer than other common contagious illnesses like kennel cough, which usually clears up on its own in seven to 10 days.

Ganzer said that while most of the dogs treated early for the illness are "doing OK," several with serious symptoms and other contributing conditions have died at the hospital.  ...

[ardentguilt]

Chromatophoroma in a Beaded Dragon

I’m making this post to talk about a very specific type of tumor that occurs in reptiles and amphibians in the hopes that my experience might be helpful to anyone else who’s dragon is facing this diagnosis.

What is Chromatophoroma?

Chromatophoroma is a rare, quick growing and agressive tumor that originates from pigment cells called Chromatophores.

As this type of tumor is such a rare diagnosis as of making this post there isn’t really any clear guideline of just how to treat it. As mentioned above when this tumor does pop up it’s usually in reptiles and amphibians.

In this post I’m going to talk about my 8+ year old rescue Central Bearded Dragon, Spike, who was diagnosed with this tumor and what we did to go about addressing it.

Discovery

Toward the end of August 2023 during a visual inspection of Spike I found the right side of his throat region to be swollen in appearance and upon feeling around the area I detected a semi-solid mass.

His regular vet was seeing him in the beginning of September to draw blood in order to update his blood work and check that everything’s still working alright in his older age.

I mentioned this mass and the vet agreed it wasn’t normal at all. While in for the blood draw the vet took an X-ray to get a bit of a look at what’s happening. This vet is a smaller more rural facility so did not have a CT machine.

The X-ray showed that there was definitely swelling in the area and it had displaced the curved bone that aids in extending the beard on the right side.

When we got the blood work back it showed that all his organs were functioning normally HOWEVER his lymphocytes were elevated. This is something that is indicative of some problem going on such as an infection of potentially even lymphoma.

Based on these results it was decided to biopsy the mass. During the biopsy it was noted that the mass was pretty vascular and 3 samples were taken to send to pathology.

A few days later the results were in and the mass was confirmed as a chromatophoroma.

As mentioned above this type of tumor is fast growing, agressive and rarely diagnosed. To my knowledge this diagnosis doesn’t often have a good outcome.

Our options at this stage were to go ahead with a referral to a specialist vet who had a CT machine and veterinary oncology (cancer treatment) facilities OR forego that and instead do palliative care which would be to just keep him comfortable for as long as possible.

As Spike was otherwise healthy and not seeming too unwell at that stage I decided to go with the referral.

A few days later he has the CT scan which gets reviewed by a specialist surgeon. The CT shows that the tumor is right next to his oesophagus and was beginning to compress the oesophagus and trachea. No further tumors were detected in his body.

Based on the CT the surgeon believed he could successfully remove the whole tumor intact.

One week after the CT he goes in for the proceedure. The plan is to remove the tumor and place a feeding tube for administering formula food and medication while he’s recovering.

Upon opening him up they find that in just that 1 week between the CT and surgery the tumor had grown and was now beginning to invade the wall of the oesophagus.

This meant a change of plans. The surgery still went ahead however the surgeon had to remove a portion of Spike’s oesophagus then perform a reconstruction. A feeding tube was placed and the tumor was able to be removed intact in its entirety.

After an overnight stay for observation Spike was discharged with a special formula food (Emeraid Omnivore and Emeraid Carnivore) I was to mix 1 small scoop of each with 14ml of warm water and give initially 3ml until waste is passed then increase to 6ml a day. Medications were provided being Meloxicam at 0.12ml every second day, Tramadol at 0.02ml every second day alternating so he has this on the days he doesn’t have Meloxicam and Ceftazidime antibiotic intramuscular injections every third day.

In addition to this I would clean the surgical sites daily with iodine rinse and saline.

For the most part recovery went smoothly however he did develop a small infection right at the bottom of the internal stitches which was resistant to the antibiotic he was on and so he was switched to Ampicillin instead which did the trick.

As you can see in the pictures below I made use of puppy training pads to lay down in his enclosure since they’re absorbent, affordable and can be quickly and easily changed out for clean fresh ones. I layed his bedding underneath these pads so he could still have something soft to lay on and use his pillow to help him prop his head up without him having to use his neck muscle too much during recovery. I also rolled some towels up and used them to create an enclosed border around his bedding so there was a raised edge to help keep him comfortable, contained and warm.

I did also let him watch tv throughout the day as he does have favourite shows and I figured that it would keep him occupied and less likely to go messing with his surgical sites and I found giving him something to focus on like this did keep him well behaved.

As of mid October 2023 he has fully recovered from the proceedure and further checks have not shown signs of the tumor returning as of yet though given the nature of the tumor it is likely to return in the future.

He’s had the feeding tube removed and is re-learning how to eat solid food via the mouth. The surgery resulted in a ~5cm incision along his beard and throat and when this healed it did do so as a slightly raised ridge. All this means is that when he sheds the scales in the area I have to keep an eye on it and help him out with any pieces of shed that get stuck there. All in all everything closed up nicely and he’s back to his usual attention seeking self, definitely glad he could have all his decor back since I removed it to ensure a safe environment for his recovery without him trying to climb his ledges and bumping himself around.

All in all the specialist vet and surgeon upon reviewing Spike at his last checkup have said they’re surprised by how good an outcome he’s had and the surgeon who performed the proceedure plans to write about this case in a vet medicine journal.

So in summary we believe that the tumor was caught relatively early which played a part in this positive outcome.

Given Spike is an older dragon with this species averaging 10-12 years out hope is that in the best case he will get to live out his natural lifespan before the tumor returns.

I plan to get a link to the vet medicine journal when the article is published so I’ll try to remember to update this post with that link when available.

[footprintsinthesxnd]

Your bio says you’re a vet nurse. What’s your favourite part of your job?

Yes I’m a Student Veterinary Nurse so I just need to take my final exam before I’m officially qualified. I absolutely love my job, it’s what I’ve always wanted to do since I was a kid so it’s basically a dream come true.

I think my favourite part would be caring for inpatients and emergency and critical care. I’d love to work in a referral hospital some day and kind of be like an ER vet nurse.

Thank you for your question 🩷