Some days you just gotta dance...

Every one has them. I have them, you all have them, every person in the medical profession from time immaterial has had them at one time or the other. Of course, I am taking about...

A Bad Vein Day Dum dum duuuummmmmmm... (play evil sounding music here)

So, I was trying to draw blood for a heartworm test. No big deal. Tuberculin syringe, a little bitty 25 gauge needle. A big hosepipe vein that I can SEE popping up at me. So I poke. The dog moves. So I poke. The dog moves. I poke again... the dog doesn't move this time. But no flash in the syringe. No satisfying gush as the syringe is filled with the pitifully small 0.2 mL of blood I need for this test. So I move the needle around a little more. And a little more. And a little more. Try the other arm. Move around a little, move around a lot, that's what it's all about... Oops, wrong song...

So, four of those later, I am faced with a sick cat. The cat seriously needs some IV fluids, IV antibiotics, IV everything. And an emergency surgery. Cat has a fever of 104.5F, about 10% dehydrated. The whole nine yards. So, we prep for an IV catheter (Terminology difference: we call them IV catheters, most of the human medicine types I tell this too think urinary catheter. No, it's an IV). Anyway, stick this teeny dehydrated vein with a 22 gauge, get a flash (hallaueigh!), feed the catheter- vein blows. I try the other arm and can't even get a flash. Go figure. We end up doing subQ fluids just to get her going. and SQ antibiotics. Not as good, but something at least. Later my boss gets one in with a cut down.

The next day I hit every stick I tried first time. Even the tiny furball who weighed 3 pounds.

Try getting blood out of a ferret. That is challenging.