Hand Model....

    

Ok I'm guessing you're wondering about the title of this post.... I'll get to it, I promise! Everyday in the clinic, we get to cuddle with the cutest cats, play with the most adorable puppies and create a real connection with our patients. Every now and then however, we come across a patient who we can barely even touch. The animal is often terrified, unused to human contact or just plain aggressive. I had one of those experiences the other night. The client had bought their cat in for a nail trim. For confidentiality purposes, let's call him 'Fluffy'. Nail trims on cats are a routine procedure for the nurses, and tonight was no exception - so I thought. Fluffy did not want to come out of his box, but with a little persuasion, he eventually came out. Fluffy was a big cat, not obese, but by no means small. He was fine, until he heard a dog bark - and that was it. He was howling, hissing, spitting and trying to latch onto the closest thing he could find. Unfortunately for me, that was my arm. Now if this had of occurred AFTER the nail trim, I would have been in a much better position. Of course though, it was BEFORE I had managed to trim down those talons! Needless to say, my arms were shredded. Deep, bleeding lacerations - thanks Fluffy. 


Of course the owner felt bad, and truth be told, it wasn't the cats' fault. He was merely acting on fear. For cats that are known to be aggressive, we have the 'welding gloves'. The gloves are really thick and extend all the way to the elbows, covering as much skin as possible. Fluffy however was not known to be aggressive, and is probably a lovely cat - when not being terrorized by a barking (mad) dog! Needless to say, the gloves were nowhere in sight, and by that point it was too late.....


Calmly I washed my arms in disinfectant, hoping to avoid any kind of infection. After the many bites and scratches I have endured, I figured it would be fine - and it was. A little tenderness the following day, but everything fine otherwise. Not the most enjoyable part of my job, that's for sure, but definitely one aspect! After looking again at my arms tonight, I realized with sadness - I'll never be a hand model :P