Last Blogger Post....

This is the last post I will be making to Blogger.  I have decided to re-try WordPress hosted from my website, NathanVoris.com.  

The main reason for my moving away from wordpress when I first started to look at blogging was the constant updates from WP I had to manually upload onto my server.  Luckily, the updates are now automatically sent to the server and I don’t have to worry about loading them incorrectly and crashing the blog….yes, this happened-once, then I switched to Blogger.

Lately, Blogger has been giving me formatting challenges so it seems like a perfect time to switch.  I have to admit, Blogger is a pretty simple little blogging tool, and I would highly recommend it to friends who are looking into starting a blog, but I think I am ready for a few more options and a little more control over how my site looks.

The Friday that just wouldn't end...

Friday, April 3, 2009 was one of those days that just wouldn't end.

It all started innocently enough. Dropped M off at school, went to the office and took care of a few things. Broke away for a brown bag lunch with M at 11, followed by a couple of afternoon appointments. One of which was a pregnancy check on the dam of the hypothermic foal born on February 13.

Wrapped up things at work and got home about 5:45. Mel and the neighbors had planned a fantastic BBQ dinner. Had a great time visiting and enjoying steaks, chops and burgers off the grill!

Got the kids cleaned up and headed for bed when the first call came in-it was about 8 pm. A 2-year old filly I had been working with for about a week, finally succumbed to her disease-the farm just wanted to let me know.

The second call came about 30 minutes later, a dystocia. For those unfamiliar with dystocia, it is probably the single biggest hurry up and get there emergency calls there is. Once a mare's water breaks, the fetus has about 20-30 minutes to be delivered or it will not survive. The fetus in this case was in dorso-pubic orientation with both front legs flexed at the carpus and the head back. In order to straighten the legs, pull the head forward and rotate the fetus to sterno-pubic orientation, I had to place the mare under general anesthesia and elevate her hind quarters with a loader. Repositioning went smoothly, and the fetus was delivered without damaging the mare, but it was too late to save the foal. The mare recovered from anesthesia in about 30 minutes, I left treatment and examination instructions and got home about midnight.

A third call came about 4 am-another dystocia! Fortunately, the owner was able to assist the delivery before I got to the farm. Unfortunately, the fetus was dead. He called and let me know I didn't need to come so I turned around and went back home.

Usually when I get called out after 3 am, I have great difficulty falling back to sleep. This time I had no difficulty. It probably comes as not suprise that I did have great difficulty getting up at 7:00 to go into work this morning. Luckily, things were pretty calm today.

The Governator

"Feinstein seeks block solar power from desert land" is the title of an AP story that is running on the Columbia Daily Tribune site today. Since the article does not recognize Sen. Diane Feinstein as the Democrat Senator from California, I will.

All I can say is, "What?!?"

There are many things one can say both for and against the Governor of California, but the comment attributed to Arnold Schwarzenegger makes me appreciate his common sense. He is quoted as saying the following;

"If we cannot put solar power plants in the Mojave desert, I don't know where the hell we can put it."

My thoughts exactly! If we cannot put alternative energy plants where the alternative energy sources exist in quantities that make the capture and conversion at least partially efficient, what's the point in pushing alternative energy? Maybe I am just too simple.

Cold, sick foal

Just got back from treating a newborn foal that was born out in the mud this morning.

When I arrived at the farm the foal so cold, I couldn't get a reading on my digital thermometer. I placed an IV catheter and ran some warm 5% dextrose and tried to dry some of the mud and muck off the foal. After about an hour, the foal was strong enough to maintain sternal recumbency, but still was too weak to stand and was still too hypothermic for my thermometer to register.

We moved the foal to the house to get her off the cold ground. This was much easier said than done as the foal is a 200 pound, Percheron (draft breed) filly. After an hour inside, I finally found out what the minimum temperature my thermometer will read: 90 degrees! A newborn foal will usually have a temperature of 101.5. I have never treated a foal with a temperature below 90 degrees. I found some corn syrup in the house and gave the foal 4 ounces via a naso-gastric tube (I used up all of my IV 5% dextrose, and didn't want to overdo the fluids anyway) to help get her glucose up. After a couple of hours inside, she was warm enough to feed some mare's milk.

I am cautiously optimistic about this filly. She is by no means out of the woods, but she was getting stronger and more alert throughout the warming process. I always worry about sepsis with hypothermic foals (started on Naxcel), but Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy could be a possibility as well. If the foal was just born in a bad place, a few meals will perk her up and she won't look back. If sepsis or HIE are the cause of hypothermia, the owner could be looking forward to several sleepless nights.

Sunny Thursday: Too nice to work ALL day!

What a day! Successfully got caught up on paperwork, went on a call and got a ride in!

Weather could not have been better for January 22. Sunshine, not a cloud in the sky and 62 degrees! There was a fairly steady breeze from the South that made the first part of my ride pretty tough, but the homeward leg was great. Rode 28 miles in a little more than 1.5 hours.

Humpday...

Today was a continuation of the catch-up day I had yesterday at work. Not as much horse work as yesterday, but more office work. I think I actually might be starting to catch up.

Yesterday started at CHS with a lameness that turned out to be pretty simple. Over the lunch hour, I held a Board of Health subcommittee planning meeting for some work we plan to do concerning the unwanted pet population and what can be done to reduce the problem in the future. The afternoon was consumed with a respiratory work-up on a 6 month old Percheron that appears to be a chronic sinus infection that had to be trephined and lavaged for treatment. After dropping off culture and cytology samples at the VMTH, I had to run out to do an insurance exam on a horse that was scheduled to be sold-pending the exam results, of course.

Tomorrow, I think I can get the rest of the way caught up on office work in time to take a couple of hours off over lunch for a bike ride in the forcasted mid-50 degree weather.

United We Stand.....

I have been thinking a lot lately about the political landscape of our country as it relates to the upcoming inauguration of the new President of the United States. It is truly an historic event. The gravity of this event is especially illuminated if you consider the past atrocities of slavery and the fact that only 43 people have held the office of President of the United States.

I will admit up front that I have really only been paying attention to the goings-on in Washington for the last 18 or so years. I turned 18, seven days before the start of Desert Storm-I think that is when I first started paying attention.

George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush have been Presidents during the last 18 years. There have been good things and bad things that have happened during the terms of all three presidents. While I have not always agreed with how some issues were handled by the men holding the office, I have always respected them for holding the office-the office of our President.

Since I am in confession mode, I will also admit that I did not vote for Barack Obama. I will, however, continue to support and respect the office of the President. President Barack Obama, has many great challenges in front of him; therefore, there are a great many challenges in front of us. Anyone who views this differently should take some time to reflect on the history of this great country, and what it is that has made it great.

It is my wish that the inauguration of the 44th President of the United States of America will serve as the antidote to the venom that is coursing through the veins of so many, and does not fuel the anger and hate that has divided us in the past. I wish the best for President Obama and our country. God bless America!

Weekend update...

Had an incredibly busy week last week. Last Sunday, I flew to College Station, TX to participate in the TAMU College of Veterinary Medicine's accreditation site visit. This was my second such experience, last month I spent a week in Madison, WI. Needless to say, the weather in Texas in January was better than that of Wisconsin in December.

Finished up in Texas on Thursday afternoon, and flew back home that evening. Got to spend about an hour with the kids before bedtime.

Friday was a day of catch-up at work. Not sure I was totally successful at catching up, but made a pretty good dent in the things that couldn't wait.

Saturday has been a relaxing day. Spent the morning with "N" while "M", Lindsey and Sarah went for their annual pictures. During the kids naps, I went for a 24-mile bike ride. This evening, "M" and I went to the Glendale Stables after-holiday party.

Long meetings....

I really enjoy serving on the Columbia/Boone County Board of Health. There are some really smart and experienced people on the board. Every meeting I learn much from their participation both concerning issues of public health, and on issues concerning effectively working on a committee.

Recently, the meetings have become a little long-winded. Tonight's meeting was no exception. The meeting began at 5:30 and adjourned at 7:45. It is not that there is that much to discuss, usually business can be covered in under one hour. The rate limiting portion of the meeting is our monthly briefings on local public health topics or projects. While extremely informative, they often go over their allotted 15-20 minutes.

Elections were tonight. I humbly declined a nomination for the office of Chair, but accepted nomination and was elected to the office of Vice Chair. I did not feel I could devote the time necessary to adequately perform the duties of Chair, but am I glad to be a back-up to the Chair and take on a few more responsibilities.

I know the Chair and I will be able to work well together. I hope to help him keep the meetings moving along through guiding discussions and keeping them focused on the topic at hand, utilizing committees more often and keeping the monthly briefings, well, brief.

One of the things I am most excited about is the launch of a Board of Health page on the City website. It appears the Vice Chair may take responsibility of managing content on the site. If so, I hope to be able to find some RSS feeds from local and national public health entities to keep content fresh and current and also involve members of the board in writing articles related to their fields of expertise.

I am already looking forward to next month!!!

Monday ride in the cold

Yesterday was in the mid-20's and sunny and I was off work. With the exception of the cold temperature, it was a perfect day for a ride. After all, I have new cold weather riding gear, right! It was a cold, cold ride. Mental note: Next cold day ride, wear better socks!

21 miles in just over an hour. Not bad considering I had been off the bike for several months prior to last week.

Happy New Year!

2009! This year I will mark my 36th birthday, my 10th wedding anniversary and my 10th year since vet school graduation. As I look back, I realize how fortunate I have been to have so many great people in my life. My parents and family have always been very loving and supportive; and I have always had great friends that have walked with me through the joys and challenges of the various stages of my life. I hope I have been as good to those in my life as they have been to me.

I don't know exactly what has caused this, but I think I am becoming more sentimental. Heart-warming events that had not really affected me emotionally before are now leaving me with, at a minimum, a lump in my throat. Maybe, with age, maturity or both, I am recognizing that the "tough guy" façade is just that-a wall that gets in the way of important and meaningful things in life. As a result, I have developed a renewed appreciation for the people and events that have shaped my life. This year I am resolved to be a better person by letting the "tough-guy" wall crumble, looking beyond myself and showing my family and friends how much they mean to me.

2009 is going to be a great year!