Vets

Soooo much of life is different here and I was reminded of this the other day when I played "vet". It's not something I'll be doing again!

Most of the veterinarians are employed by the government. I'm not sure how that works exactly, but that's what I've been told. Apparently this past weekend, there was a vet conference in Kampala. This means that the majority of vets were in the capital and not here - where they were desperately needed. We really missed the 24 hour clinics (even though they cost an arm and a leg).

One of our dear friend's dog was very sick because of "tick fever". I'm still unsure what that is (and can't find it in the book I borrowed, "Where There is No Vet") but apparently the signs go along with the diagnosis. They were able to have one vet come by on Friday (before the conference) who told them what medicines to give. So...when it became obvious on Saturday that the dog was not going to survive, my friend's husband went searching for any vet still around. He returned hours later having had no luck.

So, being the nurse that I am, I came up with a plan. I texted and called my sister-in-law in Georgia (who used to work for a vet) and asked the best way to put a dog to sleep. She gave me several ways that were not an option - I was only willing to use meds (not force). :)So, I set off in search of Insulin (because you can't buy the meds you really need for this type of thing). To make what is becoming a very long story shorter, there is a good reason why Insulin is not the drug of choice for these type of procedures. 850 units of Regular Insulin later, he finally went to sleep hours later (over 4!). Thus ends my veterinary career.

On a happier note, I went by to see Joel today while he was meeting with a teammate. They were meeting where Joel found our two puppies. I don't know if we ever mentioned but there was a third female puppy we never found. Someone had taken it so we were happy - two was enough. As the story is told, that person changed their mind about wanting a dog and brought it back. She was skinny and had ticks, but now she has no ticks (but still skinny). Dade and I brought her home and after a bath in flea/tick medicine, a dose of de-wormer, and a lot of cuddling - she is adjusting well. Her name is "Quita" which means "kill". I was leery of the name at first, but I like the sound and Ruth said it was fine. Don't you think that would scare a potential thief away, if we're yelling "Quita!" when they try to break in?! I'll try to take a picture before too long.

Here are a few pictures - just for fun.

Amani and Rhea sleeping with Mikey - this is right inside the kitchen. We have that grey blanket for them to lay on. They are only allowed to pass through the house - so they love the blanket.

Here's just Dara jumping.

This is Joel practicing being "Ugandan". He's carring one of the kids' mattress. He didn't make it very far before he had to use hands. I am still amazed at how almost every Ugandan can carry a very impressive load on their head.