EHS

1. PPE: be sure and use your personal protective equipment
2. Safe surroundings: make sure there are no dangerous – or potentially dangerous – items in your work area
3. Proper use of instrumentation: do not over-ride safety implementations on any machinery, and use all safety equipment included in any device.

You are probably thinking this post has to due with Zoe’s recent injury…and you’d be partly correct. For instance, point #2 – no more glass objects will be left unattended on the table, or anywhere where the glass could be converted to shards based on a collision with some hard surface (e.g. – blue stones, bricks, granite pavers, etc.). This safety measure has been put into effect immediately after Zoe’s bleeding had stopped and she was back to normal. It is still incumbent upon us to stay off the table when people are eating there and have water glasses near their place settings.

Instead, this post has to due with not utilizing the safety parts (#3) that came with the Mandoline that we recently purchased from Amazon. Whether it was Dad being too impatient (lazy) to get the device that you are suppose to mount the item you want to slice or if he was just jealous (or feeling guilty) about the injury suffered he won’t say.

In short, while cutting some cucumbers for pickling, his hand slipped and the thumb on his front right paw was reduced in thickness by a few millimeters or so. Fortunately for him it was a straight blade and not the “wavy” blade as I suspect that would have caused a much uglier injury.

Once again I was in top form as head nurse immediately demanding he get any absorbent material nearby (in this case paper towels) to wrap the wound, apply direct pressure, and raise his hand above his head. In a short time the bleeding had stopped and a new bandage with some Neosporin was wrapped around his thumb. He did not get a sock put over his paw, nor did he fall asleep under the table, but he did have to sit idle while Mom made dinner.

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  Bandaged thumb

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  Next day (“tuna steak” thumb) with some paint on the nail

In another instance of not using instruments properly, one of my Dad’s friends/former co-worker, devised a way to work around the safety locks in order to do some really cool experiments. In this case, everyone aware they had to be careful, no one was injured. Unfortunately for him, someone from the safety folks at his work site found the safety override and a picture of this set up was used a photo of his innovation/ingenuity as a NEVER-DO-THIS slide at an all employee meeting causing him a bit of embarrassment and ribbing from his colleagues.

Now for the PPE (#1) section and a little soap box moment for me. First, it is true that neither injury would have been prevented if they had been wearing gloves, safety glasses, lab coats, or ear coverings as these were injuries caused by #2 and #3 infractions. However, these personal protective equipment – along with muzzles and face masks – can prevent a lot of other things. Also getting appropriate preventative inoculations – like we get for rabies, bordatella, distemper, parvovirus, etc., and humans get for measles, mumps, rubella, tetanus, diptheria, pertussis, etc. etc.

So way the rant? First off, I am glad to hear so many more orphans, like Zoe and I were before we found this pack, have been adopted into other packs. However, IF people had worn appropriate PPE and gotten vaccinated ASAP the current pandemic would certainly not be at the level it is now…and therefore, there would likely be enough vets and support staff at emergency pet hospitals so that Zoe (and other pets in need of health care workers) would have been seen by true professionals. Luckily, her injury – despite all the blood loss – was not life threatening…but it could have been.

And from what I have heard this is also true at human hospitals where very sick people can’t be treated because there are not enough beds, ventilators, etc. to support everyone. I realize I’m “just” a dog, but this seems like a seriously ridiculous (and largely preventable – like the two injuries in our household this week, by the way) spot we have ended up in.

Stay safe,

The Tempest

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*EHS – Environmental Health and Safety for anyone who was unfamiliar with the acronym.

It’s All Fun and Games Until…

Well, until someone cuts their foot on broken glass.

You may be asking yourself how such a thing could happen. It turns out that while we are sprinting around the backyard like crazy dogs in a game of chase, we are not all that aware of obstacles around us (e.g. – peoples’ legs, swimming pools, or as it turns out glass bottles). Yesterday, it was a “vase” on our downstairs patio.

Fire Pit Pallet Chairs

The sound of the glass shattering, got my parents immediately out of the newest pallet Adirondack chairs and to the patio area to prevent us from stepping on any of the shards. Turns out, they were too late. The small pools of blood had been tracked around the table. However, at first they didn’t know which one of us was bleeding and from where.

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CRIME SCENE PHOTOS

Before long they identified the wound to be on Zoe’s back right paw. I (head nurse Tempi of Carlisle) instructed them to apply pressure using one of Dad’s socks – this would allow them to pull the sock over her foot and hold her paw tightly. Before long this sock was soaked with her blood so a second sock was put into service. As the second sock started to become red it was determined we’d probably get her to an emergency vet.

While still holding the sock tightly, Dad carried her to the car with a lot of groans – apparently Zoe has continued to recover from her weight-loss prior to being diagnosed with EPI. Meanwhile, Mom got me on a leash, her purse, Dad’s wallet and we all convened at the dog car. I jumped in the back while Mom took her spot in the shotgun seat. Dad placed Zoe on Mom’s lap then jumped in the drivers seat and off we went.

After about, 10 minutes or so (or it could have been 30) we arrived at the animal hospital since our normal vet had closed for the day. We all piled out of the car and then saw a sign that said call before entering…which Mom did immediately. The person on the phone got all our information and said they were at capacity but a nurse would come out and check Zoe.

A few minutes later she called back and said that they were too busy to even come out! So both of our parents started looking for other emergency vets in the area.

First they tried one just down the road from where we at…but their ER was closed ?!?

As Mom dialed the next number from Dad’s phone, Dad removed Zoe’s socks and found the bleeding had pretty much stopped. Phew!

It was at this point Mom discovered the reason for the apparent lack of interest in helping us from listening to the phone message at ER #3: during the pandemic, the number of adopted pets has skyrocketed while the number of ER staffers has decreased…bad combination. In short, much like in hospitals have limited capacity to treat Covid patients, the Vets have to triage what is the most potentially dangerous situation. That message basically said if you aren’t dying don’t come.

So, after I used the restroom by the parking lot – I really had to pee – we returned home. I evaluated Zoe’s foot with a good sniff or two, then instructed my parents to wash the wound with clean water, dry it with cotton balls, put some Neosporin between her pads, put a fresh sock on, and tape it on so it will stay on for an hour so. With this done, Zoe fell asleep under the table where this all began.

About 90 minutes later she got up and padded over to Mom -walking a little like the way we dogs walk when first wearing foot-coverings. Mom removed the sock for Zoe, and just about then the UPS truck drove down the road and …vroooom…off she went, sprinting to the fence barking up a storm.

So she’s back and doing fine! Not even the loss of blood slows that girl down for long. We will keep an eye on it and bring her to our regular vet if something goes wrong.

And Mom’s sweatpants, Dad’s t-shirt, shorts and bandage socks are all soaking in cold water – we will see if the blood comes out of them. Luckily, Mom’s new purse/bag was able to be cleaned with just a wee bit of elbow grease. We assume the bluestones on the patio will clean all the way with time.

The Tempest