Hmmm... Watching The Pitt. I Enjoy It But I Am Sortof Wishing We Had A Bit More Of The Back Stories For

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@cyanwrites while it *reduces* the risk of them becoming infected with and transmitting toxoplasmosis, it does not eliminate it. Field and house mice do still infiltrate homes and infect indoor patients, regular parasite monitoring, and proper hygiene when doing litterbox maintenance is the surest way to prevent toxoplasmosis.

I reblogged a comic the other day about a doctor watching House, MD and diagnosing toxoplasmosis, tagging it with "you're more likely to get toxoplasmosis from a salad than a cat". There's a story behind that.

I used to work in the kennel at a vet clinic. One day one of the vet techs came into the kennel in a tearing hurry, handed me two cat carriers, and said, "Find a cage for these two. Don't know how long, but you can put them together." And then she left.

This was not how that was supposed to happen. I had no cage cards--no names, no feeding instructions, no health information--they weren't on the schedule, and techs didn't usually intake boarders. Medical cases had a separate kennel, so a tech shouldn't be bringing me an animal in during office visit hours. But I had a cage in the cat room, so I tucked them in--two adult females, very friendly, apparently healthy.

Half an hour later the tech came back--with cage cards--and said, "It's okay, they're staying overnight and going home tomorrow." She slumped against the kennel wall and told the cats' story.

They had been brought to the clinic to be euthanized, to die.

These healthy, friendly, beloved cats had been brought in to be killed, because a woman's doctor, her obstetrician, had told her that they had killed her unborn baby. He told her if she ever wanted a child she had to get rid of the cats. He told her they should be euthanized before they killed any other woman's unborn child.

He said, with no evidence, that they had toxoplasmosis. He said that toxoplasmosis caused her miscarriage.

The woman was distraught. She had just lost her baby, she was dealing with the hormonal changes of the pregnancy loss, and now she had to euthanize her beloved cats. Fortunately no vet I've ever worked for will euthanize healthy animals brought in by a sobbing client without asking why!

The vet spent almost an hour talking to the woman, educating her on toxoplasmosis, telling her all the reasons her doctor was wrong.

Not all cats have toxoplasmosis, and even when they do they only shed the oocytes in their feces--they're only infectious--for the first few weeks. Most cats are infected as kittens and are no longer infectious as adults. According to Wikipedia, "Numerous studies have shown living in a household with a cat is not a significant risk factor for T. gondii infection,[61][63][64] though living with several kittens has some significance.[65]"

Most people get toxoplasmosis from raw vegetables, especially salad greens that grow close to the soil and are hard to clean. Raw or rare meat, raw seafood, and unpasteurized milk are also a risk.

Toxoplasmosis can be a soil-borne disease from feces in the soil. Gardening is a greater risk than cat cohabitation.

Toxoplasmosis infection is dangerous to the fetus in pregnancy, yes, causing birth defects and miscarriages. But only the first time the person is infected. If this this woman had lost her first pregnancy to toxoplasmosis--and the vet said it really didn't fit the symptoms--she would be at low risk in a subsequent pregnancy.

So basically the vet told the woman that 1) her miscarriage probably wasn't toxoplasmosis, 2) even if it was, she probably didn't get it from her cats, 3) even if her cats had given her toxoplasmosis, they weren't infectious anymore.

The woman kept her cats and got a new obstetrician.

Human doctors get a few lectures on zoonotic diseases--diseases transmitted from animals to humans or vice versa. Veterinarians get semesters. If a doctor ever tells you your animals have given you a disease, get a second opinion from your vet!

Do not be so open-minded that your brains fall out. - Gilbert K. Chesterton

A Typical Work Day:

I work Tuesday through Friday, averaging 38-42 hours per week, and I'm on call Saturdays and Sundays, My Mondays are very similar outside of my working hours, with seeing patients being replaced by studying, the occasional personal medical appointment, and my 2 standing appointments for my vocal therapist and my psychological therapist.

Mornings Before Work

05:00 First Alarm, Morning Stretches, Review of Daily Agenda

05:15 Dream Journaling, Self-Love/Positive Self-Talk Affirmations, & Morning Devotional Prompt

05:30 A Morning At The Office Podcast / Morning prayer

06:00 Wake up critters, and take the dogs out for a potty break

06:10 Feed Critters

06:15 Morning Cardio - Fasted 2-4 mile walk-jog with Phobos

06:45 Morning Hygiene

07:00 Medicate Chewbacca & Scoop Cat Boxes

07:15 Breakfast & revise notes over coffee with the news in the background.

07:45 Get the cats into their respective rooms, get Phobos ready to go to work, and Chewbacca set up for the day

Work Morning

08:00 Clock In, Return calls, and Check in Surgical Patients Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri

09:00-12:00 See Patients (GP, Rehab, & Surgical) Tue Wed Thu Fri

Afternoon

12:00 Lunch, feed Hannibal, Olive, and Chewbacca their lunches, and Noonday Prayer (BCP + Forward Day by Day Reading & Meditation)

13:00-17:00 See More Patients (GP & Rehab)

15:00 Clock Out Fridays

15:00-17:00 Sports Conditioning Phobos (Fridays)

17:00 Dinner & Vespers Prayer, Clock Out on Wednesdays

Evenings

17:00-19:00 Course work Wednesdays & Fridays, See Patients Tuesdays & Thursdays

19:00 Medicate Chewbacca + Feed All Critters plus Clock Out Tuesdays & Thursdays

19:15 Strength Training Workout

20:00 Shower, Evening Hygiene & Supplements (Melatonin & Magnesium

20:30 A TV Episode, knitting, blogging, checking social media & my personal emails.

21:30 Screens off for the night and Compline via smart speaker followed by fireplace sounds

22:00 Bed Time

That's a typical work day for me! Okay, Bye! 🩷

小红书 is literally my favorite app at this point. Sorry Not Sorry. It probably helps that the vast majority of users are educated adult women.

THE SWIMMING PIC HAS ME SOBBING 😭😭

thinking about that one wordless calvin and hobbes sunday strip thats just calvins dad ditching his work to go play in the snow... its going to make me cry

~ I wished on a night full of stars...~