Thursday, November 27, 2003
"The time has come," the professor said,
"To talk of many things:
Of piranha dogs--and fractious cats--
Of rabies poles--and slings--"
A few weeks ago in our Clinical Orientation class we practiced some restraint techniques on both live and stuffed (?) animals. Many of us have had clinical experience restraining cats and dogs, but we learned some new ways of doing it, and practiced using contraptions few of us have had to use before. Different restraints are used for different situations, and the professors/clinicians from the
teaching hospital showed us all sorts of tricks to use when an animal is fractious (scared, mean, ready to bite your face off).
Dr. Thomas Graves demonstrates the lateral recumbency restraint, which is useful for examining joints.
Dr. Graves' tip of the day: As you give an injection to a large dog that is restrained in the sitting position by an assistant, do not face the dog's head. Instead, put your back to the dog's head, so that if the dog decides to turn around and bite you (when it feels the sting of the injection), it bites your back or shoulder instead of your face. Good to know! I'd like to keep my nose, thank you.
Dr Marcella Ridgeway shows a good way to hold a cat for a blood draw from the forepaw.
Jason tries his hand at using a "rabies pole" to control what appears to be a rather vicious dog.
Looks like Catherine has the hang of it. . .
The "cat bag" is useful for controlling a cat when you want to take a good look at its teeth. This kitten was purring and falling asleep as the bag was being zipped up--in the real-life clinical world cats are usually more resistant to being bagged. I'll refrain from making the obvious pun. . .
Matt shows off the infamous "Elizabethan Collar" or "lampshade" that keeps animals from licking their stitches and wounds--also effective for preventing a cat or small dog from chewing on
you as you handle their back end or remove them from a cage.
See? If Jen wanted to bite Catherine's arm, she woudn't be able to reach!
NOT PICTURED:
- Various muzzles: factory-made cordura, leather and the improptu "tie-the-gauze-around-the-muzzle" styles
- the "Lawn Chair": a contraption that looks like a lawn chair made of plastic mesh screen--used to "sandwich" a fractious or territorial cat to remove it from a cage. You can even give injections through the mesh if you are skilled.
- The "choke hold": used on clients when they insist their furry piranha does not bite and that muzzling their little monster would be "cruel" while said pet dangles from your arm by its teeth
