A Holiday Issue

It's always on Memorial Day.
Always.

I don't know what it is about this holiday, but it seems to bring out the worst at work.
I mean it was on Memorial day a few years ago that I got bitten by a monitor lizard.
Pretty sure I've had other animal chaos happen on this day as well.
Things breaking, animals getting hurt, things getting misplaced, it getting totally crazy full of customers.
*shakes head*

Today was no exception.
It was another crazy Memorial Day.

I had parts go missing to things, we had no large crickets, and I had animals suddenly dying.
And the most distressful....

Was the hamster.

Today was the day for me to clean the cages in our backrooms.
Where we keep our overstock animals and such.

Since I was the only opener this morning,
I saved the bedding change for last to make sure that the rest of the department was opened and ready for customers.

So I went into the backroom.
Flicked on the lights.
And looked at our hamster cages.
Where I noticed that there was a hamster hanging from the water bottle.
It wasn't too surprising, the hamsters back there have taken to clambering up the metal holder holding the water bottle in place.
You know, to try and see if they can escape out of the top of the cage.
-Usually they can't unless coworkers haven't properly closed said cages.

But I did note that he was in an odd position.
Kinda hanging from the top of the water bottle.
And when I pulled open the cage.

That's when I saw the blood.
And that's when I realized....the hamster couldn't get off.

Because somehow in some way....
The hamster had managed to get his foot stuck in the metal springy thing that holds the water bottle up against the side of the cage.

:S :S :S
It was bright blood red there.
The spiral metal covered in blood and fur.
And the foot itself?
Well the leg above the foot?
Worn down to the bone.

And I couldn't tell how to get the foot out.
So I rushed the hamster over to our vet in the store.
Just to have them help me get the foot unstuck from the water bottle holder.
(As the vet in the store only sees cats and dogs, they don't see anything else)

It took a tiny pair of metal cutters to cut the metal ring so we could free the foot.
And gah.
It did not look good.
Basically like a Q-tip.
Fuzzy foot, bare leg...
And covered in blood. *shakes head*

Basically it's an injury where I'm pretty sure they're going to have to amputate the leg.

And it's an injury where we should have rushed to our vet immediately.

Only guess what.
It's Memorial Day.
It's a Holiday.

And on Holidays...our normal vets are closed. >.< *exhales*
But I was given the name of a couple clinics that should have been open....

Only when I called....I got a voicemail.
No people were available.

So, our vet in the store ended up giving us an antiseptic rinse to clean the wound so it wouldn't get infected.
And I gave the hamster a little bit of one of the painkiller meds that a couple other animals are currently on.

And yah....we're going to have to wait until tomorrow to get him looked at.

But Thankfully, after I got the wound rinsed off, it....well it still looks bad, but not as bad as before.
Sooo maybe it will be better in the morning.
Maybe.

But definitely a heart pounding way to start the holiday work shift. *shakes head*
*fingers crossed* that things go well for the hamster.

Until read these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi