BDLD

Every field has its acronyms, and veterinary medicine is no different. TPR = temperature, pulse, respiration; DIC = disseminated intravascular coagulation (or "death is coming," as is so often the case with an animal in DIC); HBC = hit by car (a sadly commonly seen one). Another one that we see too much of is "BDLD" or "big dog little dog." We had a particularly nasty BDLD that came in late on Friday. A chihuahua had been attacked by two chow chows, and the poor little creature was really hurting. She had an open wound right into her abdomen that required an emergency exploratory surgery to be certain she didn't have more massive internal injuries. Fortunately, apart from some severe bruising, a large hematoma, and a few partial tears in her intestine (fortunately nothing full thickness) she didn't have anything too severe. Her pelvis was also broken (though in a manner that should not need repair) and she had multiple other bit wounds that required drains. As the owner of a small dog, BDLDs certainly hit very close to home.