Wow I just love the full moon! And how special to still see it in the morning sky. I am sure grateful for the beauty and wonder of the phases of the moon. Something that gives us something to look forward to and surprises all the time.

Today I am also grateful my truck started this morning. Last night I was so tired after working 12 hours that I forgot to close the door when I was unloading things out of it. I am so grateful for my truck.

We also got a 5 star google review yesterday, and I am super grateful for that. It came from the pet parents of a bulldog named Bane, who like many of his breed, has more than his fair share of medical problems. Most people would have given up on him long ago. But he brings so much joy to people riding around in the side car of their motorcycle, he is a special dog, one I will never forget.

I will also never forget the dog who we stayed late to do surgery on last night, Nolo, who got into the trash and had been vomiting for several days. His x-rays looked suspicious, so the decision was made for exploratory surgery. I must assume that surgeries like these are one of the reasons why I see some veterinarians make the decision to not do surgeries anymore, if you can believe that is a thing. It’s also why I am glad that this is not my first surgery, because if it had been, I would have had panicked.

At first, nothing seemed too unusual with the surgery. Thick strands of pink intestines, some more unhappy looking than others, but no obvious obstructions. So then I began to run my fingers along the entire length of the intestines, pushing anything inside of them out towards the exit. Yet somehow, I always found like when I got to the end, I was right back where I started. The end of the line and the beginning of the line looked nearly indistinguishable. So I took a deep breath, changed tactics, and decided to start with the stomach. Yet, it was not there. I got an assistant to scrub into the surgery and help me hold everything out of the way so I could get a better look, and still nothing at all in the entire quadrant of the belly. That’s when I went back to realize that I already had found the stomach several times, but it was on the wrong side of the abdomen, and anchored down to the floor of the body where I literally could not get to it for fear of causing damage. This is highly unusual. Some part of the intestinal tract was anchored deep inside against the dog’s back where no part of the intestine should be. Once I figured that out, I was very grateful I had the experience to take my time and figure out what I was seeing, and not panic. Apparently this dog was either abused as a puppy because he had damaged ears, as well, or, perhaps he has a congenital deformity of the intestinal tract along with deformed ears. After that, the remainder of the surgery went well, and we closed him up and sent him home for the night with a great prognosis knowing he has been able to grow and thrive into a normal, healthy dog even with that unusual shape to his intestinal tract, so he should recover just fine.

Today, I am grateful to be a veterinarian. Although it has it’s stressful moments, like the poor little Wheddo who came in gasping for air, and we had to rush to put him on oxygen, who’s 17 year old little Chihuahua heart finally gave out, and we had to humanely put him to sleep to end his suffering. And I am grateful that was something we could do so the poor little guy didn’t suffer.

I am also lucky and grateful to have the ResqRanch. We have over 100 people on our volunteer sign up list! That is a lot to be grateful for. It too, can feel overwhelming at times, but then, what the heck else would I be doing? Sitting on a couch reading fiction and wasting my time? I am so glad that is not me! I too wish for you today to find, and pursue your passions with undeniable purpose. And if that includes having a deeper relationship with your horse, or horses at all, then you need my Horse Training Masterclass in your life. You can get it here https://www.resqranch.org/drqsmasterclass-a

And if that is not your thing, but you would love to help animals, and the people who love them, going in to this holiday season of giving, we appreciate any and all of the help we can get here https://www.coloradogives.org/organization/Resqranch

​Be kind to yourself today, even if you are sitting on the couch and reading fiction! Maybe you have already accomplished all of your dreams in life, or maybe you are just having a well deserved day off! Either way, it’s all good. What is a good life for me does not mean a good life for the next person. What does your good life look like? I just want you to pursue that. Wish for it. Visualize it. Give good energy towards it. Because the world needs all the good energy and high vibrations it can get.

Thank you for reading, enjoy the day, and God bless!

Check out my YouTube channel for a daily "Good Morning!" from the rescues and lots of free tips and training resources. https://www.youtube.com/@the1drq
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