Dr DJ Pet Daddy 🌻🌹☄️

This is Fendi. He is seen here demonstrating the internationally acknowledged sign language for politely requesting uppies. 13/10 would pick him up immediately (TT: isthat_jojo)

What’s craaaazy to me is that a Minnesota state rep was ASSASSINATED and nothing even remotely close to this happened there

I should only get benefits from living in a society. If I also have obligations that's communism

The TikTok ban is sort of a golem constructed of all of Congress' fears, anxieties, and unfinished work related to tech. It's a monstrous amalgamation of generalized anti-China sentiment / xenophobia / sinophobia, fears about Big Tech, content moderation, Palestine, "the kids" all rolled into one

hm bsky.app/profile/jord...

If you enjoy learning about #VetMed through a chemical, historical, and political lens, give me a follow!

Curious about how other tools in vet med work? Or want more science deep dives? Stay tuned for future threads! Suggestions always welcome-let's learn together!
#vetmed #science

Veterinary professionals preparing for surgery and anesthesia

In summary, buprenorphine offers safe, long-lasting pain relief with fewer side effects than traditional opioids.

It's time to give this underappreciated drug its due!

A dog receiving a dental nerve block under anesthesia, possibly containing buprenorphine for extended duration of pain relief.

Buprenorphine isn't just for routine pain management. It can also be used for:

😷 🥼Spidural anesthesia (great for surgeries!)

💉🦷Dental nerve blocks (hello, tooth extractions!)

A versatile tool in our pain relief arsenal. #veterinarymedicine

Buprenorphine also causes dysphoria less often than pure mu opioids. If a French bulldog wakes up from anesthesia anxious and thrashing in the cage, that can lead to airway instruction and post anesthetic death! Staying calm post-op is key, and buprenorphine does that better than almost any other.

Image of brachycephalic dog breeds like boxer, pug, and shih tzus. These breeds are at high anesthetic risk due to airway configuration, high vagal tone, and increased risk of aspiration pneumonia. Drugs that reduce nausea AND lead to less dysphoria post op are perfect for these dogs

Why is buprenorphine great for dogs?

✔️ Long-acting (6-12 hrs vs. ~2 hrs for hydromorphone)
✔️Minimal nausea (perfect for brachycephalic breeds like Pugs and Bulldogs to avoid vomiting
✔️ "Ceiling effect" = higher doses result in longer duration, not stronger effect, lowering overdose risk.

Image of an injectable form of buprenorphine called Buprenex

Used in human medicine for pain and opioid addiction (Suboxone®, Buprenex®), it's a game-changer in vet med for its long duration and fewer side effects.

#vetmed #surgery #anesthesia

Chemical structure of buprenorphine.

In the 1960s, buprenorphine was introduced. It binds to mu receptors, like those above, but those are "pure" mu opioids. Buprenorphine is a "partial" opioid, which gives it unique benefits and properties

There are many, many other receptors and the role of opioids and endogenous opioids (endorphins) is very complex. We'll never know everything, which is why I love medicine. You don't have to get bogged down in the theory, you can give a drug (carefully calculated of course) and see what happens!

Mu (μ) - target of drugs like hydromorphone, fentanyl, methadone. Activity here = excellent pain relief, with side effects like nausea and dysphoria.

Kappa (k) - opioids that bind here (butorphanol) offer shorter lived, less potent pain relief, with more sedation and fewer side effects

A quick word on receptors:

Opioids work mostly by their activity on opioid receptors in the brain and spinal cord. But did you know there are multiple types of opioid receptors? #veterinary #anesthesia

Vintage illustration of an anesthesiologist bag, including miscellaneous devices like what appears to be a pump and a vial of medication.

In the 1930s, morphine was used for colic in horses, coughing dogs, and of course painful surgical procedures.

Other widely used opioids in veterinary medicine, like hydromorphone and fentanyl, wouldn't come until much later.

The first veterinary surgical textbook was published in 1912, and by the time the still-famous Merck Veterinary Manual was published in 1955, there was a high demand for anesthetic knowledge to match the advancing field of veterinary surgery. #vetmed

A red poppy flower. This plant is the source of naturally occurring opioids.

Opioids have been used for pain relief since ancient Mesopotamia (around 3400 BCE!). In the 1800s, morphine was isolated from the poppy plant. By the 20th century, synthetic opioids like fentanyl revolutionized pain management. But when did opioids enter veterinary practice?

Let’s talk about buprenorphine, one of the most underutilized opioids in veterinary medicine 🐾💉. From a fascinating history to its unique advantages, this thread dives into why it deserves more love in dogs! #VetMed #ScienceTwitter

“I have spent many hours with those cats, and still I am amazed at how perfectly they reject everything it means to be in prison. They are playful and unselfconscious, curious and silly, soft and cuddly.”

this is the philosophy of a cancer cell

Medical illustration depicting entropion repair in the dog. A blade is used to remove excess skin around the eye. The surgical wound is then stitched (sutured) together.

Wilbur sleeping and squinting

Surgical correction is the treatment of choice! Will circle back when he has that procedure in a couple weeks.

In the meantime: an antibiotic eye drop (NeoPolyBac every 8 hrs), an immune-modulating ointment (Optimmune every 12 hrs) to reduce chronic inflammation, and lube (for comfort!)

Screen grab from the show Nathan for You, famous for convoluted plans

The plan?

Left eye, plain photography, pink oval on the top half of the eye contrasts with the surrounding blue of corneal edema.

Fluorescein stain highlighting the ulceration

his left eye is similar but a little worse 😔 the pink to tan lesion in the first photo is granulation tissue trying to heal the ulcer, but due to chronic damage from those eyelashes, the eye is unable to heal.

#veterinary #ophthalmology #vetmed #rescue #sheltervet

In these photos of his right eye, the nose is to the right and his right ear is to the left. Plain photography showing a hazy blue eye with two pink fleshy bubbles in the top left corner of the eye - corneal ulcers.

Same photo as the first but with fluorescein glowing under a blacklight and highlighting the ulcers.

He squints too much for a proper ophthalmic exam, so while he was anesthetized for his first procedure, I took the opportunity and checked out his eyes for the first time.

The green dye (fluorescein) is an eye-friendly substance that is used to diagnose corneal ulcers -- scratches on the surface

Wilbur on an exam table, with his right eye squinting slightly

A shot of Wilbur's left eye showing the entropion and abnormal eyelid shape

Unlike his prolapse, entropion is a PAINFUL condition, in which the eyelids are rolled inward, such that the fur and eyelashes are chronically in contact with the surface of the eye (cornea).

Think about how irritating just one eyelash in your eye feels. And he's been stuck like that for ~4 years!

Now he's blood-free, recovering nicely.

But as the average vet student might notice -- his eyes are not quite normal.

#veterinarymedicine #ophthalmology #rescue #adoptdontshop