LC-trial 9.-10. May, Bråviken in Sweden

I entered Chivas to this LC-trial, and got the papers on e-mail today. He's to run on Sunday, and there are 29+21 salukis entered! First start at 08.00. I'm draging my sister with me, and we'll probably have all the dogs as well. Since she's finished work at 18.00 on Saturday, it'll be nightdriving. I'll find us somewhere to sleep from Sunday to Monday though, and then well drive back to Oslo. Mum is comming down to Oslo on Monday at 13.30, but it'll be easy to get there in time. Then it's probably off to IKEA!

Halfway through the worst part of lambingseason

It's not been so much work as I'd feared, but still enough to keep all 3 of us quite busy every day! I'm on duty this weekend too, and I'll have my own personal assistant! Chanett Orre will come and stay with me for the weekend, to experience what a vet do - other than on the small-animal clinic. The only "problem" is that I have to go and pick her up at the busstop at about 04 tonight, and I'm not good at being tired and getting up in the middle of the night, haha

I've had a few easy lambings (those are always very nice) and a lambing that went really bad. Lamb comming with the hindfeet first - or not even that, just the hindhooks, so the cervix ("livmorhals") was only partially (and badly) opened. I managed to block her up quite well, and also to correct the hindfeet so that the "toes" came first - and got the lamb halfway out. Then it was stuck. When I went in to feel what's wrong, the frontfeet were pointing behind, and were following parallell to the chest - so it was too large with both chest and feet - and the lamb was stuck. As the sheep contracted, I could feel the hoofs (?!) making a tear in the uteurs wall.. That means the deathsentence for the sheep, nothing to do about that. Poor sheep, poor lambs and poor farmer... But as they said, we get to try to fix the worst cases, and they are happy if we can, but they also know that it's not always possible to save them all.

Apart from lambings, there's quite a lot of mastitis ("jurbetennelse") and sick lambs. Today, it was pretty warm and pretty sunny (a bit cloudy), and it's so nice to see the sheep and lambs outside on the grass in the nice weather! Lambs jumping around, trying to get the hang of those long legs! I guess I'll have to start bringing my camera in the car ;)

I'd better get back to cleaning the house - I suddenly realized how dirty it gets when you're busy busy at work, and don't have time to keep up with the vacuuming and cleaning! Not that I'm a cleaningfreak, but it has to be done once in a while! And having visitors suddenly pulls off my "dirtglasses" and I see how it really looks, haha. Dishes first, then vacuuming and at last washing the floors. That'll do.

My first C-section!

I was on call yesterday, and had to drive out on a difficult lambing at the far corner of the district - up in the mountains on some narrow zig-zag road. It was a young sheep, her first lambing, and her pelvis was too narrow for the lamb. That gives 2 choices - euthanizing or c-section. The farmer went for the c-section, so I just had to get my stuff and start. The mobilephone reseption was very poor up there, but I managed to get a "peptalk" with Ingjerd (our veterinary "telephoneguru", who's on maternal leave). This was my first c-section after finishing vetschool, and it was pretty scary! It took somewhere between 3 and 4 hours (next one will be quicker, practice makes perfect ;) ), and 2 lambs were delivered - one dead and one alive. Success! It sure feels good, mastering an operation like this for the first time - all alone! I was home at almost 03.30, dead tired (I fell asleep in the car (after stopping at home) while writing in my "driving-journal"! When I was almost home, Eivind called (he took my dutycalls while I was out of reception) - there's a lambing with 2 lambs trying to come out at once... Lucky me didn't have to take that visit, as he offered to do it for me (ok, I owe you for that) - and I could go to bed and sleeeeeep!

I'd forgotten to close the babygate at the top of the stairs, so Chivas took a trip downstairs, opening the livingroom door - so that the girls (who sleeps downstairs) were free to come upstairs. I woke up with 3 IGs and 1 saluki in my very narrow 1-person-bed, without ever noticing that they'd gotten there in the first place. It clearly reminden me WHY it's so important to close that gate (Chivas opens doors as he pleases) - it's very uncomfortable to sleep in a crowded bed! When I sleep, I always give in when the dogs move, and end up in weird, uncomfortable sleepingpositions (arms up, half the body twisted to the side, a foot halfway outside the bed; or on my side, balancing on the edge of the matress/bed)

Amazon.com...

This is a very dangerous site for me to go to... Last time I went there, I ended up ordering 2 books, which I've now recieved - so now it's time for a new look, haha

The books I ordered were:

• Saluki in History, Arts and Sport by Hope and David Waters (used but nice contidion). I'm really looking forward to reading it!
• Saluki: The Desert Hound and the English Travelers who brought it to toe West. A newly published book about the recent history of the breed

Wonder what I'll find today... Maybe something Italian this time? (OK, I'm hooked, but I really can't help it!)

Quiznight at Laksen

Apparently, it's quiznight at the local restaurant/bar called "Laksen" (the Salmon, there's a famous river for salmonfishing going through Lærdal). We'll enter a 4-person team of 3 vets and a boyfriend - unless there's some sheep in need (it probably will be, but we'll try to make it)!

Today's been my day off before duty the rest of the weekend. I took the dogs for a nice, 2 hour long walk, about 10 minutes drive from here. It's an old road going down the steep, narrow and winding vally between Lærdal and Borgund - and it's a great place to walk. The downside (literally) is that it's a steep fall on one side untill we meet the "main road" again, so only Saoudie and Easy can be off leash (Chivas is leashed - period, and Esso and the puppy is too playful) - they are calm and listens when I call. No danger, and none of the dogs are suicidal, but I don't trust Esso NOT to come runnnig and accidentally push someone. We had a really nice walk, and on the way back we hiked the old "postal road" which is more of a trail in the woods (hilly woods, lots of exercise!), and I think I'll take that road more often, I loved walking there - and no danger of letting Esso and the puppy run free either! Next time, I'll bring the camera too :)

Looks like quiznight is cancelled - the team is lacking 3 of 4 members due to sheep in need! So now, I'm having an appointment with Dr. House for an hour or two ;)

Quiet day at work

It's in the middle of lambingseason, and usually pretty hectic at work. We're 3 vets working together - 1 doing the clinic, and 2 driving out on the farms. We've split the area in 2, 1 vet responding to calls from each area - to make a quicker response. One area is Lærdal, the other area is Aurland - to get there you have to drive through a 25km long tunnel (booooring). I'm on Aurlandsduty today, and so far, I've not had ONE SINGLE PHONECALL!
Luckily, the weather's been fantastic, sun from a cloudless sky and 17 degreees C. I've had my backdoor open all day, and I've spent several hours outside in the sun. I've even been a good girl and read about parasites! Now it's time for dinner - fishcakes (Lofoten Fishcakes that is, not some cheap flourtasting crap) with homemade mashed potatoes, carrots and onions!Always trying to get that one perfect headshot... I guess practice makes perfect?!? At least it will eventually!

Esso son went BOS with CAC

At NKK Int Harstad last weekend, Esso's son Cheerinova Alladin went BOS with his first CAC! There were 4+4 IGs entered for Göran Bodegård, Sweden. This is Esso's first offspring to win a CAC, so I'm very proud of both boys!