I hope you all had a great day or that you all are having a great day.   The rain is holding off for now, so I wanted to continue from where I left off from yesterday.

Appropriate Language:

I learned that while I am working at an animal hospital or clinic, that I will have various interactions with different people in situations that will vary - veterinarians, technicians, fellow assistants, other medical professionals, clients, office staff, staff in the pharmacy, or representatives, delivery personnel, and more.  In order for me to uphold the reputation and quality of the establishment where I will work, I have to use appropriate language and vocabulary at all times.  I will have to have the knowledge and skill that veterinary medicine requires is not enough; I also have to be approachable, communicative, friendly and polite.

I learned about the restrictions such as, do not swear, do not use racial slurs, or sexist terms, and I should never insult or demean anyone at any time.  Which I felt was common sense, and if I think something I am going to say could come across as offensive, then I should refrain from saying it.  Be respectful of others and courteous; give appropriate acknowledgment to professionals. For example, I will call the veterinarian "doctor" I also learned that certain topics should be avoided and leave personal matters to be discussed outside of work.  No gossip. Because gossip can cause negativity and animosity, personal conversations are inappropriate in a professional setting, and sensational stories about myself or my personal life should not be revealed in front of clients.  I also need to have control over my emotions while in the workplace, do not lose my temper or become overly emotional in front of staff or clients.

While I am speaking to someone or anyone the staff, or clients I need to establish and hold eye contact and this rule can vary when it depends on one's cultural background.  I also need to be upbeat in demeanor, listen closely, and respond appropriately.  I am to maintain a positive, professional demeanor at all times.  That being a veterinary professional comes with great responsibility to dress, act, and talk in a professional manner.  That the way I communicate with my friends and family, is not the way I would communicate with a client.  For instance, I would not use certain slang phases that I would use in my everyday conversations with my friends and family.  Also, profanity and vulgar language is unacceptable at any time in a veterinary practice.  The way I present myself and speak, will have a great affect how my clients will judge me and respect me, and will also ultimately reflect upon the practice I work for, and the type of care their animals will receive.  I learned that I need to practice using my appropriate medical minded language as much as I possibly can.  

While I am a new veterinary assistant, I should listen to fellow staff members and see how they communicate with each other and clients.  This type of communication will become second nature with time and practice.  I was shown a chart that had tips for using appropriate speech.  I will share a few:  "Think about you are going to say before you say it."  "Pay attention to the rate, pitch, and projection of your voice."   "Attempt to use the word "you" in place of I."  

After that, I learned about In House Communications - Written communication and how it used to pass along messages or reminders between the members of the staff, these notes also can save me time.  When I am using the form of written communication, I need to keep in mind that I need to be professional, courteous, and concise, as if I were using my verbal communication.  I was given some tips like writing clearly and concisely, typing is helpful if handwriting is not very good.  Watch my spelling and keep a dictionary and medical dictionary (veterinarian practice terms) Also keep my messages brief and to the point.  I can even use a template of a form that has already been made.  i was given a sample of a memo.  Then, I answered my first set of review questions, so I will stop here.  Next time I will share about Laws and Legalities.

Until Next Time!

Have A Great Weekend!

Keep praying for Ukraine, everyone in the U.S. and Europe that are having extreme heat waves, the folks enduring the wildfires, and the world!

God Bless! 

    Hello! I hope all of you are having a very good week so far.  Mine has been very busy, on Monday my externship began at a veterinary animal hospital, and I cannot wait to share about my experiences there.  However, I am still sharing about Stage 1, so I left off at Laws & Legalities.

Laws & Legalities: 

I learned that obeying the law is one of the most important and very crucial aspect of the veterinary profession, however, adhering to the law is only a minimal requirement.  Which I found that very interesting.  I also learned that there were many contributing factors that made a veterinary practice dependable, ethical, and professional.  One of those contributing factors was or is the DEA, or Drug Enforcement Agency.  The DEA dictates the handling of controlled substances.  There are many more laws or agencies that may control a single issue.  Some of these laws cover many different aspects of veterinary medicine, and I was encouraged to study the section carefully so that I would have a comprehensive understanding of these types of laws and agencies to aid in my ability to follow the laws effectively and carefully.

I learned that there are two major organizations that govern required standards for veterinary practice.

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)-   I discovered by reading about them, that according to their website (www.avma.org)   That the AVMA was established in 1863 as a non-profit association that represented more than 75,000 veterinarians that work in private and corporate practice, government, industry, academia and uniformed services.  The AVMA acted and still act as a collective voice for its membership and for the profession.  The AVMA are also a national organization that represent special interest groups, for example the American Association of Feline Practitioners along with the American Association of Equine Practitioners.  The AVMA provides representation of professional interest to legislative bodies, and provide policies on issues that vary regarding animals, also they allow their members to continue their education in the field, and accredits veterinary schools, like mine, Animal Behavior College.  

Then the second of the two major organizations is  the American Animal Hospital Association ( AAHA)   and it is a national association made up of qualified members who primarily treat companion animals.  The AAHA sets the standards for veterinary hospitals.  Their website (www.aahanet.org), they were established in 1933 by leaders in the veterinary profession, AAHA is the singular exclusive companion animal veterinary association.  AAHA is very well for the high standards in veterinary practices and quality pet care and also promotes those same standards within the veterinary profession as well as the public.  The organization creates benchmarks of excellence, business practice standards, informative publications along with programs that are educationally designed to help companion animal practices get established and have a healthy growth.  There are roughly 3,000 veterinary clinics that are accredited by the AAHA, because they meet the smallest requirement in state practices.  In order for members to meet those standards, they must have frequent inspections, and then the standards are put to use across U.S. in order to have a measurement for excellence in the field of veterinary medicine.  The future veterinary assistant could decide for themselves to become a member of AAHA.  This future veterinary assistant is currently undecided. My program manager encouraged me to join NAVTA, that is where I will get my certification from, after I complete the final exam.  Then I have twelve months after I graduate to complete the NAVTA exam.  However, right now I am completely focused on my current externship, so NAVTA's bridge can come later when I will be ready to cross it.

I hope that I did not bore all of you to tears, next time I will share about Common Law  , Statutory Law , Chattel, and Liability .  along with more terms that have to do with the laws and regulations in the veterinary field of medicine.

Until Next Time!

Stay Safe, Stay Cool, Stay Healthy!

Enjoy Your Weekend!

God Bless! 

Keep Praying For Everything And Everyone!  

    Hello! I hope that all of you are having a very good week so far.  Mine has been very busy again, but very rewarding, I also have heard that there is some activity in the Tropics, so I will keep up to date with that, and if anything, serious develops, I will share about it.  Tonight's post is continuing with where I left off last week.  

Common Law:   I also learned that Veterinary medicine is governed by two types of law.  These two types of law are called Common Law and Statutory Law.

Common Law:  Is the system of laws originated and developed in jolly old England and it is based on court decisions, and on the doctrines that are implicit in those decisions along with customs and usages, rather than laws that are written and codified.

Statutory Law:  Is a law or group of laws passed by a legislature or other official governing bodies.  

I also discovered why it was so important for me as a veterinary assistant to know these laws, because animals that are kept as pets or companions are personal property, another term for personal property in my field of animal medicine is the word chattel. 

Chattel:  An article of movable personal property.  For example, your cat, dog, and even my parakeets, Sammy and Daisy fall under the meaning of this term.  Really any and every animal, horses, cows, pigs, chickens, ducks, rabbits, and yes for you snake owners out there, or lizard lovers, they too are considered personal property.  Any animal that lives with you has been named by you and you take care of, are your personal property, and there are laws out there to protect your personal property.  So, if your animal that you love more than anything in the world is suddenly hurt or injured, damaged, or someone steals them off of your property then you and I and all pet moms and dads have the same rights that we all would have if someone committed vandalism to our houses, or our cars are stolen.  So, if a patient under my veterinarian's care suddenly escaped then the veterinarian is liable. Same would go if you took dog to one of the doggie daycares and while in that staff's care your precious pooch is injured, then the owner of that doggie daycare would be liable.  Liability is also in play if your precious pooch gets injured on the veterinary's hospitals premises. Or if a patient is mistreated or suffers from neglected by the veterinarian and your dog gets injured or worse suffers a fatal event as the result that is called, malpractice.  

Liability:  Means a legal obligation or debt.

Malpractice: Means treatment of a patient that is improper or negligent by a veterinarian that results in injury, damage, or loss.  Additional note:  Only licensed veterinarian is subject to malpractice.

Let's say your pet had a problem and the veterinarian or the staff did not do anything, or everything within their power to help your pet, or they only provided care that subpar or sub-standard then you as a client have just experienced a term called negligence.  I also learned and discovered that every single member of society is subject to negligence.  

Gross negligence:  Occurs when your pet's chart is mixed up with another patient's chart and your dog was only supposed to have a flea treatment, but since your dog's chart was mixed up with a cat's chart, and the cat was supposed to have a leg removed, then your dog had his or her leg removed instead of the cat, then your dog suffered from Gross Negligence. 

Negligence:  Is the failure to exercise the degree of care considered reasonable under the circumstances, resulting in an unintended injury to another party.

So, veterinarians apply and obtain liability insurance in order to protect themselves, their employees, and their practice even if they were at fault or not the cost to defend themselves in a court of law is very expensive.  Owners back in the 1970's that won their case were only given the only the value of their animal.  Now today in malpractice cases, settling at $5,000 to $10,000 are commonplace, owners can even get more than that amount.  

Liability Insurance:  insurance covering the insured against losses arising from injury or damage to another person or property.

I am going to stop here for tonight, next time I will share about Contract law and another law that involves a breach of contract. 

Until Then!

Enjoy Your Weekend!

Stay Dry, Stay Safe, Stay Healthy, Stay Kind!

Keep On Praying!  And Vote! Your Vote Counts! Your Voice Matters!

God Bless! 

   Hello!  I hope all of you are having a wonderful day, I am going to try to continue before an incoming thunderstorm comes in, I am hearing the thunder in the distance.

As I mentioned last week, I learned about what the term "Breach of contract" means.  In a veterinary practice it is the norm to sign a contract for any transaction or treatment with the client.

Every client must sign a written agreement. 

Breach of contract - means or occurs when either the veterinarian or the client fails to meet his/her contracted responsibilities.  For instance, if the client fails to pay for the services, or if the veterinarian failed to fulfill all of the contracted obligations, then those are considered a breach of contract, or also can be a violation of contractual obligation. 

Contract law - is the branch of civil law that deals with interpreting and enforcing the written agreement between parties. 

Breach of contract continued - a legal concept in which the binding agreement of bargained-for exchange is not honored by one or more of the parties to the contract by non-performance or interference with the other party's performance, also known as violation of contractual obligation. 

So, as a veterinary assistant, it is very important for me to act responsibly when it comes to the law.  I may not be personally charged, but the veterinarian I work for will be held responsible for my actions.  So, I learned that with knowing that my actions will always have consequences, and that I had better to always strive to follow laws carefully and precisely.  That, I should never guess when I am not sure about something, and that I should ask the veterinarian, because guessing will most likely lead to a disaster that could easily be avoided.

I was given a list of the do's and don'ts for obeying common law.

I will share the top five of each.

Do's 

Document any conversation you have with the client in their pet's record, including telephone calls or conversations.

   Document all conversations with non-clients and keep their names and reasons for calling in a log.  This is an AAHA standard and can prevent the veterinarian from a lawsuit from a non-client.

    Review and verify all signatures on consent forms and legal documents.

     Have the client sign a free estimate, even if the cost is implied.

    Check all windows, screens, doors, locks, and latches to make sure all is secure.

Don'ts 

     Don't make promises or guarantees, even if the patient has a non-serious illness.  Leave that task up to the veterinarian in charge of the diagnosis.  (I added that part.)

     Don't allow the owner to doubt the risks of any procedure by upsetting them with unimportant details.  (Be concise and clear and speak in simple terms.)  (Again me.) 

     Don't allow owners to hold or restrain their own pets.  This should be left to trained staff members.  (I will always ask for help from a tech or another veterinary assistant.)

     Don't allow hazards to persist; if the floor is wet dry it and post a "wet floor" sign.

     Don't give advice or information to any clients without consulting a veterinarian.  This is to be left to licensed professionals, and wrong information can cause huge problems.  

Well, that is all I can for this week, I wish I could say this was the end of the law sections, but sadly I had more laws to learn.  Next time I will share about Federal Laws, and State Laws. 

Until Then!

Take Care!

Stay Safe!

Stay Cool!

Stay Healthy!

Enjoy Your Weekend!

Keep On Praying!

God Bless! 

   Hello!  I hope all of you have had a very good week, mine had some unexpected twists and turns, and choir has resumed, so my busy meter just went up another degree, but I always try to go to go with the flow and take things one step at a time.  Last night, I had to deal with thunderstorms, but tonight looks better, so I can continue with where I left off from last week.  

There were more laws, but I understood that I needed to know them, just like any other place of employment, we all have rules and laws that we have to follow in order to keep the work environment around us safe for everyone right?  

Now for Federal Law:

Federal law- is the body of law created by the federal government of a nation.  A federal government is formed when a group of political units (like states) join together in a federation (like United States of America for example.)  surrendering their individual sovereignty and many powers to the central government while retaining or reserving other limited powers as individual states. So, that means that federal law prevails over state law.  However, not every law is strictly a federal law, for instance, there are state requirements and federal requirements for minimum wage, and an employer must meet both.  State laws, are laws with jurisdiction in one of the 50 states, are the most specific and federal laws tend to be more general.  Individual states are responsible for enforcing these laws; the laws themselves simply state the policy and proposed penalty for an infraction.  

There was an anti-cruelty movement that started in the late 1800s, where federal laws began affecting animals.  A man named Henry Bergh in New York, founded the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) on the date of April 10th, 1866.  Nine days after that Bergh had a successful time convincing the New York State Legislature to pass the very first anti-cruelty statute in the United States.  As a result of this law, the ASPCA could begin investigating any suspicions of animals being treated with cruelty and hold the owners, or animal handlers accountable behind bars.  So now Anti-cruelty laws now exist in many states inside the U.S., but they vary depending on state laws and they are not yet standardized.  The ASPCA Humane Law Enforcement agents only investigate with the state of New York, but there are other agencies across the country, and in other countries as well, that investigate these laws, including the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) in each state.  

Several different parties like one for example, The Animal Welfare Act oversees how certain legal issues are handled, and they are administering over the care and the handling of animals involved in research and marine animals.  The Fair Labor Standards Act governs child labor, while the Americans with Disabilities Act or (ADA protects those with disabilities along with their pets or service animals.  The federal government also has implemented animal disease eradication programs, while they also have control over animals being shipped across interstates.  Any one person who commits sexual harassment or discriminates against another person, is breaking federal law.  Some laws are under different coalitions, agencies, or administrations.  For humans, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has control over the distribution of additives in our food, and the drugs given to animals.

I apologize, but I have to stop here for tonight, it is time to help with supper.

I will continue this post as soon as I can.

Until Next Time!

Enjoy Your Weekend!

Happy Labour Day to all who are celebrating!

Stay Safe!

Stay Cool!

God Bless! 

   Hello again! I am sorry that it has taken me some time to continue the post that I started.  I have been dodging thunderstorms and rain, on top of that on last Thursday I was getting ready to leave for choir practice and the car would not start.  The familiar battery symbol appeared along with a message about the battery also showed up, so I did not make it to choir, I told my mom, and took the steps needed to have some assistance from roadside assistance, and it took some time for the help to arrive, and then we spent some time at Tuffy, and they installed a brand new battery, so we were back on the road, but we had to come home, and make supper, and then I was just tired.  So, I came back here this morning to finish Federal Law.  

Federal Law Continued 

The Drug Enforcement Agency or (DEA) issues the guidelines and controls the distribution along with the handling of any medications that may be addictive, also known as controlled substances.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has control over workplace safety.  These agencies are not exactly linked to the field of veterinary medicine, but they do affect all members of the veterinary staff.

Because all federal laws affect all businesses and all staff members within those practices; they just are not directly tied to licensed veterinarians.  All members of the veterinary staff are subject to federal law.  So, each veterinarian that has a practice in the field of veterinary medicine and care is responsible for knowing these laws and also in helping to create a "policies and procedures" document for the rest of the staff to follow.  in the future this prepared document will be found in my employee handbook, and if I do not find this document then it is my responsibility to have an office manager review the document with me.  The document will be my guide in knowing and obeying the law without me having to have a comprehensive knowledge of federal law; and it is in my best interest to become familiar with these as much as I possibly can.

Because when it comes to obeying the law, my own common sense along with my good judgement will help me to go very far in my future career as a veterinary assistant.  

Next time I will be sharing State Laws, I do not have too much time this morning, and there is a lot of information.  

Until Next Time!

Stay Cool!

Stay Safe!

Stay Healthy!

God Bless! 

   Hello again!  I hope that you all are having a great Saturday whether morning, noon, evening, or night.  Last night, I tried to post, and my goal was to share about State Laws, I had a post almost done, I was leaving you all my usual goodbye, and for some reason we had a sudden power glitch!  I lost my post, so I wanted to come back and try again.  Also, I want you all to know that I was safe during Hurricane Ian, my area did not have the impacts that southwestern and cental Florida had, so thank you for your thoughts and your prayers, and I am sorry that I was unable to tell you all about the Hurricane it just happened too fast.  My mom and I have decided to purchase a Generac Stand By Generator, the portable ones that we are always left with are too big and heavy, we want a generator that can be immediately put to use once the power goes out in our entire house, we will be safer, have more peace of mind, and we will have air conditioning, our food will stay cold and edible, so next week we have a consultation.  Another bit of news, get your devices ready to tune into my church's services this weekend, LOWC - Live Oaks Worship Choir will make their debut, tomorrow morning at the 8:30 AM and 10:30 AM services that will stream LIVE, at the Woodridge Campus, so if you downloaded the APP, you can see us as we sing three songs with the Worship Team and then we sing 1,000 Tongues , it is not like the Hymn at all it is an upbeat and uplifting song.  Keep Florida in your thoughts and prayers, because now the same areas that had the flooding from Ian will be experiencing what is called "A King's Tide."  Mainly coastal but still not good.  After I finish the State Laws, we will be done with the law section of Stage 1 YAY! I really do want to move on and complete my story about my fish and continue My Alexei for those following those stories, and yes get back to playing and posting about playing my video games, but I have to finish Stage 1 first, so let's get it started for a second time. 

State Laws:

I learned that laws are different from one state to another, each state has its own has laws that govern the practice of veterinary medicine.  Each state's law is called the State Practice Act. While the AVMA is a national organization, every state has its own veterinary medicine association with unique policies and procedures.  The State Board of Veterinary Medicine enforces the act in each stee. These laws are meant to protect people and their pets from incompetent and deceptive veterinary actions.  If you all would like to check out the information that is provided on each state's policies and procedures, please feel free to visit http:/www.avma.org/kb.vma/pages/vma-resources-state.aspx  and click on one of the websites for your state.  I have some homework to do, because I have not checked out this link yet, and as a veterinary assistant, it is my responsibility to know what policies are enforced in the State of Florida, not only to know them, but to also be closely familiar with the veterinary practice act in the state in which I will be employed, which I am really hoping is Florida, I mean I live here, I am involved in my community, so it just makes sense.  

I also learned that as circumstances change, and time moves forward, state laws can and will be updated also altered.  There are still some general purposes of each State Practice Act:

1. To define what veterinary medicine is.

2. To determine who can practice veterinary medicine.

3. To determine when a person is practicing veterinary medicine.

    4. What the minimum standards are for veterinary facilities.

The State Board of Veterinary Medicine determines:

1. The penalties for violations act.

2. The administration of veterinary licenses and examinations.

3. Licensing of veterinary establishments.

4. Rules of conduct for business of the veterinary board.  

   
   

I began a little of Page 2, so next time I will continue on Page 2, and share about the Model Veterinary Act.

So, stay tuned!

Until Next Time!

Stay Safe!

Stay Healthy!

Stay Cool or Warm!

For those celebrating, Happy Columbus Day!

Enjoy The Rest of Your Weekend!  

God Bless! 

   Hello again!  I am so sorry that is has been awhile since my last post.  On the week before last week, I caught a bad cold, I missed an entire week, I did not go to my externship, and I missed the activities my choir had too.  So, I am trying to catch up on things.  Heads up again, Live Oaks Worship Choir sings again this weekend, tomorrow and Sunday morning, this weekend we will be at the other campus, Southern Oaks, so be sure to select Southern Oaks on the APP. I believe the Saturday service at Southern Oaks will Stream LIVE at either 5:30 PM or 6:00 PM. Sunday's service will be 10:30 AM.  Both of the services will be available for one week on the website, I left the link on Going In Another Direction 2017. I believe you all can also look up Live Oaks Community Church on YouTube.   Now to continue from where I left off.  I am ready to share about the Model Veterinary Practice Act. 

The AVMA publishes a Model Veterinary Practice Act which are guiding principles for those revising a practice under the codes and laws of an individual state., to be used as a guideline for the development of individual State Practice Acts.  According to their website, "the first AVMA Model Veterinary Practice Act was developed by the Judicial Council of the AVMA, and in cooperation with a professor named N. Wiliam Hines of the University of the Iowa College of Law in the early 1960s.  The AVMA House of Delegates approved their first MVPA in 1964, and since that time, the MVPA has been revised several times to reflect professional, technological, and the societal changes.  The MVPA is intended to change and develop as the technology, the veterinary profession, and the needs of the society change.

Some examples of what this model act contains were shared with me, and if you would like to see all of the Model Veterinary Practice Act feel free to go here: www.avma.org/KB/Policies/Pages/ Model-Veterinary-Practice-Act.aspx.  I was also reminded that the guidelines were simply to establish a State Practice Act, because the laws and regulations of each state are not the same and unique to that particular state.  Preamble - defines the purpose of the veterinary practice act.  Definitions- defines the purpose of the veterinary practice act. Examples included:  Animal -any animal other than human.  Client - the patient's owner, owner's agent, or another person responsible for the patient.  Direct supervision- a licensed veterinarian is readily available on the premises where the patient is being treated.  Informed consent- the veterinarian has informed the client in a manner that would be understood by a reasonable person of the diagnostic and treatment options, risk assessment, and prognosis, and has provided the client with an estimate of the charges for veterinary services to be rendered and the client has consented to the recommended treatment.  Patient- an animal that is examined or treated by a veterinarian.  Veterinarian - a person who has received a professional veterinary medical degree from a college of veterinary medicine.  

License Requirement - declares the unlawful practice of veterinary medicine by any person not licensed or holding a temporary permit to practice in the state.

Veterinarian -Client -Patient Relationship (VCPR) - was added in 2003, this section emphasizes not only that veterinary medicine must be practiced within the context of a veterinary -client-patient relationship, but also that it cannot be established by telephone or electronic means alone. However, once the relationship is established, it may be maintained by telephone etc. 

Veterinary Technicians and Technologists- was inserted due to AVMA's belief that it is important for the Board to have authority over the practice of veterinary technology and to discipline technicians who have not fulfilled all necessary requirements.

Veterinarian-Client Confidentiality- reflects the ethical obligation of veterinarians and their employees to consider information from clients and veterinary medical records privileged and confidential.

Cruelty to Animals- Immunity for Reporting- was inserted to encourage veterinarians to report animal abuse to appropriate authorities by providing immunity to the reporting veterinarian.

Abandoned Animal- encourages responsible animal ownership and provides a standardized procedure for veterinarians to address animals that may have been abandoned by a client

I believe I will stop right here; I have a lot of things to do, including cleaning Sammy and Daisy's cages.  I have finished the second page, and I started the third, so next time I will continue the third page, there will only be two and a half pages after that!  

Until Next Time!

Enjoy Your Weekend! And Have a Very Spooky and Happy Halloween! 

God Bless! 

   Hello!  I hope you all are having a great weekend, I have been really busy, I have taken the pictures of this year's Halloween Display, and I will hopefully try my best to upload them to my PC and share them with you all in Holiday Pictures.  I also decorated our fireplace on Thanksgiving morning for Christmas, and I have a new set of web lights, along with the plucky left side that remained lit while the right side went out in a poof.  So, I just tucked those lights underneath the new lights, and you all won't even be able to tell.  Today, if I have time, I want to put up my Santa wreaths, change the regular lights back to red and green, and I also had an idea for our green snowflakes, I thought it would look really pretty to have them falling down our garage door. My sister gave me some ideas on how to accomplish this, so hopefully my idea will work out. I also hope that all of you that celebrated had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  My mom and I tried cooking our turkey legs on our Ninja Foodi, we used the baking/roasting setting, and I think for next year, I will have them set to bake at 375 degrees and a little less time than 55 minutes.  It was our first time and that is what cooking is all about, you have to try one way the first time, so that you know what you can do to improve the outcome for next time.  Alright now back to State Laws.

State Laws Continued:

I was reminded that animals are considered personal property.  That as long as laws are not broken, an animal owner and his/her employees may practice veterinary medicine on their own animals.

They are also the final authorities on what happens to their pets or animals, as long as they do not have any laws broken.

If a veterinarian has a license in the state she lives in, but then she moves, her license does not stand in her new state, license for veterinarians do not cross boarders, or she cannot transfer her license to another state.  However, she can continue practicing if and only if she is a consultant.  I was given an example about a patient's electrocardiogram, then he/ she is allowed to send it to a cardiologist in an outer state for interpretation.

Veterinarians are given the exclusive right to:

Diagnose- which means to distinguish or identify (a disease, for example) by their diagnosis.

Prognose- which means to predict probable course and outcome of a disease.

Prescribe

Perform surgery 

Any other person who performs any of the above without a veterinarian's license is practicing veterinary medicine without a license which is very illegal and prosecutable. So, I was reminded to have a licensed veterinarian perform these tasks, and that I should never try or attempt to diagnose, prognose, prescribe, or perform surgery.  The veterinary staff may provide supplementary care; however, it is the veterinarian's choice to decide who is competent enough to provide this care.  Also, the veterinarian must supervise the staff member and remain in compliance with all laws.  

Some states also license veterinary technicians, however not all states provide licensure to technicians.  When a veterinary technician is licensed, he/she is allowed to perform certain procedures under the supervision of the veterinarian.  The severity and the sensitivity of the procedure merits the amount of supervision required. I was given an example; the technician may induce anesthesia under immediate supervision of the veterinarian.  Under direct supervision of the veterinarian, the technician may perform euthanasia.  Then, under the indirect supervision of the veterinarian, the technician may provide emergency first aid to an animal.  

The veterinary assistant may assist the veterinarian and technician while they perform their tasks, yet they require a higher level of supervision in all cases.  I will continue from right where I left off, only a page and a half to go!  I knocked out another page this morning!  YAY! 

Until Next Time!

Enjoy Your Weekend!

Stay Safe And Warm In Some Parts And Cool In Others!

God Bless! Keep Praying For Ukraine!

 Hello!  I am so sorry that it has taken me a long time to get back to this post.  I have been really busy as usual, I did complete and pass my externship, so there is some good news. The next step is to prepare for the final exam.  I will complete a practice exam that will be sent to me in an e-mail.  The Student Center does not have a practice exam for the final, so that will take place on January 13th, then I will have until January 30th to complete my final exam.  So, please keep me in your thoughts and prayers to pass the final, so that I can receive my degree and my certification as a veterinary assistant!  

I hope to give all of us a gift for Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa, and finish the laws portion of Stage 1!

From where I left off, Compliance with the law is mandatory; and breaking any law that is important to the field of veterinary medicine puts the animal in immediate danger and also lawsuits could be pursued against the veterinarian or his/her practice.

Local Ordinances 

Not only are there federal and state laws, there are also local laws that have an impact on pet ownership.  These laws also vary from location to location, or state to state.  I learned that veterinary staff will often be asked questions about local animal laws, and all staff members should be able to answer these questions.  These questions could include how many pets a person can have on his/her property.  I know that answer for my community where I live, we can only have two pets.  Also, how can a person obtain a license for his/her pet, how much it costs to license a pet, does breeding a pet or owning a pet that is a certain kind of pet.  

I also learned that it is vital to stay up to date on the local animal regulations.  These laws and regulations are created to protect our animals and us as their owners.  These rules and regulations could include:

Leash laws- Leash laws require dogs to be on a leash when outside of enclosed properties.  That is also a rule in my community, and just yesterday I saw a man with a dog outside of the house without a leash.  That dog could have suddenly taken off, left that property, or worse went into the road and gotten hit.  I have seen this rule broken over and over where I live. So, please keep your dog on a leash.  Here is another very good reason for keeping your dog on his/her leash, they could also be picked up by animal control officers while roaming the streets.  It is also recommended by the AVMA that domesticated cats stay indoors.

Nuisance laws-I also learned that citations could be given out to owners when their barking dogs disturb the peace and quiet for other people.  Or this is another rule for my community, to owners that do not pick up after their animal that left feces on another person's property.  My front yard has been a victim of this crime in the past, and it not a fun surprise. One person even had the nerve to throw their poop bag into our trash can!  While it was outside after the trash was picked up!  HOW RUDE!  Owners who also allow their pet to chase or harm another owner's pet could face a nuisance charge against them.

Licensure laws- dogs and cats should have a license, and this is a common requirement.  Fees for licensure depends on whether the animal is spayed/neutered along with the length of time the animal is licensed. Licensure could often require a current or up to date rabies vaccination certificate. Veterinarians do sometimes provide certification services and send paid fees to county officials.

Breeding permits- certain local ordinances govern breeding and require special permits in order to breed animals.

Zoning restrictions- special permits could be required to have more than a certain number of animals on one's property.

Species restrictions-depending on the area, a person might need a license to own certain types and breeds of animals.

I was reminded once again to stay up to date and current on local laws.  Because the veterinary staff should be a source of information for pet owners in their area.  So, I will be asked these questions about the health and safety of people's pets; So, if I do not know the proper answer to these questions, I know not to guess.  That I can ask the veterinarian, technician, and that if he/she/ does not know the answer, then my next resource would be consulting my local control office.  I also observed at my externship, that the vets and techs and assistants used the internet, and their phones to look up the answers if they did not know them.  

I have come to the Vocabulary Review page!   Merry Christmas!  Happy Hanukkah!  Happy Kwanzaa!   I have completed the laws section for Stage 1!  

Next time I will be sharing what I learned in the next section called, Safety Techniques and Protocol 

I do hope that all of you who are celebrating Hanukkah are having a peaceful and bright time with your loved ones and family, and if you are missing a loved one at your celebration this year, my heart goes out to you, I know the first year after a loved one passes away is one of the toughest years, I still miss my dad, my oldest sister, my grandma, and all of the other loved ones lost over the years. So, here is a big 

 Merry Christmas to all of those celebrating!  I hope you have the merriest Christmas with your loved ones, and that you all are staying warm!  Also, that you are safe, keep those traveling in this winter storm in your thoughts and prayers.  If your loved one is traveling, I will keep them in my prayers, my sister had plans last year to come here for Christmas, her dream is to see the Magic Kingdom decorated for Christmas, but this year my niece could not get the time off of work, which was a blessing in disguise because they would be miserable here, it is not warm, yes even Florida is COLD, I am two hours away from our Hard freeze warning expiring, last night we were in the lower 20s, and tonight we will be in the lower 20s and under another Hard Freeze Warning, so I have been decorating my room for Christmas, we did do our Christmas shopping last night, and it started getting cold.  I have all of my decorating completed; I also will be caroling today with some folks from my choir for our 4:30 PM Christmas Eve Service.  I am so sorry that I did not post about this, but last week my choir sang in the 8:30 service and 10:30 service at Woodridge.  I hope you all can still view it, look for it on the You Tube link I shared once, or maybe the LOCC App and tap the Woodridge Campus.  The18th, was more like a Christmas Concert, we had a brass quartet accompany us and the worship team, so that is all I am going to say, and I hope you enjoy seeing the services.

To those of you who will be celebrating Kwanzaa, I hope your celebration with your family and other loved ones is the happiest and filled with light and love!

To everyone missing a loved one, or if your loved one can't be with you this year due to the travel delays and cancelations, or for any other reason know that you are not alone.

Biggest  for you all!  On Monday, I will try my best and hardest to have the Halloween pictures from this year posted.  I will also begin taking Christmas pictures.

Until Next Time!

Enjoy Your Weekend!

Pray For Everyone, and the Ukraine!

God Bless! 

Stay Safe, Kind, And Warm!   Unless you live in a warm country then lucky you!  Keep Cool!  

   Hello!  I am sorry that it has taken me quite some time to get back here.   I have been busy for the past couple of months, I did work on the Christmas pictures, and I will post them as soon as I can.  I have to upload the pictures from the Outdoor Daytime Christmas display to my photo sharing site, and upload more pictures to my computer, after I post the first set on here. Then, in January I worked on completing my practice exam for the final exam.  Also known as Stage 11, and I am very happy and excited to report that I passed my final exam with a 92%!   I am now an ABC Certified Veterinary Assistant!  I had my degree arrive in the mail this week, and I was also very shocked when I saw a little banner underneath the title that also Honor's Student! I will continue to share what I have learned in my studies.  I am also busy recalling and writing my reports from my recent Externship, that I will share on here in the future.  That is all of the news for now, so I am ready to continue from where I had left off.

Which was a new section of Stage 1 page 1-36 -1-48, so here we go.

I learned Safety Techniques and Protocol 

In Safety Techniques and Protocol, I learned that the veterinary hospital or animal clinic, can be a very hazardous place, and how employees, patients, and clients could become easily injured or ill if the proper safety techniques are not closely followed.  The veterinary staff is at a very high risk for injury; animal patients bite, scratch, and this may come as a shock to you pet moms and dads, but animal patients can transmit diseases.  Lifting and restraining patients can and does cause physical injury if the staff does not lift and restrain the patient correctly.  Radiation exposure is always a constant and very real danger, and even wet floors can cause slip and fall accidents.  I was given very valuable information on how to keep myself, my patients, and their owners from harm.

Occupational Safety and Health

I was reminded of the certain hazards and hazardous substances along with other risks that can severely endanger both staff and patients.  Workplace safety is also controlled by the federal agency, 

OSHA.  I first heard about them when the trainer at Sea World in Orlando was killed by Tilikum, which was very sad and Dawn's family, friends and co-workers were in my prayers.  I thought that the federal agency at first was a animal activist's group or something along those lines.  However, OSHA stands for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.  Here is an URL for their website www.osha.gov.  The agency is not specifically involved with the practice of veterinary medicine, but their laws apply to the various aspects of the profession.  OSHA- is the federal agency that oversees workplace safety and enforces the laws that are designed to reduce dangers in the workplace.  I also became familiar with OSHA's Mission "To assure the safety and health of America's workers by setting and enforcing standards' providing training, outreach, and education; establishing partnerships; and encouraging continual improvement in workplace safety and health."  OSHA also requires all workplaces to display posters that describe potential hazards, how to minimize hazards, along with the employee's rights and OSHA's contact information for all employees to have access to.  The posters could be located in the employee's areas or around areas throughout the hospital or clinic.  I saw these posters during my externship, and I read them every chance I had to read them.  If the laws are not upheld, this is seen as failure to comply and will most likely lead to very large fines and could even cause the hospital or clinic to be closed and shut down for good. 

I am keeping my eye on the skies, a weak cold front is going to bring in rain this afternoon and tonight, and we could have some thunderstorms.

Next week, I will continue with Page 1-37 Material Safety Data Sheets or (MSDS), and personal protective equipment, (PPE) 

Until then!

Enjoy Your Weekend!

Stay Safe! Stay Warm! Or Cool! 

Pray for Ukraine and that the shootings and mass shootings will stop!  Let's vote for gun safety!  Let's vote for leaders who will stand up to the NRA! Let's vote for peace!  Please pray for Pine Hills in Central Florida and Germany. 

God Bless! 

    Hello! I am back as promised, and I have a beautiful sunny day to share some more of what I was studying way back in the fall of 2021.  I left off on Page 1-37, and I am ready to talk about what I learned, as I read Page 1-37.

Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) 

These sheets are contained in a binder, and when I am employed at an animal clinic or hospital, I am to ask the office manager or even my Hazard Communication Coordinator or (HCC) to go over these sheets with me.  Because these sheets will provide information on hazardous materials within the animal clinic or hospital, how I am to handle these hazardous materials, and more importantly what I need to do, if I accidentally become exposed to these hazardous materials.  My employer should also provide personal protective equipment (PPE) to give me protection when I do have to work with and handle hazardous substances.  So, it is my personal responsibility to use this type of equipment whenever it is needed, since it can and will save my life.  

MSDS- Chemical manufactures and importers shall obtain or develop a material safety data sheet in the workplace for each type of hazardous chemical that they use.

OSHA also will and can conduct random and inspections that are completely out of the blue of every workplace.  I learned that the veterinary clinic should have a pre-decided plan that complies with the law, along with a designated coordinator who oversees the plan, who is known as the title mentioned above, the Hazard Communication Coordinator.  It is also highly recommended by the AVMA, that on the day a new staff member is hired that he or she signs a written statement that acknowledges that he or she agrees and will follow or comply with the designated rules.  When that time comes for me, I will be sure to review the rules and evacuation routes with the HCC.

When I begin my new job at a veterinary clinic or hospital here is what I will be accomplishing:

Review the written   workplace safety plan with the HCC or office manager.

I will be identifying all hazards that will include Physical, Chemical, and Infectious.

Locating and reviewing MSDS sheets.

Locate all hazardous materials and read the safety labels.

Reviewing emergency procedures for Accidents, Hazardous spills, and Gas releases.

Reviewing the emergency evacuation routes for staff and patients.

Finding the hazardous waste disposal containers and becoming familiar with their locations .

Know where the PPE is located and how to use the PPE properly.

Knowing where the eye wash station is located in case someone or myself gets a contaminant in their eye, or my eye. 

Learning how to lift heavy animals the proper way so that I do not suffer from any injuries.

Signing and dating any documents to prove that I had reviewed and that I understand the OSHA plans and have even attended all of the OSHA meetings within the practice.

I also will need to be careful and safe during all procedures at all times. 

It is also my responsibility to tell my employer if I am sick, injured, pregnant, or if I am possibly pregnant, because many of the substances that are not know as hazardous under the normal conditions can be dangerous especially to pregnant women.

Now, I am ready to be on Page 1-38, that was a lot of information, so I will let all of you read that, and next week I will dive deeper into Personal Protective Equipment. 

For those that are celebrating, Happy St. Patrick's Day!     I hope you are having fun and staying safe.  

Until Next Time!

Enjoy Your Weekend!

Keep Praying For Ukraine!

God Bless! 

   Hello again!   I hope all of you have had a great week, and that your weekend will be awesome!  I did have some time to upload the first 10 pictures of the Outdoor Christmas Display that I mentioned, and I hope to get them posted soon. However, my focus is on the 2022 Income Taxes, I am in the process of typing our doctor visits, then will come dentist, and prescriptions, then contributions.  When I do find some more time though, I will post the pictures that are ready on here.  Today is another sunny day, so I am going to continue on with where I left off from last week. 

Personal Protective Equipment ( PPE)

I was reminded again of the dangers and hazards veterinary assistants, technicians, veterinarians, and even clients, and patients face.  Injuries, and other health risks.  One of the examples was what could happen during the time an animal or patient is restrained; the handler could get bitten.  Cats, dogs, and other animals also could bite, scratch and draw blood.  If a patient is infected, their body fluids could possibly transmit disease; due to having direct contact with the handler.  Also, improperly lifting a patient could cause injuries to the patient and the individual lifting him or her.  Not to mention that medications can also be toxic; for example, anesthesia is extremely dangerous, and other chemicals could pose harmful consequences.  I was reminded that by being a part of the veterinary team will mean that I need to always be paying extra close attention to the rules and regulations, and that it is critical for me to take the time to review the safety protocols that are put into place, and to pay attention to looking out for hazards.  All tasks should be completed by me in a careful manner, and that I do not rush through them, because this could cause me to miss or skip necessary safety steps.

For all of the reasons listed above Veterinary hospitals and clinics provide a particular kind of safety equipment called personal protective equipment (PPE) that is designed to protect and prevent harm to the veterinary staff.  So, when I am hired it is my responsibility again to know the location or locations of the equipment, when I am on a tour of the animal hospital or clinic.  Also when I am done using the equipment and other safety tools, I will need to take the proper care of the equipment, by cleaning and returning them to their designated locations to be used again in the future. Another responsibility that I will have is to make sure that I take the time to check all equipment for cracks, and breaks before I even use them, because a crack of any kind or break will compromise how effective the equipment will be for me and others to use. 

Some of the most common safety tools include:

Gloves - Gloves are going to be needed when handling certain material, chemical, or even a toxic agent will cause harm to the person that is handling anything hazardous, so safety gloves are worn.

Durable gloves come in handy when there are more hazardous tasks.  While other equipment is being disinfected, gloves help to maintain and keep the conditions as sterile as possible.  I will explain that one further along, when I am ready to share Stage 5, and you will see what Aseptic Technique means and I will share more about Surgical Preparation and Assisting.

Goggles- When or if there is a risk of infectious or toxic material splashing around the face and eyes, during a point when I am in the process of mixing toxic chemicals, I will have goggles on and make sure that my eyes are completely covered.

Aprons and Gowns- If I am in immediate danger of having exposure to materials that are toxic, or if I am assisting with a patient that is sick and very contagious, or materials that are very contagious, then I will need to wear an apron or a disposable gown in order to protect myself from catching the disease or passing it on to others. A sterile gown is also worn by the veterinarian that performs the surgery to maintain sterile conditions, while other members of the staff like me will only be required to wear a cap, mask, or shoe covers again this is all covered in Stage 5.  Another point to make is that I learned that Surgical laundry is kept separately from other categories of hospital laundry.  

Masks and Face Shields- A mask will help me to avoid splashing the toxic materials into my mouth or nose.  A mask will also prevent me from breathing in toxic gases.

Ear Protectors- Ear protectors will help me by protecting me from loud sounds (like a group of very loud barking dogs) from having any effect on my hearing or damaging my ears.

Boots- Boots that are made out of rubber are easy to wash, and also help keep my pants and socks clean and dry while I am mopping a floor, spraying floors, or when I have to walk through wet of muddy areas.

Specialized Equipment- Specialized equipment is often manufactured for a variety of toxins and hazards such as chemotherapeutic agents.  So, I will be sure to review and know the location of this particular equipment and to know how to use it and what its purpose is for.  

I am at the bottom of Page 1-39 and next week, I am going to share what I learned about Universal Precautions and Zoonoses.   After I share what I learned the dog owners out there might think twice, about allowing their dogs to kiss them on the mouth.  Then again maybe not.   

Until Then!

Enjoy Your Weekend!

Keep Praying For The Ukraine!

God Bless! 

   Hello! I hope all of you had a great day and a great week.  I have been battling my allergies, and I am so lucky I also inherited my dad's sinus problems, so it has not been fun.

Anyway. I am getting a little later start on this then I had hoped, I spent some time getting the Spring look ready for us to enjoy on Once Upon A Dream, which included picking out the lily GIF that I wanted to use, and of course I had to resize it.  Oh well, I can begin sharing what I learned about Universal Precautions and Zoonoses.

We left off on the bottom of Page 1-39, and I was reminded yet again, that there are many risks that pose a threat to both patients at the animal hospital or clinic and the staff.

So, what are Universal Precautions?  Well, Universal Precautions are the measures that are taken when there is the possibility of an infection from the patient, or the patient's bodily fluids to the person that is handling the patient.  These precautions were first established to aid in the prevention of the transmission of AIDS and hepatitis from human patients to the medical staff.

I learned that these same precautions must also be put into practice and followed by veterinary staff, due to the fact that there are certain diseases.

The certain diseases are called, zoonotic diseases also known as zoonoses.  What are zoonotic diseases or zoonoses?  I read that these are diseases which can or may transferred or passed from animals to humans.  That is why I am very careful with my feather babies, Sammy and Daisy.  We can pass diseases to each other and trust me I used to love getting kisses from my former parakeets on the mouth, but I do not do that anymore, and I make a good habit of washing my hands before I clean the cages, after I clean the cages so that if Sammy had something, Daisy would not be exposed to it.  So, this information might be something to think about.  

On Page 1-40 I learned more about Zoonoses - Zoonoses are diseases that can be transmitted from animals to humans.  I leaned that gloves should always be worn when cleaning up an animal's feces, urine, or other bodily fluids.  Even when I feel like I am having some doubt, I should just wear gloves.  Here is the reason why, Infectious microorganisms usually live in a specific species, however there are some diseases that be could be transferred from patient to the person handling him or her.  I will share the first zoonotic disease for Felines or Cats.

Dangers from Cats    "Meow"

I knew that cats were very clean animals, so I was glad to know that the risks of transmitting diseases to humans were very little.

However, bites from cats still had a very high risk, and that is due to the fact that many domesticated cats tend to roam freely outside, and they hunt vermin.  So, because of the facts mentioned the result is that cat bites could be thought of as more dangerous than dog bites!  So, what is the most dangerous disease a cat can pass on to any human?

Rabies is very and highly most dangerous disease that can be passed from animals to humans.  Rabies is extremely contagious and is transmitted through the saliva of the afflicted animal.  Rabies is most commonly transmitted through a bite from a raccoon, skunk, foxes, or bats, also bats can spread it to cats if the cats are in a bat infested cave, and they are exposed to aerosols that are created when feces of the bats is stirred up into the air.  Sadly death follows within the 10 days after the clinical signs appear.  But rabies can also be carried in the body for up to six months without any clinical signs or symptoms!  

Rabies- is a highly fatal viral infection of the nervous system that affects all warm-blooded animal species, transmitted in the saliva.  The most common way the disease is transmitted is by being bitten.  There is no known treatment for humans or animals affected by this disease, so prevention by having your pet cat vaccinated for rabies is crucial and vital.  Most states even require rabies vaccinations.  

Next week, I will share what I learned about concerning the three stages for Rabies, along with more of the diseases that cats can suffer from.

Until Then!

Enjoy Your Weekend!

Stay Safe!

God Bless! 

My prayers are with Mississippi after the deadly tornado, all of the states that had severe weather, Nashville for the families after another senseless shooting, and Ukraine! 

   Hello! I hope that all of you have had another great week!  I also wanted to give you a heads up, get your app that I shared with you ready, set it to Woodridge for 8:30 AM or 10:30AM.

My choir is singing on Easter!  If you also want to check out my church's Good Friday Service, you are more than welcome to do so, I think it has already started.  But you have not missed much, I needed to stay home and be ready for Sunday.  I hope that however you are celebrating that you have a fun and safe Easter Sunday, and that the weather is pleasant for you.  It is going to rain here, but we really need it, and it will not dampen my spirit on Sunday.  The LOWC choir will be singing three songs, He Lives, it is nothing like the original song, our version is a Gospel Blues Funk, a lot of fun to sing to.  Then, the next song is an Easter staple at LOCC, Oh Happy Day, and then we finish with All Hail King Jesus, which is also nothing like the original song, with a little part from the original.  Now to pick up from where I left off last week on Page 1-40, which was about Rabies.

The Three Stages to Rabies are:

 Prodromal phase-   during the first phase the infected cat or other animal will experience a change in their behavior; for example, if your cat gets infected and he or she is normally friendly, she or he may suddenly act like a shy cat or an irritable cat. On the other hand, if your cat is mostly mean or aggressive, he or she act like a chilled -out cat and even affectionate.  Also, a cat that is pretty much a friendly or kind cat, he or she might seem nervous and wants to hide.  Your infected cat could show signs of aggression, viciousness, irritability, excitability, (Page 1-41).  nervousness, and/or anxiety.  He/she may also salivate, become hydrophobic, which means (hesitant to drink water).  

Furious phase- during the furious phase or the second phase, your infected cat or any infected cat will go through periods of increased aggression and excitement; he or she could become enraged and display an increasing amount of behavior that is beyond normal.  He/she could try to bite, or scratch, seem really out of it disoriented, while wandering around in an erratic manner.

Paralytic stage- Sadly the third stage is fatal, and down -right cruel in my humble opinion.   The infected cat or animal will lose his or her ability to swallow, which will make him or her turn down food and water, the cat or animal will refuse to consume anything.  Excessive drool much like (foaming) will cause the cat or animal to choke on his or her own saliva or spit.  Once this occurs paralysis and coma will follow, before sadly the animal or cat dies, and the cause of their death is often respiratory failure.

Bacterial Entrails 

Bacterial Entrails happens when a cat eats meat that is contaminated or meat that has been poorly cooked meat that contains bacteria.  Salmonella bacteria, through a rare cause of enteritis, can be transmitted to humans.  Bacterial Enteritis - is the inflammation of the intestine.  Salmonella bacteria -  is any variety rod-shaped bacteria of the genus Salmonella, many of them are pathogenic, and will cause food poisoning, typhoid, and paratyphoid fever in humans and other infectious diseases in domesticated animals.  

Signs of bacterial enteritis may include:

Fever

Vomiting

Diarrhea

Excessive drinking (to replace lost fluids)

Next week, I will share about Tuberculosis.

Until Then!

Enjoy Your Weekend! 

God Bless! 

   Hello!  I hope that all of you had a wonderful week, I finished my part for the 2022 Income Taxes!  I am ready to share more about what I learned on Page 1-41.  I left off at Tuberculosis.

Tuberculosis can infect cats and other animals that are domestically owned, along with us, as human beings.  However, there is a little bit of good news, it has become less common in most of the countries, but it can still be a risk.

So, what is Tuberculosis?  Tuberculosis - is a mycobacterial, infectious disease of humans and animals that is caused by the tubercle bacillus, or a bacterium that is a major cause of tuberculosis and it is characterized by the formation of the tubercles on the lungs or other tissues of the body, and it often will develop a long period of time after the start of the infection.

What are the signs of Tuberculosis?  

Fever

Severe loss of good health.

Tuberculosis is again rare in cats and dogs, but it can be passed on to us if we drink infected milk, and can also be transmitted from us as owners to our beloved pets.

The parts of the body that are mainly affected by the disease are the lungs, spleen, and liver.  Page 1-42.

What else do our poor cats suffer from?

Toxoplasmosis Gondii 

What is Toxoplasmosis Gondii?   Toxoplasmosis Gondii is a disease that is unfortunately very common in cats, and it is given to us, humans when we are handling our cat's feces or raw meat that has been contaminated and infected.  This disease is caused by an intestinal parasite that is also microscopic that enters the cat through prey they consume that is infected, or raw meat.  After the cat has been infected, these cysts have the ability to shed in the cat or animal's feces or poop.

Toxoplasmosis Gondii is also a very contagious disease of all species that are warm blooded due to the cause of a protozoan parasite.  This disease will or can cause random or sudden pneumonia, a disease in the central nervous system, retinochoroiditis, and hepatitis in cats and dogs.

Symptoms or Signs Of Toxoplasmosis Gondii:

Fever

Loss of appetite

Weight loss

Breathing difficulties

Women who are pregnant have a much higher risk of getting or contracting toxoplasmosis because the parasite can penetrate the woman's uterus and have an impact on the human fetus, so women who are expecting should not touch the cat's feces, and if you are pregnant have your husband clean the litter box, or someone else.  There is some more good news, Cats can have protection from toxoplasmosis through the prevention of keeping them from hunting.  (An idea that was recommended have your cat wear a collar that has a bell, so that the prey knows they are coming.) Always cook your meat clear through before you eat it, or you give it to your cat.  When I was studying my early childhood education courses, I learned about food safety, and if you saw all of the bacteria and parasites that live in a small piece of uncooked meat, you would never eat again, it was nasty, I can't recall them all, I also learned what would happen if a person ate uncooked meat, let's just say you would be a frequent visitor to your toilet, so please cook your meat and eggs well done, your stomach and digestive system will thank you.  I think I will stop here, next week I will wrap up Dangers from Cats with Skin Problems. 

Until Then!

Take Care!

Keep Safe!

Keep Cool!

Enjoy Your Weekend!

My prayers are with everyone who has had severe weather and shootings and everything else that happened this week. 

God Bless! 

   Hello!  Thank you so much for coming here and visiting, I hope that all of you had a great week.  I have a break from choir, so I have been busy keeping up with the shopping, mainly groceries, and of course paying the bills for my mom, it seems to never end.  I also have been working on an oil painting that I have had since I was in Indiana, and a young adult, I have always wanted to finish it.  Our living room wall needs a new picture, before COVID my mom and I had a big picture fall off of our wall, and we were trying to replace it, because it would not stay up, and the picture of the girl fishing always bothered my mom, because my dad related the picture to my oldest sister that had passed away.  Which I thought she represented me, I always wanted to try fishing, and I am the one that loves to walk in the waves when I go to the beach, and I love nature, so that just never made any sense to me why he thought that, but now it is gone.  Because of COVID, we never really had the chance to look for a new picture, so when I finish mine, we are going to hang it up in that other picture's place, we just have to buy a new frame for the picture, which will be soon, because I am happy to say that I am almost done!  I also am not using paint, I am putting my Twistable Crayola Coloring Pencils to work, I just never was a fan of the turpentine. 

However, now I am ready to share the final few details of the Dangers from Cats.  Pg 1-42

Skin Problems 

What kind of skin problems can cats be affected from that we all should also watch out for because the skin problems have an impact on us and our feline friends.

They are ringworm, fleas, lice, and fur mites.  

Ancylostoma canium and tubaeforme - the hookworm of cats; that can also cause human skin infections.  

Ringworm - is a common fungal infection of the superficial layers of the skin and hair fibers with one of a group of dermatophytic fungi.

Dermatophyte-  a parasitic fungi that lives on the skin.

Pg 1-43 

Flea- is a small, wingless, blood -sucking insect.

Lice- is a general name for insects that are species-specific parasites that infest mammals.  They are no fun, had them when I was a kid, my middle sister brought them home after a trip to Florida, long story, but the Nix took care of them. 

Fur mites- arthropods that are in the order of Acarina, that are characterized by their minute size, generally transparent, to semi-transparent body, they are also free- living or parasitic on animals or plants. These fur-mites can also cause an irritation of the skin.

Symptoms of ringworm in animals include   small round, bald patches on a cat's head and ears; in humans, the symptoms can include circular red patches on the human's arms and legs.  Fleas, lice, and fur mites can bite humans and cause skin reactions, such as itchiness and red blotches.  

I hope that I did not make your skin crawl too badly, next week I will share what I learned about from Dangers from Dogs.

Until Then!

Enjoy Your Weekend!

Stay Safe, Cool, and Healthy!

God Bless!     I am praying for everything and the Ukraine!

    Hello again!  I hope all of you have had a great week, my week has been stormy, Florida had a cold front come and stall out, so we have been getting rain and severe weather, some areas had extreme flash flooding, others had hail the size of baseballs it honestly looked like snow had fallen from the news reports, there were also some tornado warnings, and sadly some folks in the panhandle were injured.  Right now, I am seeing sunshine and blue skies, but that can change pretty soon, so while I have the have the fair skies, and no storms I am going to get this post for this week completed.

I am ready to share about what I learned when I read about Dangers from Dogs.

Dangers from Dogs "Woof Woof "   Page 1-43

I learned that there are certain kinds of parasites that can be passed from dogs to humans, and that dogs can also carry microorganisms that can make humans and even other animals sick. There are also certain types of diseases that are transferable, and these diseases are usually passed through bites from the dog, the dog's urine and the dog's saliva.  

Zoonoses 

Zoonoses that come from dogs include:

Rabies - Just as it is a danger for our feline friends, it is also very dangerous for our K-9 friends, and just like it can be transmitted in cats, saliva is also the common path for rabies to be spread from the dog to another animal or human.  The most common way to get rabies, is the dog's bite.  So, for that reason dogs should be vaccinated, and if you or I as humans could become exposed to a high- risk situation where an infected dog could bite us, then we also should be vaccinated as well.  The three stages of Rabies are pretty much the same as cats.  Symptoms can include behavior changes, and non-stop drooling, or salivation, then the infected dog will show signs of paralysis, which sadly is followed by the passing away of the infected dog, death.  Death is known to happen within 10 days of the first sign of symptoms.

Toxocariasis- If a person accidently ingests the infectious Toxocara or roundworm larvae, the infection (referred to as visceral and ocular larval migrans)  will cause him or her to go blind.  That is why dogs should have routine worming every three months to lessen the chances of an infection.  Dog owners should also make that they make cleaning up after their dog especially their dog's feces and clean up the areas where their dog is most known to defecate or drop doggie doo doo.  The reason why is that the larvae live in the grass's soil and has a good chance to penetrate human skin, one example is through the human's feet, so don't walk in grass where dogs do their business with bare feet, socks and shoes are your own personal protective equipment.  

Then I was reminded that Toxocariasis - is the infection by worms of the genus Toxocara.  

Page 1-44 

I was reminded again that Toxocara - is also a genus of nematode (roundworm) parasites that are in the family Ascarididae , and the two most commonly known forms are Toxocara canis  (dogs) and Toxocara cati (cats).  

I think I will leave off from here for now, and next week I will continue from Page 1-44.

Until Then!

Enjoy Your Weekend!

Keep Prayers And Thoughts With Ukraine! I am praying for their victory to come soon!

Stay Safe And Cool!

Have fun with your pets and furry friends!

God Bless! 

    Hello!  I hope that all of my visitors are having a great day!   The weather here has been beautiful all week, only today is a little cloudy, due to the returning humidity, and the sea breezes will be more active tomorrow, so rain is going to return, but not today, so I am going to continue where I left off from last week.  

Page 1-44 

I learned about Anclystoma caninum- otherwise known as hookworms; and the larvae of the hookworms can have an impact on us, as human beings, which is a cutaneous larval migran or simply put wandering under our skin. Ewww.  The larvae of the hookworms are transferred from the feces or poop from the dog to the soil where the larvae live and can penetrate our human skin and give us infections.

Then, I learned more about Ringworm- Just like our feline friends, ringworm is one of the common among the fungal infections that occur on the superficial layers of our skin and hair fibers. Again, I say, "Eww."   This one group of dermatophytic fungi causes skin lesions that appear to be circular in humans and hair loss in our canine friends.

If the first two did make my skin crawl, I learned about a third one that did make my skin crawl, the Sarcoptic Mites (Scabies)  When a human being comes info contact with Scabies, and is infected by the sarcoptic mites, his or her skin will itch in spots.  Also known as "sarcoptic mange" or even just "mange", there was some good news those, these particular mites can be dealt with by using parasiticides.

Mange - is a disease of the skin in domesticated animals, that is caused by a number of genera of mites. 

Mites- are any kind of arthropod that is in the order of Acarina (the exception being ticks) and they are characterized by being minute size and their body can be transparent or semi-transparent.

Parasiticides- is an agent that is destructive to parasites.

Echinococcosis - is a hydatid or (larval cyst)  disease;  human beings that are infected , became infected with this disease when he or she ate some raw meat that came from an animal that was infected with the echinococcus tapeworm.  So please cook your meat to kill these parasites, I never had a tapeworm, but I heard they are nasty, one sure sign, you are constantly hungry, because the tapeworm eats what you digest, and only can be removed from your doctor, I also heard how long they can get, so to avoid that, cook your meat all the way through before you eat it.

Flea-and Tick-Borne Diseases- there are several kinds of diseases that can be transmitted to humans through fleas and ticks, one of them is Lyme disease.

Lyme Disease- is an acute polyarthritis that can often be reoccurring on dogs and cats along with humans, that is caused by the spirochete, or Borrelia burgdorferi, and it is passed on through the tick.  

I think I will stop here, next week I will share more of what I learned from Page 1-45.

Until Then!

Stay, Safe, Stay Cool!

Happy Cinco de Mayo! 

Enjoy Your Weekend!

I Am Still Praying For The Ukraine and others!

God Bless! 

 Hello!  I hope all of you had a great week, mine was busy, but I finished my cottage!  Now, my mom and I just need to look for the frame to hang it in.  For now, I am ready to begin Page 1-45 and share what I learned during my time of studying in Stage 1.

Page 1-45

Polyarthritis- is the inflammation of several joints.

Spirochete- is a highly coiled bacterium.

Tuberculosis - as with our feline friends, tuberculosis is a disease that is infectious in both dogs and us humans that is caused by the tubercle bacilius and it is characterized by the formation of tubercles on the lungs and on other tissues of the body, it often develops long after the first infection.  Tuberculosis can pass between dogs and humans, the same way it does with cats.  The symptoms include coughing, shortness of breath, along with saliva that is bloody.  If a dog gets does get infected, this disease can be treated with antibiotics, however if the dog's symptoms have already manifested beyond the point of being treated, then euthanasia is often needed to be done.

Now onto Communicable Diseases 

In the case of Communicable Diseases, or diseases that are passed from human to human or from an animal to a human, dogs can often be the carrier of the disease, but the dog does not show any signs of being infected.

Campylobacteriosis & Salmonellosis- have a bacteria that causes cramps with diarrhea in both dogs and humans.  These types of diseases are mostly contracted by dogs, cats, and humans from the same source of milk that is infected or raw meat.  They are both passed to humans through food, but also can be in dog and cat feces.  Those mostly at risk are the young aged or crowded environments such as kennels or animal shelters.

Giardiasis-  is a flagellate protozoan parasite that has whip-like appendages, and is transmitted through water;, so if a dog drinks water that is contaminated, like rivers, or even ponds, they could become infected.  Diarrhea is the most likely symptom.

I am going to stop here for the night, I have some TV shows that I want to watch, and one of the diseases continues on the next page, so next week I will share more about the diseases that are communicable.

Until Then!

Stay Cool!, Stay Safe! Stay Healthy!

Keep Praying!

Enjoy Your Weekend!

God Bless! 

 Hello!  I want to begin by apologizing for not wishing you all that celebrate a Happy Mother's Day!  If you are a mom, I hope you had a day full of love and pampering, and if you still have your mom around, I hope you gave her lots of love, and that you showed her how special she is, and how much she means to you, by pampering her.  For my mom, I cleaned out our car, it is a tradition I started one year, and that evening, I made our dinner, I cooked the drumsticks on our Ninja Foodi, I only asked her questions like what vegetable she wanted, she wanted green beans, so I made those, and our red potatoes, then I needed to know what fruit she wanted to have, but the rest was all up to me.  This weekend, I hope all of you who celebrate have a very Happy Memorial Day, although, I know that for those who lost their loved ones to the wars the armed forces fought so bravely in, Memorial Day can be tough, and since I come from a Military family, I want to give you, 's .  That also goes for anyone and everyone that lost loved ones regardless of how they were lost, I will never forget the sacrifices both of my grandpas made, and the battles my other family members went through.  No one who gave their life for America, or any other country is a sucker or loser no one has the right to say that or think it, and it is disgraceful the 2016 so called president had the nerve to call them that. He Was Wrong!  Those who died are HEROES!  

Alright now back where I left off.

More on Page 1-46 about Leptospirosis

Leptospirosis can and does cause diseases in the kidney and liver, this disease also has another name I learned it was Well's disease in humans like us.  I also learned that this disease can be prevented in our dogs and other pets, by having them vaccinated.  Leptospirosis is also a bacterial zoonosis (remember that means our animals can transmit it to us) and that happens with the bodily fluids of the animal that is infected which in turn can attack our kidneys and liver.  It can also get around in water sources, the food we eat, the soil we till, and any bedding that can become contaminated with urine or pee.  This disease can also travel through the ingestion of tissue that is infected or even if an animal that is sick with it bites us.  I learned that there are currently six prevalent forms of pathogenic types of Leptospirosis that are well known today and vaccines are readily available for them.  Some good news for a change right?  Outdoor dogs or working dogs that are in rural areas are the most commonly seen of the infected animals, due to the pathogens that are carried by wildlife like raccoons, skunks, opossums, along with cattle and pigs.  i also learned that this particular infection is regularly misdiagnosed as pancreatitis, Ethylene Glycol poisoning, Pyelonephritis, and Ehrlichiosis due to all of them having very similar symptoms.

I need to stop here for tonight, next week I will continue to share what was on Page 1-46.

Until Then!

Enjoy Your Weekend!

Keep Praying!

God Bless! 

   Hello !  I hope all of you had a wonderful week, this week was a rainy one, however I found a frame for my cottage picture, and it is hanging up.  In the future I hope to continue the work I started on my hummingbird picture, then I will get a frame for that one and it will hang up next to my cottage.  I have also been busy as a bee while planting flowers, I worked around the rain, so that part of my week has been fun!  This year I am planting as many pollinators as I can, I want more butterflies in my yard, and to provide a nectar stop for a hungry traveling hummingbird, and all pollinators are welcome, especially our honeybees, and lady bugs.  Choir has also resumed for four weeks, and our first rehearsal was yesterday.  So, I will be sure to give you all a heads up when it is time for us to sing, next month.  I also hope that all of you celebrating have a fun Memorial Day, filled with friends, family, love, laughter, that good memories are made, that you all stay safe and healthy.  I am ready to continue from where I left off now.

Page 1-46

Chlamydial diseases- this type of disease is rarely caused in dogs, but it can be transmitted to humans and in turn cause us to have several more diseases.  Good news though, I learned that the infections that are caused will most likely respond to antibiotics.  Cats can also become infected by Chlamydia; however it is not contagious to us as human beings.

Infection from Bites:

Bites are a part of anyone's life that has a pet dog, or works with dogs, they can and when they feel like it, take a bite out of us.  This is also true for those who work in the field of veterinary medicine, like myself when I work at an animal clinic or hospital.  Yet, we all can be very smart and have precautions in place, due to the fact that dogs can even bite us by accident, and in those cases immediate action is a must.  The bite wound has to be cleaned on the spot, or as soon as it possibly can be done, and here are two reasons why.

Bite wounds need immediate care because of the two main types of infections that will most likely occur as the result of a dog biting us.

Pasturella infections- When or if a dog or human being is bitten and the dog is infected, that person may have a condition that causes them to have purulent (of be full of pus) other infections and even some abscesses.  How is it caused?  The infections are caused by the Pasturella, or bacteria that is a common inhabitant in a dog's mouth.

It is also described as being rod-shaped.

Tetanus-  is rare in dogs for the most part, but I did learn that the microorganisims that cause tetanus can be transferred to humans through bite wounds that are very deep.  If the person that was affected did not have a recent or up to date tetanus shot, then he or she needs to ask for quick advice from a medical professional that is in regards to antiserum.  Even if he or she has had a recent vaccine, he or she should really go get medical treatment and attention.  

That was all that they wrote on Page 1-46, next time I will share with you about one way we all can prevent ourselves and others from getting any kind of infection, wearing gloves!

Until Then!

Enjoy Your Weekend!

Keep Praying!

God Bless! 

   Hello! I hope everyone had a wonderful week, and also had some time to get away for Memorial Day, mine was really nice, I did not go anywhere, but it was nice to have a break from having to go grocery shopping, or paying and mailing bills, and to have some moments to relax.  As for the rest of the week, I had to take my mom to her consultation, for her next round of dental work, and the office was very busy.  We could not get in until May 31st, and things were running behind schedule on the 31st.  Her time was 3:30 PM, and she was not called back until 5:25 PM our time.  It was funny though, when her name was called, everyone else that was waiting broke into applause, so we were the talk of the office pretty much.  We were all thanked for being patient.  Then, during the consultation, we discovered that the dentist was also going to have to make new partials for her top, and dentures for her time of recovery.  Step 1 is to have her designated teeth extracted, then she is going to have to heal.  Next week, we will begin the discussion with our dentist about the dentures, so if you could please keep us in your thoughts and prayers, her first oral surgery is on August 1st.  Florida also had a tropical disturbance form this week, but as far as I know the system only made it to a depression, and what would have been Arlene is already moving away from us and heading towards Cuba, in The Gulf Of Mexico, and yes, the season is upon us, so not much rain as forecasted, it gets cloudy then the sun comes back out.  That is my news for now, I am ready to move onto the next page.

Page 1-47 

Page 1-47 taught me everything that I needed to know on the topic of how to wear gloves.  I was also reminded of the dangers of having diseases passed on from one mammal to another, one of them being me.  So, it was extremely important for me to have some way of protecting myself against getting infected.  How it was very crucial for staff in the veterinary field to use gloves at all times, regardless of how they feel about cross-contamination and infection or if they don't think they will be infected.  If something suddenly happens, that injures another member of staff in the veterinary practice, then I will need to put on gloves even when I am treating and assisting them.  I also was given a very good tip, when I was told to be sure the gloves do not have holes in them or tears in them, before I put them on, since a hole or tear will compromise the gloves' ability to protect me, which makes wearing those particular gloves pointless.  

I also learned some more important and helpful information for using gloves. 

First of all I was told that I should change the gloves that I am wearing when I am between patients.

I can also use the same pair of gloves during the time that I am handling a single patient, or samples from the lab.

Always wash my hands, when I am in the process of removing my gloves, the same applies at all times, even if holes and tears are not visible or present.

After my hands are washed, I need to be certain that my hands are dry, and that I should use hand lotion to keep my hands from drying and cracking.  My skin is the primary barrier when it comes to fighting off infections, and the layer of protection can be compromised if my skin is broken.

How To Remove Gloves-

I learned that there were nine steps when it came time to remove my gloves.

The first step was that I needed to pinch the glove with my forefinger and thumb, while keeping the glove in place that is between those two fingers, about 2 inches up from the cuff.

The second step was to pull the glove downwards while I pull my hand out, while I turned the glove inside-out, and that I needed to be very careful not to have contact on the outside of the glove with my fingers or hands.

The third step was to hold the first glove with the other hand that still had gloves on it and I use the same fingers, the forefinger and thumb.

The fourth step was to pinch the glove that remained with my hand that has no gloves on its inside approximately 2 inches up from the cuff of the glove.

The fifth step was to pull my glove in an upward motion and to reveal the other hand that was not gloved and allow the first glove to go inside the other hand that had its glove removed.

The sixth step was to obviously dispose of the gloves in the appropriate container, example trash can, but if the gloves have been contaminated with materials that are hazardous, or have an animal's bodily fluids on them, then they would be thrown out in a biohazard container.

The seventh step was to obviously wash my hands completely with soap that has a disinfectant the moment after my gloves are taken off.

The eighth step was to wipe my hands dry with a paper towel until they are completely dry. 

The ninth and final step was to take lotion for my hands to keep them from cracking and peeling.

The next page was my review questions, so I think we all deserve a break!  Next week, I am going to be posting something else!  I want to share the next part of my aquarium story, I still have Christmas pictures from last year to share, so I will start with those first two goals, and spend some time on those posts and sections, then after the break, we will hit the next page after the review questions, and we will have a deeper look into Front Office Procedures and Medical Record Assembly.

Until Then!

Enjoy Your Weekend!

Stay Safe and Healthy!

God Bless!