Veterinary Medicine in India, Less Delicate Than You Think

So this morning I was told to go with the lady who brought the big back dog in yesterday and give him injections. Who decided the injections? A vet over the phone. But they saw the dog right? nope. So how would they know what he had? dunno. So you just drew up the injections and poked the dog and hoped for the best even though he had seizures all night and was barely conscious? yup. But the vet hospital, surely that would have been a better idea right?

Well let's explain India shall we? In India caring about animals is a rather new thing and vets seem to just always be giving something without any tests or anything. But in India that is the best you can get. In fact I learned today that had we taken the dog to the hospital they wold have made him wait forever and they do not even keep the medications on hand usually and so the people are sent out to buy it. Luckily, the black dog, Knuckles, has nice and wealthy parents.

Now about the people which made this much easier on me. This dog thing is a family affair. I was picked up by the dog owners mother, the owner is a boy of about 12 and doesn't drive, and she drove me to the house, thanked me many times and helped me get what I needed. Her mother made me breakfast and coffee and set it out neatly on the table and brought me more coffee on a tray. You can tell the job of the woman is to wait on guests and men. Her...either youngish father or oldish husband not sure exactly, is a very nice man but you can tell he thinks he knows exactly what is best and what to do. A few times Terune had to tell him to just let the vet do what she needed to and not to second guess.

There is Terune ( said much like Tyrone but with rune at the end). He is the uncle of the dogs owner and he is also the one who spent yesterday telling me about where to find wildlife and visiting. He is very westernized, makes fun of me and calls me a wuss because I like milk in my coffee, calls his nephew dude and basically seems like an American with an Indian accent. I like him bunches, however he does act a lot like other Indian men in the way that when his sister first got bottled water and not distilled he rolled his eyes and acted like she was stupid. i was proud because she basically told him to shove it because she was up with the dog all night since she lives there and he was at home at his house drinking beer.

I was treated like a godsend and everyone was lovely to me. I will be giving the dog his fluids tonight and his meds and fluids tomorrow if he makes it that long. It is very weird to know that you are expected to know what to do at all times when in reality you are only 21 and have never been to vet school. And it is hard to decide when you need to question the vet about something because Indian vets are often med school rejects, or when to trust and let them do what they do.

Complicated dynamics in India but the veterinary medicine here is terrible. Getting better but still bad.

Sorry for the long posts but there are so many different cultural things that happen along with daily events.

Everyone asks me, Why India? Why Kochin? Terune even said, why such a sleepy little town. but really things are better and much more progressive here than in other places because there are so many foreigners. Everything comes down to foreigners, but when I am thinking that India is a very odd place to be, it is nice to know I am in good company.

Football and beer

So today it was discovered that in India, a) there is not much to do at night b) they serve beer in nearly liter bottles c) my stomach has shrunk and d) adapters are impossible to find.

Also I now speak with a british accent in my head and a little bit outloud, it comes from living with a British woman who sometimes rolls her "r"s like a Scotsman and a Dutch man.

After my day at "work" where the vet, Amitha and I spent a good portion of the afternoon sitting and talking and waiting for our work to show up. It was lovely to have someone to talk to who was near my age. I confided my slight bout of loneliness, though how one can be lonely after only one day I don't quite know, and she told me where I could find things to do and invited to me to her engagement party in July! That will be fun, plus a man brought his black lab in, well it was really his nephew's, and we chatted for quite awhile because he also loves the wildlife in India and was telling me where to go and find it. Add that to the big government veterinary facility which Penny says I must visit and where Amitha did a necropsy on an elephant that a 6 foot man could stand inside and I have somethings I need to do!

In India, things do not happen on time. It is acceptable to say you are coming tomorrow and not show up for a week, work start times are negotiable, and nothing opens until 10am. But the clothes here are beautiful and I am going to make my way to the tailor so that I can get some really beautiful stuff made, I bought a few light items but they are more practical than beautiful.
Tonight Carl and I went out to the bar, and by bar I mean restaurant , we knew the owner and we watched the football match. It's a bit embargoing when everyone is asking who you favor and you have to admit that you only watch American football at home. Plus I felt like I had enough food to feed two people and couldn't finish that OR my liter of beer. They come out with a bottle of beer much like a wine bottle and after nearly 3/4 of it I was one my way to sleep. Luckily Carl thought he lost his wallet and we came home early in a rickshaw otherwise they would have had to carry me, sound asleep, from the bar.

It is frustrating here because there is no vet on call so when the big lab from earlier called us because his dog was seizing, the vet had given him and injection for "blood parasites" which sounds like a blanket excuse for we don't have a flipping clue whats wrong and he started seizing more than before, every 10-20 seconds. And we could not get a hold of a vet so you end up phoning round and trying to figure out the best thing to do when the 3 of us here are not vets. Very odd and helpless feeling with no blood tests or anything. Hopefully it turns out ok.
Getting used to the mosquitoes and learning how to avoid the bites like the 13 I've already gotten and going to sleep with 2 kittens and the dog that mothers them tonight, so it should be a good night :-)

Dog spays and neuters tomorrow, good times in India!
Still trying to find an adapter for my laptop, electrician says they are very hard to find so it will be tricky! But when I do I will post some pictures! and Carl is gonna take me over to Kochin on the ferry for dinner one night which will be fun! It's nice to have plans :-)

So now I'm here

I have no wireless, but Penny does and I think I could figure out how to get it.
There are two houses here, one is the clinic and one is Penny's I live over the clinic and have a big, but hard, bed and my own bathroom.

I do not think I have hotwater, I showered without it this morning, but have not had this confirmed. There are dogs and cats which live around the house, they are the shelter animals, except for the 2 big dalmations, but none live in cages.

I know I am going to love it here, but I found it hard to sleep and after nearly 48 hours of traveling, I was at a bit of a loss last night while trying to sleep to the sounds of roosters, cars, and dogs. But I did sleep and despite feeling a little over emotional, I am fine. I just need Penny to get back from her meeting so I can start getting the lay of the land. I need Indian money, clothes, perhaps wireless internet. Penny gave me a cell phone but I don't have much money on it yet so I won't be making calls just yet.

Well when I can get my computer going, I need adapters for the plugs, then I will feel more at home and I will be able to post pictures.
So I'm homesick but getting there :-)

Sitting in the Airport and Costing Me $8

And off I go!
For a lovely fee of $8 I have internet in O'Hare International Airport for 24 hours and will only use it for about and hour and a half.

My mother and I got lost, were forced into parking near terminal 3 instead of 5 and had to pay $2 to leave and go park by terminal 5, only to find out that we really did need terminal 3. I hate O'Hare, but at least I'm past security and all that and have reliable wifi!

At final weigh in, my baggage (one rolling duffel) weighed a whopping 31 lbs, which is rather impressive as I'll be gone for 8 weeks and packed a full bottle of lotion, shampoo, and conditioner as I do not know what kind of hygiene products are available in India.

It is really odd that I have no clue if Penny, the lady who I am staying with, has wireless Internet. Am I sleeping in a bed? a couch? Is the shelter near our house? Is the house the shelter? Why would one person own 3 dalmatians? Will I get to work with elephants? Penny said she would help me set it up, so I'm hopeful!

Can't wait to get on the plane and check out the movie/food/beverage selection.
Is it too much to hope for free alcohol? O'Hare is a little stressful.

Here's hopin!