I Need A Vacation

It was about this time last year when Joe and I went on vacation. We had such a good time in Ocean City.

I wish that we could go on vacation again. I wish we could take a honeymoon or even more time off between jobs. Its just not going to happen because of time and money constraints.

I have been really stressed lately. Not that I don't have any reason not to be. I mean in a month, I am ending this job, getting married, moving five hours away and then starting a new job. No, I'm not stressed. The downside is that I am also feeling stressed about work. I feel that my stress from everything else is affecting my work and then subsuquently stressing me out because I feel guilty about things I did or didn't do, about things I can't change. I can't go back in time and convince the owner of a goat with a broken leg to call me so that when I did see the goat that the leg would be perfectly healed. I can't convince the goat owner to let me amputate the goat's leg when it costs $800 and I can't predict the outcome. Even knowing that there are things that I can't change, doesn't make it any better.

Last week, TH and BF were both on vacation. Three of the five days, I was on large animal. I had a handful of cases on Monday including pretty bluntly telling a farmer that his cow would die and probably that day. Tuesday, I ended up sitting on the couch for a long time till I got called out for a colic. While there, I looked at another horse and a dog. A big 'while you are here' call. Wednesday I was off. Thursday, I didn't do much so came home and was on my couch when Jody from the boarding barn called me. I always answer because I am worried that it might be something goin on with the ponies-a laceration, a broken leg, a colic that my veterinary skills need to be used for. So anyway, Jody was coming back from Harrisburg but had a call from the barn manager where they had found a mare with some placenta or something hanging out. I don't know why they called me versus their normal vet but I agreed to go out. I was hoping for something like a retained placenta from an aborting mare. (This mare wasn't due till August.) I got there and the mare seemed stable but indeed had about 6" of placenta hanging from her vulva. I sent someone out to the pasture to look for the fetus hoping that it wasn't in the mare. We positioned the mare so hopefully, I wouldn't get kicked. And I went in. And there was a tail and a rump and the foal sitting in breech position. I manipulated the foal and got both back legs up pretty easily. We pulled and the mare strained. There was some resistance around the hips and then even more resistance around the shoulders/head. I'd find out why momentarily. With one big heave, the foal came out. The foal was abnormal-it had hydrocephalus meaning that it had a large amount of fluid on the brain which causes the skull to form abnormally and not close. This foal likely died because of its severe disease. I managed to get all the placenta out and treated the mare. It went well over all. Here's a picture of the foal. Its sort of gruesome so be forwarned.

I was really proud of myself. Later that afternoon, I saw a goat that probably needs its leg amputated but I doubt the owners will go for it unless its out of sheer guilt. If they had called me when the goat had originally broke its leg (six weeks eariler), we wouldn't be in this position.

Yesterday, after I got off work, Joe and I went to Harrisburg so he could be fitted for a tux. Then we ate Chipotle. Its a rare and delicious treat! I miss having it whenever I want. Then we came back to Carlisle to go to the movies. We saw The Avengers. Joe liked it but I did not. Then Joe mowed the jungle of the lawn and I cleaned the living room. Today, I need to clean the rest of the house because someone is coming to see the house tomorrow.
Joe is off tomorrow. We have to meet with the coordinator at the venue and are getting our wedding license. In the morning, I have a dress fitting. Next week, on Monday, we'll be going to Greenville to look at apartments and get my background check for my Ohio license. That is if we have some places to look at. Short of winning the lottery for a house downpayment it will be very difficult for us to find a place to live. I haven't had any luck with google searches so far. Ugh. Maybe a realtor will have some better ideas of what we can or can't do.
The Ohio vet license is difficult. Short of waiting on the letter of good standings from PA ($15) and MO as well as my transcript ($10) to be sent, I think the only thing I need is the background check.