Here's a piece titled "A Day in the Life" by Tia.

“What’s a typical day like at work for you?” Asked a friend of mine. I grinned. I don’t believe I’ve had a “typical” day at work in my life. I thought back on the day last week when I spayed 8 female cats and neutered 4 male cats for the Lewis & Clark Humane Society (LCHS). The days we dedicate to the LCHS are most likely to be somewhat predictable, if not typical. Working with my assistant Anna, we got the kitties done in the morning. One of the females appeared to be pregnant so I called Gina Wiest the Shelter Director to get permission to foster the little multi-toed, muted tortoise-shell. It’s unusual for a cat to be pregnant this time of year, kitten season is springtime and early summer. I dislike spaying pregnant cats but I am dedicated to helping solve the pet over population problem we have here in Helena. When I foster a pregnant kitty I spay her after the kittens are born and then, before they go to their new homes, I spay or neuter each kitten. Our practice dedicates on average, one day a week to provide healthcare for animals from the LCHS. Gina granted me permission to take the cat home so Little Miss Turtle Toes is living at our house awaiting the birth of her kittens.

I did the LCSH work in the morning last week because it’s winter. During winter, I attempt to schedule inside work for the morning and the farm calls for early afternoon when the likelihood exists that some pale winter sun may help make the work seem a bit warmer. In summer the schedule is reversed to allow the sometimes strenuous outside work to be done in the cool of the morning. I had a few horses to work on that afternoon, checking the teeth of a few mares who will foal in the spring, trimming feet, deworming.. It was mostly maintenance work that should be done one or two times each winter. If the mares need to have dental work done, we schedule it for after they foal and before they are rebred. Sedation is usually required for a thorough equine dentistry, so we schedule those procedures for when the mares are not pregnant. I was just finishing the hoof trimming of one mare when my office called to let me know a horse had gotten caught in a fence and was bleeding badly. The owner said it would not stand on one leg and he was afraid the leg might be broken. I told the owner of the mare I’d reschedule the rest of the horses for later that week and left.

As I drove across town to get to the injured gelding, I got stuck in traffic. It took nearly 20 minutes to negotiate Eleventh Avenue. I wondered if the traffic jam was due to last minute holiday shoppers or if there had been an accident. I impatiently wished my car had sirens and lights. I reflected on the fact that first year out of veterinary school, more large animal vets are killed or injured trying to get to emergencies than are killed or injured by the big animals on which they work. I tried to be patient while knowing an injured horse was hurting and maybe actually bleeding to death. The hold up turned out to be an accident near the interstate.

I finally got to the gelding. He had been playing, running around the paddock. The owner speculated that he had run toward the fence, had not been able to stop because of the icy mud and had tried to jump the fence to avoid a collision. He’d nearly made it, just catching his hind legs in the fence. In his struggle to free himself, he’d deeply lacerated the fronts of his hind legs just above his hocks destroying muscles and tendons. He stood, unable or unwilling to move, in the bloody snow; the bandages the owner had applied had slowed the bleeding, but the bright red blood still seeped steadily down his hind legs. He was shocky and in a lot of pain, shivering in the chill of the late afternoon. I gave him a drug intravenously to help with the pain, then Bill, the owner, and I had the sort of discussion that human physicians rarely have.

“Should we put him down?” He asked, gently stroking the silky forelock of his gelding. The thought had crossed my mind, these injuries warranted this talk. Big Sky might not be able to walk well again, much less be a reliable trail horse. And the time he’d spend in the healing process certainly would not be without pain. There would be many, many bandage changes and the cost could be fairly high.

Big Sky is a 6 year old Paint gelding, quite handsome and usually sensible. He’s been a favorite of mine and the idea of putting him down without giving him a chance was repugnant. “He is pretty badly injured, and I can’t say right now how he’ll do in the future. But, if we put him down now, then there’s truly no hope at all. There’ll be a lot of work and time and money involved with healing him, but I think we should give him that chance. If he can’t heal up well, we can decide later what to do.” Bill looked relieved, he really likes Big Sky, too and the idea of ending the gelding’s life had brought tears to his eyes...Or maybe it was just the raw north wind.

I applied pressure bandages to Big Sky’s legs to help stop the bleeding. Suturing that area on a horse is rarely successful as the tension and flexion of the big joint will rip any sutures out. Stopping the bleeding, managing his pain, and getting him into the barn were the highest priorities. Soon he was in his 12 by 12 foot stall, safely bandaged, and medicated for his pain. Time will tell how he will do. Personally, I am cautiously optimistic. I’ll let you know what happens.