[adventuresandshopping]

[loxare]

Moist no

[kedreeva]

Anonymous asked:

Hey so basically munchkin cats were actually a naturally occuring phenomenon from a genetic mutation, meaning that your average cat can actually give birth to a munchkin. Obviously they can breed two munchkin cats and get more but theres also the possibility their babies wont have the genetic mutation

naamahdarling answered:

I mean, a ton of breeds were created out of a surprise gene. Hairless cats, folds, etc.  And the litters of many of these breeds come out mixed, like manxes.  But the random appearance of a new trait isn’t the same as deliberately pursuing it as part of a breed.  So no, munchkins still shouldn’t be a breed, IMO.  :(

I’m sure that’s going to be unpopular (and possibly hypocritical given my unabashed adoration of hairless breeds), but there it is.  They just can’t do normal cat things.  Watching them is painful.  They try, but they just…can’t act like cats.  They’re bred because they’re “cute”, which oh my GOD they absolutely are, but for as much as they are here for us (we domesticated and bred them, after all, they are no longer wild, they’re companion animals), we need to be here for them.  We are responsible for their well-being on both an individual and overall level. That means not encouraging breeding for extremes.

Dried Pickle Man is a purebred himalayan (from a rescue, not directly from a breeder) and I can tell you brachycephalic breeds are a terrible idea. I love his flat little face and round little noggin, I can’t imagine him without his funny snaggle tooth and twisted nose, I LOVE his ridiculous truffle pig noises, but he should have had the chance to be a healthy, normal cat. Instead he has serious cranial deformities that cost him an eye and some of the use of his mouth, and he has kidney disease which is common in the breed.  He has a great life with people who love him, but the genetic hand he was dealt still isn’t fair to him.

IDK, I just feel really strongly about it.  It’s a super complicated issue, and I won’t take anyone down for liking munchkins/folds/manxes/persians or owning them or whatever, as long as they are cared for.  I guess my ire is really aimed at “breeders” who tolerate harmful traits in pursuit of a certain look, and who sometimes lie about the health risks associated with their bloodlines or with the breed overall.  There are breeds and bloodlines that are healthy and sound, and that is something we should demand from all breeds.

We just need to care for our domesticated species better than we do.  Not just individually, but on a wider level.  All cats, all dogs, all horses, etc. We can do this by refusing to tolerate irresponsible breeding and breeding for appearance over health.  They give us their love and companionship.  We owe them that.  We absolutely owe them that.

(I am not against purebred animals, responsible breeders, or owners of purebred animals, just so everyone knows. It’s only when the animals come second that I start to get stroppy.)

[kedreeva]

The number of times human beings have placed their own desires for some cool appearance or, worse, arbitrary competition guidelines, over the health and well being of animals that depend on them -through no fault of their own and with no choice to do otherwise - is actually just disgusting.

That anyone, a n y o n e, would tolerate purposeful breeding of animals with genetic (or even possibly genetic) health issues, and in fact breed with the specific intention of reproducing those health issues is mind boggling to me. It’s monstrous.

I watch people aim to do things like breed cats and dogs that can’t even breathe right or walk well. Some bantam chickens who have fatal genes that make their legs short so they’re ‘cute’ or chickens that have topknots that cause their skull structure to be so thin sometimes it has holes in it. Peafowl who have only half the lifespan of the average peafowl, because they’re a cool color. Ball pythons who have a permanent head wobble that can severely interfere with their ability to eat (so much that the really bad ones just get culled but the ones that “aren’t that bad” get bred). Mice whose genes predispose them to a load of health issues, but they’re pretty. Betta fish who are living only fractions of their natural lifespans because of our desire for beauty we can own.

The list goes on and on and on. I’m not sure there’s an animal we have touched that we haven’t made some variation of that is harmful to them and then proceeded to keep because we like it. Not every animal in captivity is like this, which is the most boggling part.

The thing that really kills me is that we literally have animals that we know are healthy that people could own instead. The same animals! It’s not like saying “don’t own any cat ever.” There are p l e n t y of breeds of cat that are perfectly healthy and can do all the cat things! And yet people put their aesthetic desires over the health and well being of the animal, and continue to support breeders who have no consideration for the animals. They continue to find it acceptable to breed and keep animals with major health issues “because I think it’s cute.”

Cuteness is not an excuse to disregard animal welfare. It’s just not. And I say this as a breeder of animals- it absolutely kills me that I can’t breed Artemis. She’s my dream bird, by aesthetics. I’ve waited years for my birds to produce her specific combo and sex, and her personality is a dream. And I will never ever ever breed her because I cannot guarantee she won’t pass on her allergies, and I refuse to do that to another bird. It SUCKS for me, but guess what? It’s my responsibility, as a breeder, to ensure that I look out for the health and well being of the animals in my care first (INCLUDING their genetic health!!), and my own desires for their aesthetics second.

That’s it, that’s the bottom line. Pets shouldn’t be bred for aesthetics that are detrimental to their health. And you can bet I’m judging any breeders who disregard that rule, and any pet owners that support those breeders.

[artist-in-space]

[painfully-bisexual]

Puts the product on tumblr for all to share it

[firebirdeternal]

My what a guy, that Gaston.

[rafaelafranzen]

[lonicera-caprifolium]

he's interrupting

[kedreeva]

[aidashakur]

[myahsimss]

Let me cry when I need to cry.

[drpathetique]

[doctorspork]

Hey fellow medblr senior residents,

Do you have any tips on how to help new interns be efficient?

I’m working with one intern who really struggles with this. We’re on a light rotation, so they don’t have a whole lot of work, but they have a hard time 1) chart reviewing efficiently; 2) keeping track of the information they gather; and 3) just…getting things done in a timely manner. I’ve tried to be more hands-off, which doesn’t seem to work. Today I laid out specifically what they should do (look at these specific notes, take the information you need from them and put it in a blank note to start your H&P while we’re waiting to get signout, list out all their active problems first and then we’ll go over an assessment & plan for each) and it still was largely unsuccessful. I know it’s very early in the year but this person seems to be on one end of the bell curve and I’d like to do what I can to get them more towards the mean. Any advice?

[mymedlife]

I used (and would later recommend to my inertns) rounding sheets that I got from medfools. It helped organize things like vitals, labs, problems, etc.

[drpathetique]

I fixed my own efficiency issues when it comes to ward work by making checklists for myself specifically with things I need to do.

I built up a structure for myself by painstakingly checking all the important things for all patients, such as vitals, labs, meds, plan, night shift notes (this can be made into a checklist of its own, preferably taped to a wall somewhere so you can’t lose it). Then I would only write down what I needed to not mix up the patients, and what I had to do during the day - in very concrete, practical terms. “Call consult about X, Y”, “check x-ray”, “discuss electrolytes with X”, “prepare for X”. This is the part of the day I wanted to be the hardest and most energy-consuming so I could just continue on on autopilot. Things that don’t need to be done do not go on the list.

After making a list I would prioritise my tasks according what needed to be done when, in very simple terms. In my case: what needs to be done before lunch, and what needs to be done after lunch. I eventually turned this into a very functional habit of only making non-emergency phone calls between 13-14 o'clock, when all labs are in, and consults have had a chance to eat and recharge. (And for the love of God, never call a consult after 16, because they will ask you to do something time-consuming, and you will regret it.)

[a-zira-fell]

[douky-o]

“Show me your great plan, I know you’re testing them, but you shouldn't test them to destruction"