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blookmallow · 4 years

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workin on skyrim houses.... i am steadily amassing all real estate in skyrim lmao

most of this is super old news now but i never got around to posting it so

i hate that bag back there so much every single time i see it i think its a person for half a second

moved my family to solitude and everyone seems happy

fuck YES this is the kind of room worthy of my beautiful children

i got TWO MORE MANNEQUINS who are both very unruly and frequently refuse to stand where they’re supposed to but i at least haven’t seen them move,

what is this room down here??? is my housecarl sleeping here?? why doesn’t she get a bed this place is enormous. lydia gets a bed. argis gets a bed. what the fuck is this nonsense

also i built an alchemy lab for my wife bc she used to be an apothecary’s assistant and i thought she might like it and I DO ACTUALLY SEE HER USING IT which makes me enormously happy

i dont know if your spouse just always makes use of the things in the house or if its a particular characteristic for muiri or not but i like to think she appreciates my efforts

im not using this house for a whole lot yet its mostly for my family

this isnt related to houses i dont know why this is in here but i dont feel like moving it, anyway this guy was offering what he clearly described as “meat pies” at the fire festival but then it turned out to be apple, which is probably because apple pies are the only ones that actually exist in the game’s coding as far as ive ever seen/they probably wanted to avoid this being The World’s Rarest Pie or something but its still :’) odd

time to BUILD AN ENTIRE HOUSE!!!!! by MYSELF!!!!!

I HAVE A COW!!!! LOOK AT HER!!!! COW

i dont have a lot of progress shots of the falkreath property but it took a Very Long Time :’ ) its coming along great now though i think i just have a couple more things in the basement and it’ll be totally finished

check out this sickass taxidermied skeever i got

yEAH!!!!! SKELETON!!!! YEEAAHHHH

as it turns out, though, owning a house outside of the city is, uh. apparently very dangerous, because, in addition to the giants constantly going after my cows,

SKEEVERS

I DIDNT KNOW THEY COULD GET IN THE BASEMENT

man you dont really fully appreciate the size of these fuckers until they’re in your goddamn HOUSe

i didnt REMOTELY expect them to be in here so i didnt even notice them for a good few minutes, i was just like. fucking around sorting things or something when i suddenly noticed Movement

for half a confused second i thought they were just like, hanging out and was momentarily very pleased with the new friends i had obtained before they all started attacking me :’)

had to kill them, which is a shame because i would have absolutely loved to have random skeevers hanging out in my basement. why must we fight

this also meant my basement was full of skeever corpses for a bit until they despawned lmao

but, ok, rats in the basement, giants getting in your yard, thats like, understandable hazards, i guess, but falkreath was not done with me yet

I HAD BANDITS COME BARGING INTO MY FUCKING HOUSE

ARE THEY SUPPOSED TO DO THIS???? THEY CAN JUST DO THIS????

you have the option to move your family in to this house if you want to and im fucking glad i didnt, children cant be harmed as far as i know but they could’ve come in here and fuckign murdered my wife

I MEAN I UNDERSTAND THATS. THE WAY THINGS ARE SOMETIMES IN A PLACE LIKE SKYRIM BUT COME ON NOW

aNYWAY, i and my. snarky dark elf friend from solstheim who was with me at the time killed them all and there wasnt much in this room so nothing important got knocked over or anything, i dont know where the fuck lydia was during all this bc she’s supposed to be guarding this house and she didnt do shit, but

ALRIGHT. SURE. MY HOUSE IS FULL OF CORPSES AND THERES BLOOD SPLATTERED EVERYWHERE BUT ITS FINE EVERYTHINGS FINE WE’RE FINE

the corpses and the blood disappeared the next time i came back here but. god :’)

i bought the windhelm property a while ago and forgot about it/didn’t want to remodel it bc i didnt want to lose the fuckign butcher crime scene but finally decided to investigate it

unless you choose to pay to have it cleaned up you do Not in fact lose the crime scene. you could potentially move your kids in here and still have blood everywhere. i m losing it

welcome to my lovely home

i feel like theres somehow MORE blood in here than there was before but i dont remember

you can remodel the secret room into an alchemy lab without removing the murder debris which is VERY funny to me

also very kind of the windhelm steward or whoever remodeled this for me to provide me with fuckign black soul gems,

arent these like. illegal

one of my mannequins got stuck in this ridiculous pose for a while and the helmet is absolutely not helping lmao

#lucy plays skyrim #i THOUGHT i posted this ages ago but here it is in my drafts anyway. why #scooby dooby queue

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drferox · 7 years

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20 Questions with Dr Ferox #13: Euthanasia

There are lots of questions you Vetlings have wanted to ask about euthanasia, and a few added comments. I don’t know how long you’ve been holding onto your questions or fears but I do think it’s a good idea to talk abut this topic occasionally. In day to day life we’re fairly removed from the reality of death, but talking about it before hand often smooths the was when the time comes for our own pets. For those that have recently witnessed euthanasia for their pet, talking about it after the fact can help too.

If you don’t want to touch this topic, check that you’re blacklisting ‘pet death’ and don’t read below the cut.

Anonymous said: Do you know if it's scary for an animal when it's being euthanized?

It's unlikely that animals feel any particular fear about the euthanasia itself. The solution used for euthanasia is an anaesthetic overdose, an anaesthetic that used to be used on humans, but with a non-lethal effect. Humans describe becoming briefly light headed before falling unconscious. Our pets are likely to experience the same thing, only they don't wake up because we use a massive overdose.

The car ride might be scary. Being on the table might be scary. Touching the animal's feet often upsets them more than the euthanasia itself. It should be no more stressful than any other vet visit.

Anonymous asked: Can you describe how does an animal respond to euthanasia/what signs do you look for to see if it's working?

The euthanasia solution, which is an anaesthetic overdose, is administered intravenously. Some animals just drop dead in as little as ten seconds, the so-called 'falling off the needle'. Some animals lick their lips before they fall unconscious, and it's possible they somehow 'taste' the solution in their blood stream, but this is only for a few seconds before they become unconscious. Sometimes an animal will shiver as it falls unconscious, and occasionally we will see hackles rise or tails fluff up. Their eyes generally stay open. I can usually see them stop breathing within the first 20-30 seconds.

Sometimes they will let go of their bladder or bowel. Sometimes we will see an 'agonal gasp', which is a series of sudden, sharp, deep breaths that occur as the heart stops. If this happens the patient is definitely dead, but it startles owners.

Then I check the heart beat, because it will have stopped by now. Sometimes I check the corneal reflex, but I often don't need to do that in front of owners at that stage.

@raxacoricofabulous said: Euthanasia question: how do you handle it when something goes wrong? ( like solution going outside the vein and is painful or the animal spasms - basically what do you say when the procedure is not as peaceful as the clients expected). Thank you so much!

I pre-warn clients about the agonal gasp. Then if it happens I can simply say “That’s the gasp I warned you might happen, and is completely normal.”

I routinely test the vein before injecting, a touch of paranoia is always worthwhile, but if solution is injected outside the vein I will usually withdraw, explain the patient’s vein isn’t very good and their blood pressure is low, and that we need to swap sides/veins. If the animal is inclined to freak out anyway a happy dose of sedatives before hand is very useful.

Paranoia and double checking is highly recommended to prevent this, so it’s very rare for something like this to happen.

Anonymous said: Question about the euthanasia. My teacher said that sometimes it's possible that the animal and moan and twitch after being injected. Is that true as well, or do I have a dud of a teacher? (Well, he's getting fired after this semester so we know he's a dud....)

Some animals with a good set of lungs with moan or groan softly as part of their agonal gasp, especially if they had laryngeal paralysis of any kind. It's very awkward when this happens, but the animal is already dead and not conscious in any way. You can also get some muscle spasms, twitching or hair standing up on end, though this is usually subtle.

You should not have an animal paddling, this is a possibly conscious reaction. They should not be vocalising either, both of these symptoms suggest that at least part of the brain is still doing its thing, and the animal is actually either in stage 3 anaesthesia, the excitement phase, or something else is wrong. More green dream required.

@ mystidarkness said: For your euthanasia question list: How do you go about euthanizing small animals such as mice/rats? How about reptiles? And birds?

Small and exotic animals can present a challenge for euthanasia, because they are difficult to gain intravenous access to for administration of the anaesthetic overdose. Generally speaking, is an animal is so small they are too difficult to get a vein on easily, they are anaesthetised first with a gaseous anaesthetic, and then administered the euthanasia solution either into the heart, kidney, liver or peritoneum depending on the species. Some species may have an easier accessible vein once they are already under anaesthetic, particularly wildlife, so sometimes this is used. Once they're already under anaesthesia, they're not going to feel any pain from an injection outside the vein.

Reptiles can be a bit funny because of how much they can slow down their metabolism. Some clinics will elect to pith reptiles after they're anaesthetised, which destroys their brain stem, in order to be certain. They will also often not chill or freeze the reptile initially, because you can't be certain that it's definitely dead if it's cold.

Anonymous said: My question on euthanasia is based on reptiles. How do vets decide its time for something that doesn't really present emotion like big mammals, or even rodents? We didn't see much change in our beardie before she passed and I wanted to know what signs you guys look for?

It is very challenging in species with no behavioural queues, or which have queues which are difficult to interpret. We have to rely on medical indications. If it has pathology that would be known to be painful or sickening in a mammal, assume the reptile feels the same. If they are losing weight, less active, exhibiting less of their normal behaviour or stop eating, they all may be signs that euthanasia is indicated.

@fkphotos said: Euthanasia question: why do some vets not allow people to be with their animals when they're doing it, is it a personal thing or is there some logistical issue with having owners present at euthanasia? I've had two pets put down due to severe incurable illness, one hedgehog and one cat. I was with the cat when she passed, but my hedgehog vet would not let me be with my hedgehog. It's something I've never quite forgiven myself for, that I wasn't there for him.

While I have not treated or euthanised a hedgehog (Australia. Illegal), they do not strike me as having any easily accessible veins in a conscious animal, and so may need to be euthanised by gaseous anaesthetic, followed by an intra-cardiac injection. The anaesthetic gas is a bit of a health and safety risk, and watching your pet get an injection into the heart is... uh... kind of not great for most people. While I give my clients the option to stay, most leave after the pocket pet is unconscious, since that’s the part that matters anyway. It still all happens very fast, they don’t know why they get light headed and then sleepy.

Anonymous asked: Is euthanising a bird the best thing to do for it? I've seen chickens and pigeons euthanised on a number of occasions, and the bird was injected intracranially each time. I think I remember you saying that euthanasia solution was highly irritant to tissues, so would injecting the animal in this was cause unnecessary pain and suffering, or is it impractical to inject a bird intravenously?

There aren't any sensory nerves inside the brain, there's not actually the receptors there to feel anything, and barbituate straight into your brain is going to render you dead fairly rapidly.

That said, it's not my preferred method of euthanasia for birds. I prefer to use anaesthetic gas, and then either an intravenous injection in larger birds or intra-cardiac in smaller birds once they're unconscious. I am not personally comfortable with intra-cranial anything.

@cellmemebrane asked: Sorry is this is a little morbid but do rat guillotines actually exist? I read it in the guide but im not sure if people (probably just labs) actually use that

They do exist (you can google them if you’re curious), but they are basically for laboratory medicine only, when rats and small animals need to be killed without damaging tissues. This is laboratory equipment, not part of veterinary practice and while death is rapid it’s...well... literally a guillotine.

Anonymous asked: i have a question about euthanasia. i had an old cat put down, and i've always been worried that she was in pain. They injected her in her heart because there were no usable veins. Are animals in pain when they get euthanized?

If she was fully conscious, then an injection passing through your chest wall and into your heart is expected to hurt. Not so much the euthanasia solution itself, but the needle track. If her consciousness was altered or if she was sedated or anaesthetised, she is unlikely to have felt anything.

@ destiny-n-chicken asked: First year vet student here. I recently read your post explaining euthanasia solution, how it is an extreme tissue irritant and how it hurts. I've known this but before now I've never considered it past making sure the catheter is in correctly. We were taught how to do intrahepatic and intrarenal injections of euthanasol as other options for euthanasia, and I was curious if these would hurt the animal like it hurts if you aren't in the vein while attempting to euthanize IV.

It can a little bit, but both of those organs are so vascular that induction of anaesthesia is likely to still be quite fast, and most of their sensory neurons are located in the capsule, not the parenchyma of the organ. It’s not a bad second or third choice. Diluting the euthanasia solution can reduce the potential sting.

Anonymous asked: Hi Doc, I wanted to ask--how often are at-home euthanasias performed? What are the criteria? I was thinking about it because one of my cats is always really afraid when I take her to the vet. She's young and in good health but I had a terrible vision of taking her in for euthanasia when she gets old or if she gets really sick and of her being terrified until the end.

For our clinic an at-home euthanasia has to be organized ahead of time, not last minute, not an emergency and not with a super aggressive animal. We have to make sure we have enough staff working so that there are at least two people free to go on the house call, and at least two remaining in the clinic. So for us, weekday appointments booked a few days before are what we require. We usually require pre-payment too because the absolute last thing you want to do after having your pet put to sleep at home is to call the clinic with your credit card details.

Anonymous asked: I'm not sure if this is what you're looking for in terms of the euthanasia questions, but I was just wondering if, as the vet, its ever okay to cry/be emotional while euthanising an animal? I'm a vet student in year 2 of 5 so haven't yet had any teaching on the matter but I was wondering about your opinion? I can see it depending on the client as some may see it as wholly unprofessional while others may appreciate that you feel their loss too maybe? I'm not sure!

My personal rule is to not be more emotional than the animal's own humans. It's okay to feel what you feel, but you can't let your emotions become the most important ones in the room. You, we, are here to do a job. That's taking care of the animal first, the people second, and yourself third. If you can just keep your emotions from taking over for ten minutes, you can handle them all then.

It's important to feel, you don't want to become dead to emotions. That's not good for your brain. But you do need to learn to reign them in for short periods of time. This isn't just limited to sadness, but everything else veterinary medicine makes us feel: Anxiety, anger, fear and sorrow.

Anonymous asked: How do you cope with euthanizing animals, especially when that animal was someone's pet? We recently put our dog to sleep and it was a really traumatic experience for us and I'm just wondering how you cope with seeing people mourn and how you frame euthanasia in your mind. Love the blog!

It's always sad, but I remind myself, and sometimes the people, that the reason this event is so sad is because they loved their pet so much. The sadness is only here because the life of that animal was full of love, and that's the important part. Yes, it sucks, and it's going to feel bad, but only because something wonderful was here in the first place.

Anonymous said: A shy vetling has a euthanasia question if you have time. I am a current vet student, and I handle PTS with other vets alone very well, it's easy to be calm and professional when everyone around you is. But I find PTS with the owners present very distressing. I have a pragmatic view on life, and I even fight furiously that euthanasia is a very good option in many cases. But when the owners are crying I stop seeing the patient and start feeling their loss. How did you control that as a student?

Hello Shyling. I don't recommend trying to not feel. I recommend trying to let yourself feel, but later. I find it helps to focus on the disease/pathology early on, but at this stage of my life I have a mental script I run through for euthanasia. I can basically do a euthanasia consult on auto-pilot if I need to, I can just default to my mental script.

If you're having trouble try not to look at human faces. Focus on the patient, on the illness. Especially don't look kids in the eyes if you think you're about to break, because crying children will get you every time. Remember that you only have to hold yourself together for ten minutes to get the job done, then you can go feel whatever you were going to feel without interfering with the owner's own grief.

@cscorlis said: Re euthanasia: In your experience, how often does an animal survive the first dose of drugs? When we put down my family dog years ago, she still had a heartbeat after the first dose and the vet had to go out of the room to get another vial, so I'm curious as to whether it's common for them to react differently to the stuff. (Question tax: My headcanon is that you never play healers in D&D because it's too much like your day job).

Not often with me because I am overly generous with the death juice. Sometimes the very old, very sick, very frightened or otherwise cardiovascularly compromised patients will only be anaesthtised, not euthanised, on a standard dose. Sometimes they will pass on their own after a few minutes, sometimes they need a few extra milliliters of euthanasia solution. Most animals are at least peacefully anaesthetised by this stage, and if you were willing to wait hours would probably then pass on their own, but that’s not ideal.

I try not to play healers, but when I do I twist them in some way. You can do some evil things with healing.

Euth question: I've heard that horses will fight the "green dream", and that a shotgun is quicker and less painful. I know horses aren't your area, but what are your thoughts on this?

Shotguns are fast, if the shooter has a clue what they’re doing. I do not recommend the inexperienced shoot a horse because it’s not as simple as ‘in the head’ for a clean death.

It’s not so much that horses always ‘fight’ the green dream (euthanasia solution), it’s just that they’re so big, and dangerous when they fall or trip out, that’s it’s physically difficult to give them the solution rapidly enough to make them just drop and not paddle those dangerous legs of theirs. You are basically racing to pump the drug in before the horse gets high. This is easier in older or sicker horses, but is still not as controlled as a smaller animal.

Anonymous asked: Euthanasia Q: Why do some animals have body movements (wheezing, limb twitching, urination/defecation, etc.) after death, but others don't? I think I vaguely know why it happens when it does happen, but wondering why some cases don't experience this at all.

The answer depends on the body activity. All animals let go of their bladder and bowels when they die, it’s just that many of them are already ‘empty’ when they do so, so there’s nothing to come out. Most animals twitch or shiver a little bit, but it’s subtle and easy to overlook.

Whether you get agonal gasping or larger twitched basically depends on how rapidly the euthanasia solution went in and reached the brain. Animals with weak hearts, who have been very sick, or who are in a panic often redistribute a smaller percentage of the solution directly to their brain, and are more likely to show these movements. They’re not conscious movements though, they’re only reflexes. Obese animals often require a higher dose to get the same effect too, because the euthanasia solution likes to dissolve in fat.

Anonymous asked: I have...a question...i keep rats and plan to keep them for a long period of time, so i will likely see many deaths. I have come to peace with this bc i know im giving them the best life. My issue is what to do with the body. It feels wrong to just throw them away, and i dont really want to donate them to universities bc i dont think that would give me enough closure. But im in college and will likely move around so i have no yard for burials. Can you think of any other options? Have a great day

If you don’t want to bury them at home, a vet clinic can arrange burial with whatever company they use, or private cremation if you want to keep the tiny little ashes of your rats with you. Many companies here have little miniature urns, hearts and lockets for pocket pets for this purpose.

Anonymous asked: If the owner doesn't want the body or there is no owner, what happens to the animal after euthanasia?

This will depend on the crematorium company the clinic uses. If there’s no owner we usually wait a few weeks, just in case someone comes forward, and if the animal was microchipped every effort is made to contact the owners. Failing that, bodies are either sent for communal burial (unmarked graves) or group cremation and scattering.

#20 questions #euthanasia #pet death #animal death #death

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