What happens when two vets decide to settle down in a cozy house near the Jersey shore? Well I'm not sure about every veterinary couple, but for us it means that our "family" is apt to grow at any moment..... as you will soon see.
This is our family blog. In it I (with the occasional help of other members of the herd) will try to update all on family events, goings on in Jersey. This is sure to include many trials and tribulations, as well as joys and blessings. The best way to get started is to introduce the characters that make up our little band of misfits. So here we go:
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| Zach showing a wild side! |
I (Zach) am the main author of this blog (though guest authors will be allowed and encouraged). As I start the fourth decade of my life (am I really over 30! Geez who would have thought!?), I can't help but be astonished at how crazy life has been. A small sampling includes: moving to New Jersey, becoming a doctor, being (briefly) homeless, and battling (successfully.. so far) cancer. Of everything I've accomplished though, the best and most meaningful was meeting and winning over my life partner ....
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| EJ in vet school getting her farm medicine on! |
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| Jamerson the patriarch, I brought him with me to the relationship |
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| Our "princess" the Bee |
EJ rescued Frisby from a hoarder's (a person who has way too many pets ... no joking about us now ;-P ) house in her early vet school years before we met. However, even though EJ will always be her mommy, the Bee and I quickly became best buds and confidants. Between bonding over burger king french fries during my internship to cuddling during my chemo doldrums we have become the dynamic duo. Of course, Bee is not without her behavioral and health problems. She was born with a congenital heart deformity which required surgery to repair, in addition she has also required extensive surgery due to a slipped disc in the neck. The Frizzer is a scavenger and a sneaky one at that. I can not count how many amusing stories we have about her trying to acquire a tasty snack. I'm sure many will come up in this blog. I am convinced that this behavior will get her in trouble someday health-wise (foreign body, pancreatitis, etc), but so far her iron constitution has fared her well. Oh ... yeah ... and she has a special craving for cat poo :)
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| Nemo (the trouble maker) was EJ's baby first |
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| The boys ... best buds despite completely different personalities |
The next addition to our ever growing personal following was Paulie. Paulie is a very special child. He is very sensitive to smells, sounds and he is very easily amused. He is the most childlike of our pets and seems to truly be motivated more by love and affection then by food (unlike the rest of the gang). His "in your face" affection has made him the favorite of several of our friends. Except when he a gets a little too excited (and cough cough has to sow his wild cat oats), he can be a very cute love bug. We are not sure if he was some little girl's cat in a past life, because he is tolerant of most forms of kitty torture (hugs, dress up , wrestling). He does not bite, but rather will lick an offender to let them know he does not appreciate something. Yup the Paulcifer is quite a character. He was rescued from death by one of my colleagues and nursed back from an early grave <due to liver failure from starvation outside ... our poor boy could not even hunt on his own outside after he was abandoned. Lucky for him he decided to go through his final death throws in a veterinarian's backyard!>. When she could not take him home, I decided to give this miracle kitty a spot among our crew. After all, anyone who knows Paulie knows he deserves to be one of the misfits.
The black and white boy who looks way too cool for his surroundings is Paulie's best friend Cosmo. Elsa adopted Cos from her work when he was really sick. The conversation went something like this,
EJ "Zach, I just examined this blocked <urinary obstruction> cat who is really sick. The owner's can't afford surgery, so ... I'm going to have to put him to sleep."
Z "Oh, I'm sorry sweetie that is really sad.... so what do you wanna do for dinner tonight?"
EJ "Or maybe we could adopt him and I could do his surgery as a learning experience."
<Now keep in mind, I was about to start full-time cancer treatments (chemotherapy and surgeries), we were planning a wedding, and our lease only allowed for 1 dog and 3 cats>
Z "That would be really tough right now...."
EJ "I guess you are right"
So I continued to go about my day at work, thinking that my wife and I had communicated well and we would remain a 4 pet (plus fish tanks) household. That is until Elsa had me come visit our "new baby."
Now if you will allow me to digress for a moment~~~~~
Cosmo had a urinary obstruction, a not uncommon disease afflicting neutered male cats. We don't completely understand why some cats get it and some don't, but we do know that sex (male), anxiety levels, wet/dry food ratio, genetics, and (more rarely then you would think) infections can play a role. It is also seems that recent abrupt changes in weather coincide with blocking (I think their penises get cold and clamp shut :) ). Some cats do not fully block and can urinate a little. While this is uncomfortable, it is not an emergency since they have a way to relieve their toxins. Those like Cosmo though need intervention as soon as possible or they will die. In addition to keeping toxins in the body, the body loses the ability to eliminate potassium. Now don't get me wrong, everyone needs potassium in the correct amount, but excessive amounts of it will cause their hearts to do the hibernation dance. That road leads to a dead cat (or really a dead anything). In addition, the toxins cause havoc on the remainder of the body's regulatory systems until they are released. Even when relieved a cat is not "out of the woods", since the body will compensate by trying to flush out absolutely everything for a long time (fancy word = compensatory polyuria). As you can imagine, without intensive support our poor patient will become excessively dehydrated to the point of multiple organ failure. Additionally, there is always the risk of reobstruction. So here is our little man, in a coma like state, not only seeing the light, but blinking because of its intense glare when my wife (aka Super Vet) steps in to rescue him. Now any half-capable vet can manage a run of the mill blocked cat. You unblock them, support them with fluids, and give them pain medications (rarely antibiotics) until they can urinate on their own. Then they go home to a special diet and lots of TLC. Repeat offenders often will have a surgery performed which widens their exit (often affectionately called a sex change operation) in hopes of avoiding further obstructions. However, our dear Cos-meow was not a run of the mill blocked cat. He was so sick that he was practically comatose and required intensive care and supplements for almost a week. When most other vets would have (and advised) performing human euthanasia, EJ trudged on. In the end, our little devil wanted to live and made a great turn around. Sure ... he did need that special surgery, but he is still the bad-a** little man of the house.
Despite his early struggles, Cosmo has proved to be one of the cooler members of our crew. Don't get me wrong, he can be a trouble maker and is not above stealing food or trying to sneak outside to hunt. Overall though, he is a very good boy. Whenever he plays with Paulie, he never extends his claws and is a gentle as our special little man. While he hates restraint and is a naughty boy at the vet, he is never aggressive at home. He will be an ultra PIA at night if you are trying to sleep when he wants to play, but if locked out of the bedroom he is content to entertain himself elsewhere. He seems to have a different play style with each cat according to their needs. He loves to wrestle with our big oaf Paulie, to play chase and run with our dainty little Nemo, and to defer to our crotchety old man Jamie. Side note: he prefers to avoid the dogs and rabbit. Coz is clearly too cool for the rest of us, but due to his anatomical difference he has decided to be part of the misfit crew.
So if you don't know us well, you may think that I am a total victim in this animal overload. Well... not exactly. Last summer as Elsa was enjoying a fancy free dinner at a veterinary conference, I sent her a text with a picture of a pathetic looking rat-creature with the caption "meet our new dog." Needless to say, she was none to pleased, but she soldiered on.
I wish I could say that my heart was filled with love and joy at the beauty of our new dog "Kitty" <Named this so as not to upset Frisby. EJ says we have 4 cats, 1 dog and 1 kitty.> , but that would be a lie. I was actually dry heaving from nausea. SPOILER: IF you are eating or plan to eat soon while reading this blog skip to the next paragraph now please!
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-----LAST CHANCE----------
This dear little girl was presented to me for whining and not acting right. This was because she was COVERED from head to toe with all sizes and types of maggots. She had three large skin wounds from which these nasty little critters emerged and squirmed all over. Alas, her original owner could not afford treatment. Silly me, I could not see why an animal should have to die because of such a fixable problem, so I took over custody. Little did I know what I was getting into. My cute little blond actually has (upon much further diagnostic work brought on by her having cluster seizures a week later) hydrocephalus (water on the brain), epilepsy (seizures not explained by other causes), and suspected enchephalitis (chronic inflammation of the brain). As such, she is on a pharmacy of drugs which partially control her seizures, but make her insanely hungry (she will have feeding frenzies and without conscience strip people of their fingers if they are not careful), insanely thirsty, and basically incontinent with how much she has to use the toilet. She does recycle her solid material, but it is hard to convince EJ that this time saving behavior is a good thing. Overall, she in uncoordinated, ditzy, and does not appear all that intelligent. However, she is always full of energy and seems genuinely happy to be alive. She is without a doubt a PIA, but as long as she stays happy ... she has a place with us.
EJ "Zach, I just examined this blocked <urinary obstruction> cat who is really sick. The owner's can't afford surgery, so ... I'm going to have to put him to sleep."
Z "Oh, I'm sorry sweetie that is really sad.... so what do you wanna do for dinner tonight?"
EJ "Or maybe we could adopt him and I could do his surgery as a learning experience."
<Now keep in mind, I was about to start full-time cancer treatments (chemotherapy and surgeries), we were planning a wedding, and our lease only allowed for 1 dog and 3 cats>
Z "That would be really tough right now...."
EJ "I guess you are right"
So I continued to go about my day at work, thinking that my wife and I had communicated well and we would remain a 4 pet (plus fish tanks) household. That is until Elsa had me come visit our "new baby."
Now if you will allow me to digress for a moment~~~~~
Cosmo had a urinary obstruction, a not uncommon disease afflicting neutered male cats. We don't completely understand why some cats get it and some don't, but we do know that sex (male), anxiety levels, wet/dry food ratio, genetics, and (more rarely then you would think) infections can play a role. It is also seems that recent abrupt changes in weather coincide with blocking (I think their penises get cold and clamp shut :) ). Some cats do not fully block and can urinate a little. While this is uncomfortable, it is not an emergency since they have a way to relieve their toxins. Those like Cosmo though need intervention as soon as possible or they will die. In addition to keeping toxins in the body, the body loses the ability to eliminate potassium. Now don't get me wrong, everyone needs potassium in the correct amount, but excessive amounts of it will cause their hearts to do the hibernation dance. That road leads to a dead cat (or really a dead anything). In addition, the toxins cause havoc on the remainder of the body's regulatory systems until they are released. Even when relieved a cat is not "out of the woods", since the body will compensate by trying to flush out absolutely everything for a long time (fancy word = compensatory polyuria). As you can imagine, without intensive support our poor patient will become excessively dehydrated to the point of multiple organ failure. Additionally, there is always the risk of reobstruction. So here is our little man, in a coma like state, not only seeing the light, but blinking because of its intense glare when my wife (aka Super Vet) steps in to rescue him. Now any half-capable vet can manage a run of the mill blocked cat. You unblock them, support them with fluids, and give them pain medications (rarely antibiotics) until they can urinate on their own. Then they go home to a special diet and lots of TLC. Repeat offenders often will have a surgery performed which widens their exit (often affectionately called a sex change operation) in hopes of avoiding further obstructions. However, our dear Cos-meow was not a run of the mill blocked cat. He was so sick that he was practically comatose and required intensive care and supplements for almost a week. When most other vets would have (and advised) performing human euthanasia, EJ trudged on. In the end, our little devil wanted to live and made a great turn around. Sure ... he did need that special surgery, but he is still the bad-a** little man of the house.
Despite his early struggles, Cosmo has proved to be one of the cooler members of our crew. Don't get me wrong, he can be a trouble maker and is not above stealing food or trying to sneak outside to hunt. Overall though, he is a very good boy. Whenever he plays with Paulie, he never extends his claws and is a gentle as our special little man. While he hates restraint and is a naughty boy at the vet, he is never aggressive at home. He will be an ultra PIA at night if you are trying to sleep when he wants to play, but if locked out of the bedroom he is content to entertain himself elsewhere. He seems to have a different play style with each cat according to their needs. He loves to wrestle with our big oaf Paulie, to play chase and run with our dainty little Nemo, and to defer to our crotchety old man Jamie. Side note: he prefers to avoid the dogs and rabbit. Coz is clearly too cool for the rest of us, but due to his anatomical difference he has decided to be part of the misfit crew.
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| Kitty decided to baptize herself as an initiation to our family |
I wish I could say that my heart was filled with love and joy at the beauty of our new dog "Kitty" <Named this so as not to upset Frisby. EJ says we have 4 cats, 1 dog and 1 kitty.> , but that would be a lie. I was actually dry heaving from nausea. SPOILER: IF you are eating or plan to eat soon while reading this blog skip to the next paragraph now please!
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-----LAST CHANCE----------
This dear little girl was presented to me for whining and not acting right. This was because she was COVERED from head to toe with all sizes and types of maggots. She had three large skin wounds from which these nasty little critters emerged and squirmed all over. Alas, her original owner could not afford treatment. Silly me, I could not see why an animal should have to die because of such a fixable problem, so I took over custody. Little did I know what I was getting into. My cute little blond actually has (upon much further diagnostic work brought on by her having cluster seizures a week later) hydrocephalus (water on the brain), epilepsy (seizures not explained by other causes), and suspected enchephalitis (chronic inflammation of the brain). As such, she is on a pharmacy of drugs which partially control her seizures, but make her insanely hungry (she will have feeding frenzies and without conscience strip people of their fingers if they are not careful), insanely thirsty, and basically incontinent with how much she has to use the toilet. She does recycle her solid material, but it is hard to convince EJ that this time saving behavior is a good thing. Overall, she in uncoordinated, ditzy, and does not appear all that intelligent. However, she is always full of energy and seems genuinely happy to be alive. She is without a doubt a PIA, but as long as she stays happy ... she has a place with us.
Sidenote: I actually think she is less ditzy then she lets on. She will often refuse to defecate outside, but then will go when in her pen. EJ thinks this is because she is stupid... however I think she is conserving her resources for recycling. Also, she seemed to catch on the about dinner time really quickly.....
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| The newest member of our family. |
My friends, the insanity is not restricted to felines and canines. Our newest addition is of the prey species kind. Elsa has clearly learned from the Cosmo communication debacle.... now she just doesn't ask permission before bringing a new pet home.
Imagine this if you will:
EJ - "I need you to come down to the office to look at my patient's xrays."
Z - "Ok, but why don't you ask one of the other doctors at your work so I can enjoy my day off?"
EJ - "Because I really need your opinion."
----After a suitable lapse of time----
EJ - "So this Dawg...."
Z - "That x-ray is not of a dog... and why does it have your last name?!?"
And so it goes...
That's right boys and girls, EJ has rescued a rabbit who had a nasty bladder stone, wasn't eating, and was destined for euthanasia. In hopes of placating me, she named her the very pro-redsox Dirtdawg. Oye.....
She (Dawgie not EJ) is a little spit-fire that does not really like me. Maybe she'll come around, for now she just wants to beat the crap out of all the cats and eat her salad damn it!
So that's the family for now... Of course I haven't seen Elsa yet today.....................
Now that introductions are completed, periodic updates and stories are sure to follow.
See ya next time
Z
Imagine this if you will:
EJ - "I need you to come down to the office to look at my patient's xrays."
Z - "Ok, but why don't you ask one of the other doctors at your work so I can enjoy my day off?"
EJ - "Because I really need your opinion."
----After a suitable lapse of time----
EJ - "So this Dawg...."
Z - "That x-ray is not of a dog... and why does it have your last name?!?"
And so it goes...
That's right boys and girls, EJ has rescued a rabbit who had a nasty bladder stone, wasn't eating, and was destined for euthanasia. In hopes of placating me, she named her the very pro-redsox Dirtdawg. Oye.....
She (Dawgie not EJ) is a little spit-fire that does not really like me. Maybe she'll come around, for now she just wants to beat the crap out of all the cats and eat her salad damn it!
So that's the family for now... Of course I haven't seen Elsa yet today.....................
Now that introductions are completed, periodic updates and stories are sure to follow.
See ya next time
Z
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