Physicality

Imagine, if you will, a dog not unlike this one. (This one happens to be an Anatolian Shepherd, and NOT the actual dog in question.) Now, imagine what would happen should that dog's toenails become too long. A no-brainer--toenail trim! And toenail trims are what we at the clinic are partially there for. I have trimmed many a toenail, and most of them didn't bleed. As a matter of fact, while waiting recently in line at Subway, I found a toenail in the pocket of my yellow scrub top. At any rate, yesterday, said dog came into the clinic for the trim. His owners advised that he doesn't much go for having his paws played with, which is unfortunately where the nails were at the time. As a precaution against freaking him totally out, acepromazine was administered. Ace (as we fondly call it) has the effect that perhaps a nice Valium would have on you or me. Sort of a laissez-faire attitude is induced, and many times, procedures that would otherwise produce doggie angst are carried off without a hitch. He was left to let the medicine take effect, and then brought out into the treatment area, at which point a large rent in the fabric that separates all the horrors of hell from appearing in Cedar Park, Texas, was torn way, way open. In the beginning, one tech manned the nail area, and another restrained the dog. By the time it was over, FOUR techs were sprawled across the floor and draped over the dog while he tried to bite off faces through his muzzle. As luck would have it, I was the one draped over his back half, which meant that while I didn't sustain bloody scratches to my neck like one of the others did, I WAS on the end that kept shooting out poops from the combination of fear and physical strain. When it was all done, we struggled to our feet, carefully avoiding the bodily exudates, and the dog jumped up, let us take off his muzzle, shook out his fur, and looked at us with a smile as if to say, "Now who wants to go outside and throw a ball for me!" It is now noted in that particular dog's file that toenail trims will now incur a "handling fee" since 4 staff members are required. AFTER acepromazine.

Boy, I do love me some doggies!