Karen Langtved, a veterinary technologist, recounts the traumatic experience of being bitten by an Irish wolfhound while removing porcupine quills. Despite the fear and injury, she persevered in her career, highlighting the importance of passion and self-care in facing adversity.
A dog bite to my face almost ended my veterinary career, yet my passion for animals prevailed | CBC News LoadedWhen a traumatic event threatened Karen Langtved’s career aspirations, the thought of almost losing half her face came second to feeling like she was letting down her colleagues and the dog that attacked her.Karen Langtved has not allowed the scars from a traumatic dog bite define who she is and how she navigates her veterinary career.
Gauze pads surrounded us like miniature stacks of pillows, ready to soak up the blood from his punctured skin.I turned my body toward his face to locate the migrating quills piercing his mouth and nose. The tiny barbs of the quills make them move inward and deeper into tissue, potentially penetrating organs and eventually producing infection.
Afterwards, I remembered sitting in the clinic hallway waiting for the vet's wife to take me to the emergency room. Holding a large gauze pad to the bloodied rip in my skin, I stared blankly at the floor. During the two-hour wait before the doctor stitched me up, the vet's wife checked on me regularly to see how I was doing.
I had developed an interest in veterinary medicine in my teens. I volunteered at a local vet clinic and after high school, left the Okanagan in B.C. to attend the animal health technology program at Fairview College, which is now known as the Fairview Campus of Northwestern Polytechnic, in northern Alberta.
One week after the dog incident, a RCMP officer arrived at our clinic with his German shepherd partner. He offered to restrain the dog if I would remove the stitches from the dog's front leg. I took several deep breaths — reminding myself of my training and skills, discounting my trepidation — then re-entered the room and safely removed the stitches.The Irish wolfhound, as a breed, was considered a gentle giant. The porcupine quills coupled with the drug's side effects ultimately caused the sequence of events that led to my trauma and guarded fear of large dogs.
VETERNARY MEDICINE DOG BITE TRAUMA PASSION RECOVERY
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