The other day I saw one of the worst ear infection cases I've ever seen. While cleaning out the foul-smelling sticky yellowish-white gunk from the dog's ears the tech commented that it looked like Alfredo sauce.
Eww.
We make a lot of comparisons to food in our field because the various things that come out of our patients resemble food items. These comparisons also make it easier to converse with owners and to get a good description of vomit, diarrhea, pus, and so on. Some examples:
- The diarrhea from patients with hemorrhagic gastroenteritis looks almost exactly like raspberry jelly (but smells NOTHING like it)
- Diarrhea can be liquid, "milkshake," or "soft serve" consistency
- Ear mite debris and vomit containing digested blood can look like coffee grounds
Eventually you get used to it, although it may be a while before I eat fettuccine Alfredo again.
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