Noise, what noise?

Go check this out. After the ad finishes playing, turn up your speakers when they say "But now a new genre has emerged," and when there's a girl's knees in torn jeans with a really high-tech cellphone on them. You'll hear (or not) the sound when the cellphone on the table is flashing and before the announcer comments on whether you heard it or not.

[Poll #747684]

I actually did hear it, unlike the one that the_xtina linked to a while ago (anyone remember that link?), but also I was on a laptop then and I have good speakers now (hence wanting the link).

News

Good: Peeper's coming home! She's up to 68g, she's eating well, he doesn't think she's in much pain. I'm going to go in at 4pm and I'll ask a billion more questions and he'll show me how to give her the medicine and fluids - I told him I've fed and medicined her by syringe before, but a reminder doesn't hurt.

Bad: The medicine they're giving her reduces uric acid in the blood, but it can't do anything about uric acid crystals = gout. I don't know if they'll go away on their own, so they may never go away and she may never regain normal foot function. I will have to remove perches from her cage and put food bowls on the floor, covered with a towel. I think I'll buy more towels and little bowls for food before I go over there. When she comes home I will have to give her medicine and fluids, and I don't know for how long, maybe forever.

But she's coming home this evening! :)

Webbys

For a chuckle, check out the Webbys acceptance speeches - apparently they were instructed to limit to 5 words, though a couple pushed that limit. Some were quite inventive.

options

Although I don't think it'll be likely now, I snagged me a copy of the "euthanasia request" form at the animal hospital yesterday. (I realized today that on Monday I would've given her a 80-90% chance of not pulling through. I never asked the vet, I didn't want to know.) The form includes two options that I might like, and a few I didn't. There are a number of typos... The options I found palatable were as follows.

• Donate - I wish to donate my pets remains to Tufts University School of Veterinary School for education of Veterinary students to promote the health and welfare of other animals. There will be no charge for euthanasia and final disposition.


• Cremation/With Return of Ashes - I wish to have my pet individually cremated at an offsite facility. The ashes will be returned to the hospital in approximately two weeks. There will be a charge for this service.

Other options were no return of ashes, necropsy (I'd know the cause of death here, so no need), cosmetic necropsy, and taking the body home. I think in the end I will prefer cremation w/ return of ashes. Although I would kinda like for her life/death to help vets learn about birds since they know so little, I think I am too attached to her and would want to bring her remains home. Thank goodness that will not be now.

Peeper's home!

She's doing really well. She's chowing down on millet at the moment, her favorite food. I left her in her cage for a while to make sure she eats, as I got the feeling that if she were with me she'd rather I scratch her. She's still not gripping, and the discharge letter says she may never regain that function, but she doesn't entirely realize that yet and keeps trying to climb up things she used to be able to climb - it's somewhere between really adorable and pathetic.

Her discharge letter also says that she was "extremely sweet" and that it was a pleasure to have her. From what the vet said to me as we left, she was a total attention whore the whole time! Every time someone was near her cage she'd poke her head out to beg for scratches, and all the students and technicians and everyone would oblige her. The vet said they were sad to see her leave. :) I guess she's even nicer a bird than I thought.

I think I'm going to have to have a pretty card made with her picture on it and send it to them. They saved her life, and loved doing it.

ETA: We have a follow-up next Wednesday at 2pm. At that time they'll draw more blood and see how she's doing. I asked the vet if he could give me a life expectancy for her now - months, years, days - and he said he had no clue, but that after he sees the further bloodwork he can possibly make a guess. :-\ However, the resident said they recently got a 27-year-old cockatiel... *grin*

The vet I was dealing with actually is already a full vet/doctor. He's from Italy, and he came here to study more, including exotics. Interesting.

my lemming nature

If you comment on this post:

1. i’ll respond with something random about you
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3. i’ll pick a color that i associate with you
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6. i’ll tell you what animal you remind me of
7. i’ll ask you something i’ve always wanted to ask you
8. feel free to repost to your blog

From amavia.