Tawny Frog Mouth: Trick Or Treat

It has been a very intense two weeks at work. We have cases coming out of our ears as grass seed season has kicked in. We have started to get people walking in with their poor pooch shaking their heads or rubbing their eyes or licking their paws.

It is only the beginning of this very frantic schedule we will be faced with any day now.

Personally, the hardest part about this frantic season is finding the time to manage challenging cases, following up on ongoing cases & answering to all the demands of the public. I have been flustering my clients with my very late night calls about their pet’s blood results. There just seems not to be enough time in the day for me to do all my calls.

We can only strive to do out best and we have to triage our bookings to suit everyone involved: our patients, our clients and our sanity. We simply can’t treat everything all at once and if you are late for your scheduled appointment, you may have well and truly missed out.

Worst part of these past few weeks is not the busy schedule but the fact that my colleague and I have lost a few very dear patients.

We have also got a few that are not doing so well. There is absolutely nothing more traumatic than getting a phone call at the start of your morning with your client crying and informing you of the loss of her much-loved pet and your regular patient. I had consulted the specialist about ‘Oscar’ because he was not doing too well on the medications required for his condition and I was going to adjust his medications that very morning. Rest in peace my handsome Oscar. You fought a very hard battle and I will share your story with everyone in the near future. It is too soon for me to talk about ‘Oscar’ because�my emotions are too raw at this stage. Below is a picture of him. He was a head nudger and absolutely loved to gently put his head on your lap.

Oh I am sorry! I must be depressing everyone and I can keep going on and on about how tough it has been.

I mean after reading what I just wrote, I sometimes wonder, why do I still do what I do knowing what I go through.

Yes I have had big winners but the price is lack of sleep and never guaranteeing an outcome. You do your best to save your patient and put your heart and soul into it. You can’t help but get so attached� and consequently feel mournful and devastated if your efforts have not paid off. Seriously I sometimes wonder why I don’t just quit and start a new career. I could aim for a job that involves less pressure, way better pay and most importantly one that is not so consuming emotionally, mentally and physically!

Now let me tell you why I could never stop doing what I do. Yes I go through some serious rough patches but there is nothing more beautiful than saving a life or stopping the suffering of a pet.

Last week, Blossom made my day. It was insanely busy. We were running around like robots trying to get everything done. I still found the time to snuggle up with Blossom and had her sit 0n my lap purring her heart out while I typed my history. She had been off her food because she was in so much pain when I first admitted her . I discovered she had�a swollen ankle�and treated her appropriately. And voila, she ate heaps, was purring and grooming herself a couple of hours later.

Making this happen is what drives me to do what I do…

Today was a public holiday down under�as it was Melbourne Cup. Someone had to be on emergency call and so Alana and I ended up sharing it.

I was awoken at 7 a.m. with a phone call�about a Tawny frog mouth.

I instructed the lady to keep it warm and tuck it away in a box in a quiet room until I can organise for us to meet at the clinic. I am happy to do pro bono�work for wildlife. At 10�a.m. when I had finished treating my in hospital patients, I called the lady�and asked her to drop in the bird. I was shocked to discover it was a only a baby.

I have only seen a handful of those at wildlife shelters. I was absolutely taken by him. He was starving and was attacking the box and I wasn’t sure if he was going to latch onto me. In fact, he was harmless but very vocal and demanding. We satisfied his immediate needs and will be sending him to a licensed wildlife carer in the morning. I feel very privileged to be involved in looking after such an exquisite creature. He looks like an owl and his beak appears small at first glance but when he opens his mouth, you are blown away by the sheer size of it compared with the rest of his body!

I was feeling tricked and annoyed to be woken up so early about this tawny frog mouth but seeing him was an absolute treat.

Check out his pictures & absolutely halarious�video below:

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Filed under: Random, Wildlife Care Source: http://rayyathevet.com/2011/11/02/tawny-frog-mouth-trick-or-treat/

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Rayya The Vet

I was born overseas and grew up in Lebanon. About 9 years ago, I left my family and friends behind to pursue my dream of becoming a veterinarian in Australia.

I have now been out in practice for the past 5 years. I absolutely love being involved with all types of animals and consider it my "calling". Whilst my job can be quite an emotional rollercoaster ride, I cannot fathom doing anything else for as long as I am living. I simply feel blessed every day that I am practicing what I truly love.

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