The Sleeping Dog

Today's research for the new book took me to a vet's office. I wanted to observe a laser surgery on a small animal, and they had 3 dogs scheduled. It was fascinating how they take the dogs down into anaesthesia in stages, first with a little intramuscular torbugesic, then with isoflurane gas. The laser cuts right through the tissue with v. little ablation, which is what makes it such a great tool. Important safety tip: don't swab the animal with alcohol, or the laser with ignite it and the dog will go up in flames. And yes, when the laser cuts it smells. They have a machine that sucks the air into a filter to help, but it's still noticeable. Quirky moment of the day: When a technician used a beat-up dustbuster to suck up the hair off the dog where they shaved him. I'd include a picture but maybe it's better if we leave Fido his dignity.